Plus tires are really great for the things they are great at. The more a trail begins to look like a purpose built bike trail, and the better or more hardpacked the trail conditions are, the worse plus tires will perform. That Should be obvious to people, but its not. I think that was the biggest issue with them when they came out, was that they were being sold as THE NEXT BIG THING substitute for your regularly sized wheels/tires, and not as a complement to them. Which is what they are. A perfect compliment to your existing wheels and tires, for the conditions that require them.
I think another big thing that contributed to their rapid fall from popularity was the lack of a good purpose built tire insert (and the widespread adoption of inserts) for them when they were at their most popular. Pinch flatting plus tires was too common because of the lower pressures at their sweet spot. The ride characteristics were best in a specific pressure range, but it was low enough that it was easy for a square edge or more pointed rock to just push right through the support without much aggression or a particularly bad mistake. I think if something lighter but still effective, like tannus tubeless or Octamousse were around and well known, many people would have had better experiences with plus tires, enough to begin to understand and accept where they excelled and use them appropriately in those settings.
I do hope the industry at large (at least the tire manufacturers) continues to support them because there is definitely a place for them for a Lot of people.
March 8, 2022, 8:05 a.m. - Metacomet
Plus tires are really great for the things they are great at. The more a trail begins to look like a purpose built bike trail, and the better or more hardpacked the trail conditions are, the worse plus tires will perform. That Should be obvious to people, but its not. I think that was the biggest issue with them when they came out, was that they were being sold as THE NEXT BIG THING substitute for your regularly sized wheels/tires, and not as a complement to them. Which is what they are. A perfect compliment to your existing wheels and tires, for the conditions that require them. I think another big thing that contributed to their rapid fall from popularity was the lack of a good purpose built tire insert (and the widespread adoption of inserts) for them when they were at their most popular. Pinch flatting plus tires was too common because of the lower pressures at their sweet spot. The ride characteristics were best in a specific pressure range, but it was low enough that it was easy for a square edge or more pointed rock to just push right through the support without much aggression or a particularly bad mistake. I think if something lighter but still effective, like tannus tubeless or Octamousse were around and well known, many people would have had better experiences with plus tires, enough to begin to understand and accept where they excelled and use them appropriately in those settings. I do hope the industry at large (at least the tire manufacturers) continues to support them because there is definitely a place for them for a Lot of people.