New DIY project (Stealth Bomber-ish clone), advice on parts - starting with wheels/tires

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Dec 31, 2017
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Hey all, first post here. I converted my current commuter bike into a 1kw ebike this past fall and have been planning on building a bike from scratch similar to a Stealth Bomber (em3ev frame), something fast, but not too crazy primarily b/c of the $$$ involved. This is the first of what I imagine will be several follow-up posts on advice people have on the parts and approach I'm taking as I progress.

Currently I've purchased: (more details in my signature)
- em3ev frame
- Crystalline TC100 motor (rear DD laced w/rim)
- RockShox fork (27.5)

I'm thinking of buying and assembling all the pieces minus the controller/battery first, just to space things out (though feel free to convince me otherwise), so my next purchases are tires/wheels.

So my first question for anyone with advice - the TC100 is coming laced on a 26 x 31mm rim, I'd like to get as fat as a tire as possible, but I know the 31mm will limit me a bit. From what I can gather googling it seems 2.8inch might be as wide as I should go, but I'm unsure if I could get away with a 3inch? It's been kind of tough to find info on rim widths/tire widths. Any thoughts?

Also, for the front tire, the RockShox fork is set for a 27.5 inch wheel, not sure if I should match the front wheels width with what I'll have on the back? Ideally I'd go fatter on the back and a bit skinnier on the front, but since I may be limited to not too fat of a tire on the rear, not sure if I should just match that on the front.

Also, ideally I'd like to take this thing off-road, but I know I'll be too tempted to ride it every day as my daily commuter bike (~10 miles round trip), so I'm thinking of staying away from super knobby tires for a smoother ride, but convince me otherwise. It would be nice if I could get dual-sport type tires so I could use it as a daily commuter and still take it on some not-to-rough trails on the occasional weekend, I'm still researching that, kind of having a tough time finding what I want for the 26 inch rear. So if anyone has any advice given their experience it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all
 
One thing I failed to mention was for the rear 26" I was looking at RANGER 2.8 & 3.0 https://www.wtb.com/products/rangerplus?variant=22495553796, not sure if I could get away with the 3.0.
 
Looks like a good combo so far. Ive been curious how those Ranger 3.0 work out. Since you're building up the bike, you probably should go for a wider rim. for a 3" tire, I'd want a 45mm rim (39mm inside width). 32 hole for the front will be easy to find. for the rear, you're going to have a fun search. In a case like this, a 27.5" fork is a good choice for a 26" Semi-fat tire, as you'll need more clearance
 
Thanks for the reply. I definitely would like a wider rim but I'm buying from a vendor that only laces the motor I bought on a 31mm rim. I'm not adventurous enough yet to lace my own wheel, one day hopefully, but for now I'm going to stick with what I can get to make the process as smooth as I can since this is my first full custom DIY project. Grudgingly I'm convincing myself to deal with that fact and get a smaller tire. 2.5" seems to make the most sense, but if I could push it, I would, I just don't want to be stupid if I'm attempting high speeds on this bike.
 
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