Need help from fellow tyre nerds

Splasher

I'm swapping my old VT frame for a new Reign frame to build a 6" bike for trail centre riding, Alpine trips, gentle freeriding and steady downhilling. Hoping to build it at about 31lbs but with no obvious spec weaknesses. Got everything sorted with tried and tested kit, except tyres.

Currently running Michelin Mountain A/T USTs. They're fine on the rear but the front lets go without warning. Want tubeless tyres of similar volume, reasonable puncture performance, and about 850g weight. Tyres should be excellent on rock, hardpack, loose and damp soil and at least predictable over wet roots and mud.

Have considered:

Michelin Mountain X'rem UST - at over 1kg a bit heavy
Maxxis High Roller 2.35 LUST - 42a rubber would be good on the front but slow on the rear
Maxxix Ignitor 2.35 LUST - 60a rubber would be good front and back - currently favourite
Schwalbe Nobby Nic UST - very pricey and have heard prone to sidewall tears

Any suggestions, advice or experience appreciated.

shin0r

High Roller 2.35 with the reezay on the front and a 60a/70a on the rear? There's a reason the High Rollers are so popular, they seem to be great at pretty much everything.

Sir HC

http://chainreactioncycles.com/Models.a ... elID=19875 come in at 850g. They'll be a bit more draggy on the ups, but the extra grip they offer in the wet is well worth it.

Your losing the weight of tubes, which are around 200g each, so your setup will still be lighter than a tubed setup.

Splasher

All this High Roller stuff is great, but where do you get a LUST 62a/70a for the rear from. I can only find 42as which are a bit soft for the back in terms of wear and rolling resistance.

Spud Son

Splasher,
Perfect timing of your post for 2 reasons:

1 - I have just taken delivery of some Mich Mountain AT 2.2 Dual Comp UST's which I was going to fit to both front and rear of my Pro 2 / MX819's.

2 - There is a pretty poor review of the AT in the Nov MBUK


My rear tyre is shot, so I will only fit the rear and see whether LBS recommendation or MBUK rating is more accurate. I guess that I will do the classic ride fater and faster in a circle trick to see when / how the AT starts to break & slide away before trusting too much. Your comments + MBUK review are ringing loud alarm bells in as much that I may need to exchange the front for an extreme in 2.2 to keep the front end planted.

As for an alternative to those currently listed, have you considered the Bulldog 2.3 MRC ? If you don't mind the weight penalty, Hutch Baracuda 2.3 MRC is even more agro !

Splasher

Spud Son,

I don't think your tyres would get as bad a review as the one in MBUK because presumably your's is the dual compound (grey over black) which is stickier than the cheapos reviewed.

However, they're still not great on the front. I haven't ridden them through a claggy winter but with the well spaced spikey tread, I wonder whether they'd be a better mud tyre than "All Terrain"

Spud Son

Splasher,
I have got the softer dual comps, so I agree that they should have more grip than the cheapos pictured. I take your point on mud tyres, as they are quite spikey.

I have fitted the rear and am ready to go, but not I have not bothered to put any wheel milk in until I am happy that they are OK. The downside to all this, is that I have to go away tomorrow afternoon and won't be back in the country until next week. As soon as I can ride properly, I will post a review !

Schellpel

I have an interest in this choice as well, I am replacing my nobby nics, I destroyed the rear on e on Dartmoor so I would not recomend them for alps use at all, and they seemed to have hard time staying on line through rocks, and they just "felt" fragile when pushed hard.

I am thinking about a set of UST ignitors , or staying with tubes getting some Michelin Mountain Exteremes. However my exprience with the dual compound alll mountains was the same as above, nice tyres but they don't last very long and let go rather suddenly when they run out of grip, which I presume is to do with the lack of side knobs. Are the extremes any more durable or predictable ?

Ignitors would seem to be the all round choice but can they stand up to my 14st of abuse ?

-

Spud Son

All,
I was able to take a 90 min spin with a single Mitch AT fitted on the rear, rolling as directed on the Mich website. AT first I was really unsure, as they do chatter. Although soft over hard base rubber, the blocks are very solid, which when coupled with the reinforced nature of the tyre made for an un-settling ride. As I lowered the pressures, they settled down and the rear almost felt as if it wanted to keep a straight line without wandering.

As the ground gets softer, the ride improves and so does the grip / traction. Running lower pressures is the classic reason for going tubeless, and to be honest, running the AT at 28 PSI on the rear appears to give me a confident starting point from which to push harder at the weekend.

The earlier comment on shout the AT really be a mud tyre do have some merit. Just before it got too dark, I had a play in and around the banks of a local stream, and they hook up and clear with considerable prowess. That said, I have not pushed them too far off-camber or fast into a muddy bend, and nor do I want to ! Lean the AT's over and you soon reach a semi slick tyre condition with a tread block every few inches, when you need a good strong block every 3/4 inch !

In summary, after only 90 mins with a rear tyre fitted, I think that Michelin have messed up big time ! It is almost as if when they made the production mould for the tyre, some accountant decided to remove every other shoulder block out of the mould to keep costs down. In doing so, what could be a great tyre ends up sitting on the wrong side ot too many compromises.

That said, the one that I have fitted to the rear will stay on for the winter. If nothing else, it should be fairly bullet proof thanks to the re-inforced technology (and a regular top up of latex wheel milk). And if like me, you would rather catch the rear on a slide than plant your face when the front goes, I should stay relatively injury free over the winter months. As I brougt a pair, the other will be returned & refunded for now.


Schellpel,
If you are looking for a single tyre to last all year, then I would probably go with the Ignitors, as the Mount Extreme is a dry / loose / rock orientated tyre. I am not sure how well it will clear / shed mud and gloop ?

Schellpel

I ride Dartmoor so not a huge amount of mud on my trails, looked at the year old All mountain Dual compounds in my garage which have done about 200 miles on haldon and Affan and they look like I have been riding over broken glass and sand paper. I've put my own post up about Ignitors / High Rollers