Question. I see lots of discussion re treads, compounds, casings, grip, trye damping and feel. But don't see this discussed. The tyre casing breaking down over...
Question. I see lots of discussion re treads, compounds, casings, grip, trye damping and feel. But don't see this discussed. The tyre casing breaking down over time, mainly speaking on the rear tyre in particular, but is a longer timeframe on front tyre.
For example, im not light (95kegs in riding gear), competent i guess. Ride with only DD or DH casing tyres on all bikes from trail to park (be it maxxis, continental, vittoria etc). I find the casing is breaking down long before the tread is wearing out. Support and tyre feel falling off drastically after 4-8weeks depending on the weather. probably most obvious by how much a removed tyre rolls into a wee ball and so pliable in your hands compared to a fresh DD/DH. Rear tyre pressure is 28-31psi tyre dependent. No inserts for a couple years. Over time the rear becomes a bit tooo forklift steery. Riding in Canterbury in NZ but all over south island of all type of soil and surface.
I end up replacing tyre due to feel on bike not tread. Is this just a me thing or other people in the same boat? There is huge debates in here about the best tyre to ride in a certain location when its a full moon but only when humidity is 80% but not suitable after 2 IPA pints, only on a 140mm bike and unrideable on a 150mm bike. But not so much on tyre casing. Apologies if this has been discussed and iv missed it.
NOTE this isnt a criticism of tyre manufacturers but just an observation that i dont see discussed and isnt mentioned in my riding group. Maybe I have more enthusiasm in corners than my friends haha.
This is definitely a thing, although more common among DH racers. There's a sweet spot for the casing feel that riders are looking for. A brand...
This is definitely a thing, although more common among DH racers. There's a sweet spot for the casing feel that riders are looking for. A brand new tire needs a couple runs to soften up and then there are X (varies) number of runs with the casing in that sweet spot before it starts to go away. It's quite common for mechanics to swap out tires after a set amount of runs, long before the tread is gone.
Yes, meant comment on this as well. There was a telling video segment from the 2024 season where a Frameworks mechanic talks about how he usually only has riders doing 2-3 runs, 4 max on a set of Contis DH tires before the casings are too broken in/soft. He says the tread is fine, but the casing is what is 'stressed' and not the same.
I know all stouter DH tires experience this on some levels, but I was personally shocked by my Conti DH tire... I went to replace the rear tire after it had been used for a few months of riding. I took it off, and the casing felt super soft/supple, almost like an XC tire's casing. I was replacing it with the same DH casing Conti tire, and the fresh one was extremely stout/rigid, stood up on its own, leaning against my workbench. The two casings, while technically the same, would feel/perform VERY differently on trail.
Question about Schwalbe radial tires. Is there a noticeable difference in ride feel between the Schwalbe Magic Mary Trail and the Gravity version? I’m planning to run it on the front of my enduro bike. So far, I’ve been using Maxxis EXO+ tires on the front without any issues (no punctures). I do care about weight since I pedal this bike a lot, therefore, from a ride-feel perspective, is the extra weight of the Gravity casing worth it?
Question. I see lots of discussion re treads, compounds, casings, grip, trye damping and feel. But don't see this discussed. The tyre casing breaking down over...
Question. I see lots of discussion re treads, compounds, casings, grip, trye damping and feel. But don't see this discussed. The tyre casing breaking down over time, mainly speaking on the rear tyre in particular, but is a longer timeframe on front tyre.
For example, im not light (95kegs in riding gear), competent i guess. Ride with only DD or DH casing tyres on all bikes from trail to park (be it maxxis, continental, vittoria etc). I find the casing is breaking down long before the tread is wearing out. Support and tyre feel falling off drastically after 4-8weeks depending on the weather. probably most obvious by how much a removed tyre rolls into a wee ball and so pliable in your hands compared to a fresh DD/DH. Rear tyre pressure is 28-31psi tyre dependent. No inserts for a couple years. Over time the rear becomes a bit tooo forklift steery. Riding in Canterbury in NZ but all over south island of all type of soil and surface.
I end up replacing tyre due to feel on bike not tread. Is this just a me thing or other people in the same boat? There is huge debates in here about the best tyre to ride in a certain location when its a full moon but only when humidity is 80% but not suitable after 2 IPA pints, only on a 140mm bike and unrideable on a 150mm bike. But not so much on tyre casing. Apologies if this has been discussed and iv missed it.
NOTE this isnt a criticism of tyre manufacturers but just an observation that i dont see discussed and isnt mentioned in my riding group. Maybe I have more enthusiasm in corners than my friends haha.
This is definitely a thing, although more common among DH racers. There's a sweet spot for the casing feel that riders are looking for. A brand...
This is definitely a thing, although more common among DH racers. There's a sweet spot for the casing feel that riders are looking for. A brand new tire needs a couple runs to soften up and then there are X (varies) number of runs with the casing in that sweet spot before it starts to go away. It's quite common for mechanics to swap out tires after a set amount of runs, long before the tread is gone.
Thanks for the reply and explanation of things. Explains the felling from start of tyre life to the feeling of them being the best to where they fall away. Obviously this cycle has many variables like the casing, environment/ground, riding style, frequency of high load cornering events, temperature? Has to be said that the DHR DH casing in 2.5 has been the best for me to date.
To JVP's point about rougher terrain... Coming from the world of cyclocross tubulars.... A super supple casing at 20psi (almost riding on the rim) is faster on very bumpy grass/rough fields than a stiffer casing tire at 30psi because of deflection (casing having to deform over bumps). The same is true these days with UCI road racing and gravel racing. All are going to lower pressures and all have supple casings. Also, rolling resistance tests on drums are helpful for comparisons between tires, but they aren't fully translatable to the real-world trails. The Radials definitely rolls slow on smooth terrain (because of the bigger contact patch), but on gravel or rough trails, they roll about the same, in some cases maybe a touch faster, because of the supple casing (more so with the Trail casing versions). I think that's why you hear so many different opinions on how Radials roll is because people are running wildly different pressures in them. Some of the guys I ride with run them down around 20psi, and there are others, at the same weight, running them at closer to 30. The ones running the lower pressures will have a much larger contact patch, therefore more drag.
To JVP's point about rougher terrain... Coming from the world of cyclocross tubulars.... A super supple casing at 20psi (almost riding on the rim) is faster on...
To JVP's point about rougher terrain... Coming from the world of cyclocross tubulars.... A super supple casing at 20psi (almost riding on the rim) is faster on very bumpy grass/rough fields than a stiffer casing tire at 30psi because of deflection (casing having to deform over bumps). The same is true these days with UCI road racing and gravel racing. All are going to lower pressures and all have supple casings. Also, rolling resistance tests on drums are helpful for comparisons between tires, but they aren't fully translatable to the real-world trails. The Radials definitely rolls slow on smooth terrain (because of the bigger contact patch), but on gravel or rough trails, they roll about the same, in some cases maybe a touch faster, because of the supple casing (more so with the Trail casing versions). I think that's why you hear so many different opinions on how Radials roll is because people are running wildly different pressures in them. Some of the guys I ride with run them down around 20psi, and there are others, at the same weight, running them at closer to 30. The ones running the lower pressures will have a much larger contact patch, therefore more drag.
Spot on. Ideal operating pressures is often neglected from testing and comparisons, rightfully so because it's like opening pandoras box. The Enduro-MTB test was cool to compare many different brands/treads/casings/compounds, but a control pressure of 1.5bar/22psi is certainly not ideal for many tires. At 200lbs, I started riding the Mary Trail Pro Radial at 22psi on the front (what i used to ride with a bias-ply trail casing). Tire felt objectively slow, but rolling certainly improved when i increased the pressure.
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense as Conti's softest rubber is the firmest of all the major tire players. Their 'super soft' is between a MaxxTerra and MaxxGrip or T7 and T9, etc. Conti's 'soft' compound is on par with MaxxTerra (if I recall, it might have been slightly firmer on my durometer). Which is why you always hear "Conti's last so long". Their Soft compound, for instance, is not really 'soft' when compared across other brands. Would be nice to see a truly soft compound available for the public. Given how much traction the publicly available Super Soft supplies, a softer version would likely be amazing.
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense...
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense as Conti's softest rubber is the firmest of all the major tire players. Their 'super soft' is between a MaxxTerra and MaxxGrip or T7 and T9, etc. Conti's 'soft' compound is on par with MaxxTerra (if I recall, it might have been slightly firmer on my durometer). Which is why you always hear "Conti's last so long". Their Soft compound, for instance, is not really 'soft' when compared across other brands. Would be nice to see a truly soft compound available for the public. Given how much traction the publicly available Super Soft supplies, a softer version would likely be amazing.
Brian cahal did mention in one of his videos early last year when he was racing the EDRs, moi moi said conti gave them softer compounds.
But I'm pretty sure every brand does that, schwalbe is open about it and racers have mentioned testing compounds pre-season, I'd assume the same for maxxis as well with all their test pilot tires (even before the New DH hotpatch). Conti definitely the hardest compound out there, I had two pairs from the first release (Mix of soft + ultrasoft, enduro and DH casing) and it seems like they've only gotten harder compound wise over time for the current batches. Switched to radials and never looked back
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier even in the east coast. And they last forever. My previous tires were E13's TRS AT with Mopo compound which were as grippy but used faster.
2 years ago I picked up a pair of race leftover Argotals that Conti was giving away (probably used for only one run) and altough I ended up not riding them, when they were resting on the ground for a few days, I could feel the tires litterally stick to the ground. I should have used my durometer to check, but it was definitely tackier than the SS compound that's for sale.
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier...
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier even in the east coast. And they last forever. My previous tires were E13's TRS AT with Mopo compound which were as grippy but used faster.
2 years ago I picked up a pair of race leftover Argotals that Conti was giving away (probably used for only one run) and altough I ended up not riding them, when they were resting on the ground for a few days, I could feel the tires litterally stick to the ground. I should have used my durometer to check, but it was definitely tackier than the SS compound that's for sale.
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉 Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha.
As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's "Super Soft" provides is VERY good. Other brands compounds, when that hard, are not as grippy. So they do have some magic going on with their compound, other than just 'softness'. That said, it's known that softer compounds do provide further grip enhancement, which is why the pros are all getting ACTUAL 'super soft' compounds on their tires. Again, when looking at Contis, their "Soft" compound is not soft. It's as firm as most XC tire compounds from other brands, which is why "they last forever". People think they're actually riding a soft compound, like MaxxGrip or T9, so they're comparing against that. Which is not apples to apples. If Conti actually gave consumers the true super soft compound, they'd likely be the grippiest tires on the market and would not 'last forever'.
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier...
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier even in the east coast. And they last forever. My previous tires were E13's TRS AT with Mopo compound which were as grippy but used faster.
2 years ago I picked up a pair of race leftover Argotals that Conti was giving away (probably used for only one run) and altough I ended up not riding them, when they were resting on the ground for a few days, I could feel the tires litterally stick to the ground. I should have used my durometer to check, but it was definitely tackier than the SS compound that's for sale.
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha. As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's...
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉 Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha.
As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's "Super Soft" provides is VERY good. Other brands compounds, when that hard, are not as grippy. So they do have some magic going on with their compound, other than just 'softness'. That said, it's known that softer compounds do provide further grip enhancement, which is why the pros are all getting ACTUAL 'super soft' compounds on their tires. Again, when looking at Contis, their "Soft" compound is not soft. It's as firm as most XC tire compounds from other brands, which is why "they last forever". People think they're actually riding a soft compound, like MaxxGrip or T9, so they're comparing against that. Which is not apples to apples. If Conti actually gave consumers the true super soft compound, they'd likely be the grippiest tires on the market and would not 'last forever'.
sure would be cool if they released them to the public...
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier...
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier even in the east coast. And they last forever. My previous tires were E13's TRS AT with Mopo compound which were as grippy but used faster.
2 years ago I picked up a pair of race leftover Argotals that Conti was giving away (probably used for only one run) and altough I ended up not riding them, when they were resting on the ground for a few days, I could feel the tires litterally stick to the ground. I should have used my durometer to check, but it was definitely tackier than the SS compound that's for sale.
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha. As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's...
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉 Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha.
As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's "Super Soft" provides is VERY good. Other brands compounds, when that hard, are not as grippy. So they do have some magic going on with their compound, other than just 'softness'. That said, it's known that softer compounds do provide further grip enhancement, which is why the pros are all getting ACTUAL 'super soft' compounds on their tires. Again, when looking at Contis, their "Soft" compound is not soft. It's as firm as most XC tire compounds from other brands, which is why "they last forever". People think they're actually riding a soft compound, like MaxxGrip or T9, so they're comparing against that. Which is not apples to apples. If Conti actually gave consumers the true super soft compound, they'd likely be the grippiest tires on the market and would not 'last forever'.
Yeah they have insane 'mechanical grip' but the 'chemical grip' (compound) isn't there. That's part of the reason why I switched away, in the dry the tire is absolutely insane, however when it gets wet and especially when it gets wet and steep, it leaves a little to be desired. With MM Radials I can monster truck over wet root and not give a shit, was struggling with my argotal and kryptotals on the same trails in the wet.
I do think I'd switch back to conti if they actually dropped that special compound, the kryptotal thread pattern is my favourite since compared to the assegai and similiar 'assegai style' tires, you get feedback of how much grip you have. The assegai doesn't really tell you where you are by feel and I hate it but the grip is good, so I'd rather run a mid-spike for that 'feedback'. The people I ride with think I'm weird and everybody else loves the assegai, maybe I am just weird lol
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier...
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier even in the east coast. And they last forever. My previous tires were E13's TRS AT with Mopo compound which were as grippy but used faster.
2 years ago I picked up a pair of race leftover Argotals that Conti was giving away (probably used for only one run) and altough I ended up not riding them, when they were resting on the ground for a few days, I could feel the tires litterally stick to the ground. I should have used my durometer to check, but it was definitely tackier than the SS compound that's for sale.
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha. As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's...
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉 Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha.
As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's "Super Soft" provides is VERY good. Other brands compounds, when that hard, are not as grippy. So they do have some magic going on with their compound, other than just 'softness'. That said, it's known that softer compounds do provide further grip enhancement, which is why the pros are all getting ACTUAL 'super soft' compounds on their tires. Again, when looking at Contis, their "Soft" compound is not soft. It's as firm as most XC tire compounds from other brands, which is why "they last forever". People think they're actually riding a soft compound, like MaxxGrip or T9, so they're comparing against that. Which is not apples to apples. If Conti actually gave consumers the true super soft compound, they'd likely be the grippiest tires on the market and would not 'last forever'.
Yeah they have insane 'mechanical grip' but the 'chemical grip' (compound) isn't there. That's part of the reason why I switched away, in the dry the...
Yeah they have insane 'mechanical grip' but the 'chemical grip' (compound) isn't there. That's part of the reason why I switched away, in the dry the tire is absolutely insane, however when it gets wet and especially when it gets wet and steep, it leaves a little to be desired. With MM Radials I can monster truck over wet root and not give a shit, was struggling with my argotal and kryptotals on the same trails in the wet.
I do think I'd switch back to conti if they actually dropped that special compound, the kryptotal thread pattern is my favourite since compared to the assegai and similiar 'assegai style' tires, you get feedback of how much grip you have. The assegai doesn't really tell you where you are by feel and I hate it but the grip is good, so I'd rather run a mid-spike for that 'feedback'. The people I ride with think I'm weird and everybody else loves the assegai, maybe I am just weird lol
Assegai is losing some ground to these mid spikes. People are waking up to how well designed they are for a wide variety of conditions and the payoff in truly adverse conditions more than makes up for any perceived lacking in the hard packed stuff
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense...
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense as Conti's softest rubber is the firmest of all the major tire players. Their 'super soft' is between a MaxxTerra and MaxxGrip or T7 and T9, etc. Conti's 'soft' compound is on par with MaxxTerra (if I recall, it might have been slightly firmer on my durometer). Which is why you always hear "Conti's last so long". Their Soft compound, for instance, is not really 'soft' when compared across other brands. Would be nice to see a truly soft compound available for the public. Given how much traction the publicly available Super Soft supplies, a softer version would likely be amazing.
This makes so much sense. Now I know!!! This whole time I could have been as fast as Gwin if I'd had access to the softer tire compounds.
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense...
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense as Conti's softest rubber is the firmest of all the major tire players. Their 'super soft' is between a MaxxTerra and MaxxGrip or T7 and T9, etc. Conti's 'soft' compound is on par with MaxxTerra (if I recall, it might have been slightly firmer on my durometer). Which is why you always hear "Conti's last so long". Their Soft compound, for instance, is not really 'soft' when compared across other brands. Would be nice to see a truly soft compound available for the public. Given how much traction the publicly available Super Soft supplies, a softer version would likely be amazing.
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense...
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing. Makes sense as Conti's softest rubber is the firmest of all the major tire players. Their 'super soft' is between a MaxxTerra and MaxxGrip or T7 and T9, etc. Conti's 'soft' compound is on par with MaxxTerra (if I recall, it might have been slightly firmer on my durometer). Which is why you always hear "Conti's last so long". Their Soft compound, for instance, is not really 'soft' when compared across other brands. Would be nice to see a truly soft compound available for the public. Given how much traction the publicly available Super Soft supplies, a softer version would likely be amazing.
So for those following, I bought some radials when they were on sale. My question is, should I put them on my natural bike or ebike? Will...
So for those following, I bought some radials when they were on sale. My question is, should I put them on my natural bike or ebike?
Will my radial albert+MM roll more slowly than a DHR2+Assegai?
No, I went from a Assegai + DHR2 (Both maxxgrip) to a MM + Albert and didn't think it rolled any slower. I ran 22/24 psi on the maxxis setup and 24/28 on the schwalbe setup and am 88kg.
Anyone run the new Specialized Eliminator as a front tire? The refreshed eliminator looks a lot more like the new dissector and wonder if would serve as good a light trail duty front tire on the Ripley.
Anyone run the new Specialized Eliminator as a front tire? The refreshed eliminator looks a lot more like the new dissector and wonder if would serve...
Anyone run the new Specialized Eliminator as a front tire? The refreshed eliminator looks a lot more like the new dissector and wonder if would serve as good a light trail duty front tire on the Ripley.
The old eliminator was awesome as a downcountry front, I’m sure the new one is even better. I’m loving my dissector though, it’s the lowest spec version but it’s pretty damn good.
Tire nerds, I need some help. This HR3 has been stored indoors all winter and only had 6 rides in the fall, what could be causing this cracking in the sidewall? I did notice the rubber is stiffer to the touch as well. Please excuse my ignorance as I have had this cracking in the past with Maxxis however the rubber remained soft
Tire nerds, I need some help. This HR3 has been stored indoors all winter and only had 6 rides in the fall, what could be causing...
Tire nerds, I need some help. This HR3 has been stored indoors all winter and only had 6 rides in the fall, what could be causing this cracking in the sidewall? I did notice the rubber is stiffer to the touch as well. Please excuse my ignorance as I have had this cracking in the past with Maxxis however the rubber remained soft
My HR3 cracked at the base of every single knob with 5 rides on it
Yeah they have insane 'mechanical grip' but the 'chemical grip' (compound) isn't there. That's part of the reason why I switched away, in the dry the...
Yeah they have insane 'mechanical grip' but the 'chemical grip' (compound) isn't there. That's part of the reason why I switched away, in the dry the tire is absolutely insane, however when it gets wet and especially when it gets wet and steep, it leaves a little to be desired. With MM Radials I can monster truck over wet root and not give a shit, was struggling with my argotal and kryptotals on the same trails in the wet.
I do think I'd switch back to conti if they actually dropped that special compound, the kryptotal thread pattern is my favourite since compared to the assegai and similiar 'assegai style' tires, you get feedback of how much grip you have. The assegai doesn't really tell you where you are by feel and I hate it but the grip is good, so I'd rather run a mid-spike for that 'feedback'. The people I ride with think I'm weird and everybody else loves the assegai, maybe I am just weird lol
Totally agree on your thoughts on "chemical grip" - I find that a Mary US has is maybe slightly stiffer rubber than Assegai MG, but the Maxxis rubber feels more like silicone bath sealant and really conforms, whereas the Schwalbe rubber almost feels like it has sand in it, so even if it doesn't mould to wet roots as well, it is far more predictable. I found the Argo digs into soft soil amazingly and is like a cheat mode, but soft soil often comes with wet roots, and it's got similar unpredictability to the Maxxis rubber (plus the I find the knobs too tall). On the back, I'm less fussed about the last degree of wet grip and really like the Krypto, which does indeed last forever
Can anyone compare Specialized Grid Trail casing to Conti Enduro casing? Stiffness, puncture protection, feel. How about comparing T7 to Conti Soft, and T9 to Conti Super Soft?
Can anyone compare Specialized Grid Trail casing to Conti Enduro casing? Stiffness, puncture protection, feel. How about comparing T7 to Conti Soft, and T9 to Conti...
Can anyone compare Specialized Grid Trail casing to Conti Enduro casing? Stiffness, puncture protection, feel. How about comparing T7 to Conti Soft, and T9 to Conti Super Soft?
T7 is between Conti Soft and Super Soft. T9 is softer than Super Soft. If you're riding in the wet, I wouldn't bother with Conti Soft. If you're in a dry area/desert, it doesn't matter as much, and because the "soft" is pretty hard, so it will take forever to wear down, if that's important to you.
🥲
Yes, meant comment on this as well. There was a telling video segment from the 2024 season where a Frameworks mechanic talks about how he usually only has riders doing 2-3 runs, 4 max on a set of Contis DH tires before the casings are too broken in/soft. He says the tread is fine, but the casing is what is 'stressed' and not the same.
I know all stouter DH tires experience this on some levels, but I was personally shocked by my Conti DH tire... I went to replace the rear tire after it had been used for a few months of riding. I took it off, and the casing felt super soft/supple, almost like an XC tire's casing. I was replacing it with the same DH casing Conti tire, and the fresh one was extremely stout/rigid, stood up on its own, leaning against my workbench. The two casings, while technically the same, would feel/perform VERY differently on trail.
The video is on this page (convo starts ~9:00min): https://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-big-disc-energy-and-setup-insights-…
Question about Schwalbe radial tires. Is there a noticeable difference in ride feel between the Schwalbe Magic Mary Trail and the Gravity version? I’m planning to run it on the front of my enduro bike. So far, I’ve been using Maxxis EXO+ tires on the front without any issues (no punctures). I do care about weight since I pedal this bike a lot, therefore, from a ride-feel perspective, is the extra weight of the Gravity casing worth it?
Thanks for the reply and explanation of things. Explains the felling from start of tyre life to the feeling of them being the best to where they fall away. Obviously this cycle has many variables like the casing, environment/ground, riding style, frequency of high load cornering events, temperature? Has to be said that the DHR DH casing in 2.5 has been the best for me to date.
I don't think the hans Dampf feels slow. But I also had it in pacestar or some similar fast rolling compound in the back.
yeah this is running it as a rear.
To JVP's point about rougher terrain...
Coming from the world of cyclocross tubulars.... A super supple casing at 20psi (almost riding on the rim) is faster on very bumpy grass/rough fields than a stiffer casing tire at 30psi because of deflection (casing having to deform over bumps). The same is true these days with UCI road racing and gravel racing. All are going to lower pressures and all have supple casings.
Also, rolling resistance tests on drums are helpful for comparisons between tires, but they aren't fully translatable to the real-world trails.
The Radials definitely rolls slow on smooth terrain (because of the bigger contact patch), but on gravel or rough trails, they roll about the same, in some cases maybe a touch faster, because of the supple casing (more so with the Trail casing versions).
I think that's why you hear so many different opinions on how Radials roll is because people are running wildly different pressures in them. Some of the guys I ride with run them down around 20psi, and there are others, at the same weight, running them at closer to 30. The ones running the lower pressures will have a much larger contact patch, therefore more drag.
Spot on.
Ideal operating pressures is often neglected from testing and comparisons, rightfully so because it's like opening pandoras box.
The Enduro-MTB test was cool to compare many different brands/treads/casings/compounds, but a control pressure of 1.5bar/22psi is certainly not ideal for many tires.
At 200lbs, I started riding the Mary Trail Pro Radial at 22psi on the front (what i used to ride with a bias-ply trail casing). Tire felt objectively slow, but
rolling certainly improved when i increased the pressure.
In the recent Downtime Podcast, Gwin finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew. Continental has a "Race" compound and/or something for colder temp racing.
Makes sense as Conti's softest rubber is the firmest of all the major tire players. Their 'super soft' is between a MaxxTerra and MaxxGrip or T7 and T9, etc. Conti's 'soft' compound is on par with MaxxTerra (if I recall, it might have been slightly firmer on my durometer). Which is why you always hear "Conti's last so long". Their Soft compound, for instance, is not really 'soft' when compared across other brands.
Would be nice to see a truly soft compound available for the public. Given how much traction the publicly available Super Soft supplies, a softer version would likely be amazing.
Brian cahal did mention in one of his videos early last year when he was racing the EDRs, moi moi said conti gave them softer compounds.
But I'm pretty sure every brand does that, schwalbe is open about it and racers have mentioned testing compounds pre-season, I'd assume the same for maxxis as well with all their test pilot tires (even before the New DH hotpatch). Conti definitely the hardest compound out there, I had two pairs from the first release (Mix of soft + ultrasoft, enduro and DH casing) and it seems like they've only gotten harder compound wise over time for the current batches. Switched to radials and never looked back
I have ridden Conti's SuperSoft and Soft compound tires and find the SuperSoft perfect for anything, including wet rocks and roots. I wouldn't need any tackier even in the east coast. And they last forever. My previous tires were E13's TRS AT with Mopo compound which were as grippy but used faster.
2 years ago I picked up a pair of race leftover Argotals that Conti was giving away (probably used for only one run) and altough I ended up not riding them, when they were resting on the ground for a few days, I could feel the tires litterally stick to the ground. I should have used my durometer to check, but it was definitely tackier than the SS compound that's for sale.
There's the "they last forever" I was looking for 😉
Of course they do, they're not a soft compound haha.
As I said earlier. The grip that Conti's "Super Soft" provides is VERY good. Other brands compounds, when that hard, are not as grippy. So they do have some magic going on with their compound, other than just 'softness'.
That said, it's known that softer compounds do provide further grip enhancement, which is why the pros are all getting ACTUAL 'super soft' compounds on their tires.
Again, when looking at Contis, their "Soft" compound is not soft. It's as firm as most XC tire compounds from other brands, which is why "they last forever". People think they're actually riding a soft compound, like MaxxGrip or T9, so they're comparing against that. Which is not apples to apples. If Conti actually gave consumers the true super soft compound, they'd likely be the grippiest tires on the market and would not 'last forever'.
sure would be cool if they released them to the public...
Yeah they have insane 'mechanical grip' but the 'chemical grip' (compound) isn't there. That's part of the reason why I switched away, in the dry the tire is absolutely insane, however when it gets wet and especially when it gets wet and steep, it leaves a little to be desired. With MM Radials I can monster truck over wet root and not give a shit, was struggling with my argotal and kryptotals on the same trails in the wet.
I do think I'd switch back to conti if they actually dropped that special compound, the kryptotal thread pattern is my favourite since compared to the assegai and similiar 'assegai style' tires, you get feedback of how much grip you have. The assegai doesn't really tell you where you are by feel and I hate it but the grip is good, so I'd rather run a mid-spike for that 'feedback'. The people I ride with think I'm weird and everybody else loves the assegai, maybe I am just weird lol
Assegai is losing some ground to these mid spikes. People are waking up to how well designed they are for a wide variety of conditions and the payoff in truly adverse conditions more than makes up for any perceived lacking in the hard packed stuff
This makes so much sense. Now I know!!! This whole time I could have been as fast as Gwin if I'd had access to the softer tire compounds.
actually, faster...
I onetime used my boy asa's grips. dropped that guy so quick. rubber matters
Yes, correct.
So for those following, I bought some radials when they were on sale. My question is, should I put them on my natural bike or ebike?
Will my radial albert+MM roll more slowly than a DHR2+Assegai?
No, I went from a Assegai + DHR2 (Both maxxgrip) to a MM + Albert and didn't think it rolled any slower.
I ran 22/24 psi on the maxxis setup and 24/28 on the schwalbe setup and am 88kg.
Anyone run the new Specialized Eliminator as a front tire? The refreshed eliminator looks a lot more like the new dissector and wonder if would serve as good a light trail duty front tire on the Ripley.
The old eliminator was awesome as a downcountry front, I’m sure the new one is even better. I’m loving my dissector though, it’s the lowest spec version but it’s pretty damn good.
Tire nerds, I need some help. This HR3 has been stored indoors all winter and only had 6 rides in the fall, what could be causing this cracking in the sidewall? I did notice the rubber is stiffer to the touch as well. Please excuse my ignorance as I have had this cracking in the past with Maxxis however the rubber remained soft
Just warranty it.
My HR3 cracked at the base of every single knob with 5 rides on it
Totally agree on your thoughts on "chemical grip" - I find that a Mary US has is maybe slightly stiffer rubber than Assegai MG, but the Maxxis rubber feels more like silicone bath sealant and really conforms, whereas the Schwalbe rubber almost feels like it has sand in it, so even if it doesn't mould to wet roots as well, it is far more predictable. I found the Argo digs into soft soil amazingly and is like a cheat mode, but soft soil often comes with wet roots, and it's got similar unpredictability to the Maxxis rubber (plus the I find the knobs too tall). On the back, I'm less fussed about the last degree of wet grip and really like the Krypto, which does indeed last forever
Can anyone compare Specialized Grid Trail casing to Conti Enduro casing? Stiffness, puncture protection, feel. How about comparing T7 to Conti Soft, and T9 to Conti Super Soft?
T7 is between Conti Soft and Super Soft. T9 is softer than Super Soft.
If you're riding in the wet, I wouldn't bother with Conti Soft. If you're in a dry area/desert, it doesn't matter as much, and because the "soft" is pretty hard, so it will take forever to wear down, if that's important to you.
Awesome thanks!
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