Semi Slicks - riding with the enemy!

infoxicated
infoxicated Posts: 73
edited August 2009 in MTB general
Aaaaaaaaaand.... they're OFF! :evil:

My 1.95" Panaracer Mach Semi Slicks washed out in an instant tonight, causing me to crash in the wet on a corner I've taken about a zillion times. I didn't even go in that fast, but as soon as I turned in the fecking front just washed out from under me.

It happened so suddenly I went down like a blind roofer on rollerskates. Smashed my left knee on the frame, my right knee on the gravel, my right fingers got smushed between the bars and the ground - lucky I had my Fox full fingers on - and I damn near popped both hips out trying to save it. :x

Bollocks to them - I've never really trusted them off-road and now what little faith I had is gone. I'm switching back to knobblies when I get back from London after the weekend. Looks like summer is over up here anyway, and besides - the extra rolling resistance will help work off all the calories I'll put on drinking Real Ale at The Great British Beer Festival this weekend!

Excuse me while I get back to putting ice on my left knee. :(

Comments

  • Andy
    Andy Posts: 8,207
    Semi slicks should only ever be used on the back in my opinion!
  • infoxicated
    infoxicated Posts: 73
    Hmmm. I think it's possible I expected too much from them.

    Lately I've been forcing myself to put more weight on the front to help them stick, but thank goodness I wasn't doing that tonight or it would have been so much worse.

    Ah well, you live and learn. :lol:
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    edited August 2009
    Try Small Block 8s... Proper grip but still stupidly fast, so you get the best of both worlds. Just won yet another tyre group test, this time in MBUK, that makes 3 for 3 this year ;) Not too disasterous on a bit of mud, though not great at it but still better than you'd think.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • geordiefreerider
    geordiefreerider Posts: 888
    Thats why im still running my 2.3 timberwolf/gazzaloddi combo from the winter, summers so crap its never dried out enough to put summers on !! :(
    http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak- ... 230783.jpg
  • CycloRos
    CycloRos Posts: 579
    I've been running semi-slicks on the commute all year round but I do have to remind myself they're on in crappy weather and take it a bit more steady.

    Recently though I've tried mixing it up a bit running the semi-slick on the rear and a fast XC tyre on the front (currently a Racing Ralph). It seems to be working out pretty well in that its noticably quicker than full nobblys on tarmac but also gives me the freedom to take the long, single track route home if I want :)
    Current Rides -
    Charge Cooker, Ragley mmmBop, Haro Mary SS 29er
    Pics!
  • infoxicated
    infoxicated Posts: 73
    I have a pair of Schwalbe Black Jacks hanging up in the garage that I'll put back on - they'll last me through winter as they don't have a lot of wear on them.

    Back when I was first mountain biking in the mid 90's I swore by the Panaracer Smoke + Dart combo. I was reluctant to leave them behind when my last pair wore out, but the LBS where I was living at the time didn't have any and I reluctantly went for The Black Jacks, but found they're actually quite good.

    I bought an MBUK a year or so ago that said Panaracer had re-issued an updated Smoke and Dart tyre, but didn't rate them against the competition so I decided not to go back to them just for sentimental reasons.

    Guess I should go and check out the group test. :)
  • 55NF
    55NF Posts: 111
    I use Schwalbe Black Jacks which I think are pretty good for road rolling.

    I also had probs with semi slicks and would never go back to them.
    I actually have two sets of wheels with Michelin MUD on the rear and a Schwalbe Black Jack on the front as my spare set.
    Weather is so crap I might as well run winter tyres in anycase

Categories