Help needed on tyre choice for Isle of Man End 2 End

garytumilty

Evening all,

I'm taking part in my first Isle of Man end to End this year (18th Sept). It's approx 75km and looking at mapmyride/endomondo (http://www.mapmyride.com/s/routes/view/bike-ride-map/united-kingdom/isle-of-man/10654162) from previous participants it seems to be mostly road and hardpack. As such I want to use the best tyres I can for the terrain (to make it easier for me if nothing else). I am a relatively newbie to MTB'ing so help and advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm doing it with 2 friends who are fitter and ride on roads much more often than I do so the slightest edge might help!

I have had advice from numerous cycle shops (online and offline) and they are all recommending something different (from semi slicks to Nobbly Nics).

Can anyone here shed any light on what might be good, or if they have done it before what the terrain is like when it is wet or dry?

My personal preference at the minute is the Maxxis Crossmark, then the Maxxis Ardent and then the Maxxis Wormdrive Tyre - they all have good reviews and they look like they will be good on the road and fast trails.

Do I need the same tyre front and back or different tyres? Should I use self sealing tubes or just repair punctures or replace tubes?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Gary

cat_with_no_tail

I'll be doing it (again) this year. And I'll be running tubeless Nobby Nic snakeskin HD double defence, 2.25 F&R. Why? Because that's what I run here all year round.

Tyre choice is always a tough one though, the terrain is very varied. everything from tarmac, to hardpack, to gravel, loamy soil, grass fields, the lot. We have our fair share of big f*ck off sharp rocks too, especially on the descent down to brandywell.

You have to make the choice if it's worth risking a flat for the extra speed a lighter, thinner tyre will give you. Also depends on what kind of rider you are. I prefer to plough through stuff rather than carefully picking lines, so the extra protection is well worth it for me. XC whippets would disagree though.

Oh, and we've had a very wet summer this year too. Ground is soft/muddy, but the route mostly drains well, so if the weather stays nice, that could well all change in 4 weeks.

Just pick a good all-rounder and focus more on your strategy and you'll be sound

What time are you aiming for? or are you just aiming for a finish?

irishgary1978

I'm fairly new to mountain biking and this is my first event. I used to compete internationally at cross country running (quite a while ago now) so would describe myself as more of a XC whippet (with a few extra pounds)!

I am aiming for the 4-5 hr mark, depending on distance... I know they say it is 75km but every route I have seen that has been mapped on map my run or similar are all about 66km. What's the distance like in your experience? I'm up to 3hrs at the minute (all off road) and will be building that up to 5 hrs before the event! What sort of time do you do?

The guys I'm doing it with are mostly duathletes and so ride the roads more so they will be opting for a road friendly tyre, they are fitter also so I don't want to be left behind, it would be nice to do it as a group.

cat_with_no_tail

Yeh, it's much closer to 65km than 75km.

~5hrs is where I usually end up. I tend to just do it for a larf and avoid pushing too hard. I also like to start at the back. Good ego boost being the one doing the passing rather than the one getting passed .

irishgary1978

Thanks for that!

Nice bikes by the way!

I've heard the start can get congested and that if you start at the back you'll end up pushing on the uphills due to traffic! Is this true? We were going to push on a bit at the start to try to get a relatively clear run, hence the tyre choice being important! I'm doing it more as a challenge and for fun than my friends who are talking about 'pushing it' and trying to break 4 hrs! What's the rush, we're not going to win so just have fun!!! That said I would like to stick with them!

I just had a look at my current tyres, they are Byte Plose (made by CST who make Maxxis and tyres for Onza, Ritchey and Specialized amongst others). Might keep an eye on the weather a few days before and stick with what I've got if it's gonna be wet or go for the Maxxis Ardent or Crossmark if it is to be dry! Tough decision!

cat_with_no_tail

The problems on the hills are almost entirely caused by the people who don't pick the correct starting positions in the pack. You have people starting with the 4hr groups who stand no chance of doing anything like that sort of time. Sadly that does lead to congestion at the first climb. Not much you can do about that sadly, you just have to accept that it's part of the event and move on.

This year, they'll be using timing tags, so hopefully this will help to prevent people from pushing to the front where they don't belong.

They do have time flags up that you're supposed to line up behind. so if you think you'll do it in 4-5hrs, line up behind the 4hr flags and in front of the 5hr flags etc.

I'd not recommend pushing too far forward past the time you plan on finishing, you'll not be thanked for it if you do hold people up (not suggesting you would by the way), plus, that sort of thing just encourages more people to push even further forward.

The pack thins out a fair bit on the first road section, but then bunches up again when you hit Ballacob because of all the muppets who race off on the road and then blow up as soon as they reach the first climb.

Problem is, it's hard for people doing it for the first time to have a realistic idea of what time they'll finish in so they just guess.

There is a fair amount of singletrack, and 1500 bikes trying to squeeze down it at the same time is always going to cause problems.

irishgary1978

All good advice, it never is wise going off hard! I'm just back from Delamere forest and rode 36.02 miles in 3:01:39, so if the event is 66km 48 in about 3hrs isn't bad....though the hills aren't much to mention in Delamere, it's mostly gravelly fire roads!

What about SPD's? I've got the Shimano M647 (sort of cross between a platform and an SPD) but have only been using them for a few months. Are there many technical bits on the course that may require a quick unclip (not quite mastered a quick 'panic' unclip yet). They would obviously be great for the road sections.

cat_with_no_tail

Well, I never give advice on flats/clipless. It's a personal choice. However, in answer to your question, it's not a particularly technical course at all. There is 1 bit down through one of the plantations that may require a dab if it's still soft, but otherwise, yiou're good to go.

SlowNerveAction

I did it for the first time last year with only three weeks of riding before the race to get myself in shape. The result was an embarassing 6:29 which I hope to beat this year.

Tyre wise I used 2.2 Conti Race King Supersonics. They did the trick by being so light and really helped on the road section at the beginning. There were a few hairy moments on the grass fields and in the plantation though as the ground was damp from the previous day's rain. This could just have easily been my inexperience with the tyres though. Tthis year I will either be using the same conti's or going with some Nobby Nics and running them tubeless.

Pedal wise I used the same trail pedals that you have and had no problems, although I had a few years of experience with them. Given the amount of fire track and road riding clipless pedals really help to make the most of your legs. There are only a few areas where you are riding single track so I certainly wouldn't be put off by those. My experience at the back last year was that by the time I got to the Plantation the track had been dug out a foot deep by the previous riders, exposing roots which had the bark stripped off (very slippery). Thre was a bit more walking here as the less technical, but fitter, riders in front of me got off to push. I might be trying some more flexible shoes this year though, to help with the inevitable uphill pushes.

I lost most of my group within the first hour of riding but found that there was such a sense of comaraderie (sic?) amongst all the riders that I didn't really miss them. Just pedal, enjoy the fantastic views and make some new friends (especially the local teenagers doing it in trainers and jogging bottoms who made the ride for me).

cat_with_no_tail

The first year I did it I stopped to help a woman who had snapped her chain within the first couple of miles of road section. Her entire drivetrain was just plastered with thick black cack. By the time I'd finished fixing her chain we were in dead last with the travelling marshals telling us to hurry up or we'd miss closing on the first checkpoint.

As such, my best advice would be
1. Make sure your bike is well serviced before hand.
2. Selfish as it may sound, don't stop and help people.
3. If you lend your chain splitter to some bloke at the bottom of ballacob who takes your number and promises to return it, don't ever expect to see it again :evil:
4. Enjoy. Unless you're planning on doing sub 3hrs and battling with Nick Craig and co, it's a challenge, not a race.

Re. shoes, I'll be using flats with a pair of 5:10 freerunning shoes. Perfect combo.

I'll be on the Edison in my sig, wheezing my way up the hills, feel free to give a cheery wave as you come past

SlowNerveAction - The ground is a lot wetter this year than it was last year, tubeless nics FTW!.

SlowNerveAction

That bit of knowledge is priceless - nics it is then. I'll keep an eye out for you. I'll be on a White trek fuel (hopefully with new White rims by then) and probably wearing a blue mohecan or similar on my helmet