Trail centre tyre choice - quick answer needed!

dhooper7

The Enduro has been locked up for the last 5 weeks due to other commitments.
However, I now have a 2 weeks off work over Easter and I'm going to make up for it!

Just had a look at my bike and my rear tyre is on its last legs with the front not faring much better.
R - Conti Baron 2.3 single ply
F - Spec Clutch Control 2.3 single ply
Baron was draggy and crap, not going for another Conti. Love my Clutch but I know there are grippier tyres.

I mainly ride Cwmcarn, Afan, FOD, Llandegla, Brechfa and some local stuff.
Need something that will handle the rocky damp hardpack trails and the odd uplift. Off to Morzine at the end of July and the front tyre will probably be going with me (doubt a rear will last until then). Grip is important but don't wanna sacrifice too much rolling speed. Not had a puncture in over 12 months on single ply (run 40psi).

Really keen on the Butcher Control (front and back)
MinionF front and back
MinionF and HighRoller2
Hans Dampf or other Schwalbe offerings
Ardent

Need to order in the next 24hrs!!!

Thanks guys

The Rookie

HD's are popular with some friends of mine that do FOD and Cwmcarn regularily, another swears by Nobby Nics (Pacestar).

DodgeT

Tried a few combos on my enduro but keep going back to the std fitment
Purgatory on the back
Clutch on the front

dhooper7

DodgeT wrote:

Tried a few combos on my enduro but keep going back to the std fitment
Purgatory on the back
Clutch on the front

This has crossed my mind tbh. I loved the purgatory even if the compound did wear down a little quick!
I know the Butcher will give me more grip up front though...

Dawesy92

Ive heard that the conti mountain kings are good, even though i know you said you didnt want another conti....

supersonic

They are with Black Chilli compound.

lawman

Hans Dampfs seem pretty popular, just got a pair myself as an all-rounder. For pure trail centre stuff I tried a bontrager xr3 at cannock a few weeks back and was well impressed, rolled well the 2.35 was a decent size and gripped well and the smaller 2.2 rear was really fast. I don't ride centres all the time though and I imagine they'd be useless in welsh mud!!

Can't really go wrong with the hans dampf, a hans dampf up front and a nobby nic out back should be a great combo, will be experimenting to see which works best.

dusk

Just did a few trail centres on Hans Dampfs Trailstar front Pacestar rear, they were awesome and I couldn't recommend them highly enough especially considering how cheaply you can get them

dhooper7

dusk wrote:

Just did a few trail centres on Hans Dampfs Trailstar front Pacestar rear, they were awesome and I couldn't recommend them highly enough especially considering how cheaply you can get them

£95 for a pair of tyres is cheap for you?

dhooper7

Despite my earlier comments, I've been weak!!!
Have gone for a rubber queen 2.4 black chili up front and a regular 2.4 on the back.
Weight came in under 2kg and cost £57 for the pair.

Will report back next week with a brief summary!

lawman

dhooper7 wrote:

dusk wrote:

Just did a few trail centres on Hans Dampfs Trailstar front Pacestar rear, they were awesome and I couldn't recommend them highly enough especially considering how cheaply you can get them

£95 for a pair of tyres is cheap for you?

Normally around £55 from bike-discount.de for a trailstar/pacestar combo. Out of stock atm, but any of the german online shops will have them pretty cheap.

The 2.4 rubber queens are huge tyres btw, they blow up wayyyy bigger than advertised.

bennett_346

I am quite happy with my new Spesh Ground Controls. £30 each for folding, tubeless ready, 520g weight, and phenomenal grip on everything from hardpack to WET muddy trails. They are fast too.

Northwind

lawman wrote:

they blow up wayyyy bigger than advertised.

Mine measured a hair under 2.4. It just seems big, because so many companies tell us fibs (and because a 2.4 mountain king was about as wide as a pube)

lawman

Northwind wrote:

lawman wrote:

they blow up wayyyy bigger than advertised.

Mine measured a hair under 2.4. It just seems big, because so many companies tell us fibs (and because a 2.4 mountain king was about as wide as a pube)

The size must vary between them then! The one's I've seen at uni (we're sponsored by conti) have been huge, those that like the RQ run the 2.2 because the 2.4's are just too big for most frames. They certainly seem to blow up bigger than a hans dampf

CommyAdam

My vote would definitely be for Maxxis Ardents.... I'm running a 2.4" upfront for stability and a 2.25" rear which tends to cut through anything and has a fairly good rolling speed, as well as fairly good value for money (£25 per tyre). I think it really holds it own in drier conditions, i'm intending on keeping my ardent on the front for Morzine this summer, but perhaps getting something a little bigger for the rear.

bennett_346

Ardents are pretty slow for the grip they give. Wouldn't be my choice for a hardpack trail centre.

MK Bons

Does anybody know how long bike-discount.de take to deliver?

lawman

I got my hans dampfs two days after ordering, they're very effecient, normally stuff is dispatched the same day you order, much better than CRC.

Thewaylander

House mate has got his hand on a Butcher control, the DH tyre now on an XC carcas and he has banged it front and to be fair he is loving it.

dhooper7

Thewaylander wrote:

House mate has got his hand on a Butcher control, the DH tyre now on an XC carcas and he has banged it front and to be fair he is loving it.

Think this will be my setup for Morzine

DodgeT

Thewaylander wrote:

House mate has got his hand on a Butcher control, the DH tyre now on an XC carcas and he has banged it front and to be fair he is loving it.

They come up stupid light, does he DH on them?

Wondering what tyres to settle on for the session, currently got nevegal 2.5 stick-e's which to be fair have been great everywhere i've ridden them, just not done welsh slate yet..
Wherreas my usual go to's for wales would be the butcher dh's, a good 500g per tyre more than the butcher control.

Northwind

I've used the Butcher SX- that is, the ply-and-a-half tyre that sits between the Control and the DH. Used it for the endurance downhill at fort william last year, and a week in the alps. More than tough enough- 14 runs of the fort at knobber-speed and my wheels and body were a bit clapped out but my tyres were fine I'm not heavy, mind. The rear was worn out after all that, and had some mighty scuffs and scrapes on it but it'd never flatted once, run tubeless.

Also use the Controls on my trailbike, where they're fantastic if maybe a bit draggy for trailcentre use- one on the front and something faster on the rear is probably better. They come into their own with offpiste bits though. I wouldn't choose them for full downhill just because of the lack of sidewall- they'll be less tough but also are a bit less controlled, you get a bit more flex cornering etc.

I haven't used the DH version yet- got one in the mail But it's a stickier rubber- the SX and Control are pretty sticky but they're not up to supertacky levels (if you know maxxis, they kind of fall between supertacky and maxxpro)

DodgeT

I really rate the Dh's, got 3 of em.. would be great if they were a bit lighter though.

Where do you get the SX's from, can't find any links?

dhooper7

DodgeT wrote:

Where do you get the SX's from, can't find any links?

Would also like to know....

Thewaylander

NAh we both DH on Schaulb Muddy Mary but looking for a lighter tyre for trail centers and XC riding when covering a long distance as the Muddy mary is like a hoover to the ground nightmare to push.

But for an XC tyre he is really loving the butcher loads of grip.

Thewaylander

And a bad wind says,

Use a different tyre on the rear, i think he has gone witht he purgetory, as its light and allows a llittle rear slide

DodgeT

As mentioned before, on my enduro I use a 2.2 purgatory on the back and a 2.3 clutch (essentially a slightly less hardcore butcher, but not much in it) on the front and it is a brilliant combo for all sorts off stuff from xc trails to antur stiniog.

Northwind

DodgeT wrote:

Where do you get the SX's from, can't find any links?

Ebay I think! Maybe one from EBC and one from ebay. They come as stock fitment on some specialized bikes and eejits sell them to fit less good Minions and Highrollers

DodgeT

Was going to get a set of Hans Dampf off bike discount, the pacestar/trailstar pack, but theyre out of stock. Only got the pacestar in.
Would it not be the best bet to stick 2 pacestar's on the DH bike, seeing as theyre classed as the faster rolling of the two? Really fancy trying the dampfs..

lawman

I'd just wait til they come back in stock, the pace star compound is pretty hard and I'd only really want it on the rear. They do roll really well, surprised tbh as I expected them to be pretty draggy but on the commute to work I reckon they're little slower if any slower than nobby nics. If they grip as well as people say they do on the trails I might have a new favorite tyre. The gate star nobby nics are pretty grippy but I lack confidence in them on really gnarly trails.

dusk

I got my HD's on before hitting some welsh trail centres and over wet/snowy/muddy/rooty terrain I never felt anything other than planted, I'm well impressed. They didn't seem too slow either for what they are.