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UST 26" tyres
I am curious what others are riding on around Manly Dam. I have a set of UST 'The Captain' specialized and they have a tight set of center knobs and they tend to loose traction really easily of the sandy rocky step ups. I am over the whole Schwable thing, what about the maxxis? What are you using?
[Mod. moved to Northern Beaches as relates to riding in a specific area]
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Maxxis Ignitor front and either Crossmark or Larsen back are a pretty common combination around Sydney. Only issue with the Ignitor is that they can let go without warning but I find the Larsen at the back lets go first so you get a bit of warning that you're getting out of shape!
Hi, I am using crossmark (LUST UST 26x2.35) at the back and I noticed that the grip factor is the pressure; I started with 30 PSI and the grip wasn't that good, I lowered the pressure to 25ish and it changed dramatically.
At the front I am runnign my stock tyre (Bontrager XR3 Team TLR) at 25-27PSI
Nevegal at the front and Larsen at the rear, almost threw the nevegal as it was slipping out everyride, though some wise words from a few gents on here about tyre pressure and dropped them from 35ish down to 25-27 and it's like a different bike.
Play with your pressure
The Captains are a terrific tyre for Manly Dam as they are a great compromise between rolling resistance and traction. The Dam isn't really slippy so I would always favour rolling resistance there.
I wouldn't use the Maxxis as they provide great traction when you are perfectly upright or leaning right over but when you are at a mild lean like through the top single track corners they actually have no knobs at all so provide no traction.
I use the Kenda Small Block 8's as they offer great rolling resistance and are totally puncture proof. Yes they are a heavy tyre but I've never had to fix a flat in the 4 years or so I've been using them. That's gold to a lazy rider who hates to stop for anything other than a chat or a look at the scenery.
I'm not running USTs, but am using Maxxis Advantage tyres which came with my bike. However, I wouldn't recommend these (too slow, heavy and not grippy enough), so am thinking of switching to High Rollers on the front and Crossmarks on the rear, but am interested to hear what others are using.
I swear by Nevegals for my Sydney rides as I want a single tyre that "does it all" reasonably well, plus I like to keep a few spares on the shelf for emergencies and don't like mixing tyres. Nevegals won best tyre for years in all the European bike mags, so considering our current conditions, it might be their time to shine! Like all the guys above, tyre pressure is the most important factor in determining traction, but boy, when you get it right with the Nevegals, they grip like nothing else. I find on average, you should drop your tubeless tyre pressure by about 20% to get the best result. Only major weakenss is Kenda's tend to bubble up after about 18 months with sealant (Joe's or Stan's), but I kill a tyre before that becomes an issue (except this year with the lousy weather).