MTB XC Tyres?

MDL
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MTB XC Tyres?

Postby MDL » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:28 am

Anyone have any Recommendation for a MTB XC Tyre?

Have a Specialized XC Comp Dualie, still have the orginal tyres on it and just found a split in the rear. The ones on there are Specialized Resoulations - something simialiar would be great.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby shaneo92 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:57 pm

It depends a lot on the terrain you ride but I recently put a Maxxis Crossmark on the rear and a Maxxis Ignitor on the front, this is the best combination I have found so far. :D

I find the Ignitor really allows me to push it a lot harder into corners without losing the front and the Crossmark gives a lot of traction when going over roots, rocks etc.

I havent found any real difference in rolling resistance compared to my old Michelins.
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:01 pm

+1 for the Ignitor/Crossmark combo. Works very well as an all-round recreational trail riding setup.

The Maxxis Ignitor is a small bag for its nominated width, so I'd be inclined to go next size up. I used to run Ignitor 26x2.35 UST with either a Larsen TT 26x2.0 UST or Crossmark 26x2.1. 28-30psi on the front and 30-32psi on the rear. I'm roughly 82kg in riding clobber.

Crossmark rolls and corners better, but climbing and braking traction isn't so great, while the Larsen gives a leetle bit away in cornering and rolling resistance, but is awesome in braking and pretty darn good for climbing. Ignitor + Larsen was what I used to run most.

My current favourite is Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25 front teamed with a Racing Ralph 2.1 on the back, both UST. The NN gives great traction but is pressure-sensitive and I find doesn't perform above 27psi - very skatey. At 24-26psi it is excellent. The RR on the rear rolls well, good all-round grip, and I run it between 30 and 34psi depending on how loose and rough the conditions are. Wear so far has been outstanding... which probably accounts for the sensitivity to pressure - firmer rubber.

A lot of guys use the RR on the front as well, and for a well ridden-in course I'd do it too, although I'd go with the 2.25 on the front.

The Ignitor gives awesome front end grip... until it doesn't. :lol: When it lets go, you don't get much warning. :oops:

The Nobby Nic will let you know a bit earlier that you're about to exceed its limits... so long as you'ge got the right pressure for your riding weight.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Aushiker » Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:39 pm

trailgumby wrote:The Nobby Nic will let you know a bit earlier that you're about to exceed its limits... so long as you'ge got the right pressure for your riding weight.
How do you determine the right pressure?

Andrew

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MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Kenzo » Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:50 pm

Aushiker wrote:
trailgumby wrote:The Nobby Nic will let you know a bit earlier that you're about to exceed its limits... so long as you'ge got the right pressure for your riding weight.
How do you determine the right pressure?

Andrew
Not too hard, not too soft.... :-)

My favourite combo has been:
Schwalbe Nobby Nic 26*2.25 on front and Racing Ralph 26*2.10 on the back
(for the 29er, ignitor front and Maxxis Advantage on rear).

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby ldrcycles » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:58 pm

Maxxis Aspen, AMAZING tires! I won a 2.1 at a race last year and was pretty sceptical as the tread is very shallow but i've never yet managed to lose grip, plus they are very lightweight and you can really notice the extra speed.

I can't stand Ignitors, on my local trails on the Sunshine Coast they just don't work anywhere, not on hard pack, or loose rocks and they are absolutely hopeless in mud.

Continental Mountain Kings are pretty good, not quite as much grip as the Aspen. Maxxis Larsen TT have pretty good grip in most situations but wear pretty quickly.

I run 45psi front and rear, so i've never had a flat. :D
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:27 pm

Aushiker wrote:
trailgumby wrote:The Nobby Nic will let you know a bit earlier that you're about to exceed its limits... so long as you'ge got the right pressure for your riding weight.
How do you determine the right pressure?

Andrew
Good question. It's trial and error.

It's relative to weight, conditions, suspension setup (or lack of it) and riding style, so specifying a particular number won't work for everybody. Generally you would run higher pressures in the rear of a hardtail than a dually to avoid pinchflats.

For a couple of rides I was really wondering whether I had made the right call on the choice of front tyre, but a few mates said I needed to go lower on the pressure. So I just reduced it in 2psi increments until it felt hooked-up. I could go lower, say to 20psi, but having the tyre burp off the rim (running tubeless) then starts to become a worry.

On the rear, it's more about feel. Too soft and it's higher effort to push a long. If it's really rocky, you don't want to ding your rim, either. But if the bike is pinging off all the bumps and smaller rocks, or you're wheelspinning on the climbs, then you might need to look at going lower.

If you're pinging off the rocks and bumps and you're already lower in pressure, then you need to slow down, take a breather, and try to connect with the flow of the trail and smoothen out your riding. I'm still working on that. :P

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:32 pm

ldrcycles wrote:I run 45psi front and rear, so i've never had a flat. :D
That might explain why you don't like the Ignitors very much. :mrgreen:

Unless you're something like 120kg, I don't know too many mtb tyres that would give their best at that kind of pressure.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby ldrcycles » Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:53 pm

When i first started riding i ran 60psi until i discovered there was no difference in speed or grip between that pressure and 45psi. I wont go any lower than that because squirming tires feel downright wrong to me, and I'VE NEVER HAD A FLAT :twisted: . I am 88kg btw.

I will never go tubeless either, as much as i am a tragic weight weenie, i've never had a tire fitted with a tube just blow off the wheel whenever it feels like it, or had to use a compressor to fit tires......

(Please note, i'm not saying tubeless setups should be banned and those who use them ostracized, just that in my opinion the negatives far outweigh any benefits, i mean if you're getting pinch flats, instead of going tubeless, just run a decent pressure!)
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Aushiker » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:22 pm

Hi

Thanks TG. I have a tour coming up of the Munda Biddi and will be riding the XTC 2 (hardtail) pulling a BOB trailer. I am wondering what would be a good starting pressure to play with. Any suggestions? I weigh around 89 to 90 kg.

Andrew

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby drubie » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:50 pm

I'm gonna vote for the Maxxis Crossmark - a mate and I bought a pair each earlier this year when they were getting cleared out earlier in the year - neither of us had punctures, they roll acceptably on the road and are pretty sure footed on loose gravel. Not much chop in the mud though - they tend to load up pretty quickly. Very light tyres - I was initially worried they'd be a bit prone to getting staked or sidewall damage but they've been terrific.

Then again, the only tyre I can compare them against is a budget Kenda (meh, too heavy!) and a Panaracer kevlar belted thing which was plenty lightweight but even worse in the mud than the Maxxis.
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Mulger bill » Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:31 am

I was really happy with the Crossmarks at 30/34 on me hardtail but I get the feeling I'm gonna be ecstatic with the Nevegals on me duallie once I get the pressures right. Currently at just over 30 but methinks I could lose a couple more pounds off the back.
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Jean » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:19 am

I've found Crossmark's pretty good in the dry (on various surfaces at about 32-35psi front and 35-40 psi rear - tubed), but pretty lousy in the wet. They clog up quickly and grip is terrible. At the moment I'm running some Hutchinson Toros that I picked up cheap. I'm finding them about as good as the Crossmarks in the dry and much better when its damp - good all rounders.

Kenda Nevegals have a good reputation, as do some of the Panaracer tyres you can get from Wiggle etc, though I've yet to try either. I started out on the Continental Explorers that came with my bike and lost so much skin I thought that so many crashes was just part of MTBing :roll:. It's not, they were just lousy tyres in the generally dry and dusty conditions around Canberra.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby zero » Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:19 pm

Aushiker wrote:Hi

Thanks TG. I have a tour coming up of the Munda Biddi and will be riding the XTC 2 (hardtail) pulling a BOB trailer. I am wondering what would be a good starting pressure to play with. Any suggestions? I weigh around 89 to 90 kg.

Andrew
I would say use tires with a wide pressure range and start fairly high to keep pinches out of the equation (if you are not tubeless). The track will be variable, and you can drop the pressure on the rear when you need more climbing traction, or both if the track gets sandy. Not like it matters if you stop for 30 seconds a couple of times a day on a tour to adjust pressures. I imagine you'll keep descents under control because of the trailer anyway, so leaned over maximum cornering performance is probably not a requirement.

I have a set of cheap folding Rendez's (I only use knobbies for specific days - mostly use commuting tires - so not worried about their likely short life), that have ramped center knobs. I use 60psi on tar, 40-45psi on the typical southern tablelands clay/gravel firetrail and dirt roads, I use 30-35psi for really rough eroded stuff, or single track etc. I don't run tubeless because I switch between my 2 sets of tires occasionally and can't be bothered dealing with goo - I wouldn't try running below 30 without tubeless.

I also presume between the group, you'll have a couple of spare tires as well as kits / tubeless goo or tubes. Long walk if you gash a sidewall...

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby zero » Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:26 pm

ldrcycles wrote:When i first started riding i ran 60psi until i discovered there was no difference in speed or grip between that pressure and 45psi. I wont go any lower than that because squirming tires feel downright wrong to me, and I'VE NEVER HAD A FLAT :twisted: . I am 88kg btw.

I will never go tubeless either, as much as i am a tragic weight weenie, i've never had a tire fitted with a tube just blow off the wheel whenever it feels like it, or had to use a compressor to fit tires......

(Please note, i'm not saying tubeless setups should be banned and those who use them ostracized, just that in my opinion the negatives far outweigh any benefits, i mean if you're getting pinch flats, instead of going tubeless, just run a decent pressure!)
There are events and conditions where 15psi is 10 minutes faster than 30psi. 15psi is out of the question tubed. If I had my MTB as a single purpose bike (ie for MTB only), I'd be going tubeless. However I'm a casual that does a couple of races, and some weekend rides on surfaces that don't need 15psi. If I was a serious competitor, I would be tubeless.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Mapomatic » Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:31 pm

ldrcycles wrote:When i first started riding i ran 60psi until i discovered there was no difference in speed or grip between that pressure and 45psi. I wont go any lower than that because squirming tires feel downright wrong to me, and I'VE NEVER HAD A FLAT :twisted: . I am 88kg btw.
Well thats tempting the Gods, aint it?

I'm running Crossmarks at the moment. Thought I was going to die on them the other day, no traction at all. Then realised I was running at about 10-15 psi :oops: Once I had them up around 35psi, they felt great.

Another reason to check these things before you go out drinking the night before...

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:07 pm

@Andrew: depends on how rough and sharp-edged the bumps are, and how fast you go. I think kalgrm would be the best person to advise you on what rubber to use with the pea gravel.

My thoughts would be to use something chunky like a Kenda Nevegal at lower pressures than normal when in the marbles, say 28psi front and ~35psi rear (with trailer). Will be a bit of a pig to pedal on the hardpack, but staying rubber side down on the marbles is preferable. You could perhaps go with one of those on the front and use an easier-rolling tyre on the rear, as I do.

If it starts getting rooty and rocky you need to go up in pressure, say 40-45psi rear and 35 front to keep the pinchflats at bay. Might be worth upping the tyre bag size from 2.1 to 2.25-2.35 to improve comfort and reduce pinchflats... you can get away with a slighlty lower pressure as well.

Hope this helps. Try it out and let us know the results :)

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:33 pm

ldrcycles wrote:When i first started riding i ran 60psi until i discovered there was no difference in speed or grip between that pressure and 45psi. I wont go any lower than that because squirming tires feel downright wrong to me, and I'VE NEVER HAD A FLAT :twisted: . I am 88kg btw.
Hmmm... interesting. I'm guessing you ride in high grip conditions?

Interested to know how you go in sandy or loose conditions. My bike moves around heaps, which I must admit used to really freak me out, but you learn to deal with it by loosening up and focussing on keeping the the bike under you.

The back can jump around a lot, and provided you have enough momentum, if you can keep the front pointed where you need to go it doesn't matter. A little bit of tyre flex tends to go unnoticed by comparison. So long as it's not folding under it's no big deal.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby ldrcycles » Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:46 pm

(AT) mapomatic, Given i've managed 5 years without a flat on the mtb, i'm not worried about giving the puncture fairy a poke lol.

@gumby, the local trails vary a lot, Tinbeerwah has sandy patches with a hell of a lot of very rocky sections and tree roots everywhere, there's not many trails locally that are smooth. My feeling with say, loose over hardpack (which we have a bit of) is that more pressure will let it bite through the loose stuff and get grip underneath. I don't want to hijack this thread into one about debating pressures though.
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Aushiker » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:12 pm

zero wrote: I use 60psi on tar, 40-45psi on the typical southern tablelands clay/gravel firetrail and dirt roads, I use 30-35psi for really rough eroded stuff, or single track etc.
Thanks for this. This gives me a ball park to work with.
I also presume between the group, you'll have a couple of spare tires as well as kits / tubeless goo or tubes. Long walk if you gash a sidewall...
Solo ride, but yes I will have a spare tyre etc.

Andrew

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby Aushiker » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:15 pm

trailgumby wrote:I think kalgrm would be the best person to advise you on what rubber to use with the pea gravel.
Yes Kagrm did advise and hence I have a Kenda Blue Groove Stick-E 26 x 2.10 on the front and Kenda Nevegal Stick-E 26 x 2.10 on the rear.
My thoughts would be to use something chunky like a Kenda Nevegal at lower pressures than normal when in the marbles, say 28psi front and ~35psi rear (with trailer).
Thanks for the guidelines.

Andrew

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:11 pm

No worries. :D

Don't accept my word as gospel, though. Be guided by your experience as you train for this ride.

@ldrcycles: I don't think a debate on tyre pressures would be a thread hijack. It's actually very relevant IMO - tyre pressure is a pretty important part of setup. *Lots* of newbies run their pressures way high and would do much better if they ran them lower.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:15 pm

I reckon there would be almost unanimous agreement that especially for said newbies, anything less than true 2.1 should be avoided?
The 2.1 front and 2.25 rear Aspens i'm running atm are sooooo much better than the 1.9 and 1.95 tires i started out on.
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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby trailgumby » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:36 pm

Yes, agreed.

Any reason you're running the fatter tyre on the back? The usual thing is to run it at the front. Yes, counter-intuitive I know.

The way it works is this: Your front tyre is your control tyre. A rear slip you can get away with, but a slip on the front usually puts you on the deck.

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Re: MTB XC Tyres?

Postby ldrcycles » Sun Jul 03, 2011 6:04 pm

I've had a few people ask that actually, and yes i know the norm is to have most grip at the front (i know from painful experience that losing the front wheel is pretty much impossible to save). It's a result of replacing a 2.1 rear with a 1.9 Larssen TT, the ride was so harsh with the tiny air volume i was determined not to repeat that, hence a big bagged 2.25. For me the Aspens have so much grip i don't need to worry about losing the front (or rear). And i run v brakes on the front and the 2.1 only just squeezes through.

I've been running this combo on my Merida half carbon hardtail for a few weeks now, and the balance of grip and speed is so perfect i'll be surprised if i ever change.
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