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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!
So the internet says radials roll more slowly, but people's real world experience here differs?
Can't tell any difference tbh but I only run a radial in the front.
They ain't lying.
Can someone do this comparison for Conti Soft/Super Soft and Schwalbe Addix Soft/Addix Ultra Soft? I run a Conti soft enduro casing rear but just picked up a Magic Mary Radial Soft for the rear on really wet days. Sucks that Schwalbe doesn't offer that tire in Ultra Soft 27.5.
Schwalbe lets see the tacky chan radial, gravity and trail casing, soft and super soft rubba... cmon!
Just dropping in to give the Eddy Current front some love. Grabbed a trail casing/ultra soft 2.4" on a whim and have been pleasantly surprised. Magic Mary has been my go to for a while and the Eddy seems to clean up some its short comings. It does a better job with hardpack, feels like it rolls a bit better and other then really sloppy conditions, overall grip is on par. The biggest difference I noticed, the eddy does not share the mary's snap grip tendency when regaining traction when it drifts or is at the edge of grip.
I assume being labelled as an Eeb tire meant it was overlooked/ignored?
tried it once and hated it, it felt like a dhf to me which i don't like at all, especially as a 2.5, the 2.3 feels much better
Completely agree. I have ridden and raced the eddy current front quite a bit in 2.6 and 2.4. I found much better loose over hard performance and more predictable behavior than the magic mary in corners. Way better wet rock and root performance too with the large center blocks. I think in my experience I would put it somewhere between the assegai and the DHF in terms of feel. Which is a good thing.
That being said the radial version of the magic mary has grown on me and somewhat replaced the eddy current as my preference for PNW winter. That being said the eddy current is much faster rolling than the magic mary radial in my experience. I really just want more radial options. Ideally radial nobby nic or eddy current front or something in that realm. Or maybe a tacky chan with larger center knobs to make it more like a DHR2.
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