In this article I’m going to give you my top picks for the best cheap 27.5 mountain bike tires.
To be honest, that’s not an easy thing to do. 27.5 inch is a wheel size for bikes which are relatively new (less than 10 years old). Especially not in an industry that keeps ramping up the prices, rather than offering affordable solutions.
I’m also not the type of person who opts for unknown brands that have distinctly eastern-sounding names. So no SimeiQi and Meghna for me. I understand that also for big brand names, everything’s probably fabricated in the far east, but that’s just me I guess.
So that also leaves us with the question of what exactly is “cheap” when it comes to 27.5 inch MTB tires? Although I don’t have exact numbers I would argue that a price below 30 dollars can be considered affordable at the very least. And I know, that’s still not very cheap. But you have to understand that with all those supply line issues, the price of tires have gone through the roof, and paying almost 100 bucks for a single premium mountain bike tire is no longer an exception.
So 30 dollars is the limit set here, let’s see what I came up with in my list of the best cheap 27.5 mountain bike tires.
Continental Cross King Wire
The Continental Cross King Wire is the budget-oriented version of their top-of-the-line XC tire.
It means you get a wired version with the same tread pattern without the BlackChili compound and ProTection puncture-protection.
Even without those tire characteristics it still is a great way to obtain a very solid, and smart-looking mountain bike tire for a more than reasonable price.
Sure it’s heavier and less durable, but in the end it’s the legs that do most of the work, not the tires.
- One of the best budget mountain bike tires on the market, without the budget looks
- Nothing if you don't expect any tire tech for the price
Maxxis Rambler
The Maxxis Rambler is a gravel-oriented tire meant for riding tarmac and hardpack in dry conditions. It’s the most versatile gravel tire in Maxxis’ lineup with a wide array of applications.
So as long as you don’t like riding in the mud, this tire will get you where you want to go, and will do it in style with selected sizes coming in a tan-wall version.
There are EXO and SilkShield versions, which mean you either have reinforced sidewalls or bead-to-bead protection respectively. All in a tubeless-compatible package.
You really can’t fault the Maxxis Rambler. The brand almost never offers the lightest tires on the market, but as far as value-for-money in a solid allround gravel package, the Rambler ticks all the boxes.
- Great allround, and highly versatile gravel tire for dry conditions
- None
Schwinn Cruiser
The Schwinn Cruiser is actually a great-looking and very cheap tire for urban, commuting, and gravel use.
It will turn your mountain bike into a perfect commuter, while still maintaining some off-road capability for gravel and light cross country riding.
It’s a bit too light to take on the trail, but if you grew up riding mountain bikes in the 90s, nothing is too light probably.
The main attraction is obviously the price, which is about half you’d pay for a more premium counterpart. So unless you want to move into the territory where tires begin to have unpronounceable names, this is the go-to solution for the cheapest light off-road tire.
- The cheapest offroad, cross country tire you can find.
- Expect nothing fancy
Schwinn Mountain
Coming in a variety of sizes the aptly named Schwinn Mountain tire is as cheap as they come.
The tread pattern actually supports commuting with a fairly unbroken center tread line. So whether you want to slap a pair of cheap tires on your fixer-upper you’ll be going to use as a fun daily driver, or you actually want to rock your local trail, the trail will serve you fine on both occasions.
Don’t expect anything fancy other than a bit of added puncture protection. But there’s enough rubber to keep you going a long time.
- One of the cheapest mountain bike tires on the market. Actually has added puncture protection.
- Expect nothing fancy
Specifications cheap 27.5 mountain bike tires
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead | TPI | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Continental Cross King Wire | 27.5×2.30 | 58-584 | 775 | Black | Black | wired | 3/180 | |||
Continental Cross King Wire | 27.5×2.20 | 55-584 | 740 | Black | Black | wired | 3/180 | |||
Maxxis Rambler | 27.5×1.50 | 40-584 | 475 | Black | Black | Dual | tlr | 120 | ||
Maxxis Rambler | 650x47C | 47-584 | 628 | Black | Black | Dual | tlr | 60 | ||
Schwinn Cruiser | 27.5×2.10 | 52-584 | Black | Black | wired |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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