They don't actually do a max terra in the SS... my mistake, only dual compound. Maybe the SS is not what I'm looking for.
What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread
- Thread starter Rob Rides EMTB
- Start date
-
- Tags
- magic mary tyres vigilante
Waynemarlow
E*POWAH Master
Ah so your very broad statement was aimed at 1 specific setup, should have known by your broad fit all statement history
The DH casing versions of the SS used to be available in supertacky/Maxx grip compounds
Dual compound doesn't offer no grip. It's just not ultimate grip.
I'm old skool and tend to think the softest compounds are for racing or at least pushing the boundaries of grip. Not something I see a whole lot of ageing Emtb riders doing.
Dual compound doesn't offer no grip. It's just not ultimate grip.
I'm old skool and tend to think the softest compounds are for racing or at least pushing the boundaries of grip. Not something I see a whole lot of ageing Emtb riders doing.
what Kind of setup would require a hard Compound on the front and a soft on the rear?Ah so your very broad statement was aimed at 1 specific setup, should have known by your broad fit all statement history
One where you ride everywhere in reverse?
Technical Ebike wheelie climbing.
Coming to a mickey mouse E-Enduro near you soon.
TAKE MY MONEY!!
Coming to a mickey mouse E-Enduro near you soon.
TAKE MY MONEY!!
Sign me up too. Sounds like fun.Technical Ebike wheelie climbing.
Coming to a mickey mouse E-Enduro near you soon.
TAKE MY MONEY!!
RickBullotta
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Just got my first ride in on a set of Maxxis Forekasters (EXO/TR, 29 x 2.35 rear, 29 x 2.60 front). In slightly damp conditions, on lots and lots of rocks, leaves, and roots. Could not have been more happy with the way they performed both climbing (no slippage on the slick stuff) and descending (predictable, and held up to some big hits). Ran 17 PSI front, 20 PSI rear. Highly recommended. I ordered another set immediately!
Waynemarlow
E*POWAH Master
A question, does everyone here ride a larger tyre on the front than the back ?
Who cares?
Last edited:
What compound? These were OEM on my wifes bike, and were not good at all around wet anything... basically.
Waynemarlow
E*POWAH Master
Ah but its a leading question whether we as EBike users stick to analogue known tyre setups ( which is what most Ebikers know ), the larger at the front running on lower pressures to get grip and the smaller width at the rear for least energy to move the bike foward ( as my own analogue bike is ) or do we move towards where off road motorcycles have evolved to over the last 50 years, that of smaller width larger diameter on the front ( best rollover and least resistance ) and wider smaller diameter in the rear ( best grip and best frame ergonomics to fit a rider + suspension ).
Progressively over the last 5 years or so we have seen the manufacturers launching bikes with Mullet and 29er same width tyres front and rear. Without doubt the need to minimise the measely 200W's of energy an average rider can put in for short bursts has been negated by the 800W's + riders 200W's a modern EBike produces ( think greater speed and less need of conservaton of energy as you can just fit another battery ) has meant that both frame setup and tyre choices are being more and more aligned with off road motorcycles than analogue bikes such as Gary has been used to.
Certainly the mullet set up has meant slacker head angles and the speed which a modern bike travels at has meant longer travel suspension on even XCountry bikes. All those changes kicks virtually all we knew with our analogue bikes tyres into touch ( ignore pure DH as being to specialist in design and too few to be considered to be the norm ). Perhaps a few have gone already the 29er front 2.6 and 27.5 2.8 route and are enjoying them as those bikes are now getting closer to where my Enduro motorbike already is in the way it handles. If it wasn't for the weight of the motorbike, I would say the long refinement of the Enduro bike has meant its still ahead in the overall handling stakes and the more we get longer suspension and heavier weights on our EBikes, the more the two will eventually meet in their design.
TBF 50%+ of Emtb riders are pretty clueless
eg.
Luckily most manufacturers have stopped specing their mullet Emtbs with a stupid plus tyre 27.5 rear. Because they handle shit
The reasons a motorcyle has it's tyre sizes that way is because of the massively powerful engine. FFS!
and please don't ignore DH as a specialist category either. Afterall your Ebike's only real benefit is cutting out the chore of climbing to get to the fun bits. The Descents. Most of the evolution of the modern mtb (and Emtb) has trickled down from DH racing. A little of that came from motorcycles. But the physics and dynamics are vastly different between mtb and moto,
The entire reason I said "who cares" Wayne. Is because I really don't care if some noddy off the internet chooses to run a totally stupid tyre combination. and certainly don't want to spend my evening reading long stupid analogies and misinformation about it.
eg.
No it hasn't
No.
Luckily most manufacturers have stopped specing their mullet Emtbs with a stupid plus tyre 27.5 rear. Because they handle shit
The reasons a motorcyle has it's tyre sizes that way is because of the massively powerful engine. FFS!
No it hasn't. Please just stop. it's painful.
and please don't ignore DH as a specialist category either. Afterall your Ebike's only real benefit is cutting out the chore of climbing to get to the fun bits. The Descents. Most of the evolution of the modern mtb (and Emtb) has trickled down from DH racing. A little of that came from motorcycles. But the physics and dynamics are vastly different between mtb and moto,
The entire reason I said "who cares" Wayne. Is because I really don't care if some noddy off the internet chooses to run a totally stupid tyre combination. and certainly don't want to spend my evening reading long stupid analogies and misinformation about it.
Partly out of curiosity and partly due to Merlin having terrific deals on Schalbe just now, I swapped my E-Wilds for a 27.5 Magic Mary 2.4 Super Trail soft, front and a 27.5 Big Betty 2.4 Super Gravity soft, rear. Ive done 3 rides at around 60 miles through my local woods which have become very slippy and muddy. Im still playing with pressures (currently 22f/24r) and I am very pleased. I averaged c11 mph as opposed to c10 on my last rides despite noticing a little bit of drag. Grip felt so much better and perhaps that heightened my confidence and encouraged me to horse it on a bit more, especially on corners and rougher stuff. I noticed that on each ride and on the exact same route and very similar conditions, I dropped a battery bar about at 4.5 miles as opposed to about 5 which I would normally do on that ride.
But I do feel more confident riding and Im happy with this combo.
But I do feel more confident riding and Im happy with this combo.
Waynemarlow
E*POWAH Master
So Gary, you have tried personally the current 2021setups, put them to back to back tests on the same day with your analogue bike and consider that the recent trends in EMTB's is shit. Interesting, if so kudos to you, or is the real truth, you have read it somewhere on the internet.
I beg to differ re the powerful engine bit, for anyone who has ridden motorcycle enduro's will know that over the last few decades, the trend has been the less powerful, the lighter the bike, the faster the average rider will go. On full power my M600 based EBike in tighter terrain is probably on a par with a modern 125 four stroke as far as grip, climbing and acceleration at lower speeds ( yes it has a throttle so its a direct comparison ). Its only once the terrain backs off that the 125 four stroke can stretch its legs.
Perhaps the current analogue bikes have some relationship with DH bikes but my guess is the EWS-E bikes are heading in different directions, my background has been offroad Motorbike based trends over the years and for me its very interesting watching the latest crop of Ebikes getting closer and closer to what I have been using over the last couple of decades.
Ah well, just trying to get the readers here to open their minds a tad by questioning the wisdom being promoted by some on the forum. I'll leave you to it Gary.
A few things I take into consideration when choosing tyres ( which is not very often!!) have not really been mentioned in this exhaustive/exhausting thread!!
Firstly different width tyres behave differently depending on rim width and tyre pressure. On my Levo the wheels are 30mm width and I find 2.6 tyres at the sort of tyre pressure which gives me best grip on my local forest trails just lack precision...i.e they feel vague, especially on the front. Hence I use 2.3 or 2.4.
Secondly, a 2.6 tyre on the rear gives precious little clearance to chain stays and chainstay cross member ( on the Levo). Any tyre pick up quickly gums up that area and also results in the tyre not clearing as well. 2.3/2.4 gives much better clearance. A tyre that does not clear is immediately compromised.
Thirdly, virtually any decent new tyre performs better than a used tyre. This is especially true when the tyre has multiple compounds where the surface layer is the softest rubber and first to be scrubbed off. As soon as the tread looses its sharp edges the grip is reduced....and it does not take many miles to do that. The rubber compounds also harden over time with exposure. So a tyre that maintains its performance longer is better VFM...........understandably the manufacturers and various tyre tests only focus on the performance of a brand new tyre........which could be the case for only a couple of rides!!
Firstly different width tyres behave differently depending on rim width and tyre pressure. On my Levo the wheels are 30mm width and I find 2.6 tyres at the sort of tyre pressure which gives me best grip on my local forest trails just lack precision...i.e they feel vague, especially on the front. Hence I use 2.3 or 2.4.
Secondly, a 2.6 tyre on the rear gives precious little clearance to chain stays and chainstay cross member ( on the Levo). Any tyre pick up quickly gums up that area and also results in the tyre not clearing as well. 2.3/2.4 gives much better clearance. A tyre that does not clear is immediately compromised.
Thirdly, virtually any decent new tyre performs better than a used tyre. This is especially true when the tyre has multiple compounds where the surface layer is the softest rubber and first to be scrubbed off. As soon as the tread looses its sharp edges the grip is reduced....and it does not take many miles to do that. The rubber compounds also harden over time with exposure. So a tyre that maintains its performance longer is better VFM...........understandably the manufacturers and various tyre tests only focus on the performance of a brand new tyre........which could be the case for only a couple of rides!!
I don't read too many reviews ...but my understanding is that most tests are done over at least a "season " that the specific tyre is designed for ..
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
My first emtb came with the same fast rolling tyres front 7 rear, Maxxis Rekon 29x2.6. The front was a triple compound, the rear was a single. According to my mtb experience, having the front gripper than the rear was sensible. But I soon started to have problems with the rear wheel spinning out. My first thought was that the tyre pattern was not good for what I was doing. Then maybe it was the extra torque going through the rear wheel that was the problem. Maybe a mix of both? Anyway the Rekons had to go. My aim was to get what I was used to but Continental didn't make the Trail Kings that I wanted, so I went for Maxxis HR II 29x2.5 front and rear. My aim was to get a 3C WT Maxx Terra EXO TR on the front and a 1C or maybe a 2C on the rear but I couldn't find any so it was 3C at both ends. My concern was that the rear would grip only too well and the front might slide out on slippy corners. But that never happened, and the rear wheel spinouts stopped. Happy.
My second emtb came with highly rated tyres at both ends. Front: Maxxis Assegai 29x2.5 TR DD 3C MaxxGrip. Rear: Maxxis Aggressor 27.5x2.5 TR DD Dual. This combo made sense, but I could not get on with the rear tyre at all. It was probably my fault and not the tyre, but once I had lost confidence in it, that was that! I replaced it with a WTB Trail Boss 27.5 x 2.6" TCS Light (Triple Compound + nylon Slash guard, Light casing) TR. So now the rear tyre is not only a smaller diameter but is wider than the front. This failed to bother me in the slightest. The tread pattern looks just as chunky, but actually slides out a fraction sooner and in a predictable manner. I am now very happy with the tyre mix I have. Having extra power on the rear has changed things.
My second emtb came with highly rated tyres at both ends. Front: Maxxis Assegai 29x2.5 TR DD 3C MaxxGrip. Rear: Maxxis Aggressor 27.5x2.5 TR DD Dual. This combo made sense, but I could not get on with the rear tyre at all. It was probably my fault and not the tyre, but once I had lost confidence in it, that was that! I replaced it with a WTB Trail Boss 27.5 x 2.6" TCS Light (Triple Compound + nylon Slash guard, Light casing) TR. So now the rear tyre is not only a smaller diameter but is wider than the front. This failed to bother me in the slightest. The tread pattern looks just as chunky, but actually slides out a fraction sooner and in a predictable manner. I am now very happy with the tyre mix I have. Having extra power on the rear has changed things.
Waynemarlow
E*POWAH Master
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
It is very likely that I am already at the bottom of whatever ranking he may have, if he even has one.
I can't avoid posting just because Gary might not like it.
Zed
Active member
Nah. For me I run very similar front and back. I wouldn't run lighter/faster on the back. But I also don't run DH tires as it makes the bike feel kind of sluggish and heavier and my trails don't really demand them.
Assegai Max Terra front, DHR2 dual compound back. Worth noting I'm in Queensland so it's very dry, dusty, gravely and rooty. Excellent combo for here. I'm not sure what else there is to want.
Controversially I'm trying 2.6 and really like it on my Wild FS, suits it's monster truck attitude. As of now I'd be replacing with the same.
Last edited:
RickBullotta
E*POWAH Elite World Champion
The “not Maxx Speed” version.
Copy That. Good to know the real Forkasters are an option. The version of Forkasters OEM on the Speedfox, were Dual Compound, EXO, and while decent on the dirt, were down right scary on harder surfaces. Compound matters.
Last edited:
carlbiker
🛡️🚵🛡️
I think this time of year at least for me I couldn’t give a toss about faster rolling resistance but then I also believe it’s better to have your offs going slightly slower than when trying to hit the sound barrier! I had a cracking off I put in my good, bad, ugly video where I was going at an angle on a long rock which I was trying to treat like a berm but I made the error of braking and my rear washed; for a split second I felt like superman as I flew over those bars!
The tyres then I think were just an average compound but had I used my ultra soft Big Betty would the tyre have slid out? Possibly but if it had created enough braking traction (obviously you shouldn’t brake in corners I know) on a slippy rock resulting in less offs then all of a sudden It’s a fantastic prospect Isn’t it?
I really would love to see a comparison video of braking traction on slippy rocks
…..Ive not personally tested the theory out as it was summer when I had the Betty and now I’m running MM soft for longer XC runs and Maxxis standard for dry days out to smaller places like Wharncliff without the razor sharp rocks….
The Maxxis does make the bike feel more playful and fun to ride but no way would I trust standard Exo tyres (noticed rusty has those) on a big ride out due to how they puncture.
Interesting to hear Rob mention even the thickness of the Maxxis tyres made a big difference and he can’t get along with DD (My Mary’s are probably similar), it’s probably this reason why I prefer the feel of the Maxxis but you cant have it both ways (hence why I’ve two wheel sets)
The tyres then I think were just an average compound but had I used my ultra soft Big Betty would the tyre have slid out? Possibly but if it had created enough braking traction (obviously you shouldn’t brake in corners I know) on a slippy rock resulting in less offs then all of a sudden It’s a fantastic prospect Isn’t it?
I really would love to see a comparison video of braking traction on slippy rocks
…..Ive not personally tested the theory out as it was summer when I had the Betty and now I’m running MM soft for longer XC runs and Maxxis standard for dry days out to smaller places like Wharncliff without the razor sharp rocks….The Maxxis does make the bike feel more playful and fun to ride but no way would I trust standard Exo tyres (noticed rusty has those) on a big ride out due to how they puncture.
Interesting to hear Rob mention even the thickness of the Maxxis tyres made a big difference and he can’t get along with DD (My Mary’s are probably similar), it’s probably this reason why I prefer the feel of the Maxxis but you cant have it both ways (hence why I’ve two wheel sets)
I can't consider a casing lighter than DD on the back, and don't care how good the lighter casings feel. If they won't last one week on my bike, I won't buy. Once bitten twice shy.
I prefer riding all season over pushing, so I run a Shorty or Hillbilly rear, for push avoidance.
I don't need that level of traction or casing up front.
This maybe the last ride this season for the Assegai on back.
The new shorty is in.
I prefer riding all season over pushing, so I run a Shorty or Hillbilly rear, for push avoidance.
I don't need that level of traction or casing up front.
This maybe the last ride this season for the Assegai on back.
The new shorty is in.
Alexbn921
Well-known member
Just installed a Magic Mary 27.5x2.6 in super soft. Makes the stock butcher tires feel like toys.
i see all are doing well. one of the best thread around
well had a good experience last 7 month with assegai 2.5 3c, heavy use in super dry loose conditions. rear was kiaser really loved the kaiser so after 1600 km switched last week to two kaiser 2.4 so far grip is on par with the assagei roles better rear is easier to drift and control wile drifting but needs higher air pressure front 22 rear 30 i weigh 105kg .
kaiser gets my thumb up got these ember eddition they rip and look cool on my levo
kiaser
well had a good experience last 7 month with assegai 2.5 3c, heavy use in super dry loose conditions. rear was kiaser really loved the kaiser so after 1600 km switched last week to two kaiser 2.4 so far grip is on par with the assagei roles better rear is easier to drift and control wile drifting but needs higher air pressure front 22 rear 30 i weigh 105kg .
kaiser gets my thumb up got these ember eddition they rip and look cool on my levo
kiaser
Tomsk
New Member
Hey tyre gurus, have just got a new bike with a mullet set up. Front is an assagai 29x2.5 which is new to me and am liking a lot, will leave as is. Rear is an 27.5 x2.5 aggressor which I have run before and like, but would like to be bigger: want more climbing and braking traction. Problem is it maxes out at 2.5 width.
All 2.6 maxxis tyres seem to be out of stock in australia at the moment in the thicker casings so am looking at an eddy current rear.
Reading around on the forum threads it sounds like 2.6 eddy currents are narrower than spec.
So am thinking of going 2.8 but will this be too wide for 29mm internal width rims? People seem to complain bout the casing being too firm, so I’m thinking I could get away with it - won’t squirm too much? Any other issues to consider? Will only be ridden in dry and dusty conditions, no mud really
All 2.6 maxxis tyres seem to be out of stock in australia at the moment in the thicker casings so am looking at an eddy current rear.
Reading around on the forum threads it sounds like 2.6 eddy currents are narrower than spec.
So am thinking of going 2.8 but will this be too wide for 29mm internal width rims? People seem to complain bout the casing being too firm, so I’m thinking I could get away with it - won’t squirm too much? Any other issues to consider? Will only be ridden in dry and dusty conditions, no mud really
EMTB Forums
Latest articles
-
The most reliable motor brand (in Norway)
A poll was posted on a big Norwegian emtb facebook group. There are...- Knut Nes
- 3 min read
- Views: 1K
- Reaction score: 5
- Comments: 6
-
2025 Canyon Spectral:ONfly CF Ltd review
We were quite surprised to read about the new lightweight Canyon...- Knut Nes
- 7 min read
- Views: 976
- Comments: 1