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Anyone using these?
Shoppng for tyres - want something affressive front, grippy/rolly rear that's tough but not super heavy. OCD requires same brand front nd rear. Magic mary would be good up front, but don't want HD rear really, and Rock Razor wil really only work for me for about two weeks of the year
2.4DHR front and rear and/or a 2.5 DHF/Shorty looking favourites now but just shopping around a bit.
Few reviews say the Barons strugle with tubeless - been my impression of Conti in the past too - anyoen using them and find them OK?
Yep, in 2.4 29er flavour with apex protection on my banshee prime. Good grip across a pretty broad range of conditions and survived a long weekend in the alps riding everything from bike park to off piste rocky paths. Tubeless wise they were a bit of a faff initially ie needed inflating a couple of times after putting them on, but fine now and hold pressure from week to week. They don't bleed tubeless fluid through the sidewalls so I can only assume it was around the rim that they weren't sealing properly. Using a DT XM481 rim so shouldn't be any rim related problems. However they did seem to seal straight away after using caffe latex as opposed to Stans I used initially so maybe it's down to the fluid. I have also had the same sealing experience with stans and a specialized grid so I'm inclined to think that stans is a bit pants having never had issues with grid tyres in the past. Incidentally this thought was also backed up by the wheelbuilder at a local shop when I was chatting to him about it.
Only thing I would say is that if you have tyre OCD then the carcass on a trail king (which I'm running rear) is a fair bit bigger than the der baron project which might annoy you.
I replaced the mary on the front of mine with a baron, think it is much better same level of grip but better rolling IMO. Also went from HD at the back to trail king, I think it is a much better set-up.
I will probably put the barron on the back and get der-kaiser for the front when I go to the alps.
all 29x2.4 apex
2.4 trail king is hooooooooooge. got the apex version on the back of the Quarterhorse.
No issues with tubeless on mine. Wouldn't run then for dry dusty trails though
@MSP - the Kaiser is a less grippy tyre than the Baron, used to run kaiser projekt rear, Der Baron front on the DH bike
How long ago? The current kaiser project is being sold as a high wear race tyre, while the baron is kind of a cut spikes tyre.
Yeah - same Kaiser Projekt they sell now. Less aggressive than the Baron Projekt or Der Baron, definitely. Would be a Minion/HR2 equivalent whereas the Baron's more of a MM/Shorty
@MSP - the Kaiser is a less grippy tyre than the Baron, used to run kaiser projekt rear, Der Baron front on the DH bike
This was my understanding as well when I was looking at the conti range.
Wouldn't run then for dry dusty trails though
Why not? A lot of pros seem to run cut spikes when it's dry and dusty I think. I've been very impressed with how well it works in dry loam and it seems to be as good as anything in dry bike park conditions. That said I'm a reasonable but not amazing rider so someone better may be more sensitive. Ultimately I think it's a great tyre for those who can't be arsed changing tyres. Mine will stay on the front all year round.
I was looking at these to replace my Specialized Butcher and Slaughter combo, which I did rate but wanted more grip at the back for this crap summer we're having.
I've just got the new Mavic XL Charge and Quest combo. Quest is superb at the back and Charge is good up front but needs less air than Mavic recommend (29psi) to bring in the side tread for more grip.
I did a review [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/mavic-crossmax-chargequest-xl-tyres-experience-of-anyone ]here[/url]. Definitely worth a look if you're put off by the usual Conti' issues people seem to get.
I ran a Baron projekt on the front all last winter. It's a very grippy tyre in typical soggy British conditions.
However on my last ride before a race, I randomly burped it under very gentle conditions. So for confidence I swapped back to my old dhf/dhr2 combo.
The dhf definitely turns in sharper than the Baron but has less outright grip in the slop. I haven't run the Baron in dry and dusty conditions but I imagine the dhf is faster rolling in those conditions.
Also the Baron is more pingy than the dhf - less damped - but definitely feels tougher.
I am riding more natural offpiste trails now, so have fitted Baron projekts on both front and rear. My first shake down ride was good. Loads of grip but very surprisingly fast rolling.
I'm running them at 23/27 psi at the moment, but I am going to try to drop them further to get them to conform more to trail features. I'll let you know how it goes.
Short version is that they seem to be good fit and forget tyres with a leaning towards aggressive riding in loose and wet stuff.
In regards to tubeless, they go up fine with just a track pump. They do seem to lose a bit of pressure until ridden a couple of times. Then they hold air pretty well.
Thanks Simon - sounds like what I'm after
Had one for a few months on an arch ex with a purgatory grid rear, my new favourite tyre. Awesome all rounder and extremely confidence inspiring, sheds and sheds well !
sheds and sheds well
This is my experience. They're narrower than a mary, more like a Shorty in width.
I don't know how, but they roll better than 3c or trailstar. They grip just as well.
Just dropped mine to 21/25 psi.
As someone who weighs over 14 stone this is the lowest I've ever gone.
I strapped on my helmet very tightly and jumped off a few curbs and threw it side to side.
The tyres seemed fine, no burping or rolling. I'm going to Hamsterley on Sunday, so we shall see...
Simon, I'm about half a stone heavier and pulled mine off the front rim at about that pressure on a c.5 foot drop. I might have landed on a slightly off camber bit which wouldn't help but probably worth being a bit cautious.
Has anyone found anyone with shorty 2.5s in stock? I'm considering Shorty/DHR2 in 2.5 for my Alps trip in a few weeks..
Thanks Gotama, I'll be careful.
Just recovering from fractured ribs and wrist so won't be going mental...
Curious about the E13 tyres. Reviews suggest they're all things to all men
They're meant to be amazing.
£70 a tyre though 😯
Plus not an option for me as I'm still on 26"
Gotama, you just scared me!
So I've pumped them up to a crazy high 22/26....
The Hamsterley ride was great.
The Barons handled it all from fast man made stuff (triple tranny) through to wet and rooty (honey badger).
The rolling speed was surprisingly good, and I never felt like I was dragging around heavy tyres.
The tyre pressure was a good guess, but I might go lower.