Yet more tyre advice .. (sorry!)

springtide9

I have been using Panaracer XC Pros for years now, but after taking the bike out this weekend it appears that I need new tyres again.

Not sure it's just my poor riding style, but I seem to wear the XC Pros in the middle; although there is not a huge amount of wear on them, the wear seems to really effect cornering, having the side of half blocks protruding much higher than the others, which seems to end up with the wheels sliding out when I banked over.
My MTBing skills are probably not as good as they used to be, as I take the road bike out probably more than the MTB nowadays (sorry!)... so the slides are not as controlled as they could be!

Is it just me or do other people find that some tyres wear a lot better than others?

I have looked at some of the recommendations on other threads, but really want to avoid spending over £30 per tyre if I can help it.

I mainly ride hard pack singletrack, with a little bit of loose stuff... or places with lots of roots. Not too bothered if it's really muddy, as tend to take the road bike if the ground is that wet.

Anyone come across some bargain tyres out there. XC Pros seem to be a bit 'Old Skool', or in my case, someone who hasn't bothered looking at any alternatives. Ideally a tyre that wears a little better would be preferable. Probably looking for something around the 2.1"

I have found:

Panaracer Razer Xc £12.50:
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... oryID=8259

Continental Mountain King II MTB £15:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-mou ... -mtb-tyre/

Or at £25/tyre:

Rocket Ron 2.1" Black - £25
Racing Ralph 2.25" Black - £25
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... C-SALE.htm

There are also a set of Conti Race Kings 2.0 for sale on BR for £20.

Anyone seem any big discounted (decent) tyres out there and/or recommendations.

Thanks

supersonic

Never skimp on tyres, they are the most cost effevtive upgrade you can make. Saving £10 per tyre is just not worth it as can had 100s of grams in weight with less grippy compounds. You want at least kevlar beading ie folding - some of those listed do not show the full specs.

I'd recommend these:

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a45596 ... html?lg=en

Lightish, good casing, folding bead and excellent compound.

springtide9

Thanks..... read a lot of posts, reviews etc and think I've decided on what to try...

Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.1 (Front)
http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/all-mountain/nobby-nic/

Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1 (Rear)
http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/x-country/racing-ralph/

Apart from weight, is there much difference between the steel wire bread and the kevlar folding tyres? As in, to they behave differently in terms of grip, different tyre compounds etc.

Another abnormally is that Schwalbe website indicates that all of the Nobby Nic and Racing Ralph are folding, where as you appear to be able to buy a steel bead version on EBay???

Main reason for asking is that before spending a larger sum of money on the more expensive kevlar versions, wondering whether I'd get a similar experience in terms of grip with the cheaper version, and if I get on with them, switch to the kevlar versions later. But if the compounds and the tyre structure are vastly different, there isn't much point.

edit... removed the tyre pressure... did a quick search!

Northwind

Only thing I would say is that those Schwalbes are fast wearing tyres unless you get the harder ORC compound. Pretty good, but they lose quite a lot of grip once the blocks lose their edges.

The wire bead one may be an OEM-only model, lots of companies don't list those on their websites. I don't know about Schwalbe but for some brands, that also brings with it a performance drop- Kenda OEM wirebead XC tyres are awful frinstance, nothing in common with the good ones apart from the name and the look.

Speaking of Kenda, if you want a good straightforward set of 2.1s you wouldn't go far wrong with a stick-e front and a dtc rear Nevegal. A wee bit slower than the Nic/Ralph combo but grippier in more conditions (much better with mud) and a bit tougher and more hardwearing too.

sanchez89

the steel beaded versions are cheaper to produce, therefore retail for much less.

compounds are not affected by the bead type, but normally the 'better' compounds are only available in folding bead. (expect in the case of maxxis where all their supertackys are steel bead.)

some people use wire beaded tyres for tubeless setups as they believe it gives them more security over a kevlar bead.

personally i dont think this is true and always go for the lighter kevlar bead.

really the choice is yours but i would try and find the cheapest deal on the folding tyres.