I totally hear ya’ on that one. Honestly, sizing is all over the place and most manufacturers rely on volume or uninflated measurements instead of measurements when they are inflated. I too have been surprised by the narrowness of some tires with claimed 2.35 or 2.4 sizes. But, once past the “this seems narrow” feel, they have consistently performed on the trail.

I’ve found myself to be content with 2.2 tires more often than I thought I would. For the most part, I prefer around a 2.3-ish tire for all-mountain ripping, but have found tires slightly narrower and slightly wider that have performed well.

Sometimes it takes a little faith and riding, which it seems, in the end, is what you did.