What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

[urastus]

“Gravel on the corners”. Squeeze the cheeks. ???

I was never quick enough with the cheek squeezing

 

[Gary]

I only managed a little blood... but did have a bump like an egg! Getting more purple as the week goes on ?




I think my solo riding is probably what puts some of the fear in to me. Saturday I was in a forest with no phone signal, and I never saw another person until I was back at the car.
Imagine trying to hobble back to the car on your own for potentially 7 or 8 miles with a serious injury!!

I like to get some miles in when riding, so tend to scoot about and do different trails. I should really considering doing the same run over and over to try and practice getting it right.
It was my first time on a lot of these trails, so don’t know what I was hoping to achieve by flying down them?!



I’m 42, and feel I’ve got back into MTB too late. I used to BMX as a kid, and then did some light trails until I was about 17... then got a car, and lost interest in bikes until about 10 years ago. By that time, the fear has set in!!

I’m still torn by which tyres to get. My Wild Endro rear has seen better days, and the front is probably below what it should be.
Might as well swap both out at the same time, and keen to try something else instead.

Leave your worn tyres on and ride them all winter.
Use their lack wet weather grip to teach yourself how to maintain balance and use your body weight to attain as much grip as they afford by also choosing better lines in the wet. here staying loose but smooth and maintaining momentum is your friend as is not braking.
Much like the old adage of learning good base skills on a hardtail. running less grippy tyres will tell you a hell of a lot about how to handle a bike.
and yeah. repeatedly sessioning the same trails will teach you a lot and an ebike is the perfect tool for that.Solo riding somewhere romote is absolutely NOT when you want to start pushing yourself above the limit of your skills.
Unless you've come back from a big injury/accident 42 is a bit young to be scared. Scottish winter conditions mean your bike rolls much slower in the first place and falling off generally gives you a far softer landing.

90% of mtb riders who these days are basically running DH racing tyre compounds and world cup levels of grip never actually push their tyres beyond the limit a tyre with far lesser grip can be pushed to. Have fun finding your limits.

 

[Gary]

Tyres and suspension have never been better for punters. I'd advise all readers of this thread to stop looking for their needle in a haystack "perfect" tyre and just choose something actually suitable and get on with riding. Racing is a different matter where it does actually matter more to have the best tyre choice for the conditions.

 

[DrStupid]

I've now ridden the wet screams (27.5 x 2.5 DD ST mounted on i30 rims) in some variations of mud and leaves, in both warm and cold weather.

These are the closest thing to a Forestry tire I have tried so far. Lol. They are good in mud of course, but what has really impressed me is the traction on leaves, and new trail with plenty of organic still on top.

The tire is narrow, in actuality measuring about 2.25 inches. This is perfect for midwest woods riding in the fall, as the extra clearance provided by the narrow width means leaves and mud do not end up in the driveline nearly as bad as with plus size tires.

As the weather cooled down, the knobbies got very stiff which seems to make them roll better but doesn't seems to hurt traction at all on my trails.

Roots and rocks must still be treated with care of course, but everything else seems to be velcro.

They do cut deep into your trails, for me this is good. My trails are private and only a few folks have been convinced so far to come ride with me. The tires are actually helping me by digging in, creating better lines with less trips required to establish new trails.

Riding today and yesterday in early morning frost with a steady crunching sound, I was actually maintaining my normal trail pace with ease.

I ride in boost mode, and typically drain a battery in about an hour riding 3.5 mile loops around my place. If your the type who abhors riding in full gas mode, or needs long range, forget these tires. If your a closed course emtb users favouring a more moto style (like me), give them a try this fall and let me know what you think.

Anybody who is familiar with my pics from last year knows that these shots here are a huge improvement where mud in the driveline is concerned.

As it drys out, I'm finding the rear particularly draggy, but even so, I am making my most technical climbs with ease; to the point that I'm actively searching more challenging lines up up up down down down.

Update: it dried out so much that I had to remove the wetscream's. The best part about mud tires is taking them off. Lol. My ewild front, shorty rear, combination feels positively flowy and fast compared the mud spikes.

 

[GeekEcosse]

I managed to get some Magic Mary 27.5 x 2.8 via Ebay, everywhere else online seems to be sold out, keen price too.

S

 

[apac]

What a Frankenstein thread. Most users Riding 20-25kg ELECTRIC powered bikes and so much concern over rolling resistance. What a bunch of fannies.

 

[Rosemount]

Tyres and suspension have never been better for punters. I'd advise all readers of this thread to stop looking for their needle in a haystack "perfect" tyre and just choose something actually suitable and get on with riding. Racing is a different matter where it does actually matter more to have the best tyre choice for the conditions.

Front tyre I am more selective .
Bike shop dude recommended Assegai Fr - DHR II rear . All good . Since I have used Hans Dampf , Specialized Butcher . Even Butcher run backwards all on the rear. I cant tell much difference between them . Some skid easier than others ?? lol

 

[TrailBoB]

Front tyre I am more selective .
Bike shop dude recommended Assegai Fr - DHR II rear . All good . Since I have used Hans Dampf , Specialized Butcher . Even Butcher run backwards all on the rear. I cant tell much difference between them . Some skid easier than others ?? lol

I’ve given the E-wilds a try, front was on offer at a good price, so just got a pair. Some scroats had put broken glass down on the trail which wrecked one of the original Maxxis. That’s the reason for the change plus, I wanted something a bit more aggressive for winter riding. Gone tubeless & schrader valve’s st the same time, so we’ll see how it goes. Only had a short recce ride so far, but seem to be up to the job.

 

[PablitoDeRoma]

As I commute in London, I changed the default smart Sam's on my reaction hybrid Pro to Marathon E-plus, mainly for the punture protection and the more road friendly tread. It's not a 29", it's a 55-622 28-2.15.

 

[Gary]

29" and 700c are the same thing
Schwalbe being German call it 28"
Theyre all exactly the same bead seat diameter rims. Ie 622mm

 

[DrStupid]

I’ve given the E-wilds a try, front was on offer at a good price, so just got a pair. Some scroats had put broken glass down on the trail which wrecked one of the original Maxxis. That’s the reason for the change plus, I wanted something a bit more aggressive for winter riding. Gone tubeless & schrader valve’s st the same time, so we’ll see how it goes. Only had a short recce ride so far, but seem to be up to the job.

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My experience with e-wilds so far, is that the front is up to about anything. The side knobs are killer, the casing is bomb proof, and the tire rolls good.

Depending, on the amount of climbing to do, and if it's too wet or too dry, the rear is rather finicky.

In my world, I have three climbs on the trail that determine if a rear tire is OK, or NOT OK. This is as close to objective as I can get. If I can make the climbs half the time, the tire is OK. The e-wild doesn't make the climb unless the conditions are really excellent. You know, it rolls good though!-- and like the front I've had zero trouble with punctures, pinches, burps or quality.

 

[DrStupid]

What a Frankenstein thread. Most users Riding 20-25kg ELECTRIC powered bikes and so much concern over rolling resistance. What a bunch of fannies.

I agree... but have you actually tried ST wetscreams?

 

[apac]

I agree... but have you actually tried ST wetscreams?

I must admit those wet screams look like a bumpy ride. I'm just a middle of road man... dhr2 all round (Boring)?

 

[DrStupid]

I must admit those wet screams look like a bumpy ride. I'm just a middle of road man... dhr2 all round (Boring)?

They are like riding a tire made from medusa's head. Not bumpy... squishy. Lol..

 

[TrailBoB]

My experience with e-wilds so far, is that the front is up to about anything. The side knobs are killer, the casing is bomb proof, and the tire rolls good.

Depending, on the amount of climbing to do, and if it's too wet or too dry, the rear is rather finicky.

In my world, I have three climbs on the trail that determine if a rear tire is OK, or NOT OK. This is as close to objective as I can get. If I can make the climbs half the time, the tire is OK. The e-wild doesn't make the climb unless the conditions are really excellent. You know, it rolls good though!-- and like the front I've had zero trouble with punctures, pinches, burps or quality.

The short Reece ride I had, I must agree with you on the support given by the side wall & the easier rolling. ?.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

Assegai grippy as hell but they roll really shitty if you ride trail, if you ride park you doest feel it.

Think my next tire should be e-wild , grippy as the assegai but roll better.

 

[Rosemount]

Assegai grippy as hell but they roll really shitty if you ride trail, if you ride park you doest feel it.

Think my next tire should be e-wild , grippy as the assegai but roll better.

One downside of the Michelins is the white print on the side walls gets scuffed and a dirty look . Bigger font and more printing than most .

 

[Zimmerframe]

Tipp-ex.

 

[Rosemount]

Tipp-ex.

Riding buddy has Michelin tyres .
He was the one who explained it to me . A detail that once noticed , can`t be un noticed .

 

[Zimmerframe]

It is true .. but they're tyres .. they're consumable .. a perfectly written sidewall suggests you're riding an e-WILD ! ... in a rather un passionate manner .. I actually quite liked my shredded walls, they made me feel like I was at least getting my money's worth out of as much of the tyre surface as possible.. Londoners take them to a detailer to have them scratched up and look cool.

 

[DrStupid]

Assegai grippy as hell but they roll really shitty if you ride trail, if you ride park you doest feel it.

Think my next tire should be e-wild , grippy as the assegai but roll better.

They (ewild) roll better for sure. As grippy? I'm not convinced.

It's a tire thread so I'm gonna geek out on some tire.
In my opinion:

Maybe the e-wild front grips better than the assegia when leaned over, but braking traction on both front and rear strongly favors the assegia, and climbing traction favors the assegai as well.

Dont take me wrong, I'm not being critical of the ewild. It's my favorite front tire right now!-- it's just that if you are heading down a slippery slope, wet and covered with leaves, moving fast at the edge of grip, and expect the ewilds to outperform, or even match the assegai... well you might better buy some insurance.

Am I alone in this opinion?

 

[Jimbo Vills]

Riding buddy has Michelin tyres .
He was the one who explained it to me . A detail that once noticed , can`t be un noticed .

Most rides i cant even read the specialised logo on my bike, let alone tyre branding

Oh to be fortunate and ride in sunnier climes

 

[Mikerb]

They (ewild) roll better for sure. As grippy? I'm not convinced.

It's a tire thread so I'm gonna geek out on some tire.
In my opinion:

Maybe the e-wild front grips better than the assegia when leaned over, but braking traction on both front and rear strongly favors the assegia, and climbing traction favors the assegai as well.

Dont take me wrong, I'm not being critical of the ewild. It's my favorite front tire right now!-- it's just that if you are heading down a slippery slope, wet and covered with leaves, moving fast at the edge of grip, and expect the ewilds to outperform, or even match the assegai... well you might better buy some insurance.

Am I alone in this opinion?

I am using the Wild Enduro at 2.4 ( not the E Wild) on my Levo Comp. The front is the best front tyre I have used in any conditions. The rear tyre is as good as anything else I have used provided it is not dry and dusty hard pack. Traction is not as good then, but if the surface has had some rain traction is good. I can compare fairly directly to Assegais which I have front and back on my Whyte E180. I find the Assegais reliable in all conditions. I have no real clue about rolling resistance for either tyre because I virtually never ride on smooth hard surfaces, tarmac or offroad.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

One downside of the Michelins is the white print on the side walls gets scuffed and a dirty look . Bigger font and more printing than most .

haha lol yes that is a really serious problem...... no

They (ewild) roll better for sure. As grippy? I'm not convinced.

It's a tire thread so I'm gonna geek out on some tire.
In my opinion:

Maybe the e-wild front grips better than the assegia when leaned over, but braking traction on both front and rear strongly favors the assegia, and climbing traction favors the assegai as well.

Dont take me wrong, I'm not being critical of the ewild. It's my favorite front tire right now!-- it's just that if you are heading down a slippery slope, wet and covered with leaves, moving fast at the edge of grip, and expect the ewilds to outperform, or even match the assegai... well you might better buy some insurance.

Am I alone in this opinion?

i havent really tested the e-wild so much myself but i have a friend that runs e-wild and when i tested his bike in wet conditions i didnt really fell that the tires are so slippery , but yes i hear what you say and you might have right that i am probably gonna feel that i dont have the same grip and condidence when i change to e-wild beacuse i have right now have really grippy tires right now.

 

[Sharpy200]

haha lol yes that is a really serious problem...... no




i havent really tested the e-wild so much myself but i have a friend that runs e-wild and when i tested his bike in wet conditions i didnt really fell that the tires are so slippery , but yes i hear what you say and you might have right that i am probably gonna feel that i dont have the same grip and condidence when i change to e-wild beacuse i have right now have really grippy tires right now.

I run the E-WIld GumX front and rear 27.5 x 2.6 and have found them really good so far over roots and rocks when wet, plenty of them in the Lake District test them on haha.

 

[leocompositing]

Hi folks,

I love the combo DHR 2 rear Assegai front on my Decoy Elite but the 2.8 is too wide for me. Ideally I'd go for a 2.6 or 2.5 DHR but they don't come with Double Down or Downhill casing (why?)....

So two questions: am I crazy to go with an EXO+ casing if I run tyre inserts? Or should I go for a 2.4 DD and deal with pedal strikes and such.
Would like to keep the geo as it is in Low...

Also what's the difference in height between 2.8 and 2.4?

cheers,
L

 

[DrStupid]

Hi folks,

I love the combo DHR 2 rear Assegai front on my Decoy Elite but the 2.8 is too wide for me. Ideally I'd go for a 2.6 or 2.5 DHR but they don't come with Double Down or Downhill casing (why?)....

So two questions: am I crazy to go with an EXO+ casing if I run tyre inserts? Or should I go for a 2.4 DD and deal with pedal strikes and such.
Would like to keep the geo as it is in Low...

Also what's the difference in height between 2.8 and 2.4?

cheers,
L

I've got 2-3 hundred miles, on an exo 27.5x2.5 shorty with tannus armour 2.8 insert installed on i35 rims, running on rear@15psi, without issue.

My trails are littered with bits of sedimentary rock, and flats are generally a problem, so I'm feeling pretty good about this combos durability.

 

[Stevey Mac]

Waiting on a Shorty 29x2.5 WT DD MaxxGrip and a DHR II 29x2.4 WT DD MaxxTerra arriving. Had been looking at going over to Michelins but when heard could get the above in the DD then decided to stay with Maxxis, love those tyres on the non-eeb so got high hopes for them on ticking the boxes im after.

 

[leocompositing]

Waiting on a Shorty 29x2.5 WT DD MaxxGrip and a DHR II 29x2.4 WT DD MaxxTerra arriving. Had been looking at going over to Michelins but when heard could get the above in the DD then decided to stay with Maxxis, love those tyres on the non-eeb so got high hopes for them on ticking the boxes im after.

I love them Maxxis as well. The main thing is: Will the 2.4 change the geo, dropping the BB to a point that will get a lot of pedal strikes?

 

[steveo]

Has anyone heard anything about a dodgy batch of e wilds ? I have just fitted a set last week and the front has been going flat when sitting over a couple of days. I have just put it in the bath to see if i can see were the air is escaping and it seems to be at certain bits all around the sidewalls !