Kenda smallblock eight problem

Naveed

I've had to put my smallblocks 2.35 out to pasture as they offer ZERO grip on fast turns. I usually run them at 40psi and they're amazing on flat singletrack and roots, but turning at speed seems to always make them twitchy to the point that I've lost confidence in them.

It's really weird because I bought them in June when conditions were a wee bit moist and they seemed to be pretty amazing, they're marketed as a dry tyre but come the dry trails they've been really twitchy.

Anyone else had any smallblock 8 issues? Please don't tell me to run 'em at lower pressures 'cos I have

Northwind

Well... No, tbh, never had anything like that at all, I was having to hold back a little at teh weekend because my rear nevegal was drifting more than I like, but the front small block was gripping like a vice. Hmm. How wide are your rims? I'm wondering if the tyre might be a bit pinched, that'd potentially reduce the edge grip.

<edit 1- but yeah, that's too much pressure for these tyres imo>

<edit 2- I'm fully aware that according to the standard logic I should have the small block on the back and the nevegal on the front. But this works better for me, no matter how many funny looks I get in the car park. In the dry, the SB has better grip than the Nevegal, and in the wet I prefer to have extra rear grip- you can always slow down if you don't have enough front wheel grip, but you can't do anything if you don't have enough rear wheel grip>

robertpb

Every one has confidence in their tyres until the tyres do something they didn't expect.

Next time the same situation arises the rider becomes twitchy, things get worse, then it all goes to pot.

Same thing happens when you have a big stack, every time you ride the same spot you start to get twitchy.

Also what do you call low pressure to me that's sub 20 psi, my normal for a 2.35 would be low 20s.

Another thing to look at is have you changed your riding stile slightly, like not moving over the front wheel so much in turns. I had to reprimand myself recently on this one.

amt27

I ride SB8 on the rear and Nevegal on the front, just didn't like the lack of precision of the SB8 on the front, Nevegal is a "point and shoot" tyre. Does your tyre sit true on the rim? I have lots of problems with Kenda not sitting properly, lots of fiddling.

breezer

No way on earth I would have a SB8 on the front unless 99.9% bone dry. I run a 2.1 Nevegal dtc on the front and 2.1 SB8 dtc on the back, both have between 30 and 25 psi in depending on what im doing and im running them tubeless with sealant with no issues depisite the fact they arent proper ust tyres and im quite heavy.

kitenski

I find mine twitchy, and have been dropping the pressure, they are now about 30psi which appears alot better.

Dazzza

My anthem came with a sm8, always washed out though i have a road ride so i might fit it then and pump them right up.

Soon as you bank for the corners bang goes your grip, nobby nics are everything these tyres aren't.

rhyko7

dude there is no need to run the front anywhere near as hard as the back, not sure if your a heavy rider or not, but generally you should run the front about 15-20 % lower pressure than the back
i run 35-40 psi on the rear and about 25-30 psi on the front, but i usually run taller tyres , i f i had 2.1's i would have to run them a lot harder to avoid pinch flats
ive just orders another 2.35 high roller, went for the folding single ply this time-very gippy tyre but not very fast

Naveed

Dazzza wrote:

My anthem came with a sm8, always washed out though i have a road ride so i might fit it then and pump them right up.

Soon as you bank for the corners bang goes your grip, nobby nics are everything these tyres aren't.

This is soooooo true mate

Dazzza

Which is why i can never understand why they get such rave reviews, one ride put me off them but like i said i have a road ride later on so i'll throw them on to save me wearing out my good tyres.

They seem decent just so long as you don't lean your bike however this is my riding style so i hate them, just look at the sidewalls for proof they're nothing but smooth.

breezer

Look at the tread :roll: how could you possibly think they would grip off road on the front unless it was 100% bone dry? They are good as rear tyres in dry to medium conditions which is what they are designed for. Don't expect them to do what they werent designed for. Chuck one on the back, run it at 25-30 psi and something grippier up front which is where you need the grip. Rear wheel slides are easy to control, fronts are not.

DVV

I like em lots. Maybe I don't lean the bike over enough. Try High-Rollers if you really crank the bike over.

Northwind

Dazzza, did the anthem come with the regular folding one, or is it the harder compound OEM-spec? Just asking because I've used the wire-bead OEM spec Nevegal 2.1 and it was horrible compared to the folding version, really drastic break-away slides, just wondering if this might be the same

I don't really get some of the comments in this thread- you can't look at a tyre and tell how it'll perform (Tioga prove this, their Factory XC looks like it'll grip like a mofo and shovel through a swamp, then you try and ride on it... And the Larsen TT looks similiar to the SB8 but performs totally differently), and the SB8 clearly wasn't just designed as a rear tyre.

As for "more grip", in suitable conditions I've found that the 2.35 SB outgrips a 2.35 stick-e Blue Groove or Nevegal, both straight line stopping and leaned-over cornering (and I came to mountain bikes via motorbikes, so I don't know any way to get round a corner other than cowping it over, it takes an effort of will not to try and get my knee down )

Naveed, did you see my question about the rim size?

Dazzza

Umm i have no idea, i ca always have a look, it's whatever came with the bike, they were quite light so im guessing it's the folding version.

I'll just use it as a road going tyre and get those pressures up anyway.

Naveed

Northwind wrote:

Dazzza, did the anthem come with the regular folding one, or is it the harder compound OEM-spec? Just asking because I've used the wire-bead OEM spec Nevegal 2.1 and it was horrible compared to the folding version, really drastic break-away slides, just wondering if this might be the same

I don't really get some of the comments in this thread- you can't look at a tyre and tell how it'll perform (Tioga prove this, their Factory XC looks like it'll grip like a mofo and shovel through a swamp, then you try and ride on it... And the Larsen TT looks similiar to the SB8 but performs totally differently), and the SB8 clearly wasn't just designed as a rear tyre.

As for "more grip", in suitable conditions I've found that the 2.35 SB outgrips a 2.35 stick-e Blue Groove or Nevegal, both straight line stopping and leaned-over cornering (and I came to mountain bikes via motorbikes, so I don't know any way to get round a corner other than cowping it over, it takes an effort of will not to try and get my knee down )

Naveed, did you see my question about the rim size?

Hey NW - I'm running a pair of hope wheels 5.1's - not the widest for 2.35 tyres.

Northwind

Should be plenty wide though, can't be that. Hmm.

Naveed

Every bike mag both here and the US rates this tyre like it's the best thing since sliced bread. All I know is that after riding them solidly for two months fast low turns are a recipe for disaster, they don't grip at all.

Had another ride down Pitch Hill and my mate couldn't stop laughing at their lack of grip, to be honest they're like a commuter tyre to me now - I won't touch 'em.

kitenski

Dazzza wrote:

My anthem came with a sm8, always washed out though i have a road ride so i might fit it then and pump them right up.

Soon as you bank for the corners bang goes your grip, nobby nics are everything these tyres aren't.

Yeh I'm thinking of ditching mine off my Anthem, did you get 2.1 Nobbly Nics Dazzza? Don't seem cheap from a quick search I did though!!

Cheers,

Greg

zero303

I think they're a victim of their rave reviews. Their insane amount of grip is "relative". Your nobby nics are everything the Small Block 8 is except insanely fast.

I've been running one on the back for about a year, I mostly ride stoney gritty trails so it tends to stay on most of the year. I couple it with a Blue Groove 2.35 stick-e up front and it's a fantastic combo!

In the right hands they're devastatingly good. I have mates who run these front and rear, and they can hold them up in the turns better than most riders on bigger tyres and then unleash the speed as soon as it's straightens out - you won't see them for dead!

I think you need to be realistic about them and what you want from a tyre. They're as good as the reviews say but I think these reviews have mislead a few people and their expectations.

kitenski

zero303 wrote:

I've been running one on the back for about a year, I mostly ride stoney gritty trails so it tends to stay on most of the year. I couple it with a Blue Groove 2.35 stick-e up front and it's a fantastic combo!

I think this maybe the issue with them, they work well in dry grit, and not so well in wet slippy mud! I've ridden them around Dalby in the bone dry and they were great, a few days ago on the same trails, that were damp, they were not so great, I even lost the front end going around a switchback climb, which has really meant I've lost confidence in them!

Cheers,

Greg

zero303

But I mean, look at them - how could you possibly expect them to be anything other than dodgy in wet mud!

Northwind

Yup, They're better in the wet than most dry-weather tyres, but that doesn't mean they're any good at it, just that they're not as instantly lethal as you'd think But to be fair, most of the critical comments don't sound like people are expecting wet weather performance, it does sound like dryish use to me.

Dazzza

kitenski wrote:

Dazzza wrote:

My anthem came with a sm8, always washed out though i have a road ride so i might fit it then and pump them right up.

Soon as you bank for the corners bang goes your grip, nobby nics are everything these tyres aren't.

Yeh I'm thinking of ditching mine off my Anthem, did you get 2.1 Nobbly Nics Dazzza? Don't seem cheap from a quick search I did though!!

Cheers,

Greg

Yeah though they do come up small, most use 2.25 but i find the 2'1's a fast agile and reasonably grippy xc tyre, can scrabble for grip but it's predictable a current favourite race day tyre for me.

All i've done is use the sb8 on dry singletrack and fireroads, i'll give them another try and play with the pressures but im still not a fan of them, if anything i found the dragged a bit and my nics rolled and gipped faster.

Just goes to show how subjective tyres can be.

I have schwalbe black shark muds and hate the things yet many love them, go figure that one out.

The nics are cheapest from merlin btw.

kitenski

yeh cheers seen the Merlin prices, not sure wether theirs have the snakeskin sidewall or not?? The website says New option: Durable SnakeSkin sidewall.

Presumably snakeskin sidewall is going to be tougher than the sidewall on the racing ralphs??

Cheers,

greg

Dazzza

Yeah it's for those that tend to go through sidewalls but they also cost and weigh more.

The Spiderman

I tried SB8s on a mates 29er,and I quite liked them.Useless in mud,as you`d expect,much more dry weatherspecific, than my Nobby Nics,but bigger volume,and very fast.
Grippier on dry trails than I thought they`d be too.