2.3" tyres

nbuuifx

I've decided for now that I'm going to try some 2.3" tyres to replace the 2.1" continental vapour tyres that are currently on my hardtail. I'm after extra grip especially on wet roots and wet pebbles.

I've looked at nobbly nics and magic Mary's but if I'm honest they seem overkill for me and are blooming expensive!

I've seen some of the Vittoria tyres at planetx which seem to be a bargain. So thought I'd give a pair of those a go. I bought some hybrid ones a few weeks back and they seem to be excellent tyres.

Just not quite sure which ones to go for. I could get:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYGEGATNT ... &#Acomment

The above is a Gato TNT folding tyre. 26x2.3" for £9.99 per tyre.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYGEBAUST ... eless-tyre

The above is a geox barro UST 26x2.3" for £7.99 per tyre

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYSCRROB2 ... ed-26-tyre

Schwalbe rapid Rob 26x 2.25" for £7.99 per tyre

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVITBAR/ ... lding-tyre

Vittoria Barzo 26x2.25" for £9.99 per tyre


Any thoughts on which to go for? From the sales pitch descriptions, I was thinking the geox barro sounded like what I was after but I'm not 100% sure!

I don't plan to run tubeless but I guess I could do. I ran some as tubeless before but neither the tyre nor the wheel was meant for it (I think?) A friend had given me the rims with the bit round the rim with the valve in. No idea if the rims were meant for tubeless or not (is there any way to tell?)

Thanks

cycleclinic

I have the Vittoria's gato tnt 2.3" by in 29er form. Not good in the mud and are slow tyres. Although compared to the conti vapour tyres they brilliant.

For grip in the wet I use a narrow 29er*50mm tyre with open block tread pattern. To drop the pressures below 20psi I use a volumus tyre insert. of course I run a tubeless setup. I weigh 85kg.
The insert I use is PTN. The 2.3" tyre is not wide enough to run sub 20 psi tubeless. You will also have less mud clearance. Lower pressures mean more grip. You can either use a wider tubeless tyre to achieve that or go lower with a narrow tubeless tyre and insert and get the mud clearance. The insert will stop the burping on a non tubeless rim.

The geax barro is the closest to a mud tyres but it can still fill up. For wet ground I would use a narrow tyres and tyre insert. Or a narrow tyre run tubeless to keep the pressures low. Wide tyres like the ones you have linked to just fill up with mud.

I not sure schwalbe do a proper mud tyre.

I thinking of something like this sort of patter
http://www.irc-tire.com/en/bc/products/ ... stingo_xc/

Or a pattern like this
https://www.a-dugast.com/product-page/ernst-cotton

I have use both of these and they are great. Just find a tyre that matches at the price your willing to pay.

If your going to stick to tubes then drop the pressures. I used to use 30psi in a 26*1.7" tyre at my 82kg as I was then.

Schwalbe Nobby nics are not a bad choice either.
The Vittoria saguaro is quite good in the mud for a tyre with a closed tread pattern.

The problem for you is the cheap tyres have hard rubber compounds that font grip well. You need a tyre with a softer compound that will cost more. You get what you pay for.

nbuuifx

Thanks for all that advice, I've gone for the Barro, it says it comes with a sticky soft compound.

At £7.99 per tyre it isn't much to lose and they've got to be better than the Vapor which feels dangerous!

I'll try them out and report back! I'm planning on running them with a tube at about 25psi.

t0ffeeman

£7.99 a tyre, well, you know what they say, you get what ya pay for.......
I can't see these new tyres feeling any less dangerous than the tyres you're using, on wet roots/pebbles etc
To run on stuff like that you're gonna need a good quality tyre with a good compound.
Don't be tight, get a good quality tyre to start with, or you'll be buying again and again.

The Rookie

Get a decent compound tyre or don't bother.
https://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYGEGATNT/ ... lding-tyre looks promising even in single compound
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/vittoria- ... -2017.html

cycleclinic

Thats the tyre I have the gato TNT. Its a heavy slow trail tyre. Fine down hill a right pig every where else.

nbuuifx

T0ffeeMan wrote:

£7.99 a tyre, well, you know what they say, you get what ya pay for.......
I can't see these new tyres feeling any less dangerous than the tyres you're using, on wet roots/pebbles etc
To run on stuff like that you're gonna need a good quality tyre with a good compound.
Don't be tight, get a good quality tyre to start with, or you'll be buying again and again.

If nothing else, it will test that 2.3" tyres fit well and don't rub on anything.

jamski

Buy cheap, but twice. I'd say you'd see very little difference in .2" with a crappy compound.

nbuuifx

Wow, now that I've got them aligned properly so they don't catch, these tyres are a massive improvement.

Before I was riding the same paths as my friend and struggling. I was sliding all over the place. Now I'm sliding less than he is. They also seem to clear mud better than his. After cycling through a big patch mine were practically clean his were all clogged up.

I felt a lot more confident with these and was able to run at a higher pressure. I'm chuffed with them! They did feel harder work riding up the road (quite a hill) but I guess that is to be expected.

Only had a couple of rides so far but they've been wet must ones. I'll report back after a few more rides over different terrain.

billycool

I'd glad that you have seen an improvement but have to agree with others that you're just picking the best of a bad bunch.

The tread pattern on a tyre is only half of it. The compound (grip) is just as important and you get much better compounds on higher spec tyres.

You do tend to get what you pay for, and I do agree that some tryes can appear very expensive. However, your tyres are your contact point with the trail and as such, should arguably see more investment than other areas (saddles are much the same and sometimes overlooked). I wouldn't put cheap tyres on my car.

They do a job though and seem to be working for you.

As you seem to be running 26" have a look at:

Panaracer Fire XC Pro 26x2.1. Good allround tyres that have been around for years. Good grip. Not too heavy and usually can be got for c.£25 depending on what version you go for (I have folding UST tubeless). These are fitted to my HT.

Continental Trail King 26x2.25 Black Chilli Compound. Great tyres with quite a fat profile, so close enough to a 2.3. The BCC compound is really grippy and hard wearing. Done all sorts from trails/paths to Afan, BPW, Peaks etc. Fitted to my FS bike (BCC folding UST). Can be had for about £35 in the right places.

Like many tyres, both are good all-rounders but neither is a dedicated mud tyre. They do clog up on ther clay sh!te I have to ride through locally, but on rocks, roots etc, they do stick very well.

Food for thought if you do want to splash the cash!

swod1

Great to hear they work well for you.

Schwalbe performance version nobby nics are shocking in wet conditions I don't think its rubber or some weird plastic rubber.

I've still got them on a pair of wheels at home thought I'd chance them on a hardtail bike I was putting together.

Evo compound or as said by others don't bother.

Maxxis tyres I now use in exo compound well worth the money but overkill for the op intended use.

JBA

nbuuifx wrote:

Wow, now that I've got them aligned properly so they don't catch, ...

What does that mean?
If the tyre is very close to seat stays or chain stays then flex in the wheel and frame when cornering may mean the tyre will rub. If this is the case keep an eye on it as a tyre will wear through the metal.

swod1

JBA wrote:

nbuuifx wrote:

Wow, now that I've got them aligned properly so they don't catch, ...

What does that mean?
If the tyre is very close to seat stays or chain stays then flex in the wheel and frame when cornering may mean the tyre will rub. If this is the case keep an eye on it as a tyre will wear through the metal.

Properly meant the tyre is now straight on the wheel, that happens a lot with cheap tyres I've found.

Got some cheap Schwalbe for a commuter bike I was building and they make the wheels look buckled when they aren't even when fitted correctly.

joebristol

I’ve found for all round tyres the On One tyres from Planet X are ok. The chunky monkey on the front and smorgasbord on the rear. I ran them in 26” both with tubes and without - they were much trippier run tubeless at around 20 psi front and 25 psi rear. Only get overwhelmed with proper mud at which point they’re not great. But on hardpack trail centres they are great. Just bought some in 650b ready for the spring. Currently got a magic Mary and dhr2 combo on there which grip well but roll quite slowly.

nbuuifx

JBA wrote:

nbuuifx wrote:

Wow, now that I've got them aligned properly so they don't catch, ...

What does that mean?
If the tyre is very close to seat stays or chain stays then flex in the wheel and frame when cornering may mean the tyre will rub. If this is the case keep an eye on it as a tyre will wear through the metal.

Sorry I'd posted before on another thread... for whatever reason when I put them on the original rear wheel they are too close to the left hand side of the frame and will rub when the bike flexes under torque. The wheel seems to be out of alignment - I presume it needs dishing to move it over. I took the easy option and put the tyre on my other set of wheels which now sits centrally. The other tyre (more of a hybrid type tyre) is fine on the other rim as it is narrower although it is still closer to the left hand side.

The tyres sit nice and centrally on the rims.

nbuuifx

swod1 wrote:

Great to hear they work well for you.

Schwalbe performance version nobby nics are shocking in wet conditions I don't think its rubber or some weird plastic rubber.

I've still got them on a pair of wheels at home thought I'd chance them on a hardtail bike I was putting together.

Evo compound or as said by others don't bother.

Maxxis tyres I now use in exo compound well worth the money but overkill for the op intended use.

My friends tyres were Maxxis and we were running them side by side and they were losing grip and spinning when mine weren't and they were clogging with mud more - obviously there are many more variables which could influence it (rider weight, his are 29" mine are 26", bike geometry, rider position etc.)

As I say I'm happy for now, if they do start to let me down or I do notice any real negatives I won't be precious about them - I'm happy to swap to something else and give a different tyre a try but I honestly do find them to be great so far - worth a try.