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Bigger rubber combi question
Ok, being a self proclaimed rubber freak (After all, they're the interface between you, your bike & that nasty dirt stuff)I have a question.
What tyres do you aggressive riders use for Kalamunda?
I am especially interested in those who ride the black runs & ride UP the hills as well, rather than those who purely ride down them on heavy kit then get ferried back to the top.
On my latest bike (built especially for Kalamunda) I have fatter "Stans Flow" rims and 150mm travel each end plus a dropper post. I am using either a Hans Dampf snakeskin or a Maxxis High Roller 2 2.4 EXO up front but am unsure of what to stick on the rear.
I have tried a Maxxis DHR 2.3 exo but it was a bit ott, heavy & slow and am now on an old 2.25 Racing Ralph UST which is getting chewed up as quickly as a rubber duck in a cage of pitbull's.
I know that some will say Ardent f & r but I really haven't warmed to their mid lean let go tendency. (Perhaps it was only an issue on narrower 19mm XC rims?)
I am tempted to go Hans Dampf 2.35 Snakeskin front & rear?
What do you reckon?
Cheers
T
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Nobby nics
Minion DHF up front in a 2.5. Single ply casing for more pedalling tracks and dual ply if you don't care how fast you get back up.
GOOD TYRE!
I'm currently running high roller front and ignitor rear, both 2.35 LUST versions, pretty happy with them but coming into summer I am considering a wider tyre on the front.
Now my fave tyres-get the "Hand made in Germany" Black Chilli compound Protection-Revolution Tubeless Ready ones-you can feel the quality of them!-o'h yeah I like rubber too! LOL
Is an awesome tyre up front. Was super impressed with the one I rode on a Trigger 29er.
You could try it up back but the tread would probably suffer the same fate as the RaRa as would a Nic... soft rubber compound.
If it's the sidewalls only that you're worried about maybe their full UST and/or Snakeskin versions would be worth a look. Otherwise Maxxis LUST I found were good in Sydney sandstone.
Specialized butcher tr up front and a purgotory on the rear. Best combo I have found in a while. Honourable mention for hand damfs as well,
i run ignitor up front and high roller on rear on my bike that sounds similarly setup.
2.35 LUST for both.
Loved it thru winter. recon it would be ok with dry pea gravel.
Used to use crossmark rear, too slippery for runs like gungin blue and black, sliding out in corners everywhere. tried ignitor rear and found it bit hard and felt slow climbing.
HR is a tad slower on the climbs but i dont do strava and i can keep up with my posse so good enough for me. As a bit of the meat wears down thru the middle it gets better.
i run a 2.5 minion dual ply at the front
and a 2.35 larsen tt at the rear
i find the only proble i have with this combo is in the mud of winter, gets a bit slidey at speed.
I forgot about the Specialized offerings, the Butcher, Clutch & Purgatory. I've heard good things about these as well. Do they still come up big for their stated size?
I have also heard good things about the Bontrager XR 3 & 4 as fat & grippy but not too heavy.
Conti Black Chilli... I am running Mountain King 2's on my Yeti at the moment. 2.4 f & 2.2 r, the protection version.
The jury's out on them at the moment. They seem light & reasonably tough but the grip isn't as good as the Schwalbe Nic or Hans & the sidewalls leached sealant out for ages.
IMO Conti really need to make a couple of new versions of their superb Vertical. They need to be a bit bigger, say 2.4 (like the older Maxxis they always came up a bit small) & they need to be Black Chilli & sealant tight. The front version needs slightly fatter but wider spaced knobs to give stability & bite & the rear needs a closer spaced centre line to give more straight line speed.
Cheers. T
I have one NOS never used I'd like to get out of my garage into a new home if you're interested. 26x2.25 I think, and UST. PM me.
Edit: 26x2.3
My 2c: go tubeless on your rig if your wheelset will accept this. Minion DHF + High Roller rear. Grips like sh*t.
In the end I went for a Nobby Nic 2.25 UST.
So far it is doing a good job, it isn't too draggy & doesn't skate around like the Ralph. It seems like a good match for the Hans up front although I don't think that it's going to last very long.
I put a Nobby Nic Tubeless ready on the rear on Saturday replacing a Conti Race X. What a difference in grip which I expected but there was a huge increase in rolling resistance that I didn't expect. I am running a Hans Dampf on the front. The whole bike felt a lot more stable on the loose, dry gravel.
Hi Murray
When I saw you on Lancaster I was surprised to see the Racer X on the rear of your Pivot, I have one of those for events like the C to C but it really is a full on race tyre with minimal tread. That said it's still grippier than it looks & is also pretty tough at the cost of about 100g in UST form. I'm still surprised that you find the Nic hugely different in rolling resistance though, I can notice the slight extra drag but additional grip outweighs it imo.
If you want a halfway house try a Rocket Ron on the rear or give me a buzz & I'll lend you a 2.2 Mountain King UST which seems to roll faster than expected or the 2.25 UST Ralph I've just taken off.
T
Racing ralph 2.4 on the rear and hans dampf 2.4 on the front. Grips really well on the corners and the rolling resistance is sooo good!
After riding big tyres & wide bars for the last few weeks my XC bikes now felt sketchy & in need of some tweaking.
The other week I started on my Yeti. I ditched the 685 lo riser for a 740 carbon one & replaced the 2.1 Schwalbes with Conti mountain Kings, 2.4f & 2.2r Protection. Unfortunately the Conti's didn't like to hold air despite Stans & the front was inconsistent despite playing with the pressure.
I finally gave up on them & at the weekend stuck on some of the new Bontrager range. 2.35 XR4 f & XR3 r . They are true to their stated size coming up similar in profile to a Hans Dampf, they also went up tubeless straight away & did not leech air. On my first proper ride in the hills today they were doing the business. As I pushed them harder they just dug in & worked, no fuss, no scares, I grew progressively more confident & impressed with them as I went around. Longevity & reliability are thus far unknown but for a mid price mid weight tyre they seem very good.
Will post again if the positive first impressions don't last.
T