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I hate radials in the rear but don't feel the downsides in the front until G-out bikepark berms, so I use this setup on every bike. Unless trying Specialized, I would recommend getting over mismatched logos or getting out some sharpies. Seems to be enough awareness of the awful durability of Schwalbes when you put them in the rear here so I won't repeat it

Now it's official, Pirelli has dropped the all-new Scorpion gravity range that we previewed in our Sea Otter Europe coverage. One of the more exciting aspects is seeing the supersoft compound on the lighter casings, that's always something many of us are looking for. https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/pirelli-launches-all-new-sc…

My 2 cents; don't overbike your underbike, it'll be a recipe for a bad time. A lowered Lyrik or 36 with burly tires on a hardtail will be just as slow (or slower) up, and not as fun as your enduro bike down. The tires comment from earlier is dead on. Fast Traks, Dubnitals/Magnitals, Rekons, Ricks. All great. FWIW The XC/Trail segment has been my primary recreation since I started XC racing when I was 12 in 2002. RE specific 120-130 fork advice, the Pike is definitely my favorite. I've had and put tons of time on the following MRP...

Keep in mind that test is with the old 34, which was quite good. The new 34SL looks like a step cast. In the past the step cast 34 had crazy spring ramp because of the reduced volume of the lower legs. I'm sure they worked on that with the new one, they said as much, but it could still be a noticeable difference between the forks. Just something to look into/demo/whatever.

I’ve had the same experience with the trail casing on jumps, it’s just mega squirmy. Try more air pressure, the Schwalbe’s do need that, especially if you have the trail casing on an e-bike. 30 or 31 up front could be a good place to start for you. That said, I like the Schwalbe radials, I think they do what they say. My wife loves the trail casing up front on her trail bike, she noticed the difference right away and it is confidence inspiring. For big bikes I think the gravity casing is the way to go.

If you like the schwalbe tires, but find they lack sidewall support, I have found that a tannus pro insert can add a substantial amount of sidewall support for not very much weight penalty.

It'll be interesting to see if the dhx translates well to a dd or exo+. I suspect the magic there is 95% new dh casing. I've been running them on my dh bike and my e-dreadnought for half the summer, and agree that they are better than the other brand's radials. Feels like you have the sidewall support in corners of a cushcore insert, but with the traction of a radial. They were great in western canada's dry conditions this year. Kind of unique conditions in that there's the usual loose over hardpack, but certain corners were full on deep...

These are all good tips, but one of those most simple ones that has not been mentioned is to make sure that the beads are pushed into the center rim well as you go to seat the second side of the tire. Failure to do this makes it damn near impossible to stretch the final bit of bead over. As for inflation once you've gotten the tire on the rim I do several things. If the tire is loose, I'll take a tie-down strap, run it around the tire circumference and snug it down to put pressure on the beads...

The most disappointing forks I've had experience with in terms of reliability/longevity has been Manitou and Cane Creek, so that tracks. Fox/RS aren't great either but are a definite improvement. My current DVO has dealt with some awful things lately and it's still pretty happy, but forks are a crapshoot IMO.

The assembly qc for their g2 mezzers is concerning. Mine showed up dry in the lowers (3 ml between the 2 legs) and with dry seals in the air spring. Real glad I decided to take it apart before riding. Great fuckin fork tho