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Rubena Tyres
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Has anyone had any experience with/know anything about Rubena tyres?
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Yep i've got them on my bike right now. Kratos front Scylla rear.
So far they seem robust and hard wearing. For so- called tubeless ready they hold air very well.... no sealant leaking out thru the sidewall pores like Schwalbe TLRs. The also roll really well.
Downside is the bag is on the small side. 2.25s are more like a crossmark 2.1.
Forget about the Scylla on the front unless you are on a buffed race track. It seems quite good as a rear.
The Kratos front i'm still getting my head around. Mounted per the "drive" arrow pointing in the direction of rotation i never felt really comfortable, especially with the bike cranked over on loose surfaces. However a bigger bag (2.4?) would help a lot. Unfortunately not stocked by the Aus distributor at the time mine were dispatched.
Reversing the front direction of rotation yielded a noticeable improvement
So out of five how would you rate them? And are you happy you put them on your wheels?
As a dry conditions race setup i think the Kratos + Scylla combo would be pretty good. I believe Dan McConnell is running them
Ok thanks, Greg from TWE, who I have a set of wheels on order with, is selling them so I was wondering what they might be like. Might give them a go next time I'm up for tyres. Are you running them on UST or standard rims?
For my local conditions i'm reverting to schwalbe but i will probably pull them out for The Mont or a WSMTB round if the.flying.al twists my arm to join him for a teams race at Yellowmundee
UST rims
Cheers thanks for the info
Hi Geoff
I've got them on my HT bike right now & think they're the best 29er combination that I've used so far.I'm running the Kratos front, Scylla rear running tubeless on Stans crest's in preparation for the Dusk till dawn.
I agree with everything Hawkeye says & also initially thought that they came up a little small however comparing them directly with Schwalbe 2.25s there's very little in it.
At around 650g each they nicely bridge the gap for those who want to run tubeless but were previously limited to the delicate but light TL/2Bliss offerings or the reliable but heavy (900g Ardent)Maxxis UST tyres.
While not as track pump inflatable as the Maxxis they went up first time with a scoop of Stan's sealant using a compressor.
The Kratos sealed 100% immediately, the rear Scylla would slowly lose air & took a couple of rides & top ups to stay up.
On the trails here in WA I've been really impressed with them, especially the Kratos (Just checked, as it's not easy to spot the drive symbol. I'm running the right way, although the centre & side knobs seem to oppose each other).
I always felt a bit unsure of the Ardent which seems to skate a bit easily on our pea gravel and the Rocket Ron squirmed around a bit but the Kratos felt good biting through & hooking up (Ok, sometimes nothing will hook up in pea gravel).
At the rear the Scylla felt like a Crossmark & maybe lacked a tiny bit of the Racing Ralph's traction (Down to the softer compound?) but it still performed well.
All the best
Tony
Thanks Tony, they sound promising.
Cheers
I had these on at Mt Stromlo at the Scott event , I wouldn't ride there again with anything else they were flawless on the red loop from riding there in the past with other tyres it was cornering the downhill & luge like I was on rails . But around my local single track they are a bit sketchy with leaf litter after backburning has gone thru there . 9.5/10 at Stromlo , 7/10 at local trails ..
You're a brave man, Smiley!
Were these the ones with the white/grey rings (multi compound) or the single compound all-black version?
they are the all black ones Hawkeye , or it might just be the bike helped too but they were awesome there .. not one chance of giving way anywhere & I was moving fast , actually I was in race mode .....!
... photos or it didn't happen. Here's the photo:
Click to expand thumbnail
Smiley, Have you ridden the the red lap on Mt stromlo on say perhaps Bobbly Nick?
I'd love to hear a direct comparison. I mean I'm stoked with my current set up but thats only because I havent ridden these tyers you speak of.
I rode the red lap in 2011with a fresh NN. The grip blew me away
Hope you don't mind, I've quoted you Smilie and Tony in my upcoming review to be published on Bicycles Network Australia.
no worries Hawkeye keen to read what was said lol
No problem.
They're now on my lightest wheelset for the Dusk till Dawn over here next wknd rather than my usual Schwalbe's so I hope they continue to be reliably impressive.
find out in a few weeks time how they handle Mt Annan for the Jetblack 24hr , hoping to put a few laps in
http://www.bicycles.net.au/2012/11/rubena-kratos...
If you can get the greyline tyres I would recommend them, as the slightly softer shoulder knobs should grip better.
While i found the review tyres to be quite adequate once I got the setup right, I have reverted to Schwalbe rubber for general recreational trail riding locally around northern Sydney. On groomed singletrack I think the Rubena's work well and roll fast, but I am less confident on loose or loose-over-hardpack than with the much chunkier Nobby Nic, which is a real 2.25.
I was a bit surprised when the distributor said they've no plans to bring in the 2.4"s at this time, thought it was strange that he wasn't willing to take on board customer feedback.
Bottom line, they're definitely worth trying but are not as general in their application as the Schwalbe NN/RR 2.25" combo.
I forgot too tell you my brother rode at The Mont with my bike & was taken back with the tyres especially all the bad stuff he has heard. he has had a big turnaround about these tyres & did a lap record within his team mates on the tyres & my bike ....???