I’m also curious about how the radials protect the rim…
I’ve run a DH casing maxxgrip Assegai vs an EXO+ maxxgrip Assegai and it seemed like the EXO+ had better grip and absorbed more trail chatter. But I know I’d kill the lighter casing at a bike park.
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to rim ding on the front. Now that I've ridden them for three months, my race pressures has gone up 3psi front and 4psi rear compared to specialized gravity casing in dry conditions, little bit less in regular trail riding. Nice thing about these is that even adding that pressure doesn't really change how much they grip, its still crazy good.
Mary US front is still looking almost new on the front.
Albert soft in the rear has seen better days, its leaking sealant from 5 different scratches in the sidewall and from the bead, still holding air though so sealant is doing its job. Thread wear is your basic schwalbe, knob edges are crumbling but its good enough for rest of the season.
Overall, really happy about radials and gonna keep riding a radial in the front, the added grip and feeling is just great. For the rear not sure, Albert rolls good enough, has enough of braking traction but not really sure is the radial needed in the rear, lets see what thread patterns come next.
So I came to riding the Albert 2.5 Trail Radial soft in the back on steep alpine trails a bit vs the Supertrail 2.6 Mary Soft...
So I came to riding the Albert 2.5 Trail Radial soft in the back on steep alpine trails a bit vs the Supertrail 2.6 Mary Soft that was a bit worn before. I used slightly higher pressure (1,3 bar vs 1,34 bar) to account for lower volume.
Its hard to do a comparison in this setting riding a new tire after replacing a slightly worn one and I can't say anything to the sturdiness as it was mostly steep alpine terrain. So no big high speed rocky hits.
It just feels like the tire knobs twist more on ashalt which gives me the impression the tire rolls worse even at higher pressure. But I could be mislead by the noise here.
But on the steep trails the Albert gave me even more security compared to the magic mary which is no slouch there. So kinda crazy that you get more grip with a less aggressive tire thread. I can't really say how significant this is. For a fair comparison I would have to ride both tires new back to back on the same terrain and day.
Did it feel any less stable side to side in terms of tire roll, or less stable up and down in terms of the risk of...
Did it feel any less stable side to side in terms of tire roll, or less stable up and down in terms of the risk of pinch flats or rim dents?
I can't really say much about that as I only rode it on similar terrain type trails for a few days so far. No hard rock impacts to judge this. And I don't think I'm cornering hard enough to notice tire roll in the back. It's just in the front that I sometimes think he mary folds on high load stuff but I'm running really low pressure, it doesn't happen often and it could just be a drift because of low grip. It's not a full grip loss, just the beginning of it and then it hooks up again predictably.
I'm riding rather defensive when I'm high up alone in the alps and I've never ridden the trail but the tires also kinda keep me from getting into sketchy situations because I rarely loose grip now.
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my...
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!
Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my long-windedness in check until those last two paragraphs.
I need new tires on my 120mm/140mm trailbike...but have had very little experience with different tires. I've only ever ridden old Dissectors on the hardtail and a now-worn-out Aggressor/feels-like-overkill DHF on the trailbike.
Recon/Forekaster seems fast but I've never ridden either. I worry this is not enough bite for my current cornering skill level/aggressive riding style. Forekaster/new Dissector feels like the most obvious step from the current Aggressor/DHF. Recon/DHRII or Recon/new Dissector both have me curious.
Either way, I'm probably going Exo+ in back and Exo up front with both being MaxxTerra.
I'm also down to try other brands, too, I just don't know anything about the others. Anyone try the new Continentals? Magno/Xyno? Magno/Krypto Re? Maybe better to do something like dual Schwalbe Nobby Nics?
Any thoughts/insight/advice? Thanks for any help you can lend!
Additional Info if you're interested:
The only decent bike shop near me thinks Recon/Recon is the only choice. That said, they skew heavily XC racing, though, and all of the photos of the riders that are associated with that shop are full-lycra, no peaks, flat bars, and power meters sorts of folks. The trails near me are mostly XC that I try to ride aggressively for max fun-per-moment rather than max-average-speed-after-3-hours. For example, while those riders are sitting down pedaling at their perfect cadence, staying aero, and trying to conserve energy I'm standing up to pedal and trying to pump and carry enough speed around a corner to double a trail gap. Those trails are sometimes decades-old hardpack singletrack with scattered moondust corners, sometimes not-even-burned-in grassy guerilla trails, and a dose of whatever the hell you'd call the halfway point of that.
I'd love to drop a little tire weight and still roll fast, too. I really enjoy my opportunities to go on long pedals when I have time available but I'm not interested in buying an air compressor and swapping tires for certain rides. I don't have enough time the way it is so I'm hoping for the best compromise for all of my riding...which is often "oh shit, I have an hour" and then I'm sprinting from my house to the trails and sometimes "how far can I out-and-back on this 100-mile trail before sundown?"
Thanks again if you read down to here to try to give extra-informed advice!
Consider the new Conti Magnotal in the rear. That’s what I am running and have been quite impressed. I’ll probably throw one on the front too when the 2.6 is available.
Consider the new Conti Magnotal in the rear. That’s what I am running and have been quite impressed. I’ll probably throw one on the front too...
Consider the new Conti Magnotal in the rear. That’s what I am running and have been quite impressed. I’ll probably throw one on the front too when the 2.6 is available.
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to...
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to rim ding on the front. Now that I've ridden them for three months, my race pressures has gone up 3psi front and 4psi rear compared to specialized gravity casing in dry conditions, little bit less in regular trail riding. Nice thing about these is that even adding that pressure doesn't really change how much they grip, its still crazy good.
Mary US front is still looking almost new on the front.
Albert soft in the rear has seen better days, its leaking sealant from 5 different scratches in the sidewall and from the bead, still holding air though so sealant is doing its job. Thread wear is your basic schwalbe, knob edges are crumbling but its good enough for rest of the season.
Overall, really happy about radials and gonna keep riding a radial in the front, the added grip and feeling is just great. For the rear not sure, Albert rolls good enough, has enough of braking traction but not really sure is the radial needed in the rear, lets see what thread patterns come next.
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+?
Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?
I guess I’m just curious- the main selling feature of the radials is a more compliant casing- which is already available via lighter versions of casings. Also I’m too cheap to buy a $115 tire for testing
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to...
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to rim ding on the front. Now that I've ridden them for three months, my race pressures has gone up 3psi front and 4psi rear compared to specialized gravity casing in dry conditions, little bit less in regular trail riding. Nice thing about these is that even adding that pressure doesn't really change how much they grip, its still crazy good.
Mary US front is still looking almost new on the front.
Albert soft in the rear has seen better days, its leaking sealant from 5 different scratches in the sidewall and from the bead, still holding air though so sealant is doing its job. Thread wear is your basic schwalbe, knob edges are crumbling but its good enough for rest of the season.
Overall, really happy about radials and gonna keep riding a radial in the front, the added grip and feeling is just great. For the rear not sure, Albert rolls good enough, has enough of braking traction but not really sure is the radial needed in the rear, lets see what thread patterns come next.
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+? Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?I guess I’m just curious- the main selling...
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+?
Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?
I guess I’m just curious- the main selling feature of the radials is a more compliant casing- which is already available via lighter versions of casings. Also I’m too cheap to buy a $115 tire for testing
Well not quite. Exo+ is still a thin casing no matter how much pressure. 30psi in a radial gravity casing is compliant, has great grip, support and puncture resistance. Exo+ is hard, bouncy with much worse puncture resistance.
My comment about upping the pressure was just about me being stubborn and riding a radial with same pressures as with regular tires. 24/29psi has been perfect without any rim hits now.
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to...
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to rim ding on the front. Now that I've ridden them for three months, my race pressures has gone up 3psi front and 4psi rear compared to specialized gravity casing in dry conditions, little bit less in regular trail riding. Nice thing about these is that even adding that pressure doesn't really change how much they grip, its still crazy good.
Mary US front is still looking almost new on the front.
Albert soft in the rear has seen better days, its leaking sealant from 5 different scratches in the sidewall and from the bead, still holding air though so sealant is doing its job. Thread wear is your basic schwalbe, knob edges are crumbling but its good enough for rest of the season.
Overall, really happy about radials and gonna keep riding a radial in the front, the added grip and feeling is just great. For the rear not sure, Albert rolls good enough, has enough of braking traction but not really sure is the radial needed in the rear, lets see what thread patterns come next.
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+? Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?I guess I’m just curious- the main selling...
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+?
Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?
I guess I’m just curious- the main selling feature of the radials is a more compliant casing- which is already available via lighter versions of casings. Also I’m too cheap to buy a $115 tire for testing
After a certain point, higher pressures lead to more flats in rugged terrain.
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to...
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to rim ding on the front. Now that I've ridden them for three months, my race pressures has gone up 3psi front and 4psi rear compared to specialized gravity casing in dry conditions, little bit less in regular trail riding. Nice thing about these is that even adding that pressure doesn't really change how much they grip, its still crazy good.
Mary US front is still looking almost new on the front.
Albert soft in the rear has seen better days, its leaking sealant from 5 different scratches in the sidewall and from the bead, still holding air though so sealant is doing its job. Thread wear is your basic schwalbe, knob edges are crumbling but its good enough for rest of the season.
Overall, really happy about radials and gonna keep riding a radial in the front, the added grip and feeling is just great. For the rear not sure, Albert rolls good enough, has enough of braking traction but not really sure is the radial needed in the rear, lets see what thread patterns come next.
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+? Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?I guess I’m just curious- the main selling...
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+?
Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?
I guess I’m just curious- the main selling feature of the radials is a more compliant casing- which is already available via lighter versions of casings. Also I’m too cheap to buy a $115 tire for testing
yeah nah, it doesn't really work like that, the reason why Radial still works better at higher pressures is because it still deforms and provides grip, an Exo+ is similar to something in between Super Ground and Super Trail.
I’m pondering what the fastest (not necessarily lightest) tires I could get away with at a 200 lb rider weight on the Sentinel (160/160). For the most part, even our most aggressive trails are ones where rolling speed and trail speed are somewhat interchangeable, so the Enduro Argotal/Kryptotal Re combo is feeling a bit overkill. The trick is, I’d really like something on the rear that has great cornering support from knobs and casing and isn’t super fragile. For reference, I really liked the prior generation Eliminator T7 Grid Trail as a rear tire on my 150/160 Stumpjumper Evo, or the 1300g Trail Boss Tough/Fast Rolling as a rear on my 163/170 Canfield Lithium. The new Eliminator and Xynotal are cool tires, but are noticeably slower to me than either of those. Thoughts?
Michelin Wild Enduro Rear Gum-x (not the racing line one) seems like a good choice for what you are looking for. Feels very similar to the old eliminator.
I ran a Michelin Force AM2 as a rear on my Sentinel for a season and was pretty stoked on it. It rolls fast, corners predictably, and has a nice stout casing. Last I checked, they were pretty cheap too.
I’ve run Kyptotal fr & re- loved em but rolling was a little slow 29 & MX
Tried Kryp fr Argo on the rear- slipped out a bit on me 29
Have run Schwalbe Radial MM fr & Rear both SS and Ivey were slow rolling but man the grip in New England Spring 29 & MX
Swapped out the rear for a Soft Trail Albert aging and sped up. MX
Have been running trail casing Mazzas front and rear and have no complaints whatsoever. Weight penalty is made up by rolling speed and braking. Lean angle feels pretty righteous and grips well. 29
On a Druid V2 wheel size stated after tire combo. Experimentation over a few years on varying New England terrain.
I’m pondering what the fastest (not necessarily lightest) tires I could get away with at a 200 lb rider weight on the Sentinel (160/160). For the...
I’m pondering what the fastest (not necessarily lightest) tires I could get away with at a 200 lb rider weight on the Sentinel (160/160). For the most part, even our most aggressive trails are ones where rolling speed and trail speed are somewhat interchangeable, so the Enduro Argotal/Kryptotal Re combo is feeling a bit overkill. The trick is, I’d really like something on the rear that has great cornering support from knobs and casing and isn’t super fragile. For reference, I really liked the prior generation Eliminator T7 Grid Trail as a rear tire on my 150/160 Stumpjumper Evo, or the 1300g Trail Boss Tough/Fast Rolling as a rear on my 163/170 Canfield Lithium. The new Eliminator and Xynotal are cool tires, but are noticeably slower to me than either of those. Thoughts?
I’m still on a DHF 2.5 Maxxgrip exo in the front as I only needed a rear at the time. Probably gonna do the 2.6 magno when it’s available and I wear out the dhf (which won’t take long). Other options aren’t really “downcountry” in weight or rolling resistance. 2.35 magno is probably a great front as well if you don’t need the extra volume. Forekaster/rekon was where I was leaning before I tried the Magnotal.
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan and the Tacky Chan (tires for racers). Racers do probably buy more tires though. Finally put mine to the test these past 2 weeks with a ton of bike park laps on a Gravity Pro Mary and and an enduro on the Trail Pro Mary and can't see myself running a non-radial front tire ever again.
Anybody try a Terevail Warwick as a rear tire? I'm curious about the Durable/Grip as a potential Trail Boss replacement, but maybe it's slow than it looks.
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan...
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan and the Tacky Chan (tires for racers). Racers do probably buy more tires though. Finally put mine to the test these past 2 weeks with a ton of bike park laps on a Gravity Pro Mary and and an enduro on the Trail Pro Mary and can't see myself running a non-radial front tire ever again.
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love it as a rear tyre, and i'm far from a "racer"
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love...
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love it as a rear tyre, and i'm far from a "racer"
Call them back immediately and tell them they're stupid dummies.
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan...
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan and the Tacky Chan (tires for racers). Racers do probably buy more tires though. Finally put mine to the test these past 2 weeks with a ton of bike park laps on a Gravity Pro Mary and and an enduro on the Trail Pro Mary and can't see myself running a non-radial front tire ever again.
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love...
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love it as a rear tyre, and i'm far from a "racer"
What do you pair it with in the front? It seems like Mary would maybe feel a bit squirmy since the side knobs are softer, but I’m not sure.
For anyone wondering, the complete lack of siping on the corner knobs of the new Butcher/Eliminator are definitely noticeable when it’s wet. They can definitely hydroplane a little bit. Not a huge deal since I typically ride the short travel bike in the dry, but something to note.
Since I seem to have a knack for picking the most expensive tires I can get my hands on, I’ve ordered a set of Kryptotal Fr/Xynotal in Enduro for the Sentinel, to hopefully eke out a little more pedaling/hardpack performance without totally compromising its descending capability.
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan...
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan and the Tacky Chan (tires for racers). Racers do probably buy more tires though. Finally put mine to the test these past 2 weeks with a ton of bike park laps on a Gravity Pro Mary and and an enduro on the Trail Pro Mary and can't see myself running a non-radial front tire ever again.
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love...
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love it as a rear tyre, and i'm far from a "racer"
What do you pair it with in the front? It seems like Mary would maybe feel a bit squirmy since the side knobs are softer, but...
What do you pair it with in the front? It seems like Mary would maybe feel a bit squirmy since the side knobs are softer, but I’m not sure.
Always Mary in the front, always in super soft, and now that it's a thing, Radial too, i don't like flow stuff so for me it's just the best front tyre in all sort of condition, Dust, Mud, Loam, Slabs, Roots, Snow, Everything
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the front tire is wearing faster than the rear tire. Anyone else have experience with this? 90% of the milage on these tires has been bike park but I’ve never had this happen when running Maxxis tires with Maxxgrip up front and Maxterra in the rear under similar conditions.
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the...
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the front tire is wearing faster than the rear tire. Anyone else have experience with this? 90% of the milage on these tires has been bike park but I’ve never had this happen when running Maxxis tires with Maxxgrip up front and Maxterra in the rear under similar conditions.
I had a similar set Argotal and a Re Kryoto. I thing they wore pretty equally when I ran them. TBH I kind of liked that its so much nicer to replace both tires at the same time. Conti seem to be the best bang for your buck for performance, price and wear on the market. It hard to pass them up as long as you can stay out of the Radial hype train. Which i couldn't, I got some radial Shreddas I am trying out. I got 2x Shredda fronts for like $60 usd off of PB and a rear from the local shop. The rear (in the front) I mounted and was surprised I how round it was. It was a good day for dirt and did well but I cant say I was crazy impressed. I rode it on the less than ideal dirt as well and its seemed fine. It didnt squirm as much as I had expected on the hard pack but the round profile wasn't my favorite maybe need to re adapt. I am coming off the argotal which is a bit more square. I cant say I felt that the radial casing was doing all that much but maybe thats why the tire wasn't squirming that much on the hard pack portion of trail. I took off the rear and cut down a front to try a less aggressive but still aggressive tire with radial casing. Rear shredda knob height is about 7mm front shredda knob height 8mm both have about a 1mm taller side knob. I trimmed about 3mm off of center and side on a front and to me it looks like it is going to be a good intermediate tire. This is mostly just to try the radial casing. I couldn't find MM in 29 at the time and thought I'll try the shredda since it was fairly cheap to experiment and I can throw them on the ebike when things get wet and just use them up that way. Short story long-> I like the wear rates of the conti SS front and S rear. All my bikes are MX so transferring fronts to rear doesn't matter anymore. Unless I feel like something magical happen during my time on radials I dont know why anyone would buy anything other than conti...
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the...
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the front tire is wearing faster than the rear tire. Anyone else have experience with this? 90% of the milage on these tires has been bike park but I’ve never had this happen when running Maxxis tires with Maxxgrip up front and Maxterra in the rear under similar conditions.
I have a DHR MG on the front and a Xynotol Soft in rear that each have ~500 trail miles (including sandstone slabs) on and are worn similar, the MG maybe even more. The front certainly would be considered for replacement before the rear. I typically would replace a front at say 60% life left where rear maybe 30-40%.
I have the same DH combo on my big bike, but not enough miles to make the same comparison as you for wear.
I found on the Xynotol soft that the middle tread is being worn down faster than the side knobs. It still hooks up well, just losing a bit of braking and climbing traction. Much different than what I've experience with Maxxis where the side knobs blow out but the middle has life left.
I just believe the Conti soft is very durable and lasts a lot longer than a maxxis Max terra. I'm personally a big fan as a rear tire.
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the...
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the front tire is wearing faster than the rear tire. Anyone else have experience with this? 90% of the milage on these tires has been bike park but I’ve never had this happen when running Maxxis tires with Maxxgrip up front and Maxterra in the rear under similar conditions.
I have a DHR MG on the front and a Xynotol Soft in rear that each have ~500 trail miles (including sandstone slabs) on and are...
I have a DHR MG on the front and a Xynotol Soft in rear that each have ~500 trail miles (including sandstone slabs) on and are worn similar, the MG maybe even more. The front certainly would be considered for replacement before the rear. I typically would replace a front at say 60% life left where rear maybe 30-40%.
I have the same DH combo on my big bike, but not enough miles to make the same comparison as you for wear.
I found on the Xynotol soft that the middle tread is being worn down faster than the side knobs. It still hooks up well, just losing a bit of braking and climbing traction. Much different than what I've experience with Maxxis where the side knobs blow out but the middle has life left.
I just believe the Conti soft is very durable and lasts a lot longer than a maxxis Max terra. I'm personally a big fan as a rear tire.
You’re probably right that its more of a case of the soft compound just being that much more durable rather than the super soft being fast wearing.
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my...
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!
Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my long-windedness in check until those last two paragraphs.
I need new tires on my 120mm/140mm trailbike...but have had very little experience with different tires. I've only ever ridden old Dissectors on the hardtail and a now-worn-out Aggressor/feels-like-overkill DHF on the trailbike.
Recon/Forekaster seems fast but I've never ridden either. I worry this is not enough bite for my current cornering skill level/aggressive riding style. Forekaster/new Dissector feels like the most obvious step from the current Aggressor/DHF. Recon/DHRII or Recon/new Dissector both have me curious.
Either way, I'm probably going Exo+ in back and Exo up front with both being MaxxTerra.
I'm also down to try other brands, too, I just don't know anything about the others. Anyone try the new Continentals? Magno/Xyno? Magno/Krypto Re? Maybe better to do something like dual Schwalbe Nobby Nics?
Any thoughts/insight/advice? Thanks for any help you can lend!
Additional Info if you're interested:
The only decent bike shop near me thinks Recon/Recon is the only choice. That said, they skew heavily XC racing, though, and all of the photos of the riders that are associated with that shop are full-lycra, no peaks, flat bars, and power meters sorts of folks. The trails near me are mostly XC that I try to ride aggressively for max fun-per-moment rather than max-average-speed-after-3-hours. For example, while those riders are sitting down pedaling at their perfect cadence, staying aero, and trying to conserve energy I'm standing up to pedal and trying to pump and carry enough speed around a corner to double a trail gap. Those trails are sometimes decades-old hardpack singletrack with scattered moondust corners, sometimes not-even-burned-in grassy guerilla trails, and a dose of whatever the hell you'd call the halfway point of that.
I'd love to drop a little tire weight and still roll fast, too. I really enjoy my opportunities to go on long pedals when I have time available but I'm not interested in buying an air compressor and swapping tires for certain rides. I don't have enough time the way it is so I'm hoping for the best compromise for all of my riding...which is often "oh shit, I have an hour" and then I'm sprinting from my house to the trails and sometimes "how far can I out-and-back on this 100-mile trail before sundown?"
Thanks again if you read down to here to try to give extra-informed advice!
I'd prefer to know your rim widths, but ultimately, I can make a recommendation that works for very fast trail riding while still providing high confidence.
In the front I'd go with the Schwalbe Albert 2.5 Ultrasoft trail.
In the rear I recommend the Conti CrossKing 2.3 Black Chili Protection.
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my...
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!
Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my long-windedness in check until those last two paragraphs.
I need new tires on my 120mm/140mm trailbike...but have had very little experience with different tires. I've only ever ridden old Dissectors on the hardtail and a now-worn-out Aggressor/feels-like-overkill DHF on the trailbike.
Recon/Forekaster seems fast but I've never ridden either. I worry this is not enough bite for my current cornering skill level/aggressive riding style. Forekaster/new Dissector feels like the most obvious step from the current Aggressor/DHF. Recon/DHRII or Recon/new Dissector both have me curious.
Either way, I'm probably going Exo+ in back and Exo up front with both being MaxxTerra.
I'm also down to try other brands, too, I just don't know anything about the others. Anyone try the new Continentals? Magno/Xyno? Magno/Krypto Re? Maybe better to do something like dual Schwalbe Nobby Nics?
Any thoughts/insight/advice? Thanks for any help you can lend!
Additional Info if you're interested:
The only decent bike shop near me thinks Recon/Recon is the only choice. That said, they skew heavily XC racing, though, and all of the photos of the riders that are associated with that shop are full-lycra, no peaks, flat bars, and power meters sorts of folks. The trails near me are mostly XC that I try to ride aggressively for max fun-per-moment rather than max-average-speed-after-3-hours. For example, while those riders are sitting down pedaling at their perfect cadence, staying aero, and trying to conserve energy I'm standing up to pedal and trying to pump and carry enough speed around a corner to double a trail gap. Those trails are sometimes decades-old hardpack singletrack with scattered moondust corners, sometimes not-even-burned-in grassy guerilla trails, and a dose of whatever the hell you'd call the halfway point of that.
I'd love to drop a little tire weight and still roll fast, too. I really enjoy my opportunities to go on long pedals when I have time available but I'm not interested in buying an air compressor and swapping tires for certain rides. I don't have enough time the way it is so I'm hoping for the best compromise for all of my riding...which is often "oh shit, I have an hour" and then I'm sprinting from my house to the trails and sometimes "how far can I out-and-back on this 100-mile trail before sundown?"
Thanks again if you read down to here to try to give extra-informed advice!
I'd prefer to know your rim widths, but ultimately, I can make a recommendation that works for very fast trail riding while still providing high confidence. In...
I'd prefer to know your rim widths, but ultimately, I can make a recommendation that works for very fast trail riding while still providing high confidence.
In the front I'd go with the Schwalbe Albert 2.5 Ultrasoft trail.
In the rear I recommend the Conti CrossKing 2.3 Black Chili Protection.
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my...
Yooooooo...I need tire recommendations!
Bottom two paragraphs are additional info about my riding and a local shop recommendation if you're extra curious. I tried to keep my long-windedness in check until those last two paragraphs.
I need new tires on my 120mm/140mm trailbike...but have had very little experience with different tires. I've only ever ridden old Dissectors on the hardtail and a now-worn-out Aggressor/feels-like-overkill DHF on the trailbike.
Recon/Forekaster seems fast but I've never ridden either. I worry this is not enough bite for my current cornering skill level/aggressive riding style. Forekaster/new Dissector feels like the most obvious step from the current Aggressor/DHF. Recon/DHRII or Recon/new Dissector both have me curious.
Either way, I'm probably going Exo+ in back and Exo up front with both being MaxxTerra.
I'm also down to try other brands, too, I just don't know anything about the others. Anyone try the new Continentals? Magno/Xyno? Magno/Krypto Re? Maybe better to do something like dual Schwalbe Nobby Nics?
Any thoughts/insight/advice? Thanks for any help you can lend!
Additional Info if you're interested:
The only decent bike shop near me thinks Recon/Recon is the only choice. That said, they skew heavily XC racing, though, and all of the photos of the riders that are associated with that shop are full-lycra, no peaks, flat bars, and power meters sorts of folks. The trails near me are mostly XC that I try to ride aggressively for max fun-per-moment rather than max-average-speed-after-3-hours. For example, while those riders are sitting down pedaling at their perfect cadence, staying aero, and trying to conserve energy I'm standing up to pedal and trying to pump and carry enough speed around a corner to double a trail gap. Those trails are sometimes decades-old hardpack singletrack with scattered moondust corners, sometimes not-even-burned-in grassy guerilla trails, and a dose of whatever the hell you'd call the halfway point of that.
I'd love to drop a little tire weight and still roll fast, too. I really enjoy my opportunities to go on long pedals when I have time available but I'm not interested in buying an air compressor and swapping tires for certain rides. I don't have enough time the way it is so I'm hoping for the best compromise for all of my riding...which is often "oh shit, I have an hour" and then I'm sprinting from my house to the trails and sometimes "how far can I out-and-back on this 100-mile trail before sundown?"
Thanks again if you read down to here to try to give extra-informed advice!
I'd prefer to know your rim widths, but ultimately, I can make a recommendation that works for very fast trail riding while still providing high confidence. In...
I'd prefer to know your rim widths, but ultimately, I can make a recommendation that works for very fast trail riding while still providing high confidence.
In the front I'd go with the Schwalbe Albert 2.5 Ultrasoft trail.
In the rear I recommend the Conti CrossKing 2.3 Black Chili Protection.
A narrower rear rim would work better for this application, but none-the-less you should try the tires I recommended.
If you want even more speed and are willing to give up some front wheel traction, the Ibex Onza is way faster than it looks and when fresh has solid trail grip for a front tire (it falls off quickly though). The Onza up front (get the grippy but light version) with the CrossKing Protection in the rear (not the Taiwan made performance+, but the German made Black Chili Protection) is 98% as fast as XC tires while having 50% more traction. If you like a LOT of front traction, go to the Albert 2.5 US trail up front.
I don't know if I have weak legs or what, but I'm very sensitive to Rolling resistance and have learned what works because I lean my bikes aggressively. I've experimented with lots of tires, but of course not all.
I’m also curious about how the radials protect the rim…
I’ve run a DH casing maxxgrip Assegai vs an EXO+ maxxgrip Assegai and it seemed like the EXO+ had better grip and absorbed more trail chatter. But I know I’d kill the lighter casing at a bike park.
Radials will protect the rim just fine when you up the pressures. Gravity radials are the first tire in a long time that I've managed to rim ding on the front. Now that I've ridden them for three months, my race pressures has gone up 3psi front and 4psi rear compared to specialized gravity casing in dry conditions, little bit less in regular trail riding. Nice thing about these is that even adding that pressure doesn't really change how much they grip, its still crazy good.
Mary US front is still looking almost new on the front.
Albert soft in the rear has seen better days, its leaking sealant from 5 different scratches in the sidewall and from the bead, still holding air though so sealant is doing its job. Thread wear is your basic schwalbe, knob edges are crumbling but its good enough for rest of the season.
Overall, really happy about radials and gonna keep riding a radial in the front, the added grip and feeling is just great. For the rear not sure, Albert rolls good enough, has enough of braking traction but not really sure is the radial needed in the rear, lets see what thread patterns come next.
I can't really say much about that as I only rode it on similar terrain type trails for a few days so far. No hard rock impacts to judge this. And I don't think I'm cornering hard enough to notice tire roll in the back. It's just in the front that I sometimes think he mary folds on high load stuff but I'm running really low pressure, it doesn't happen often and it could just be a drift because of low grip. It's not a full grip loss, just the beginning of it and then it hooks up again predictably.
I'm riding rather defensive when I'm high up alone in the alps and I've never ridden the trail but the tires also kinda keep me from getting into sketchy situations because I rarely loose grip now.
Consider the new Conti Magnotal in the rear. That’s what I am running and have been quite impressed. I’ll probably throw one on the front too when the 2.6 is available.
Magno/Magno
or
Magno/Xyno
or
Magno/KryptoRe
What are you running up front right now?
Couldn’t you say the same about an EXO+?
Ie just up the pressure because the casing is more pliable?
I guess I’m just curious- the main selling feature of the radials is a more compliant casing- which is already available via lighter versions of casings. Also I’m too cheap to buy a $115 tire for testing
Well not quite. Exo+ is still a thin casing no matter how much pressure. 30psi in a radial gravity casing is compliant, has great grip, support and puncture resistance. Exo+ is hard, bouncy with much worse puncture resistance.
My comment about upping the pressure was just about me being stubborn and riding a radial with same pressures as with regular tires. 24/29psi has been perfect without any rim hits now.
After a certain point, higher pressures lead to more flats in rugged terrain.
yeah nah, it doesn't really work like that, the reason why Radial still works better at higher pressures is because it still deforms and provides grip, an Exo+ is similar to something in between Super Ground and Super Trail.
I’m pondering what the fastest (not necessarily lightest) tires I could get away with at a 200 lb rider weight on the Sentinel (160/160). For the most part, even our most aggressive trails are ones where rolling speed and trail speed are somewhat interchangeable, so the Enduro Argotal/Kryptotal Re combo is feeling a bit overkill. The trick is, I’d really like something on the rear that has great cornering support from knobs and casing and isn’t super fragile. For reference, I really liked the prior generation Eliminator T7 Grid Trail as a rear tire on my 150/160 Stumpjumper Evo, or the 1300g Trail Boss Tough/Fast Rolling as a rear on my 163/170 Canfield Lithium. The new Eliminator and Xynotal are cool tires, but are noticeably slower to me than either of those. Thoughts?
Michelin Wild Enduro Rear Gum-x (not the racing line one) seems like a good choice for what you are looking for. Feels very similar to the old eliminator.
I ran a Michelin Force AM2 as a rear on my Sentinel for a season and was pretty stoked on it. It rolls fast, corners predictably, and has a nice stout casing. Last I checked, they were pretty cheap too.
I’ve run Kyptotal fr & re- loved em but rolling was a little slow 29 & MX
Tried Kryp fr Argo on the rear- slipped out a bit on me 29
Have run Schwalbe Radial MM fr & Rear both SS and Ivey were slow rolling but man the grip in New England Spring 29 & MX
Swapped out the rear for a Soft Trail Albert aging and sped up. MX
Have been running trail casing Mazzas front and rear and have no complaints whatsoever. Weight penalty is made up by rolling speed and braking. Lean angle feels pretty righteous and grips well. 29
On a Druid V2 wheel size stated after tire combo. Experimentation over a few years on varying New England terrain.
Tioga Edge 22 + Butcher T7 Grid Trail
I’m still on a DHF 2.5 Maxxgrip exo in the front as I only needed a rear at the time. Probably gonna do the 2.6 magno when it’s available and I wear out the dhf (which won’t take long). Other options aren’t really “downcountry” in weight or rolling resistance. 2.35 magno is probably a great front as well if you don’t need the extra volume. Forekaster/rekon was where I was leaning before I tried the Magnotal.
Exciting to see new radials, but hoping we see the Big Betty and the Hans Dampf (tires for us mortals) in radial before the Dirty Dan and the Tacky Chan (tires for racers). Racers do probably buy more tires though. Finally put mine to the test these past 2 weeks with a ton of bike park laps on a Gravity Pro Mary and and an enduro on the Trail Pro Mary and can't see myself running a non-radial front tire ever again.
Anybody try a Terevail Warwick as a rear tire? I'm curious about the Durable/Grip as a potential Trail Boss replacement, but maybe it's slow than it looks.
I am tempted to try the Edge 22 in the rear.
when i asked Schwalbe i've been told they're not even thinking on making the Tacky a radial tyre, which was very sad to see, i love it as a rear tyre, and i'm far from a "racer"
Call them back immediately and tell them they're stupid dummies.
What do you pair it with in the front? It seems like Mary would maybe feel a bit squirmy since the side knobs are softer, but I’m not sure.
For anyone wondering, the complete lack of siping on the corner knobs of the new Butcher/Eliminator are definitely noticeable when it’s wet. They can definitely hydroplane a little bit. Not a huge deal since I typically ride the short travel bike in the dry, but something to note.
Since I seem to have a knack for picking the most expensive tires I can get my hands on, I’ve ordered a set of Kryptotal Fr/Xynotal in Enduro for the Sentinel, to hopefully eke out a little more pedaling/hardpack performance without totally compromising its descending capability.
Always Mary in the front, always in super soft, and now that it's a thing, Radial too, i don't like flow stuff so for me it's just the best front tyre in all sort of condition, Dust, Mud, Loam, Slabs, Roots, Snow, Everything
Im running a set of Continental Kryptotals F/R in a DH casing and I have super soft up front and soft in the rear and the front tire is wearing faster than the rear tire. Anyone else have experience with this? 90% of the milage on these tires has been bike park but I’ve never had this happen when running Maxxis tires with Maxxgrip up front and Maxterra in the rear under similar conditions.
I had a similar set Argotal and a Re Kryoto. I thing they wore pretty equally when I ran them. TBH I kind of liked that its so much nicer to replace both tires at the same time. Conti seem to be the best bang for your buck for performance, price and wear on the market. It hard to pass them up as long as you can stay out of the Radial hype train. Which i couldn't, I got some radial Shreddas I am trying out. I got 2x Shredda fronts for like $60 usd off of PB and a rear from the local shop. The rear (in the front) I mounted and was surprised I how round it was. It was a good day for dirt and did well but I cant say I was crazy impressed. I rode it on the less than ideal dirt as well and its seemed fine. It didnt squirm as much as I had expected on the hard pack but the round profile wasn't my favorite maybe need to re adapt. I am coming off the argotal which is a bit more square. I cant say I felt that the radial casing was doing all that much but maybe thats why the tire wasn't squirming that much on the hard pack portion of trail. I took off the rear and cut down a front to try a less aggressive but still aggressive tire with radial casing. Rear shredda knob height is about 7mm front shredda knob height 8mm both have about a 1mm taller side knob. I trimmed about 3mm off of center and side on a front and to me it looks like it is going to be a good intermediate tire. This is mostly just to try the radial casing. I couldn't find MM in 29 at the time and thought I'll try the shredda since it was fairly cheap to experiment and I can throw them on the ebike when things get wet and just use them up that way. Short story long-> I like the wear rates of the conti SS front and S rear. All my bikes are MX so transferring fronts to rear doesn't matter anymore. Unless I feel like something magical happen during my time on radials I dont know why anyone would buy anything other than conti...
I have a DHR MG on the front and a Xynotol Soft in rear that each have ~500 trail miles (including sandstone slabs) on and are worn similar, the MG maybe even more. The front certainly would be considered for replacement before the rear. I typically would replace a front at say 60% life left where rear maybe 30-40%.
I have the same DH combo on my big bike, but not enough miles to make the same comparison as you for wear.
I found on the Xynotol soft that the middle tread is being worn down faster than the side knobs. It still hooks up well, just losing a bit of braking and climbing traction. Much different than what I've experience with Maxxis where the side knobs blow out but the middle has life left.
I just believe the Conti soft is very durable and lasts a lot longer than a maxxis Max terra. I'm personally a big fan as a rear tire.
You’re probably right that its more of a case of the soft compound just being that much more durable rather than the super soft being fast wearing.
I'd prefer to know your rim widths, but ultimately, I can make a recommendation that works for very fast trail riding while still providing high confidence.
In the front I'd go with the Schwalbe Albert 2.5 Ultrasoft trail.
In the rear I recommend the Conti CrossKing 2.3 Black Chili Protection.
30mm rim width.
A narrower rear rim would work better for this application, but none-the-less you should try the tires I recommended.
If you want even more speed and are willing to give up some front wheel traction, the Ibex Onza is way faster than it looks and when fresh has solid trail grip for a front tire (it falls off quickly though). The Onza up front (get the grippy but light version) with the CrossKing Protection in the rear (not the Taiwan made performance+, but the German made Black Chili Protection) is 98% as fast as XC tires while having 50% more traction. If you like a LOT of front traction, go to the Albert 2.5 US trail up front.
I don't know if I have weak legs or what, but I'm very sensitive to Rolling resistance and have learned what works because I lean my bikes aggressively. I've experimented with lots of tires, but of course not all.
GL
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