You must get 'tyred' of these questions...

astirrup

..ho ho ho... Sorry another tyre question...

After listening to the advice of some members on here I bought a Voodoo Bantu a few months ago. When I got it, I promised myself I wouldn't upgrade anything on the bike until it either wore out or I felt it was the weak link in my riding.

For the canal path, cycle path and even a couple of trips to Delamere my riding skill has been the weakest link and everything on the bike has been adequate. However after a trip to Llandegla (red trail) this weekend I feel the tyres didn't offer much grip, particularly during the second half after it started raining. This was only confirmed when I had a go of a friends bike.

What would people advise as a good upgrade from the standard Innova tyres supplied with the bike? I'm mainly going to be doing trails in Wales (which obviously involves Welsh weather!) with some trips to Delamere in-between. I've read that the Continental Mountain King mk2 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=83001) are a decent upgrade?

Thanks in advance.

supersonic

Wire mountain kings are bloody awful! Spend more for the Black Chili versions, this is where the grip and performance starts. Always go for folding tyres.

astirrup

I'll stay away from the mountain kings then!

Are these the Black Chillis http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29789? If so according to that website they're discontinued. Are there any others off the top of your head you'd recommend?

Just to go in to a bit more detail - is there anything in particular you should look at when buying tyres or is it just a case of having a spin on them and seeing how they ride/listening to the advice of others?

And what is the main difference between folding and wired tyres that make folding better?

Ta.

supersonic

Lot of subjectivity here, but most agree on the following - spend the most you can! Folding tyres save a lot of weight in an important area and often have better construction.

Certain compounds can add grip ie black chilli. These are a good buy:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCNICEVO/ ... lding_tyre

The 2.25 is light for the size, has a great compuind that offers a lot of grip.

Ouija

+1

Those Innova tyres weigh over 1.1kg EACH. Swapping out to any of the ones recommended (preferably in the 500/600g range) will drop the weight at the rims of your wheel in half. And it's rim weight that determines how fast a bike feels, with lighter rim weight leading to faster acceleration/deceleration and more responsive steering (less centrifugal force wanting to keep it pointing in one direction). On top of that, it'll knock off a kilogram in overall weight off the bike.

There are lots of mountain bike tyres in the 500/600g range, from many manufacturers, so look around. But for mud clearance you need to be looking at large block tyres rather than small block tread patterns (big knobblies, not small ones). As for the folding tyres thing. Folding tyres don't have two big steel rings running round the outside rim of the tyre so tend to be a few hundred grams lighter than the identical version with the wires (you can't fold the wired tyres down because of those steel wires).

rapid_donkey

I use Panaracer Fire XC Pro Folding 2.1's everywhere (mainly red trail centres) and find they are a great all round tyre.

At the minute, Merlin are doing a deal for 2 tyres and 2 tubes for £40 delivered. I think thats pretty unbeatable vfm.

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/t ... tubes.html

astirrup

Thank you for everyones explanations and suggestions so far! That does look a really good deal rapid_donkey.

I'm probably getting way a head of myself here but out of curiosity - I've seen people that have a different tyre for the front and back, is there a specific reason for this? Also, on the subject of thickness, I assume thicker is better for grip until it begins to get ridiculous and the effort to ride is too much of a trade-off, or is this again subjective?

atomic fox

some run different tyres front and back.ie nobby nic and racing ralph combo,mainly for what feels best traction and grip wise.fully agree with supersonic,ditch the wired tyres for folding. i ve replaced mountain king for x king race sport,saving 200g per tyre.