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what tyre should i buy?
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
I'm running the stock/standard schwalbe hobby nic tyres on my giant trance and within 400km of medium paced riding I've gone through 3 tubes and some small tears in the tire, i think i need a harder compound but not sure which tire is ideal, i am mostly riding on gravel and a small amount of tarmac to the dirt.
thanks in advance
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What casings are they? Some tyres you can get with light weight side walls for racing. The Sydney sandstone tens to damage these casings, pretty quickly.
Maxxis tyres seem to last well, Ardents, Igniters, crossmarks etc
If you're going to use non-UST (ie, tubed) tyres, I'd stay away from Schwalbe if riding on Sydney sandstone. Not the most robust.
Their UST tyres are adequate: not as tough as Maxxis but lighter, which is why I've been using them.
But srsly, who uses tubes?
If that is the original version that came with the bike (assuming trance x1), its an evo tubeless ready version - they have weaker sidewalls. given your problems a replacement tyre should be a snakeskin version at the least, and a a 2.4 bag will also allow lower pressures and therefore more deforming before puncturing. and as above going goop tubeless would save the small punctures (especially the pinchflat/snakebites) and the snakeskin version of same tyre will cut the tyre wall tears donw to almost nil.
the EVO versions of schwalbes are a shocking oem tyre - while light, they are weak as - the ss version i have yet to tear a sidewall, and even the ust version, only torn a sidewall after a year of use (ie walls were getting thin)
Schwalbe tyres IMO are useless - tubeless ready my arse!
I got Giant to swap these tyres free of charge after they refused to keep in air after 3 weeks of trying . . . . . . I had my rims converted to tubeless at the shop.
I went with MAXXIS LUST. Ardent/Crossmark combo.
Sealed first go, have done a decent amount of riding on them and have not had to put in a single breath or air into them . . . . haven't tried Snake Skins but probably wouldn't try Schwalbe anyways, not after the experience with these ones.
Just ordered Continental X-King Protection 2.4" (front) and a Kenda Small Block 8 2.35 (rear) with Freeride Tubes.
Previously my Trance X3 '09 Had a set of Kenda Nevegals which were great...the sidewalls just wore out before the tread.
The sidewalls do tear easy under heavier riding. I like conti diesels very solid tyre run at low pressure..
My new tubeless 29er back tyre racing ralphs when bang on Friday on Centre Track and I wasn't very happy as you can imagine! I've been riding Karma's and Crossmarks for three years without any issues -tubeless...and I'm wondering whether I should return to that combo?
only took a couple of months before one of my racing ralphs got a big sidewall tear. replaced it with a maxxis igniter.
Just out of interest, it would be interesting to note which schwalbe's people are talking about - the std issue schwalbe's bought by people new to the brand and original equipment fitment are the pacestar EVO models. Everyone I know that keeps getting rons, nics, or ralphs, get the snakeskin versions - though occasionaly the UST's as well. And even between those models there is more puncture protection the heavier model you go - eg the nics provide a bit of extra protection via bigger nobs
The other thing about "tubeless ready" is what it really means is these tyres are super light, and require a tubeless with stans kind of setup to reduce punctures. The maxxis Lust crossmark for instance is somewhere about 150g heavier than the racing ralph ss - of course you are going to get less flats. You have to balance your need for speed versus grip versus puncture resistance.
For me the NN's are my sweet spot for all 3 - though the day i have a puncture 20kms out and cant change the tye for whatever reason will be the day I'm a convert to 750gram options ;D
pharma raises a good point
I've been on snakeskin RaRa's for the last 12 months and no issues with sidewalls. Did open one up with a big clean cut right through the centre of the tread though and then spiked its replacement through the base of a tread block. The latter needed a tube but has been fine ever since.
thanks guys i think i might buy a pair of maxxis tyres now probably some ardents, but still i think i should probably complain to giant for putting these useless tires on stock especially when they are running tubes.
thanks
FWIW - Indonesian made Racing Ralphs EVO Pacestar Triple Compound Tubeless Ready, the worst tyre I've ever had. Two reasons - couldn't get them to grip on WA's coffee stone (pea gravel) and I couldnt keep air in either of them. The casings were so porous when trying to fit them I couldn't get above 20psi until I'd put sealant goo in them. They would leak air through the tyre wall all the time, even with sealant in them, so would need to be pumped up every day and mid ride sometimes. I checked where the leakage was by submerging the rim under water, and did this several times over a couple of weeks, no leaks from the valve or bead - all from the sidewall. You could stop the leak by shaking the wheel to get some sealant to the leak, but within a day it would start leaking somewhere else.
My experience of Racing Ralph EVO's, they are totally crap and probably the last Schwalbe tyre I'll try.
I had exactly the same experience trying to run Conti X King and Race King tubeless.
The RaRa snakeskins have been no problems to mount tubeless and even seem to hold air pretty well without sealant. Have seen a few reports that the normal versions are hard to get to work.
The early 'TLR' ones were super super tight on the bead (I think Schwalbe copped plenty of feedback) but the last lot went on by hand easy as.
Run Ardents front and rear on my dually, and on the front of my 29er hard tail. Tubless set up no prob and they hold air well. Runs these all over the rocky northern Beaches trails. Never had a flat, sidewall tear.
Jings myself now bound to happen. Go a 2.4 on the front and a 2.25 on the rear.
This is my first tubless setup
Running stans ztr crest rims with Maxxis LUST Laursen rear & Maxxis LUST Ignitor on the front and couldn't be happier.
continental for 3 years now and still no problems,i would suggest go with wire bead or ust, do not buy a folding tyre in any brand unless it is UST as they have much better sidewall protection
I tried using Stans on the "tubeless" ready Schwalbe. Three weeks into trying it I was still getting leaks through the side wall. If I increased the pressure anything past 35PSI the pressure would blowout the stans. If I reduced the pressure, I couldnt ride for longer than 30mins without having to pump the tyre.
The supplier said that those tyres where ok and that the problem was because I was doing it all wrong. I needed to apply the Stans with a brush on the walls then let it go off, then repeat a few times before mounting the tyre on the rim.
I told him exactly what to do with his tyre.
Agree with the post above, there may be better Schwalbe tyres but given the issues and the attitude from the supplier I wont be trying them. EVER.
If you complain to Giant they will replace them with whatever you want. Thats what they did for me!
If you don't complain they have no way of knowing that people are unhappy with a product!
I've passed a link to this forum to Schwalbe Germany. Let's see how they respond.
yes lets take on the germans again, anyway good idea I'm also gonna complain and winge to giant
i bought your 2012 trance x1 maybe 3 months ago, I've done less than 400km and I've had 4 punctures and two tears in the tire(under the nobblies), i would like to complain about this and would like to see something done about it, i would like to be a customer of 'giant' again but this is a major flaw on your part.
sincerely mitchell trapp of western australia
Been using schwable's for a while now. Found the tubeless ready snakeskin Ralph mounted as easy as the full ust versions. The evo triple nano pacstar Ron was a pain to inflate but did seal after a while. So far they have been as reliable as the maxis tyres I used to use.
Your mileage may vary.
Hi Mitchell,
First off, thank you for your enquiry.
If possible can you please forward me a business hours contact number? I’d like to give you a call to discuss this in a bit further detail.
Or alternatively, feel free to contact me via the details below.
I look forward in speaking with you.
Regards
David.
David Ross | Quality Control Manager | Giant Bicycle Co. Pty. Ltd |Unit 7, 3-5 Gilda Court, Mulgrave, VIC 3170 | + 61 3 8541 4800 |
I run the Performance range of RR on my Rush and they are a tubeless ready tyre. They are mounted on SLR's and running sealant. I have never had a problem with them going down or leaking through the sidewalls. They do go down, but it takes months. I've got two bikes running tubes and they lose more pressure over the same period.
However, I run a 2.4 NN on a DT Swiss 5.1D rim with stans tape and the same sealant, it goes down. I pretty much have to top it up every couple of days. I can never remember the type, but they are snakeskin sidewalls.
I have a bigger rubber collection than a careful punter in a Phuket brothel & have tried almost every tyre mentioned on here.
What I'd say is similar to a few others above, that is.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOUR TYRE PRIORITIES ARE?
I ride a few bikes here in WA and have picked the tyres according to the type of riding done on each.
5" travel aggressive trail bike runs Maxxis USTs as I want to ride hard and want reliability, grip and long life and can accept the weight penalty.
4" travel XC duallie runs Schwalbe USTs (Roc Ron f Ra Ra r)as I ride a bit more carefully & want less weight, more speed but still want reliability.
29er HT racer runs the same Schwalbe combo but in the TL ready versions as this bike is built for speed. The TL ready were a pain to keep up initially even with sealant but have now settled down & stay up well. I have found this common to ALL TL ready tyres I've tried inc Conti, Bonty & Specialized.
Bottom line: Proper UST tubeless tyres are far tougher than tubeless ready offerings & seal easily but can be quite a bit heavier. E.g my Ardent 29er 2.35 weighs 900g!!!
Cheapest, toughest & longest lasting but also heavy are Maxxis
Conti Tubeless are similar but offer less range.
Kenda USTs Either seem to be heavy & aggressive or fast & gripless. They need an intermediate offering.
Schwalbe UST offer the best race performance IMHO but are dearer & not as tough.
Personally I like fat tyres here (2.1 & bigger) & like the nobbly front faster rear combination for all of my bikes.
A fast but rounded edged tyre like the Conti Race King, Racing Ralph, Small block 8 or Crossmark will never be on the front unless I'm going to be riding on a solid surface. Pea gravel just laughs at these!!
Hope that lot helps
well after winging to giant they are sending me a new set of tires free of charge, now lets just hope that they are better than the last ones.