Best Tyres

highflyer79

I have recently aquired an old Trek 8500 and am wanting to change the tyres as they seem to still be the original ones. I am really after all year round tyres and generally ride around Cannock, Clent, Bristol if that is of any help. I was possibly looking @ Schwalbe Nobby Nics or Maxxis Minion F DH or Maxxis high roller.

Can anyne suggest the best one for the type of riding I do? Also the rims are tubeless ready, is it worth going fully tubeless or would I be better off running tubes. The previous sized tyres are 2.1".

I really liked the write ups of the DH but was a little concerned that I enjoy blasting throught the trees DH I am not mainly doing DH plus they only seem to come in 2.3" Would these be ok on my rims?

Thanks in advance for any help ( go easy 1st post ! )

supersonic

You don't need Minions on an XC bike, nor the High Roller DH.

I'd look atthe new Continental Mountain King 2:

http://www.cyclesuk.com/product/Mountai ... n=products

Or if you have the money, the Black Chilli version:

http://www.nextdaytyres.com/Tyres/Conti ... spx?ID=480

This offers extra grip and protection.

bails87

I liked Maxxis Advantage on an XC bike at Cannock Chase. They deal with the slippery pebbles quite well, just a good all rounder. There's no 'best' tyre though. It's all just personal preference.

.blitz

Nics are quite good around Cannock providing it's dry-ish and you don't lean too far from vertical.

Maxxis:
DH F is very grippy but also draggy and quite heavy.
High Roller less grippy, less draggy
Advantage most excellent on Cannock's rubble, prob the best all-rounder if speed is not top priority
CrossMark fantastic in the dry, very fast
Ardent big floaty rolls well surprising amount of grip in the loose stuff but not so hot when it's wet.

Mix and match the tyres f & r according to the terrain/conditions

J273

.blitz wrote:

Nics are quite good around Cannock providing it's dry-ish and you don't lean too far from vertical.

Maxxis:
DH F is very grippy but also draggy and quite heavy.
High Roller less grippy, less draggy
Advantage most excellent on Cannock's rubble, prob the best all-rounder if speed is not top priority
CrossMark fantastic in the dry, very fast
Ardent big floaty rolls well surprising amount of grip in the loose stuff but not so hot when it's wet.

Mix and match the tyres f & r according to the terrain/conditions

.blitz...What do you run around cannock front & rear?

Thanks

.blitz

J273 wrote:

.blitz...What do you run around cannock front & rear?

It depends

At the moment:
bike #1 140mm FS: Ardent 2.25 f, CrossMark 2.25 r
bike #2 120mm HT: HR 2.35 f, CrossMark 2.25 r
bike #3 100mm DJ/hack: DH F 2.35 f, Advantage 2.25 r

2.4 Nobby Nic also quite good if you want something that will bulldoze through anything and everything.

J273

.blitz wrote:

J273 wrote:

.blitz...What do you run around cannock front & rear?

It depends

At the moment:
bike #1 140mm FS: Ardent 2.25 f, CrossMark 2.25 r
bike #2 120mm HT: HR 2.35 f, CrossMark 2.25 r
bike #3 100mm DJ/hack: DH F 2.35 f, Advantage 2.25 r

2.4 Nobby Nic also quite good if you want something that will bulldoze through anything and everything.

I hope the OP dont mind me posting in here - i was going to start a similar thread.


Thanks .blitz

I mainly ride cannock and currently run Conti rubber queens but they are a big heavy tyre so thinking of switching.

What compound Ardent do you run on the FS - I might try the Ardent crossmark combo.

welshkev

conti verticals for me, have held up well in all weathers and they were cheap as chips from next day tyres

bails87

.blitz wrote:

Nics are quite good around Cannock providing it's dry-ish and you don't lean too far from vertical.

This is what I've found. After all the talk of how wonderful they are, I've got some and they have a very definite "grip...grip...grip...grip...NO GRIP AARGGGHHH" habit as you lean them over. Not confidence inspiring at all. If you quickly 'stick' them into a corner they tend to be ok, but for a turn that's more drawn out they're not great IMO.

agg25

Like a lot of Schwalbe tyres I think, the Racing Ralphs and Rocket Ron's were the same for me, the Nobby's held up pretty good on the enduro at CYB over the weekend but I wasn't leaning over too spasticly

Clank

bails87 wrote:

This is what I've found. After all the talk of how wonderful they are, I've got some and they have a very definite "grip...grip...grip...grip...NO GRIP AARGGGHHH" habit as you lean them over. Not confidence inspiring at all. If you quickly 'stick' them into a corner they tend to be ok, but for a turn that's more drawn out they're not great IMO.

Got to agree about the Nics at Cannock. If I stamp down mid turn I'm sideways. Great in a straight line on hardpack, but as soon as it's gets a sniff of damp, or it's too dusty there's nothing there. A lot of spinning on gravelly climbs too.

Great on tarmac, wet or dry.

As for what's best - I'm still working that out, meself!

highflyer79

Thanks all for your great responses.
Would love to try loads of different tyres but ££'s are tight at the mo, so just hoping to get something I can use all year round. I'll get looking at suggested tyres, thanks again

.blitz

J273 wrote:

What compound Ardent do you run on the FS - I might try the Ardent crossmark combo.

The Ardent is a 60a folder. I run it at 25psi or thereabouts there's not much in the way of tread it's all carcass but at lower pressures it deforms and grips like the proverbial.

Not too shabby as a rear tyre during winter but the flexible sidewalls make the back end feel a bit twangy when mashing the pedals etc.

gilesjuk

I've no problems with my Bonty Mud X tubeless tyres.

Tubeless is worth doing if you can be bothered to do the initial set up. It helps if you have a proper air compressor, although tubeless tyres on tubeless rims tend to inflate easily.

You can still use a tube in the event of a big problem (ie a huge gash in the tyre).

d3matt

gilesjuk wrote:

I've no problems with my Bonty Mud X tubeless tyres. Tubeless is worth doing if you can be bothered to do the initial set up. It helps if you have a proper air compressor, although tubeless tyres on tubeless rims tend to inflate easily. You can still use a tube in the event of a big problem (ie a huge gash in the tyre).

+1 this. I've been very impressed with my Mud-X tyres. Use them summer and winter now. And I've just gone tubeless even though the tyres are pretty worn and have plenty of holes and a few slits. I've had to put a couple of patches inside the tyre to seal some small slits, but I was surprised how easy it was to go tubeless and how easy it was to pump up with a normal floor pump. I can even pump them up without removing the presta valve core!

agg25

To those who've gone tubeless, do you feel you're sort of locked into using that tyre for all conditions due to the fact that it's a bit more of a pain to swap them around? Would make deciding on one tyre for all a bit more of a bigger issue wouldn't it?

d3matt

agg25 wrote:

To those who've gone tubeless, do you feel you're sort of locked into using that tyre for all conditions due to the fact that it's a bit more of a pain to swap them around? Would make deciding on one tyre for all a bit more of a bigger issue wouldn't it?

Possibly, but not by much. Now I've done it a few times, I'd say re-doing the sealing only takes about 10 minutes per wheel longer than the innertube method. In fact, last time I did it just before a ride and my mates were waiting so I dropped in some sealant, pumped up the tyres, gave it a quick shake, fitted the wheel and rode off. It only took about 30 seconds longer than a innertube. However, that's the advantage if using tubeless ready tyres (Mud-X).
I don't have tubeless ready rims though and I'm using the Stan's NoTubes kit.

steve_muzzy

I am a huge fan of kenda nevegal stick e on the front and advantage on the back, sits a lot of trail riding and very predictable