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Radials are not discounted it's only the normal bias tires. 20-30€ per tire. From what I've gathered for my purposes the radials have more downsides than up. I was thinking about it as small bump compliance and grip would be interesting but if the rolling resistance is worse then it's not going to be a faster tire for me.
Tacky Chan looks a lot like Minion which I don't like front or rear. More so looking for the better rolling resistance for the rear tire so Minion isn't very good there. I might move over to Aggressor if I stay on Maxxiss. Doesn't seem to be anything corresponding on Schwalbe. I don't think Nobby Nic rolls very well you'd usually want flatter more together center line than that.
Hans Dampf looks okay. Just with those small nobs I don't think it can match Dissector with the flatter longer center nobs. Especially with the horizontal cuts in every nob.
I don't really like how JVP describes the Magic Mary so I might just stay on Assegais. Still have 2 Assegais half worn for next season so will only need one tire to the front.
I feel I understand the Schwalbe tires now but gotta think about it.
I was recommended a Mary Betty combo earlier in the thread to replace an Assegai/DHR2 combo. Haven't tried it yet, a few fridns have and like it, but yeah, the Mary on first glance looks more like a Shorty than an Assegai.
The Albert trail 2.5’s measure 60mm at their widest point on a 30mm i9 rim
The old tires aren't suddenly unrideable. I ride the old casings in the back because I don't need/want that much grip there. I also think the rolling resistance is lower but I'm not sure if that is true. Its just that the radials are extremely loud on asphalt.
Michelin Wild Enduro MH Racing TLR 29" Folding Tyre | bike-components
Michelin Wild Enduro Rear Racing TLR 29" Tire | bike-components
Have you thought about these? I'm huge fan of that rear tire, really fast, lacks in braking but decent cornering too, from the front specific ones I've only used the MS one. Can't find these in Finland, so you'll need to order.
No I tend to not delve too much outside of Maxxis because of all the tire jargon you need to learn. That rear tire does look really good for rolling while still being an actual mountainbike tire, I do really like that I might go for it. I was going to order from bike-discount anyway.
These are totally different tires than the old black/white ones so order correct ones.
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Has anyone real world experiences on Michelin’s new DH16 and DH22?
Ordered a set for 2025 season to replace previous generation DH22 in front and DH34 rear.
The Radials are not slower in actual MTBing terrain, in fact they are quite fast as they just float over the chunder.
Who cares how they sound on asphalt?
The tacky chan, imo, rides like a much better DHF more so than it rides like a DHR - perhaps the best of both. I'll reemphasize that the TC has the strong corner grip of the DHF but requires much less lean angle, has the rolling speed of a dissector, but brakes as well as the DHR after a couple rides.
I had the same experience with the Magic Mary v Assegai in Arizona and California terrain as JVP. I did find that running low tire pressure in the MM helps it out a lot in the dry - still like a vague velcro grip feeling though. I found my self riding at 20 psi, and having to more purposely weight the front tire. There would be a small bit of vague feeling followed by a lot of grip as long as it was loaded up... not my preferred ride feel.
If you're schwalbe curious, i'd really recommend giving TC front and back a try. I used to run assegai/dhr type setups and was never a fan of the lean angle needed to ride DHFs... but the TC have been a bit of a transformative ride for me. The tire rolls, brakes, and just hooks up with not that much lean angle.
My next favorite setups are the conti kryptotal fr front and xylontal rear. Kryp fr will be more similar to the assegai feel that you're used to, xylontal rolls well but the corner knobs are not as prominent as the TC. Kyrp fr on the rear tire is great imo, especially when the center knobs are worn down.
I've been on a radial Albert rear tyre since august, never really found it to blow my mind, just a normal good tyre. This was on alpine singletrack, with +4psi.
This morning I did a very wet ride, and was really impressed by the grip despite high pressure (about 6-7 psi above my normal wet pressures).
I'm having a hard time drawing any conclusions from all the reviews and chatter on the radials. Opinions seem to vary wildly.
How many pros are still reaching for the paint pen and running non-sponsor tires? Or have tires gotten better across the board and/or have sponsors cracked down on this?
If it's still happening somewhat frequently, a very interesting data point on the radials will be how many pros we see running them without being paid to do so. I'm generally slow to conclude that what's best for the pros is best for me, but I think it would indicate the radials give you something materially different from other tires. And if the pros only switch for certain tracks or conditions, that would be even more telling.
The feedback I’ve heard on the radials varies greatly, maybe slightly positive overall. It will be interesting to see what other treads they apply the casing to. AFAIK teams were only using the radials in the wet last year.
Overall, the tire landscape is much more competitive. We’re not seeing nearly as many of the top riders riding blacked out tires as even 5 years ago. It’s tough for the tire brands but it’s a good time to be a rider!
I'm riding a lot in new terrain for me: slick-ass, moss-covered jungle lava (barely any dirt) with greasy roots and constant, almost impossible climbs. It's e-bikes here, crazy hard to clean climbs even boosted, you're always seeing red. Very much old-school tech trails.
I need to ditch the Schwalbe 2.4's when they wear out (doesn't take long!) and find some supportive 2.6 with sticky rubber. I hated 2.6 on faster trails, but there's no dirt for fast cornering here so horses for courses. A burlier sidewall will help, my one experiement was on 2.6 DHR EXOs. Boing, boing, boing, fold.
The only decent options I can find in 29x2.6 are Michelin Wild Enduro or Wild AM and Assegai DD 3CG. The Assegai doesn't excite me due to how fast they under-cut, side knobs tear in a handful of rides in this terrain. It's actually rear tire traction that's the limiting factor, so I'll go gooey both F/R. Any other options?
I'm confused by the Michelin rubber compounds. Is MagiX or GumX better for greasy roots that have bad intentions? It think MagiX is the stickier rubber, but not sure.
Magix is the better one, there's also magix DH BTW.
From great riders I ride with, 2 loved radials and 1 found it ok, but definitely not to his riding style.
I would agree though, that overall there is so much choice for quality tyres now.
Maxxis, obviously
Conti, new contis are fantastic
Michelin, so grippy, almost too much
Schwalbe, fantastic but unique
Specialized, the butcher is actually a very solid tyre in the right compound for where you ride.
WTB, pretty decent, judge is good for inter-wet conditions
The list goes on, it's really about finding a tyre and casing that works for where you ride, and also making sure to swap tyres over the season
I know the thing to do with Radial tires is to run the pressure higher. But 6-7psi higher than your 'normal' tires is too much. I started like that and once I learned the casing, I brought pressures back down. I'm probably 2-3psi MAX over a tire in a normal casing (with generally the same casing construction).
Did you move out of Seattle area?? Where are you riding that stuff? Anacortes?
Splitting time between Tacoma and Hawaii Big Island these days. Not a ton of MTB trails out here, but I'm doing what I can to help change that.
Yes, I agree, I just happened to be commuting earlier in the week and filled my tyres up more than needed. That is why I was so impressed on the wet day, the larger contact patch is real even at "too high" pressures.
Tacky Chans may look similar but don't perform like a minion. They grip like crazy in corners. Don't have the vagueness between lean angles either. The middle blocks are offset a bit more towards the channel so they don't have as much of a drift zone.
If they grip well in corners, does that mean they hold a line off-camber hardpack pretty well too? That was my deal breaker with the MM. How's the TC braking in mixed conditions (summer California)? I've been thinking of giving radials another try once they release the TC version.
Yes, once you set the edge they hold a line really well. I only run it in the front and it brakes fine there but there are better braking tires for sure for the rear. I'd be curious to see how it would perform as a radial.
The Tacky Chan provides some of the best off-camper grip in Schwalbe's lineup thanks to the aggressive shoulders, the notable exception being a Dirty Dan with it's side claws but that tire is a different beast.
Shredda Rear will probably give you the braking traction you are after, plus the side knobs are just as aggressive as a Tacky Chan.
That or some clever cutting of a Albert would seemingly yield something close to the tread pattern of the Tacky Chan.
I too am excited about a Radial Tacky Chan. Likely would be a goldilocks tire with it's fast rolling tread pattern and increased grip from a radial construction (ideal for those moments when you aren't fully engaging the side knobs since the TC doesn't have intermediate knobs).
I have read every comment in this thread... and I still concluded that Maxxis is hard to beat for overall riding (especially when they're fresh). Because I'm cheap and won't buy tires to test them, the number of comments saying that the increase in PSI of the new radial tires feels "pingy" is a complete non-starter.
The only tires that I feel like I'd spend money on to try are the Conti's, primarily because of the longevity I've read about. With how much I ride, if the performance is comparable, then I can easily be swayed away from Maxxis. I just need the Enduro Supersoft to drop so that I can run the DH SS front with an Enduro SS/cushcore in the back.
Dh front, enduro rear? Seriously?
i'm trying now the double Tacky combo and i prefer the Mary up front, it just digs when it's needed on the steep stuff, much more confidence, on fast trails i struggle to find the difference, i also like the xynotal as a rear tire but find it slowe than the Tacky and with much less braking/wet grip, i really love the tacky as a rear tyre, rolls fast like a Hans Dampf, brakes hard like a Big Betty but it's more predictable
Thanks for the reply and your participation in all the forums generally. Recognize you're in a conflicted position, so understand completely if you ignore. And I'd of course appreciate thoughts from anyone else.
Do you think the wet vs dry choice has to do with the currently available tread patterns? I'm not familiar with Schwalbe's lineup (I ride your guys' tires).
If it's a choice based on casing support on dry, faster tracks, any guesses on whether it translates down to regular riders? In other words, I'm going way slower than those guys in general, but both me and them are going slower in the wet than we do in the dry.
I only ended up 2-3 psi higher on radial gravity casings and in my terrain, which is very loose so hard to 'load' the tires, they are a pretty big step up in performance. I'm addicted to them!
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