Which tyres?

geomickb

Hi,

I have just started MTBin again and my Canyon 29er hardtail has Schwalbe Marathon tyres on because I have been commuting on it, What tyres should I get? I don't want to spend a fortune and bike mainly in The Peak District?

Or, do I need a new bike.......................

Thanks,

Mick

cooldad

Round rubbery ones.

geomickb

That's really helpful, thank you for taking the time to help.

JGTR

Black round rubbery ones

JGTR

Specialized Ground Control for general XC, or Purgatory for more trails/all round riding. Both can be had really cheap (£20-£30 each) and are really good.

swod1

Or try some schwalbe nobby nics, rocket Ron’s or Ralph depending on conditions.

cooldad

Or whatever the particular poster's favourites are. It's really a matter of suck it and see.

Most come in a variety of models. So get folding, with decent sticky rubber. Cheap models tend to have wire beads and hard/crappy rubber.

So one Rocket Ron is not like another Rocket Ron...

steve_sordy

If what you want is longevity, get a hard compound, but be prepared to be skidding about on the corners and when braking on smooth surfaces.
If you want grip, then go for softer compounds or maybe even a triple compound (hard carcass, slightly softer centre and soft outer blocks). But be prepared for tyres to wear out after a year or so, depending upon where you ride and how far.
Compromise: sticky front and harder rear. Maybe a triple compound front and a single compound rear.

Always go for folding tyres, ie a kevlar bead and not wire.

Always use sealant (in your tubes or in your tubeless tyres).
If you go for a lightweight tyre, take plenty of spare tubes with you.
Or go for a heavier tyre and go tubeless, but add back in some sealant. Yes it weighs slightly more than the lighter weight tyre route, but you should hardly ever get a flat. Warning: Flats always happen when it's raining and on a narrow trail with lots of bikers wanting to get past.

Bike Radar, MBR and other bike related websites will have guides on how to choose your rubber. Only you know what you need/want.

geomickb

[quote="cooldad"

So one Rocket Ron is not like another Rocket Ron...[/quote]

So how can I tell which one is best?

geomickb

I'm thinking a pair of Nobby Nics?

billycool

geomickb wrote:

[quote="cooldad"

So one Rocket Ron is not like another Rocket Ron...

So how can I tell which one is best?[/quote]

Folding are better (and more expensive) and wired/rigid are generally cheaper and made of a harder compound and less grippy.

Cheap tyres are usually cheap for a reason.

Everyone has their favourites so it's very subjective.

I like Conti Trail Kings on my FS (2.2's) and Panaracer Fire XC Pro on my HT (2.1's). All are tubeless (but that's a whole new subject).

cooldad

I'm not a great Schwalbe fan, but this tells you, in a nicely confusing way, the different versions. Also has a table of the range of tyres and suitability.

https://www.schwalbe.com/en-GB/offroad- ... y-nic.html

I like Bontrager XR3 or 4s, Team Issue for most stuff, and Kenda Small Block 8s DTC, for dry XC.

geomickb

What is the benefits of tubeless? How do I know it will work with my rims?

swod1

geomickb wrote:

What is the benefits of tubeless? How do I know it will work with my rims?

Can run lower air pressure, better puncture/ pinch flat resistance etc.

It can work with pretty much any wheels you need to tape the wheel rim (over spoke holes) and insert a tubeless valve.

steve_sordy

swod1 wrote:

geomickb wrote:

What is the benefits of tubeless? How do I know it will work with my rims?

Can run lower air pressure, better puncture/ pinch flat resistance etc.

It can work with pretty much any wheels you need to tape the wheel rim (over spoke holes) and insert a tubeless valve.

Lower air pressure for more grip, a softer ride, and reduced rolling resistance over the rough stuff.
No pinch flats (because no tubes!)
No puncture induced flats, provided you use sealant.
Depending upon your tyre choices, the wheels are lighter, which gives you better acceleration, braking and improved agiity.

You still need a talisman to prevent tyre related problems. In my case it is a spare tube and the kit to use it (tyre levers and pump). Also, in case the tube gets a puncture, the means to fix that! (patches). I also take tyre patches in case I get a split in the tyre wall. But you'd be taking all that anyway wouldn't you, so it is no extra weight. In eight years of being tubeless, I have only had two problems that required me to use the tube. Both of those were tyre faults where the tyre wall gave way at the bead. Same tyre make and size, failing in exactly the same place. I reckon it was a manufacturing fault.

slc123

Going tubeless has been hugely beneficial to me, I But as struggling a lot of pinch punctures and majority of my riding is done after dark, so it was becoming a pain to change tubes on the trail in the dark all the time. Swapped over to tubeless a couple of years ago. I know some people have trouble getting the rims and tyres setup for it but I found it was really easy. Since then I’ve had no punctures and love the fact you can run much lower pressures when you need it. Gives me a lot more confidence riding as well as I don’t ever feel punctures are imminent!

geomickb

So, how about two of these, then I will go tubeless once I start riding a bit more?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... prod128941

cooldad

They are the mid range tyres, and a very good price.

joebristol

I personally wouldn’t buy those nobby nics - they’re he hardest cheapest runner as far as I’m aware and they’ll be slippery over the winter and give you no confidence at all.

For cheap I’d put one of these on the front in the trail extreme:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYOOCM29X ... 29x24-tyre

And one of these on the back in trail extreme:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYOOSM29X ... 9x225-tyre

Actually cheaper than the ones you linked with a better rubber compound. Not sure if they’re technically classed as tubeless but I think they’re basically Maxxis Exo side walls as Maxxis make them for on one. Running my tyres (26” equivalent of these 29er ones) tubeless with no issues at all. I ran them with tubes initially before I got tubeless ready rims.

geomickb

How can I check that a 2.4 will fit?

It had 2.25 on previously.

JBA

If you’re going for Nobby Nics, or any Schwalbe tyre, avoid the Performance compound. As said above they are not great in the wet.
Go for Evolution (Evo) compound and SnakeSkin sidewalls for better grip and better puncture resistance.

joebristol

What Canyon Hardtail is it you have? I’d say as 2.4” tyres they don’t come up that wide.

joebristol

Oh and the smogasbord is a 2.25” anyway, only the front is a 2.4”. So more importantly what fork and wheels have you got?

geomickb

Joebristol wrote:

Oh and the smogasbord is a 2.25” anyway, only the front is a 2.4”. So more importantly what fork and wheels have you got?

Rockshox Reba 29er

Mavic Cross Ride wheels

Canyon Yellowstone AL 6.9 came with Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph I think.

steve_sordy

geomickb wrote:

How can I check that a 2.4 will fit?

It had 2.25 on previously.

Do your 2.25" tyres actually measure up at 2.25, or some other size?

Look to the rear triangle first.
What is the gap between the tyre and the frame where a tyre carrying mud and stones may rub on the seat and chain stays. A 2.4" tyre is only 0.15" wider than your current 2.25" tyre, or 0.075" per side, which is just over 1/16 of an inch or just under 2mm per side. Can you see more than that? If so it will probably fit. You don't want it too tight a fit because the frame distorts under your weight when cornering and doing other physical stuff and comes closer to the tyre. If the tyre is carrying mud when it comes into contact with your frame, it can be surprising how rapidly it can grind through the metal.

Speaking of mud...... You need some mud room too. Tyres that fit without difficulty in the summer may cause problems later in the year. So be careful! :shock:

Front tyres tend to be less of a problem and have a lot more room between the forks.

NOTE! Tyres are moulded and can vary. Also different manufacturers have a different idea of what 2.4" actually means. Inflation pressure can also make a difference. So be careful! :shock:

geomickb

Unless someone else has a suggestion, I will just order the On-One ones and keep my fingers crossed that it fits.

mark_fogel

Tyres setup is a very personal thing, setups which work for some would not work for others... Personally I find Nobby Nics to be great even in the cheapest performance flavour, I have Evolution compounds on other bikes and performance is 80% the same unless you really push the tyres hard. I am currently running Nobby Nic 2.25 on the front with Racing Ralpf 2.25 also Performance on my trail/XC 29er hardtail. I find that it works very well for me and even works tubeless. I tried other tyres... 2.4 Continental Mountain Kings but its massive compare to the 2.2 the extra weight made the bike feel draggy and slow to pedal. Longer rides felt much harder and I ended up going back to the original set up with Nobby Nic an Racing Ralpf. If I was using the bike purely for more aggressive riding, the fatter tyres would probably work better but for my riding 2.25 light weight rubber works better.

Have a look on Merlin Cycles and Planet X for deals. My suggestion would be to avoid tractor tyres if you like to cover distance with ease and stick to lighter tyres. Tubeless is recommended but not essential, Nobby Nics or Mountain Kings would work well... Perhaps Maxis Ardents too...Look for folding to save a bit of weight. If you are riding aggressively, try a chunkier front for extra grip and faster rolling rear. Something like 2.35-2.4 front and 2.2-2.25 rear or 2.25 front and rear.

joebristol

I’d think you’d be ok with the 2.4 chunky monkey, they aren’t massive. I’ve got mine on 25mm internal diameter 26” wheels in a 26” Rockshox revelation from 2006. I’d say the fork isn’t huge but the tyres go through ok with a bit of mud room to spare.

I think crossrides have quite a narrow internal diameter too - maybe 21mm from memory - so that’ll help keep the tyres a bit narrower too.

If your forks are boost then it’ll be very comfortable too - boost gives a bit more width again.

geomickb

@mark_fogel why not two Nics?

@joebristol pretty sure it's not boost. It was purchased in 2013

mark_fogel

Just to add to my previous comment, I just found these on CRC and ended up buying two

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/maxx ... prod175017

£17.99 down from £44.99 at the moment, really good price considering they usually sell for around £40 on other sites. The weather is turning and will become wetter soon, these should be good for winter riding compare to my Racing Ralph on the rear.

https://www.maxxis.co.uk/catalog/tyre-518-18-forekaster

Never ridden these tyres before, will post an update after I had a chance to try them out.

mark_fogel

geomickb wrote:

@mark_fogel why not two Nics?

@joebristol pretty sure it's not boost. It was purchased in 2013

These were the tyres which came with the bike, the summer was so dry so far I didn't need anything with better grip. Racing Ralph on the rear is really fast too.