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Heading there in Late June.
I run 27.5 HR2 2.3 front and rear in the UK and love the feel.
Been told to get some downhill tyres for the Alps. What do you reckon?
2.4 dual ply HR 2s? Minions DHR2s
Super tacky? MaxxTerra? Maxxgrip?
Get the cheaper 60a out back, as the softer ones will wear too fast. The take our pick up front
(I'd be on Minions)
Whenever I went I just used whatever I had. I was a student at the time, usually single or dual ply 2.35 High Rollers. Dual ply 2.4 would be nice, but not mandatory imho. Just avoid getting the pointy bits of rocks near your side walls.
dual ply. minions front and back. if you can, optional mud tyres. if it rains, it rains. I found a wet scream front and minion rear was best for me.
Any thing in at least Super Gravity / re-enforced flavour ought to do ya!
Dual Ply and DH tubes, 42a up front, 60a out back. I got a bit of grief for having 2.35 tyres (old Maxxis size so not really that big) but they did fine. Much better than another guy who once got 8 punctures in a day (one of them on the lift)
Wny would you run DH tubes instead of going tubeless?
Bontrager XR4s have seen me for the last two years.
We will be running the same as previous years, Specialized Butcher/Purgatory Controls. The same as we run everywhere.
Does depend a bit on your alps tbh, like, I went to Les Arcs and surrounds a couple of years in a row, first time I used a Butcher DH/SX combo that I usually rate but they weren't great in the crumbly watery dust of la thuile and pila. So I switched to highrollers, which are better in the dry. (but were pretty bad on the one wet day). If I'd been up in morzine that last time i'd have wanted wet screams and an aqualung
Wny would you run DH tubes instead of going tubeless?
Because I run DH tubes all the time and they were in so I left them in. It's not like weight really matters when you are in the Alps unless you are going to be doing loads of XC riding.
As per @Northwind, depends on the riding you will do and the type of rider you are. I have a set of HR2 dual plys I've used numerous times and have never had a puncture (heavy weight tubes and no big slams / jumps and not run at super low pressures). Last year I used Hans Dampfs and they where good too but certainly felt less robust. Some extra width is always good especially upfront !
I'll be on HD front and Vigilante rear this year.