Me or my tyres?

Iain C

I'm running the factory Bontrager Jones XRs on my Fuel and having just started to like these tyres now things have dried out a bit I came a cropper the other night and I'm wondering if it's time to change.

Basically, the bike is incredibly nervous over anything a bit slippy...I was going down a piece of fairly hard but very narrow singletrack when I came across a few hollows which obviously had puddles in them when wet but were still a bit greasy. Unless I went through the absolute lowest point of these hollows (think of releasing a ball bearing into it and following it's exact path) I was losing grip big time.

In fact, I went through one slightly on the sideslope and the front wheel just washed out, trying to find the lowest point of the hollow and as the front slid one way, I went the other, and ended up in a huge amount of stinging nettles, not funny!

In the winter these tyres seem hopeless, sliding and clogging all over the place. Should I be looking to change to something which is a bit more of an all rounder, Nevegals for example?

I was half tempted to put the Jones ACXs from my other half's Rockhopper on and ride the same bit again to see what I thought of them...

Any thoughts on these tyres? Or do I just need to loosen up or something?

delcol

i think tyres are important, i had irc searc or something like that on my hard tail they were ok in dry but in winter they were slippy as hell i got some bonty mud x they made a huge difference in the gloop of winter hill in winter...

i have kenda's on my santacruz heckler they prety good i rate them even used them in whistler the other week they stood up to sme slippy conditions out there rocks roots ect...
i dont think you will regret the nevs...

i know people will say get this tyre get that tyre every one has their preferance,. i can only speek of the nevs and the mud x cause they the only tyres i used..

my brother has maxxis swamp things on for winter and maxxis advantage...

pittpony

I find Jones XRs have very little grip in the wet. Fire XCs are a good comprimise but anything that is better in the wet and mud is likely to offer more rolling resistance and will be slower.

Blundell

I'd change them, they are almost as sketchy as hutchinson pythons in the wet. Try to get a tyre that is best suited to your riding conditions, i.e. loam, pebbles, angular rocks, limestone etc.
I ride on pebbles / loamy rooty ground so I get along nicely with nobby nics on the front and some scott oxyd's on the rear for two of my bikes (I treat these as all years round jobbies). I've recently got some continental mountain kings (front) and supersonics (rear) and they seemed to cut it okay.. although I haven't tried them in proper winter saturated ground yet.

gs3

Iain C
Are your tyre pressures correct for the conditions before you spend extra money on new ones? Roughly 35-40 psi (sometimes less depending on body weight) is the norm for wet trail riding as it allows the tyre to deform to the changes in terrain. 60 psi and up can result in the washout you experienced.

If they are correct then please just ignore me and I'll go and read quietly in the corner - by candlelight!!!

.

Cps

I had exactly the same problem when I got my EX8

So I changed them - simple as that

There are a load of treads on tyre choice - and anything recommended is better than the OEM Jones's

320DMsport

I Run XR;s and have used them through winter and raced on them.

I've now got a 2.25 XR front and ACX 2.20 on the rear and it grips real well!

Iain C

Probably running a tad more than 35-40 as I ain't no XC whippet! I don't mind slightly slower tyres as that will ruin my ride less than getting the heebiegeebies every time I see a slightly damp bit!

I might just ride the same bit on the missus hardtail...if that tracks better then surely the problem is my tyres and I'll swap to Nevs...

gs3

If it's any consolation - I'm 15 stone+ and have no problem running 35-40psi on a 2.3 tyre on a 2006 Stumpy FSR especially when riding wet or muddy trails.

Speak to your mates and see what tyres and pressures they are running or better still, if you can borrow some tyres from them (there's always somebody with a spare set or two of tyres in the shed!) Your LBS should be able to recommend the "popular" tyre specific to the local terrain too.

As far as the Nevs are concerned, I've heard friends of mine curse them in the wet where others have praised them - it's all down to how YOU ride so try before you buy so you don't end up in the same situation but with two sets of tyres you don't like.

Iain C

Good one, thanks for the advice!