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Michelin owns BFG, so we're kinda there already.
After the maxxterra update might as well run a DHR2? Enduro said Dissector takes a 22% wattage hit on rolling resistance with the new compound.
A more durable MaxxTerra sounds great. This 2.4 dhr2 dd casing only has 360 miles and most of that was in colder and wetter winter conditions.
Man I wish my dhr looked that good even after 200 miles
The tread pattern on the Delrium Versatile looks like one of the better 2:2:2s out there. Wow. (Appears to be great land:sea ratio and knob size).
Looks like my HR III after its second ride 😂
Picked up a Tacky Chan and Romy radial and took them out for a spin.
The radial TC definitely feels more compliant and less twitchy at speed than the 2.4 version. Less gap between the knobs means not getting caught in no man's land when I can't get the bike leaned over enough to fully engage the side knobs. Definitely looses some the snappiness vs the 2.4, but I think it's a more well rounded front tire and rolls faster than the MM.
The Romy rolls well and offers solid grip. I always felt like the Albert on the rear was too much and the Nobby Nic was not quite enough, so it's a good compromise.
I thought I'd give Delrium a try, and the tire rode really well, but it wore out so dang fast. Even faster than when I tried Kenda back when Gwin was on them. Side knobs ripping odd after 4 months.
Oh well, guess I shouldn’t have posted. Today’s ride cut short with two separate punctures. Second would’ve needed a sewing kit. Back to dh casing I go.
It’s more just a region based thing in my opinion. I know friends in the pnw who get way more tire life compared to down south. Steep and dry trails are a perfect recipe to wear through tires
So at Sea Otter I asked Continental if the compounds stay the same across the tread patterns and they said yes. So a Xynotal Soft is the same compound as a magnotal soft even though the xynotal is part of their "gravity" range and the magnotal is part of their trail/xc range. I forgot to ask if the casings are the same across tread patterns too... I'm guessing yes. Meaning does a 2.4 xynotal enduro have the same casing as a kryptotal-fr enduro? If the casing and the compound really are the same, then all you are choosing is the tread pattern for conditions, and rolling resistance will be largely unchanged. Personally I think the ~2w difference in tread patterns is not really noticeable but the ~10w difference between compounds definitely is.
First ride report on Tacky Chan Trail Pro radials, super soft up front, soft in back, 22psi front, 25psi rear, 29" front and rear on a Yeti SB160 on DT Swiss EXC 1501 wheels.
1143 grams each.
They roll fast for a meaty tire. Better than the Magic Mary. Maybe better than the Albert. On par with a DHF exo+ maxxterra 3c I'd say. Faster than an Assegai for sure. Not as fast as a Forecaster.
Same excellent radial dampening.
Big cornering traction with a locked in feel that is confidence inspiring- more so than the Magic Mary. No vague transition zone when leaning over. No perceptible knob squirming on lean. No audible side knob scrubbing noises.
Plenty of braking traction.
New tires always feel good. These feel particularly great.
Awesome to hear. What sort of trails?
Loose over hardpack?
Loam/soft conditions?
Sounds promising. This may be my next setup.
I impulse bought a set of the TC Gravity Pros also, but haven't ridden them yet. The new tread pattern looks WAY more conventional than the old TC, very similar to a DHR... which is a great thing IMO. I probably won't get a chance to ride them for a bit because I've got new suspension parts waiting which I want to tune with my baseline tires first, then I'll slap these on. 27.5 gravity soft clocked in at 1,310g, 29 gravity ultra soft came in at 1,335. So the set is heavier than a set of DDs or Conti DH, but not as porky as the new Specialized Butcher gravity radials. I didn't fuck around with the Trail casing because I knew from trying the Albert and MM radials that I found radial + trail too squirmy.
Loose over hard and straight hardpack. Some solid rock and chunky square edge hits on solid rock. Low, medium, and high angle descent terrain with bermed, flat, and off camber corners. Dirt and also embedded sandstone sections.
The straight hardpack dirt is where I felt like the MM squirmed a bit and lacked hookup. The Albert even more so- its knobs are heavily siped and not well supported. Not the case with the TC. These tread blocks are solid in a good way.
The gravity casing TC must be a monster of a tire.
The DHR/JUDGE/ALL TERRAIN style tread pattern is my favourite for the dry, sandy, loose over hard local trails.
So. I'm thinking the TC trail pro front/Wicked Will rear will be my next purchase.
Awesome! Thanks for the reply.
Sounds exactly like my local trails.
Sold I reckon.
Riding in the PNW I feel like the Magic Mary is the better choice for the wet season. I do however like the TC once things dry up!
I impulse-bought a set of the same, despite trying and hating the Albert. Glad to hear the tread works well on CO trails. I’m hoping I can pin down the right tire pressure with a bracketing session or two. I also felt the Albert was super squirmy on hardpack (and didn’t bite into loose-over-hard enough to be viable here in kitty litter town), but I hadn’t considered it was the cornering lug design that could be to blame for that. I figured it was the casing, but you bringing up the cornering lugs reminded me that I also loathe the WTB Trail Boss for that exact same feeling and that was with a bog-standard bias-ply casing.
Did Niko just win Sea Otter on Aspens??
sure looks like it!
chatting w/ him a fair bit before the race, he figured rolling speed was the biggest factor in doing well at sea otter. the side knobs of the aspen were "good enough for the corners" (large contact patch seemed to hold well) and the only sketch braking on the track was really short (after the uphill). apparently the strategy worked.
A 32 aspen!
I just rode the new one in some mixed PNW conditions and it was very good. This will be my go to Schwalbe rear moving forward.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone who found the MM & Albert too squirmy but tries the TC Radial in Trail casing & finds it supportive enough. I'm going to try and get out on the Gravity version I bought this coming weekend, but assuming I like it on my ebike, I'd like to have a lighter option for my trail bike.
I've tried both the MM and TC radials in trail versions. The cornering knobs on the TC are definitely stiffer. I feel like more of the squirm on the MM comes from those siped cornering knobs. But I'm not particularly heavy (170 lbs) and ride in mostly soft conditions so probably don't experience this as much as heavier riders do.
I was just thinking the same thing. Idk if it's just the corner knobs or casing but the 2.5 mm radial trail feels pretty squirmy. I can hear the knobs snap. For fast aggressive riding I think I prefer a heavier non radial casing.
Wicked Will/ Addix Soft or Speed Grip Rear / Romy trail /radial /soft or Mid /rear or front / Albert Super trail pro Addix soft or super soft front or rear
What PSI? I run 28-30psi in the rear never felt a squirm on either radial casing but they fold over suddenly if I run less. If you want a super damped feeling tire the new gravity pros feel very close to a DH, or just get some Contis. I always found super gravity of the old to be a springy feeling tire, same with a DD.
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