Tire chat (nerds only)

yzedf
Posts
284
Joined
1/27/2015
Location
Hebron, CT, USA
Fantasy
11/26/2025 6:39am
Suns_PSD wrote:
After looking at this Rear Shredda a bit more it has too much void space to work for my hardpack with loose rocks.My next set up...

After looking at this Rear Shredda a bit more it has too much void space to work for my hardpack with loose rocks.

My next set up I'm trying is the Mazza Race up front with the Martello Enduro in the rear. Both are 2.6s (actual width closer to 2.47") and will be on a mullet/ MX full power e-bike.

I can see that, especially if you are dealing with a lot of sharp stuff. Luckily most of my local rock is rounder so usually I just worry about the casing strength. 

2
12/14/2025 1:29pm

Okay fellow nerds, you’ve convinced me. I’ve always been a DH tires on the DH bike, trail casing tires on the “trail bike,” (anything less than the full on DH bike.) I want to see the effect of heavier casing tires on the pedal bike.


So here’s the question: if I’m going from Super Ground US Tacky Chans to the burlier casings, will going to Gravity be enough of a jump to justify it? Or would I need to get all the way to DH to really feel the difference ? IE- if I’m taking a weight penalty by bumping the casing, would I be selling myself short and not really reap the benefits by going gravity instead of DH? AND, would it make sense to min/max by doing something like DH front Gravity rear (get maximum support on the front, slightly lower weight on the back?)


I shudder to start buying more tires (my plan this year is to donate all my failed experiment tires to deserving kids or beginners riding around on Mike Bears,) but I’m intrigued by this talk of better cornering and want to feel for myself if I can stomach pedaling around heavier tires if they make a drastic difference.

I’m 165 lbs and on an HD6 in the Portland area if that’s relevant to your suggestions.


You guys are the best.

1
Primoz
Posts
4680
Joined
8/1/2009
Location
SI
12/14/2025 9:41pm

Why do you want burlier casings? Riding characteristics or puncture resistance? 

I mostly always ran straight Exo tyres with an insert in the rear, moving to a trail casing Schwalbe I dropped pressures (1,4 bar to the previous 1,5 bar) and removed the cushcore from the back without a penalty, for now.

Not all casings are created equal. 

2
12/15/2025 7:36am

Mostly I want to see if it’s a benefit! Have I been unconsciously retreating from cornering as hard as I could? Does it calm the bike on chatter enough to outweigh(ha!) the pain of pedaling around heavier tires? It’s to mix it up and see how it feels! 

1
12/15/2025 1:18pm Edited Date/Time 12/15/2025 1:19pm
Mostly I want to see if it’s a benefit! Have I been unconsciously retreating from cornering as hard as I could? Does it calm the bike...

Mostly I want to see if it’s a benefit! Have I been unconsciously retreating from cornering as hard as I could? Does it calm the bike on chatter enough to outweigh(ha!) the pain of pedaling around heavier tires? It’s to mix it up and see how it feels! 

I don't think we have enough information to understand what you are looking to improve.  What is your current front tire (name, compound, casing) + pressure, rear tire + pressure. 

If you aren't getting punctures and you like to pedal for your trails, I'd be a bit hesitant to strap more weight to your tire for some downhill performance on a trail bike.  Moving to a super trail is 90g added, which likely won't be noticable uphill, but jumping to super gravity is 230g and up to downhill is 310g which you will notice uphill.  It'll be more apparent on the rear for pedaling but adding more weight to the front may add a bit more power needed to unweight the bike for bunnyhops, direction changes.  

I don't have a specific stats on the climbing degradation, but you'll likely be 5-10% slower uphill adding 200-300g to the rear, and 2-5% if its on the front.  I certainly notice 200g more on a full day of riding.  

Have you tried other tire pressures on your current setup?  Have you played with different suspension settings?  Trying these first is free and can make major changes.  You can try new bracketing of your suspension.  Maybe your suspension is packing out and you need faster rebound.  Or you have too much compression and it's making it harsh.  You could play with your tire pressure as well, reducing 1-2 PSI will give you better grip, but may create tire roll in hard fast supported corners.  Adding 1-2 PSI may allow you to push into a turn better if you are feeling unsettled from tire roll.  Repeating the same track(s) to see if that gets you the ride feel you are looking for will help. 

I am of the opinion that if you are pedaling, get the lightest tire that will run the pressures you prefer and stay together for the terrain you intend to ride on the bike.  

1
12/15/2025 2:01pm

I could be overthinking it. But here's the thing, with a QBP account, it's not that big a splurge to try something new and maybe I'll love it. 

I definitely mess with variables (why have all the knobs if you don't try your crazy theories!?) but this is the one thing I haven't yet tried. 

I guess the reality is nobody will be able to give particularly prescriptive advice, as you don't ride my trails at my pace (fast, so fast! ha) and that I just need to try it out and feel the reality myself. I agree with your "opinion that if you are pedaling, get the lightest tire that will run the pressures you prefer and stay together for the terrain you intend to ride on the bike." but am intrigued by the effect of stiffer casings and overall weight. 

1
12/15/2025 3:26pm
I could be overthinking it. But here's the thing, with a QBP account, it's not that big a splurge to try something new and maybe I'll...

I could be overthinking it. But here's the thing, with a QBP account, it's not that big a splurge to try something new and maybe I'll love it. 

I definitely mess with variables (why have all the knobs if you don't try your crazy theories!?) but this is the one thing I haven't yet tried. 

I guess the reality is nobody will be able to give particularly prescriptive advice, as you don't ride my trails at my pace (fast, so fast! ha) and that I just need to try it out and feel the reality myself. I agree with your "opinion that if you are pedaling, get the lightest tire that will run the pressures you prefer and stay together for the terrain you intend to ride on the bike." but am intrigued by the effect of stiffer casings and overall weight. 

Carcass layers dosen't change from Super Ground -> Super Trail. The 70g increase comes from the Apex supportive sidewall layer. This yields a noticeable benefit in tire stability during corners as well as pinch flats.

HD6 is a bit of a brawler, and considering it's Enduro based intentions, is probably better served with a Super Gravity on the back imo. Yes its heavier by 230g, but you get extra carcass layers and a even taller Apex supportive sidewall layer.

Fast and cornering is what the Tacky Chan excels at, so you are probably well served by that tread pattern.

4
12/15/2025 5:03pm
schwalbai wrote:
Carcass layers dosen't change from Super Ground -> Super Trail. The 70g increase comes from the Apex supportive sidewall layer. This yields a noticeable benefit in...

Carcass layers dosen't change from Super Ground -> Super Trail. The 70g increase comes from the Apex supportive sidewall layer. This yields a noticeable benefit in tire stability during corners as well as pinch flats.

HD6 is a bit of a brawler, and considering it's Enduro based intentions, is probably better served with a Super Gravity on the back imo. Yes its heavier by 230g, but you get extra carcass layers and a even taller Apex supportive sidewall layer.

Fast and cornering is what the Tacky Chan excels at, so you are probably well served by that tread pattern.

Well there it is- I'm just gonna try it and if it's overkill I'll pass them along to someone heavier than me! Thanks for the info and opinions everyone. 

1
Fox
Posts
131
Joined
5/19/2011
Location
Durango, CO, USA
12/18/2025 9:09am

Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? 

Does the Maxxis HR3 have a different DH casing? 
 

I'm interested in this. Would love to have 1000gm tire with a radial style casing and some solid side knobs. Albert size knobs are too squirmy and Magic Mary needs more contact patch for hard conditions and its a pretty slow roller. I'm still on the Albert soft rear and MM radial supersoft front. 

1
yzedf
Posts
284
Joined
1/27/2015
Location
Hebron, CT, USA
Fantasy
12/18/2025 11:09am
Fox wrote:
Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? Does the Maxxis HR3 have...

Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? 

Does the Maxxis HR3 have a different DH casing? 
 

I'm interested in this. Would love to have 1000gm tire with a radial style casing and some solid side knobs. Albert size knobs are too squirmy and Magic Mary needs more contact patch for hard conditions and its a pretty slow roller. I'm still on the Albert soft rear and MM radial supersoft front. 

Not directly the same, but my HR3 doubledown looks and feels like a normal Maxxis casing to me. 

1
AndehM
Posts
797
Joined
5/7/2018
Location
El Granada, CA, USA
Fantasy
12/18/2025 11:31am
Fox wrote:
Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? Does the Maxxis HR3 have...

Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? 

Does the Maxxis HR3 have a different DH casing? 
 

I'm interested in this. Would love to have 1000gm tire with a radial style casing and some solid side knobs. Albert size knobs are too squirmy and Magic Mary needs more contact patch for hard conditions and its a pretty slow roller. I'm still on the Albert soft rear and MM radial supersoft front. 

yzedf wrote:

Not directly the same, but my HR3 doubledown looks and feels like a normal Maxxis casing to me. 

Agreed.

1
12/18/2025 11:39am Edited Date/Time 12/22/2025 12:00pm
Fox wrote:
Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? Does the Maxxis HR3 have...

Hearing rumors on the tech thread about Specialized and Maxxis releasing a radial or radial like casing. Anyone know more about this? 

Does the Maxxis HR3 have a different DH casing? 
 

I'm interested in this. Would love to have 1000gm tire with a radial style casing and some solid side knobs. Albert size knobs are too squirmy and Magic Mary needs more contact patch for hard conditions and its a pretty slow roller. I'm still on the Albert soft rear and MM radial supersoft front. 

The DH casing HR3 has a different sidewall from the other Maxxis DH tires. The sidewall has a thicker layer of rubber near the bead that can be easily felt by hand when the tire is deflated. I haven't seen any marketing or info from Maxxis about the differences though which makes me think they're cooking up a different/better option (radial?) 

5
seanfisseli
Posts
597
Joined
4/16/2024
Location
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
12/19/2025 10:36am
Goupil wrote:
I'm sure this will get as much debate as their brake reviews, but the germans over at enduro-mtb have released a big tire review with some...

I'm sure this will get as much debate as their brake reviews, but the germans over at enduro-mtb have released a big tire review with some puncture protection and rolling resistance values:
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/the-best-mtb-tire-in-review/

I like how reading this thread and these type of reviews make me wonder how I survive riding on lighter casings when everyone recommends gravity stuff ! A general lack of rocks must help...

If you don't have slabs, sharp rocks, enormous drops, and don't ride park often, then anything above an enduro casing is a waste of energy IMHO...

If you don't have slabs, sharp rocks, enormous drops, and don't ride park often, then anything above an enduro casing is a waste of energy IMHO. I can't stand my gravity tires for 99% of what and when I ride. I'll use them for the one day a year I ride park.

You bridge two worlds with enduro casings: light enough to not sap your energy on a long climb, tough enough to handle some proper jank, grippy enough to try pushing your limits. 

I've been riding my whole life and the only punctures and flats I've ever gotten were in Nevada and it was because those stupid goat-head thorns were puncturing the sidewalls.

I know this is old but I can’t afford to run lighter than DH casing on the rear. I bent and broke too many rear rims on trail tires. Even riding blueish trails I was denting rims. Gotta remember that there are big boys and girls who really reef on their back wheels haha

2
Fox
Posts
131
Joined
5/19/2011
Location
Durango, CO, USA
12/20/2025 4:31pm

On rumors thread- pic of Tacky Chan radial... 

Schwalbe, please make it in a trail casing with both soft and super soft rubber options in addition to the gravity options!

3
Evil96
Posts
876
Joined
8/21/2014
Location
Portogruaro, VE, IT
12/20/2025 5:19pm
Fox wrote:
On rumors thread- pic of Tacky Chan radial... Schwalbe, please make it in a trail casing with both soft and super soft rubber options in addition to...

On rumors thread- pic of Tacky Chan radial... 

Schwalbe, please make it in a trail casing with both soft and super soft rubber options in addition to the gravity options!

Mid January 

5
Trocko
Posts
194
Joined
11/23/2010
Location
Rocky, CO, USA
12/22/2025 8:16am

With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like the tacky Chan more? And any specific reason why? 

I also get the feeling from people’s feedback that heavier riders might not get along with radials due to the “soft squirmy” feel they have. Thoughts on this?

Evil96
Posts
876
Joined
8/21/2014
Location
Portogruaro, VE, IT
12/22/2025 10:42am
Trocko wrote:
With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like...

With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like the tacky Chan more? And any specific reason why? 

I also get the feeling from people’s feedback that heavier riders might not get along with radials due to the “soft squirmy” feel they have. Thoughts on this?

had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels better to me, i prefer the side knobs on the tacky too, wouldn't run it as sa front but as a rear tyre it's awesome

1
bikelurker
Posts
183
Joined
3/23/2023
Location
Bilbao, Vizcaya, ES
12/22/2025 11:31am
Trocko wrote:
With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like...

With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like the tacky Chan more? And any specific reason why? 

I also get the feeling from people’s feedback that heavier riders might not get along with radials due to the “soft squirmy” feel they have. Thoughts on this?

Evil96 wrote:
had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels...

had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels better to me, i prefer the side knobs on the tacky too, wouldn't run it as sa front but as a rear tyre it's awesome

Does it pair well with a magic mary front?

12/22/2025 11:39am
The DH casing HR3 has a different sidewall from the other Maxxis DH tires. The sidewall has a thicker layer of rubber near the bead that...

The DH casing HR3 has a different sidewall from the other Maxxis DH tires. The sidewall has a thicker layer of rubber near the bead that can be easily felt by hand when the tire is deflated. I haven't seen any marketing or info from Maxxis about the differences though which makes me think they're cooking up a different/better option (radial?) 

Yes, Maxxis was supposed to launch the PR on that casing a year ago, but Radial came out a few months before their planned launch. So they put the brakes on it. Presumably, to either improve it or double down on it and roll it out on more tires for launch. Their World Cup athletes were all on new casings last season. Melamed and Remi said (in a podcast) that they tried the new casing (Jesse raced and won on it) in '23(?) and it was a 'game changer'. Sounds like if the sidewall is thicker, it's allowing lower pressures to be run so the top of the casing can deform more, without hitting the rim/pinch flatting. Which sort of simulates running an insert without having to. We'll see, though. Maxxis went dark on this casing for a long time, so they may have decided to do a bigger overhaul than just a stouter rubber sidewall. 

5
Evil96
Posts
876
Joined
8/21/2014
Location
Portogruaro, VE, IT
12/22/2025 4:07pm
Trocko wrote:
With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like...

With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like the tacky Chan more? And any specific reason why? 

I also get the feeling from people’s feedback that heavier riders might not get along with radials due to the “soft squirmy” feel they have. Thoughts on this?

Evil96 wrote:
had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels...

had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels better to me, i prefer the side knobs on the tacky too, wouldn't run it as sa front but as a rear tyre it's awesome

bikelurker wrote:

Does it pair well with a magic mary front?

100%

2
bikelurker
Posts
183
Joined
3/23/2023
Location
Bilbao, Vizcaya, ES
12/22/2025 5:56pm

Lets hope for a trail pro supersoft in 27.5 then, the 29er guys always have all the luck, at least right now, we MX riders, have to compromise with either a soft compound or a supergravity casing if we want a tacky chan rear tyre. I understand that most mullet bikes are quite aggro, but there are shorter travel mixed wheel trail bikes too, and places where is not very common to cut a tyre yet, because the terrain remain wet most of the year, a softer compound is beneficial. Maybe the radial casings are squirmy after all, as some riders say, and a I'm asking for a worhtless tire...

1
12/23/2025 6:47am
bikelurker wrote:
Lets hope for a trail pro supersoft in 27.5 then, the 29er guys always have all the luck, at least right now, we MX riders, have...

Lets hope for a trail pro supersoft in 27.5 then, the 29er guys always have all the luck, at least right now, we MX riders, have to compromise with either a soft compound or a supergravity casing if we want a tacky chan rear tyre. I understand that most mullet bikes are quite aggro, but there are shorter travel mixed wheel trail bikes too, and places where is not very common to cut a tyre yet, because the terrain remain wet most of the year, a softer compound is beneficial. Maybe the radial casings are squirmy after all, as some riders say, and a I'm asking for a worhtless tire...

No such great luck for rear 29" tires... MM radial and current TC are missing with soft/gravity options. 

1
bikelurker
Posts
183
Joined
3/23/2023
Location
Bilbao, Vizcaya, ES
12/23/2025 7:00am

No such great luck for rear 29" tires... MM radial and current TC are missing with soft/gravity options. 

Really? I see, that's a bummer. Way to many SKUs and eveybody ends up not having what they want. Lets hope fora better 2026

notthatbryan
Posts
435
Joined
3/8/2023
Location
Acworth, GA, USA
12/23/2025 9:16am
Trocko wrote:
With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like...

With the rumors of Tachy Chan coming in radial next year and radial curious here… does anyone with experience on a tacky chan and DHR like the tacky Chan more? And any specific reason why? 

I also get the feeling from people’s feedback that heavier riders might not get along with radials due to the “soft squirmy” feel they have. Thoughts on this?

Evil96 wrote:
had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels...

had both in as a rear tyre, DHR rolls slower but has a tad more braking traction, on loose, mud, soft terrain the Tacky chan feels better to me, i prefer the side knobs on the tacky too, wouldn't run it as sa front but as a rear tyre it's awesome

The other thing i noticed is that the DHR2 is more prone to slide sideways along roots across the trail, the Tack Chan doesn't do this nearly as badly.

I've run TC on both front and rear but only run the DHR2 as a rear.  

3
12/26/2025 5:54pm Edited Date/Time 12/26/2025 5:55pm

Cant say Im a fan of the Kryptotal Fr on the rear. It’s breaking consistency leaves a bit to be desired and it has too much traction in corners. I like it when my rear tire is slidey. This is very “precise” feeling. 

1/4/2026 7:56pm

I've been running the Schwalbe Shredda rear up front.  That tire is absolutely amazing.  Kind of like a cheat code! 

It has very high rolling resistance and is a bitch to pedal.  When I'm coasting downhill I can see how much faster the people i'm riding with can coast purely due to rolling resistance.

One big thing I've noticed is the insane braking power the shredda gives on the front.  I'm fairly certain it's the huge center blocks that give it that braking power but also contribute to it rolling so slowly.

I think what I'd really like is to have that same or similar braking power but in a tire that rolls a bit faster. Would the High Roller III fit that? I've never tried it.

I've tried most other tires (kryptotal, argotal, assegai, mary, albert) Never really felt anything like this one! Maybe just have to suck it up and get used to pedaling this thing to the top.

I'd love to hear other people's takes.  I'm riding here in Washington State in I-90 corridor so everything is pretty wet and sloppy. Shredda is amazing!

1
1/4/2026 9:54pm
I've been running the Schwalbe Shredda rear up front.  That tire is absolutely amazing.  Kind of like a cheat code! It has very high rolling resistance and...

I've been running the Schwalbe Shredda rear up front.  That tire is absolutely amazing.  Kind of like a cheat code! 

It has very high rolling resistance and is a bitch to pedal.  When I'm coasting downhill I can see how much faster the people i'm riding with can coast purely due to rolling resistance.

One big thing I've noticed is the insane braking power the shredda gives on the front.  I'm fairly certain it's the huge center blocks that give it that braking power but also contribute to it rolling so slowly.

I think what I'd really like is to have that same or similar braking power but in a tire that rolls a bit faster. Would the High Roller III fit that? I've never tried it.

I've tried most other tires (kryptotal, argotal, assegai, mary, albert) Never really felt anything like this one! Maybe just have to suck it up and get used to pedaling this thing to the top.

I'd love to hear other people's takes.  I'm riding here in Washington State in I-90 corridor so everything is pretty wet and sloppy. Shredda is amazing!

Nothing is going to compete in the braking department with a Shredda Rear (in soft soils). The knobs are just so tall (and wide enough). You are correct, the thing that makes it roll slowly is also what's providing the braking Smile  
The High Roller III bites hard in similar conditions, but definitely not more than an Argotal--so if you like the braking on the Shredda Rear vs. the Argotal, I don't think you're going to notice an upgrade going to a High Roller 3. 

1/5/2026 9:48am

Anyone able to narrow down a bit more for the release date for the radial tacky chan? Will they be doing a big betty radial too?

Would love to have either of these as a rear tyre to help with rolling and braking compared to a radial magic mary on the rear.

Going to try the shredda rear on front and rear wheels for the eeb this winter, expecting lots of grip and slow rolling

1/5/2026 10:19am
I've been running the Schwalbe Shredda rear up front.  That tire is absolutely amazing.  Kind of like a cheat code! It has very high rolling resistance and...

I've been running the Schwalbe Shredda rear up front.  That tire is absolutely amazing.  Kind of like a cheat code! 

It has very high rolling resistance and is a bitch to pedal.  When I'm coasting downhill I can see how much faster the people i'm riding with can coast purely due to rolling resistance.

One big thing I've noticed is the insane braking power the shredda gives on the front.  I'm fairly certain it's the huge center blocks that give it that braking power but also contribute to it rolling so slowly.

I think what I'd really like is to have that same or similar braking power but in a tire that rolls a bit faster. Would the High Roller III fit that? I've never tried it.

I've tried most other tires (kryptotal, argotal, assegai, mary, albert) Never really felt anything like this one! Maybe just have to suck it up and get used to pedaling this thing to the top.

I'd love to hear other people's takes.  I'm riding here in Washington State in I-90 corridor so everything is pretty wet and sloppy. Shredda is amazing!

Nothing is going to compete in the braking department with a Shredda Rear (in soft soils). The knobs are just so tall (and wide enough). You...

Nothing is going to compete in the braking department with a Shredda Rear (in soft soils). The knobs are just so tall (and wide enough). You are correct, the thing that makes it roll slowly is also what's providing the braking Smile  
The High Roller III bites hard in similar conditions, but definitely not more than an Argotal--so if you like the braking on the Shredda Rear vs. the Argotal, I don't think you're going to notice an upgrade going to a High Roller 3. 

Thanks for the response. What about a Maxxis Shorty maybe in DD? Anyone have feedback on that tire?

1/5/2026 4:02pm

Thanks for the response. What about a Maxxis Shorty maybe in DD? Anyone have feedback on that tire?

Maxxis Shorty will have less braking power than the High Roller 3 in almost all conditions. High Roller 3 can be used for everything, especially soft soils. Shorty is a bit better at clearing mud, but otherwise not as good of a tire. 

1

Post a reply to: Tire chat (nerds only)

The Latest