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Morning all
I've always had a very casual attitude to tyres.
If I'm honest I ran green wildgrippers for as long as possible because they were, well, green!
But now things have changed because I've bought my first serious bike in years. Nothing too flashy it's a 2013 Orange Five AM (fox 34's, xt, Thomson, hope build) but more capable than the rocky it replaces.
Anyway what rubber (non-tubeless/26") for trail center fun?
Also WHATS WITH ALL THE CHOICE these days?
Compound this, pattern that, width the other?!?!
There seems to be a lot of love go maxxis but they make loads of apparently similar tyres?
Please somebody give me a leg up here.
Cheers
Will
Schwalbe nobby nic and racing Ralph's for me nics in winter Ralph's in summer but I live in muddy sunny Lowestoft in Suffolk and ride over thetford once every few months
26" Maxxis Highroller 2 in 2.3 upfront and Maxxis Ardent in 2.25 usually go for the Exo TR slightly tougher side walls.
Onza Ibex in 2.25 really liking these on my 29er plenty of grip and rolling quite fast.
Cheers dudes, different front and rears looks like a thing too.
The continental barons look ok?
Any experience?
Do you like flatter or rounded tyres?
I'm not an aggressive rider, prefer rounded tyres with evenly spaced tread.
Bontrager XR4, Maxxis Ignitors, On One Smorgasbord.
Never had a dodgy moment with any of the above, ever.
Many people who tend to look for more edge grip and really sling the bike around seem to prefer slightly squarer tyres with bigger side knobs, like a High Roller.
They certainly feel different, to me anyway and seem to suit different types of people.
Lots of people don't notice a difference, 50% of people will completely disagree and good riders can ride owt.
🙂
Try a few, see what you think.
Big tyres are great BTW - the increase in grip and comfort of a modern 2.3 tyre over low volume, snakebitey race treads is most welcome.
I find the rim width make a difference with Square tyres my Flowex with 2.3 Highroller 2
Gives a really square profile that you have to lean ha4d and dig in. Same tyre on my American Classics looks rounder and rides slightly different , less grip when pushing into the corners still great though also like 2.3 Minion up front.
I wouldn't get super grippy tyres if you've been unaware until now, because you'll just get annoyed with how hard they are to pedal. Bontrager XR4 or Specialised Butcher Control are both good value choices for all-round stuff.
Tried snakeskin Nobby Nics on my Five but there was just not enough volume imo, had to run unrealistically high psi in order to prevent pinch flats and the front would always run wide irrespective of pressure.
My default setup now is a Minion DHF 2.5 Exo on the front ("new" 2.3s would be fine as well) and either 2.5 DHF Exo or 2.25 Ardent Exo on the rear.
Minion DHF up front is a keeper, see no reason to change unless condition are extremely claggy (unlikely at trailcenters), I just swap the rear out to suit .
DHFs are not slow rolling tyres imo unless your running super tackys but then all STs are slow.
Cheers all, really appreciate the feedback!
Why non-tubeless?
Specialized Purgatory on the front, with a Ground Control on the rear.
Decent tyres at a sensible price and plenty of grip.
Regards tubeless:
They are older wheels off my rocky, WTB rims on hope pro 2s (not that the hubs matter!).
Didn't think you could make any rim tubeless?
Totally agree with what Rusty Spanner said above. My riding style means I prefer the Maxxis Ignitors over the much more popular High Rollers. Try a few and see what suits you, see if you can borrow what your mates have.
Have a search online for "Ghetto tubeless". In theory you can turn any rim into a tubeless rim but you may get varying results. Some people have no difficulty getting tyres to inflate and seal while others have to rely on high flow compressors or CO2 canisters to get the tyres up.
Maxxis HRII up front
Maxxis HR in the rear - both 60a comp - Spring to Autumn
Schwalbe Black Shark - Winter slop tyre at rear
I like a Chunky Monkey front / Smorgasbord rear. Cheap, cheerful and plenty good enough for me. Possibly a bit overkill for most trailcentres but I ride a lot of big rocks too.