Anyone tried the specialized radials yet? Like the theory of radial tyres but didn’t get on with the Mary/albert combo, found them a bit bouncy and...
Anyone tried the specialized radials yet? Like the theory of radial tyres but didn’t get on with the Mary/albert combo, found them a bit bouncy and spec’s claim that theirs are a bit less radial might be a good middle ground
I have a few rides on the Specialized tires, Butcher Front / Eliminator rear on my 170mm bike from blown out dry to hero dirt in the backcountry (not purpose built or bike park). I also have a tacky chan + roamy in trail casing on my 130mm bike so have experience with radial.
Main takeaways so far
Improved grip over Conti DH (SS front, S rear) - Better braking right away was noticable, its like I added 15% braking power. It does not feel noticeably slower climbing on dirt than conti, although I haven't gone back to do a true comparison. It does feel draggier on pavement but its a gravity tire so I expect that and its doable for me.
Less supple than schwalbe trail radial at slow speeds. There isn't as much give on roots and rocks when climbing, although some of that may be trail vs gravity casing. It is improved over the conti though.
Durable - I am certainly not concerned about hucking my meat into rock gardens with them, had some rim pings and has held up admirably. Unsure if you were racing downhill if thats what you'd want.
As they say, pressures are consistent with standard casing. I am running 21/23, same as conti. On Schwalbe trail I am 25/28. 150lbs out the shower.
The eliminator feels like a slightly beefed up version of the Romy. Little slower, little better grip, but by no means a super grip like a Tacky would be on the rear. I like them for my style of riding which is backcountry Colorado generally high country, mix of rocks and roots and not too wet.
TLDR: The specialized radials are a really good all around tire, less drastic radial effect but improves traction in backcountry trails over standard casings.
what tire model and casing?I have three Kryptotal FR enduro super soft that were made in Germany week 13 2025. all three have imperfect alignment between...
what tire model and casing?
I have three Kryptotal FR enduro super soft that were made in Germany week 13 2025. all three have imperfect alignment between the left & right halves of the casing. I complained, got a warranty replacement that was just as misaligned, and was sent a second warranty replacement that's a little better but not perfect.
I rode the original and the better of the 2 replacements is on the front of my son's bike now. 3rd tire still NIB.
It was a Kryptotal Fr DH Casing Super Soft. I don't have it anymore and didn't take pictures of the production date, but I had bought it in the Spring of 2024, so probably made in 2023.
I believe Michelin still makes their MTB tires in France, and Pirelli as well.I suppose you could get lucky and Hutchinson's latest are really great and...
I believe Michelin still makes their MTB tires in France, and Pirelli as well.
I suppose you could get lucky and Hutchinson's latest are really great and we're just all unaware of that.
The Michelin DH22 I just bought were made in SEA (I think Thailand but not 100% sure), the ones on my car weren't made in france either...
I remember reading a french magazine last year where they tried to build a trail/all moutain bike as local as possible, and Hutchinson was their only option for tires
Anyone tried the specialized radials yet? Like the theory of radial tyres but didn’t get on with the Mary/albert combo, found them a bit bouncy and...
Anyone tried the specialized radials yet? Like the theory of radial tyres but didn’t get on with the Mary/albert combo, found them a bit bouncy and spec’s claim that theirs are a bit less radial might be a good middle ground
Got a few weeks on Butcher/ Eliminator Radial setup. Was on Conti Kryptotal DH SuperSoft F/ Soft Rear for a few years, then more recently on Magic Mary UltraSoft/Albert Soft in radial on an enduro bike. The specialized seem like a solid combination of the two, slightly slower rolling on climbs than the conti, but more sidewall support than the schwalbes. Heaps of traction in loose-over hard and off cambers, and survived a few solid rim strikes so far at 22/25 psi. Impressive in their traction on natural terrain. can't imagine the rear will have the longevity of the conti soft compound but overall I would give them two thumbs up. No experience on how they do in the wet yet.
Anyone tried the specialized radials yet? Like the theory of radial tyres but didn’t get on with the Mary/albert combo, found them a bit bouncy and...
Anyone tried the specialized radials yet? Like the theory of radial tyres but didn’t get on with the Mary/albert combo, found them a bit bouncy and spec’s claim that theirs are a bit less radial might be a good middle ground
Got a few weeks on Butcher/ Eliminator Radial setup. Was on Conti Kryptotal DH SuperSoft F/ Soft Rear for a few years, then more recently on...
Got a few weeks on Butcher/ Eliminator Radial setup. Was on Conti Kryptotal DH SuperSoft F/ Soft Rear for a few years, then more recently on Magic Mary UltraSoft/Albert Soft in radial on an enduro bike. The specialized seem like a solid combination of the two, slightly slower rolling on climbs than the conti, but more sidewall support than the schwalbes. Heaps of traction in loose-over hard and off cambers, and survived a few solid rim strikes so far at 22/25 psi. Impressive in their traction on natural terrain. can't imagine the rear will have the longevity of the conti soft compound but overall I would give them two thumbs up. No experience on how they do in the wet yet.
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is really freaking heavy. Cannibal / Hillbilly would be intriguing.
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is...
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is really freaking heavy. Cannibal / Hillbilly would be intriguing.
can't help with the tread patterns, but the grid gravity casing is about the same as maxxis dh casing weight and performance. and then radial adds another ~60g. it's still lighter than E13 radials, which have those reinforced sidewalls to make them less squirmy, and relatively close to schwalbe gravity pro radials. currently no one is doing anything like schwalbe trail pro radials, but it seems like they might be kinda fragile casings. (and fragile tread on the romy?)
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is...
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is really freaking heavy. Cannibal / Hillbilly would be intriguing.
can't help with the tread patterns, but the grid gravity casing is about the same as maxxis dh casing weight and performance. and then radial adds...
can't help with the tread patterns, but the grid gravity casing is about the same as maxxis dh casing weight and performance. and then radial adds another ~60g. it's still lighter than E13 radials, which have those reinforced sidewalls to make them less squirmy, and relatively close to schwalbe gravity pro radials. currently no one is doing anything like schwalbe trail pro radials, but it seems like they might be kinda fragile casings. (and fragile tread on the romy?)
Exactly. I've run the Trail Pros and they do feel paper thin in comparison to even EXO+. At the same time, I don't need DH tires for my riding (trails/aggression/etc.). Something in the DD / old Super Gravity / Conti Enduro is I think a compromise that works really well for a lot of people. Especially with ebikes taking up more and more of the market (and doubly so considering how they eat through tires in comparison to meat-powered bikes).
Anybody ridden the Ethirteen radials? Getting the Grappler radials soon, heard very good things about the Grappler pattern but very little about the new radial casings.
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a...
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?
Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a Shredda and during pre-race interviews I think he said he was running a spike.
I ask because I'm curious if radial casings have made it to a DH podium.
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a...
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?
Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a Shredda and during pre-race interviews I think he said he was running a spike.
I ask because I'm curious if radial casings have made it to a DH podium.
I've been riding Schwalbe trail pro radial casings for a year now and haven't had a flat. I think all the tread patterns in this casing range from 1050 grams to about 1150 or so grams, which is a big reason why I like them. I'm finding the casing just as flat resistant as EXO+. Its is not as supportive as EXO or EXO+, but 2-3psi seems to offset that for my applications.
Obviously tire casing, compound, tread pattern, and size are all hugely subjective to the particular user, but I think its worth pointing out. I'm 160 pounds, my riding style tends to be light on the bike, and when I go to the park at Purg, which is infrequent, add 2-4psi front and rear.
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a...
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?
Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a Shredda and during pre-race interviews I think he said he was running a spike.
I ask because I'm curious if radial casings have made it to a DH podium.
It's a cut Dan - that's the only one with the weird dew claw knobs outside the regular knobs.
Bingo. Like he said, you can tell it's a Dan because of the useless vestigial side knobs halfway down the sidewall. The teams used to cut them off, but I think they''ve mostly given up and leave them be now. It's an extra 20 grams maybe.
Bingo. Like he said, you can tell it's a Dan because of the useless vestigial side knobs halfway down the sidewall. The teams used to cut...
Bingo. Like he said, you can tell it's a Dan because of the useless vestigial side knobs halfway down the sidewall. The teams used to cut them off, but I think they''ve mostly given up and leave them be now. It's an extra 20 grams maybe.
Wouldn't even be 20g going off my experience with trimming the centre off of every knob on a WTB Judge (I was jankily turning it into a edge 22).
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is...
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is really freaking heavy. Cannibal / Hillbilly would be intriguing.
Cannibals, my favourite summer tyre are on sale in the uk for £22 (less than half price)at the moment which makes me wonder if they are clearing stock ready for a refresh
Good eye! I didn't notice the claw knobs. I believe Amaury was also on a cut Dan during his winning run in Val di Sole 24:As...
Good eye! I didn't notice the claw knobs. I believe Amaury was also on a cut Dan during his winning run in Val di Sole 24:
As it stands, I don't believe radial tires have made it onto a DH podium (or even a practice/quali run for that matter unless anyone knows otherwise?)
Well from team muc off atleast Amaury have been running radials for the past two years, Myriam and the Alran brothers maybe less than that. So there is plenty of podiums. I'd bet that even the Dan he was using is an radial tyre.
I'd like if someone with actual insider info can comment but my impression is that radial casings are not used much at all in WCDH, certainly nowhere near 'on every podium'. The only time I've actually seen a radial Tacky Chan was on Reece and Hattie's bikes in South Korea. Never seen one on a commencal. I'm not 100% on whether the fronts are sometimes radial but the fact that everyone is using cut Dans very frequently with "no plans to release a radial Dirty Dan" makes me think probably not.
IMO a radial casing in the rear at WC speeds on most tracks would be completely ridiculous. Not as sure for a front tire because they work up to my skill level but I have to imagine they are loading the front a great deal more than I am
I put my radial Trail TCs back on after having reverted to HR3 EXO+/ DHR2 DD for a few weeks. Jesus, the squirm/vagueness in the back is sketchy AF. I had forgotten just how weird the radial Trail is in the back. The rear just felt like it was wandering all over when climbing, and then randomly steps out in corners before catching (especially flat corners). Lots of grip, then zero and rapidly sliding, then tons of grip again. For some reason, it doesn't do that on the front for me. It's like the sensation of the dead zone a tentative rider gets with a DHF, but in the back... really strange. I was running 22.5 psi front, tried 25.5, 26.5, 26.0 rear (compared to my Maxxis pressures of 19.5/22.5). I think I've gotta run a normal tire in the rear. Time to see if anyone local wants to swap some Maxxis or Conti with me.
I think the Trail is fine for a front casing for weekend warriors, but it's just too soft in the rear unless you're really going slow or riding very soft dirt all the time. I didn't notice most of this sensation in the rear when I ran Gravity (other than the weird step-out in corners). I have a theory the step-out comes from running a higher pressure, so that when you unweight the rear a little, it snaps back to full round shape and lose grip until it gets weighted and deformed again. It's hard to explain the sensation - it's quite different from the usual DHR lateral drift where you can feel the tire dragging on the ground but not digging in. This feeling comes on all of the sudden, without much if any of the lateral slide feel. I've had several cases where it happens and all of the sudden the front is oversteered pointing back across the trail, then I have to correct back in the opposite direction.
"Amaury Pierron made a brilliant comeback this year after his return. With our radial tires, he won in Val di Sole by almost 5 seconds and in Let Gets by well over 6 seconds - an eternity in racing!"
One caveat: Only Schwalbe knows what was really inside the casing of Amaury's tires at those two races, so I'm going on their word here. Entirely possible they were stock casings or a completely different third casing we've never heard of with "radial" slapped on the side.
"Amaury Pierron made a brilliant comeback this year after his return. With our radial tires, he won in Val di Sole by almost 5 seconds and in Let Gets by well over 6 seconds - an eternity in racing!"
One caveat: Only Schwalbe knows what was really inside the casing of Amaury's tires at those two races, so I'm going on their word here. Entirely possible they were stock casings or a completely different third casing we've never heard of with "radial" slapped on the side.
This is where I'm at with radials these days. They are great in a specific use case (like our PNW winters) but outside of that I prefer standard casings.
Is the Shredda Front essentially a cut Dirty Dan in Radial casing then?
Very similar tires, but still come from different molds. This is like one of those "spot five differences between the two images" challenges in kid's magazines:
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a...
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?
Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a Shredda and during pre-race interviews I think he said he was running a spike.
I ask because I'm curious if radial casings have made it to a DH podium.
Beat me to it. I'd wager they've been on every single podium for years.
Were Jordan and Finn running the radial Specialized tires during their wins this season? Can't find anything about it now that I went through the old pit bits.
My personal experience, riding them in every condition imaginable, including snow: the biggest improvement in mountain bike technology since we figured out 64 degree HTA could apply to non DH bikes.
(no edit post function?) anyway, Pirelli in Italy, sorry.
I have a few rides on the Specialized tires, Butcher Front / Eliminator rear on my 170mm bike from blown out dry to hero dirt in the backcountry (not purpose built or bike park). I also have a tacky chan + roamy in trail casing on my 130mm bike so have experience with radial.
Main takeaways so far
The eliminator feels like a slightly beefed up version of the Romy. Little slower, little better grip, but by no means a super grip like a Tacky would be on the rear. I like them for my style of riding which is backcountry Colorado generally high country, mix of rocks and roots and not too wet.
TLDR: The specialized radials are a really good all around tire, less drastic radial effect but improves traction in backcountry trails over standard casings.
It was a Kryptotal Fr DH Casing Super Soft. I don't have it anymore and didn't take pictures of the production date, but I had bought it in the Spring of 2024, so probably made in 2023.
The Michelin DH22 I just bought were made in SEA (I think Thailand but not 100% sure), the ones on my car weren't made in france either...
I remember reading a french magazine last year where they tried to build a trail/all moutain bike as local as possible, and Hutchinson was their only option for tires
Got a few weeks on Butcher/ Eliminator Radial setup. Was on Conti Kryptotal DH SuperSoft F/ Soft Rear for a few years, then more recently on Magic Mary UltraSoft/Albert Soft in radial on an enduro bike. The specialized seem like a solid combination of the two, slightly slower rolling on climbs than the conti, but more sidewall support than the schwalbes. Heaps of traction in loose-over hard and off cambers, and survived a few solid rim strikes so far at 22/25 psi. Impressive in their traction on natural terrain. can't imagine the rear will have the longevity of the conti soft compound but overall I would give them two thumbs up. No experience on how they do in the wet yet.
I offer myself as tribute!
Ordered some Hutchinson Wyrm RaceLab. Will report. I can compare to rekons, rekon race, ground controls T7 and some kendas.
The Specialized take on radial seems more like what I want, except that the 2 current tread patterns don't appeal to me, and the casing is really freaking heavy. Cannibal / Hillbilly would be intriguing.
can't help with the tread patterns, but the grid gravity casing is about the same as maxxis dh casing weight and performance. and then radial adds another ~60g. it's still lighter than E13 radials, which have those reinforced sidewalls to make them less squirmy, and relatively close to schwalbe gravity pro radials. currently no one is doing anything like schwalbe trail pro radials, but it seems like they might be kinda fragile casings. (and fragile tread on the romy?)
Exactly. I've run the Trail Pros and they do feel paper thin in comparison to even EXO+. At the same time, I don't need DH tires for my riding (trails/aggression/etc.). Something in the DD / old Super Gravity / Conti Enduro is I think a compromise that works really well for a lot of people. Especially with ebikes taking up more and more of the market (and doubly so considering how they eat through tires in comparison to meat-powered bikes).
Does anybody know what tires Reece Wilson was running during his second place finish at Andorra?
Watching his GoPro footage, it looks like he is running a Shredda and during pre-race interviews I think he said he was running a spike.
I ask because I'm curious if radial casings have made it to a DH podium.
Anybody ridden the Ethirteen radials? Getting the Grappler radials soon, heard very good things about the Grappler pattern but very little about the new radial casings.
Shredda Front it looks like.
https://www.schwalbetires.com/GRAVITY-PRO-Shredda-F-Radial-11654553.01
Amaury ran them on that amazing mudder race a few years ago where he won by some crazy margin.
Beat me to it. I'd wager they've been on every single podium for years.
I've been riding Schwalbe trail pro radial casings for a year now and haven't had a flat. I think all the tread patterns in this casing range from 1050 grams to about 1150 or so grams, which is a big reason why I like them. I'm finding the casing just as flat resistant as EXO+. Its is not as supportive as EXO or EXO+, but 2-3psi seems to offset that for my applications.
Obviously tire casing, compound, tread pattern, and size are all hugely subjective to the particular user, but I think its worth pointing out. I'm 160 pounds, my riding style tends to be light on the bike, and when I go to the park at Purg, which is infrequent, add 2-4psi front and rear.
It's a cut Dan - that's the only one with the weird dew claw knobs outside the regular knobs.
Bingo. Like he said, you can tell it's a Dan because of the useless vestigial side knobs halfway down the sidewall. The teams used to cut them off, but I think they''ve mostly given up and leave them be now. It's an extra 20 grams maybe.
Wouldn't even be 20g going off my experience with trimming the centre off of every knob on a WTB Judge (I was jankily turning it into a edge 22).
When I weighed all the offcuts it was 18g.
Cannibals, my favourite summer tyre are on sale in the uk for £22 (less than half price)at the moment which makes me wonder if they are clearing stock ready for a refresh
Good eye! I didn't notice the claw knobs. I believe Amaury was also on a cut Dan during his winning run in Val di Sole 24:
As it stands, I don't believe radial tires have made it onto a DH podium (or even a practice/quali run for that matter unless anyone knows otherwise?)
Well from team muc off atleast Amaury have been running radials for the past two years, Myriam and the Alran brothers maybe less than that. So there is plenty of podiums. I'd bet that even the Dan he was using is an radial tyre.
I'd like if someone with actual insider info can comment but my impression is that radial casings are not used much at all in WCDH, certainly nowhere near 'on every podium'. The only time I've actually seen a radial Tacky Chan was on Reece and Hattie's bikes in South Korea. Never seen one on a commencal. I'm not 100% on whether the fronts are sometimes radial but the fact that everyone is using cut Dans very frequently with "no plans to release a radial Dirty Dan" makes me think probably not.
IMO a radial casing in the rear at WC speeds on most tracks would be completely ridiculous. Not as sure for a front tire because they work up to my skill level but I have to imagine they are loading the front a great deal more than I am
I put my radial Trail TCs back on after having reverted to HR3 EXO+/ DHR2 DD for a few weeks. Jesus, the squirm/vagueness in the back is sketchy AF. I had forgotten just how weird the radial Trail is in the back. The rear just felt like it was wandering all over when climbing, and then randomly steps out in corners before catching (especially flat corners). Lots of grip, then zero and rapidly sliding, then tons of grip again. For some reason, it doesn't do that on the front for me. It's like the sensation of the dead zone a tentative rider gets with a DHF, but in the back... really strange. I was running 22.5 psi front, tried 25.5, 26.5, 26.0 rear (compared to my Maxxis pressures of 19.5/22.5). I think I've gotta run a normal tire in the rear. Time to see if anyone local wants to swap some Maxxis or Conti with me.
I think the Trail is fine for a front casing for weekend warriors, but it's just too soft in the rear unless you're really going slow or riding very soft dirt all the time. I didn't notice most of this sensation in the rear when I ran Gravity (other than the weird step-out in corners). I have a theory the step-out comes from running a higher pressure, so that when you unweight the rear a little, it snaps back to full round shape and lose grip until it gets weighted and deformed again. It's hard to explain the sensation - it's quite different from the usual DHR lateral drift where you can feel the tire dragging on the ground but not digging in. This feeling comes on all of the sudden, without much if any of the lateral slide feel. I've had several cases where it happens and all of the sudden the front is oversteered pointing back across the trail, then I have to correct back in the opposite direction.
Amaury was on radials when he won at Val di Sole in the rain and mud, which I guess means he was on radial Dans? Definitely not a production tire.
Update: and he won on Schwalbe radials at Les Gets that same year. Source: the Schwalbe radial page on their website.
"Amaury Pierron made a brilliant comeback this year after his return. With our radial tires, he won in Val di Sole by almost 5 seconds and in Let Gets by well over 6 seconds - an eternity in racing!"
One caveat: Only Schwalbe knows what was really inside the casing of Amaury's tires at those two races, so I'm going on their word here. Entirely possible they were stock casings or a completely different third casing we've never heard of with "radial" slapped on the side.
Is the Shredda Front essentially a cut Dirty Dan in Radial casing then?
This is where I'm at with radials these days. They are great in a specific use case (like our PNW winters) but outside of that I prefer standard casings.
Very similar tires, but still come from different molds. This is like one of those "spot five differences between the two images" challenges in kid's magazines:
backhanded attacks all day in here. First it’s the “tentative rider” DHF thing, and now I’m not an adult because I read Highlights mag wtf
No one's saying you're not an adult, you're just "young at heart."
Were Jordan and Finn running the radial Specialized tires during their wins this season? Can't find anything about it now that I went through the old pit bits.
Idk whats going on in this forum lately.
Amaury: I'm using radials.
Schwalbe: our riders are all using radials.
Us: no one's using radials.
My personal experience, riding them in every condition imaginable, including snow: the biggest improvement in mountain bike technology since we figured out 64 degree HTA could apply to non DH bikes.
Post a reply to: Tire chat (nerds only)