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Rear tyre replacement
Being relatively new to mountain biking, this is the first tyre I've had to replace but I don't really know where to start. There seems to be heeps of styles, widths, tread design etc.
I have a few questions that hopefully someone can answer to help me make sense of it all. If they're stupid questions then I apologise in advance but if you don't ask, you don't find out!
The type of trails I like to ride most are Manly Dam, Appin, Mount Annan and occasionally the odd fire trail. The bike it's on is a Felt hardtail.
This is what's on the bike atm:
1)What's the difference between rigid and folding tyres?
2)Presumably a wider tyre would give most grip but a thin tyre offers less rolling resistance, is it better to get a mid width tyre?
3) The tubeless question is currently going on in another thread so I'll read about that there.
4) Should I replace the front tyre at the same time and does the front and rear need to be the same width?
5) What do you recommend?
Thanks for your help everyone.
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Buying tyres as a newbie can be a bit daunting, and unfortunately you may have to go through a few different tyers and combos to work out what works best for you. A lot of riders tend to run a wider tyre on the front and a thinner on the rear, and in many cases these are different styles, for example, I personally run a Maxxis Minion 2.5" on the front and a Maxxis Ardent 2.35" on the rear.
I would recommend heading down to your LBS for a chat, im sure the staff there will be local riders and will be able to help pick out the right set of tyres for you. I would save buying online until you know exactly what your after.
Hope that kind of answers some of your questions
1)What's the difference between rigid and folding tyres?
Rigid have a wire bead, tend to be a bit heavier but cheaper. Folding have a Kevlar bead (or similar) are light and more expensive, they also fold (fancy that) for easy storage in bike packs, i good idea if you ride rocky trails that tend to rip the side wall out of your tyre, (but and empty gu wrapper will also fix this and is a much lighter option.
2)Presumably a wider tyre would give most grip but a thin tyre offers less rolling resistance, is it better to get a mid width tyre?
Spot on here, and Haydos is right alot of riders run different width tyres for this reason. The tyres Haydo mentioned are more of a DH tyre XC/trail riding is more of a 2.1 front and 2.0 or 1.9 rear (this would most likely be an XC race setup) or 2.2 front and 2.1 rear (this is more or a trail setup)
3) The tubeless question is currently going on in another thread so I'll read about that there.
This can start to get expensive buying the right rims and valves and tyres and sealants, but this is covered in more detail in other thread currently going on.
4) Should I replace the front tyre at the same time and does the front and rear need to be the same width?
You only need to replace it if its worn and losing grip, or your unhappy with its performance. you its working for you then leave it on and save your $$ for when it wears out.
5) What do you recommend?
I'm a Maxxis boy through and through, however i don't like they larsens which a lot of XC racers tend to you as they offer a good rolling tyre. I tend to go for a crossmark as a general all round tyre, the monorail for dry dusty conditions (they are really good at combating the dreaded front wheel washout) and for muddy conditions i got for the igniter (for their mud shedding qualities) i also run 2.1 front and rear
In the end it comes down to personal preference, what works best for your style of riding.
I found most of this stuff out by talking to my LBS. The best part about that is you can see the tyres first hand.
I like to use a Maxxis Ignitor on the front and a Maxxis Larsen on the rear
Food for thought, it is more important to have good grip on the front tyre when cornering.
Thanks for the answers guys.
I will buy it from the LBS but it always helps to have a bit of an idea to start with.
I may put the current front tyre on the back and get a new, wider tyre for the front.
Thanks again
Ignitor up front, Larsen on the back. (Occasionally chuck on a Crossmark or Small block 8 )
Crossmarks corner a little better and roll a little better, but I like the better climbing and braking traction from the Larsen. Ignitor is quite good on the front but you want the bigger 2.3" casing to match with the bag size of the 2.0 Larsen as the Ignitor is small for its nominal size and the Larsen a little large. Does that make sense?
Currently running tubeless Nobby Nic front in 2.25 and Racing Ralph rear in 2.1, but they are sensitive to pressures. Need to run the NN quite low - 23 to 26psi for me at 80kg and 5" travel bike.