What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

[skypickle]

are michelin Ewild tubeless ready?

 

[Dirtnvert]

are michelin Ewild tubeless ready?

Yes. I find they take a bit of the ol muscles to get on but they seal ez and very well. The last 4 days on my ewild in the rear and its everthing id hoped. Rolls well and lots of traction. 27.5/2.6 paired with my rockr 2 29/2.35 front. Deadly combo on the jump trails or on our steep loose dh trails. Width is equivalent to a maxxis 2.75 rear/2.5 front width tire for comparisons sake

 

[skypickle]

@Dirtnvert
What pressures do you run? do you cushcore?

 

[Dirtnvert]

@Dirtnvert
What pressures do you run? do you cushcore?

Im running my normal pressures of 28psi rear/24psi front. I havent experimented too much with pressures yet. I think ill only lower the rear for big steep climbs. Personal preference but i like that kind of sidewall support in the turns and these are slowing my down on our steepest trails as they are. I have a nukeproof liner in the rear. Cant really comment on that as thatll be the test of time. I screwed too on those liners. I havent looked but i think i was supposed to use the supplied tubeless valves for the nukeproof liners. I just grabbed some valves i had and stuck them in there and the sealant has sealed the valve to the liner. I cant get any air out of them. Probably pull the core and stick something sharp in there. Guessing the nukeproof valves let air in and out from tge sides of the valve inside the rim rather than vertical straight at the liner. The liners seem like theyll work good though/fingers crossed
Ive been sold on michelin, again, for the last 3 years. They have the best rubber and the most durable tires atm

 

[StevoKickstart]

I ride a Levo Carbon '19- Last week I changed the stock Butchers to Eddy Currents (F&R 2.6's) and I'm running them tubeless.
Last weekend for the first outing I rode in the dry on the loamy Surrey Hills; I am so impressed with the front and allowed me to be significantly faster on my normal trails.
The front Butcher used to start to wipe out which inhibited my speed around flowing loamy corners, but the EC gave me so much more confidence and therefore speed. I didn't notice anything different on the rear- but I've only ridden once in the dry.
They are heavy tyres, but I'm not bothered as they give confidence and stability.
As an aside I like the rear tread pattern as it reminds me of the "go to" motorcycle trials tyre back in the 80'/90's which was made by Michelin. My hero back then was a Belgian Honda rider called Eddy Lejeune who was revolutionary for motor-cycle trials... I almost thought that this tyre was named after him and his Michelins.... anyone else thought this?? or am I just being sentimental.... and showing my age...
I recommend the EC's. If anyone's interested I can report feedback as the Autumn/ Winter kicks in?

 

[Kave]

I switched from the Specialized Butcher 2.6 tires to the Continental Der Baron 2.4.What a world of difference in the wet. The bike now has tons of grips over wet stones, roots etc.
They seem to be almost as wide as well even though they are sold as 2.4 tires.

 

[RoJo]

Eddy Currents rock - been using them at Morzine, grip and wear is great, although the front washes unpredictably every now and then. Next time I would go for 2.8 Mary up front.

On my other bike I've been running 2.8 Minion DHRII both ends - on the front I hate them, as there is significant sliding as you transition to the aggressive edge knobs which don't always catch you. On the rear it's fab - excellent traction, braking and the huge edge knobs do their job at the rear.
After 1150miles in the Surrey hills (no rocks), my rear tyre gave up, and I had some unused Specialized Butchers 2.8 lying around from girlfriends Kenevo. I expected them to be junk, but since it was only the rear tyre I was replacing, I thought I'd give it a go. Amazingly it has significantly less grip in traction, braking and cornering than the 1150mile DHRII that I threw away! The tyre doesn't catch big slides, as the tread is too rounded so the corner knobs don't dig in. Rolling resistance is less, so it's a bit quicker. The tyre is really bouncy - there must be very limited damping in the carcass as I had to increase rebound damping by two clicks to keep things under control! Anyhow, I don't mind the rear sliding a bit, so I'll stick with it until I can be bothered to buy some new tyres. I would never stick one on the front as cornering would be a nightmare.

When I can be bothered I'll try 2.8 Mary Front and 2.8 Eddy Rear or 2.8 eWild Front on Rear (lighter and more grip) as per Tim29's recommendations.

 

[Injidup]

My Giant Fathom E+2 Pro came with Maxxis Forecasters, and after 6 months decided to fit tyres more suited to the tow paths, bridle ways and tracks that I frequent. Today fitted some tubeless Maxxis Pace, faster and really quiet. View attachment 16843

Is that a 968?

 

[stiv674]

I'm thinking of changing my 29" Minion DHF-2.5/DHR-2.4 combo to something better suited to wet muddy UK Autumn/Winter conditions, I've sort of narrowed it down to the following but I'm open to suggestions...

I generally ride by-ways/ridgeway etc with the occasional bike park outing.

Front - 2.35 width
Rear - 2.3 width 3C version

 

[fragledoozer]

presume 2.8's are fine on a 2020 levo and a 2019 levo hardtail

 

[B1rdie]

I have been riding this combination of on one smorgasboard rear and chunky monkey front on my bikes for a long time and now set the ebike with the same. The point is having the same feedback of traction for climbing and descending on all my bikes. Compared to the original tyre set of the spectral, I’ve lost some 15% of climbing traction and 25% of breaking with the rear, witch I find good since sliding the rear suits my style trajectory corrections.

 

[tp_reading]

Is that a 968?

Yes it is, good spot. My other pride and joy !

 

[Injidup]

Yes it is, good spot. My other pride and joy !

Nice! I’m a car nerd! I have a Lotus Elise. Great fun.

 

[tp_reading]

Nice! I’m a car nerd! I have a Lotus Elise. Great fun.

I know that it’s wrong to hijack a thread, but any excuse !

 

[CjP]

While we’re at it, my other “ride”,
Technically I’m still on topic

 

[Injidup]

I see what you did there, technically.
And for more thread drift, here’s mine...

 

[tp_reading]

I see what you did there, technically.
And for more thread drift, here’s mine...

That is a very pretty motor !

 

[StuR]

Anybody know what , if any , sidewall height difference there is between 2.8 and 2.8 Magic Marys ?
Apologies if this has been covered , thanks

 

[rsilvers]

eMTB Tire Review – DHR2/DHF vs Eddy Current – Matter-Replicator

 

[Binhill1]

While we’re at it, my other “ride”,
Technically I’m still on topic

View attachment 19517

Haha I thought that was real and goes jeepers he must be minted that lucky person , then i seen the bike tyre had too much whisky.

 

[Eddy Current]

Vittoria is what i wear on my XC hardtail, great tires for that, haven’t tried any of their enduro tires, what they offer are pretty much the same draw other brands wich I’m ok with it on my ebike and I don’t want to do experiments, but now they offer the Vittoria Agarro on 27.5/29, 2.35/2.6 and it’s looks a good compromise between rolling and grip

seems good if you want to carry speed on a mixed hardpack/loose trail, for example

 

[HORSPWR]

I fitted up a Michelin E-Wild Rear (27.5 x 2.6) on Saturday morning and then took the bike out for a 32km ride. Wow, these tyres are super grippy, I don't know how long it will last but it is streets ahead of the Continental that came off. I could actually hear the tyre picking up and throwing the small stones (like a hot drag racing tyre) when I was on a concrete transport section.

I feel it made my rear suspension work better because the side wall is heaps stiffer than the Conti so it isn't bouncy upon impact with rocks and square edges and therefore forces the suspension to do the work rather than the sidewall of the tyre which I like as the suspension has rebound control unlike the sidewall of the tyre.

It was a bit harder to fit than the Conti that went on by hand, this tyre needed my Metzler Enduro tyre levers to get it on but it wasn't overly difficult, I could've installed it with shorter MTB levers but I've got the Metzler's and they make short work of installing any tyre. It seated on the sidewalls without any fuss and hasn't dropped a single PSI since the install. Overall I love it and would say this is a great rear tyre, is it now my go to rear tyre of choice, I'd like to think so but I'm a bit of a tyre slut and will try them all out at some stage, next I'm keen to try the Schwalbe Eddy Current.

 

[Swissrob]

So all this talking and malarkey about tyres has made me curious. As luck would have it I bought a bunch (for Chf 30!) all are nearly new so obviously someone has a Maxxis sponsor as they came with bags, stickers, belts and a calculator! I tried the DHF 2.8 on the front and straight ahead grip was good but steering was not much different to the Butcher. So I then put it on the back and Agessi 2.5 DHC on the front. Definitely a bit more rolling resistance. Steering has improved out of sight every where. DHF on the rear is interesting, braking and traction going up in crap conditions is a lot better but it does move a bit sideways which I am enjoying except on wet roots. A faster combination for me as I have better grip for braking late and the front goes and stays where I point it.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Is it me or is the cost of tyres getting ridiculous? More expensive than car tyres!

Haha, well...
Is it just me or are eMTB prices getting ridiculous? More expensive than some new motorcycles and in some cases some fairly decent used cars!

 

[Doomanic]

You’re both right.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

can anyone recommend me a tyre for a Levo that works well for large and loose rocky trails like sarn helen or strata florida ? I also ride muddy forest so ideally something will do both - video below of sarn helen, strata is similar but probably a bit more heavy hitting with loads of river crossings..
these were my regular rides on the motorbike and ill be doing them pretty frequently on the Levo.

 

[exckiwi]

I ride a Levo Carbon '19- Last week I changed the stock Butchers to Eddy Currents (F&R 2.6's) and I'm running them tubeless.
Last weekend for the first outing I rode in the dry on the loamy Surrey Hills; I am so impressed with the front and allowed me to be significantly faster on my normal trails.
The front Butcher used to start to wipe out which inhibited my speed around flowing loamy corners, but the EC gave me so much more confidence and therefore speed. I didn't notice anything different on the rear- but I've only ridden once in the dry.
They are heavy tyres, but I'm not bothered as they give confidence and stability.
As an aside I like the rear tread pattern as it reminds me of the "go to" motorcycle trials tyre back in the 80'/90's which was made by Michelin. My hero back then was a Belgian Honda rider called Eddy Lejeune who was revolutionary for motor-cycle trials... I almost thought that this tyre was named after him and his Michelins.... anyone else thought this?? or am I just being sentimental.... and showing my age...
I recommend the EC's. If anyone's interested I can report feedback as the Autumn/ Winter kicks in?

I Had my local shop fit an Eddy Current to the front of my 19 sworks and the guy that fitted it complained about how hard it was to fit, so I fitted an Ec to the rear today and I can see why he complained. I've been fitting dirt bike tires for years so had plenty of experience changing tires.
I was curious to know how you found fitting them. I used the standard plastic levers and snapped two of them in the process.

 

[StevoKickstart]

Hi
I didn't have any probs, even with using the plastic levers. The issue I has was seating them! I only have a track stand pump and this wasn't up to the job. Luckily Dave at "On-Site Cycles" here in Billingshurst (nr Horsham) has a compressor.
I still love the EC's though- very good grip

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

I switched from the Specialized Butcher 2.6 tires to the Continental Der Baron 2.4.What a world of difference in the wet. The bike now has tons of grips over wet stones, roots etc.
They seem to be almost as wide as well even though they are sold as 2.4 tires.

Interesting that you mentioned that the Continental Der Barons are good over wet stones, roots, etc.

Four years ago, the company I work for acquired a "Grace" hardtail eBike which was imported from Germany. It's the first proper eBike I've ever ridden and is what got me convinced that pedal assist bikes are gonna take off. It's not a common brand and I doubt if I'll ever see it in NZ bike shops.

Much to my surprise, those Continental Mountain King 2.2 tyres it came with happens to be very good in wet slimy hard pack clay and greasy exposed roots where I ride (common NZ winter terrain). In fact it was good for anywhere (loose gravel, sand, tarmac). When came the time to spec tyres for my new trail bike-build (with a Bafang conversion kit), I naturally wanted the same tyre. I had to go to an importer to get them (stores didn't stock them at the time), but I was shocked that they were just the cheap basic tyre model. Put them on and couldn't be happier. Even on higher (safer) tyre pressures, they still bite well in the wet. They're just as useless as any tyre I've tried over mud bogs, but the treads are quick to shed the mud off and self-clean once they're out.

A year later, when I got my Giant Trance E+, it came with Maxxis tyres with the usual Minion 2.6 DHF at the front - I mean what eBike doesn't come stock standard with this, right? I know it's meant to be the best front tyre for enduro eBikes but I just couldn't bond with it from day one. It felt very draggy (bike slows down noticeably when coasting) and the square-ish cross sectional profile made the steering sluggish and the side knobs just kept flicking up stones for some reason. I was about to change them to Maxxis High Rollers.

But last minute, I decided to change over to Continental Mountain King tyres when I realised they were available in 2.4 and you're right @Kave their 2.4s almost seem as wide as the 2.6 tyres. I believe the Trail Kings are a better model up with better compounds and casings... improving all the way up to your Der Barons, which I'm meaning to try one of these days. These models are all available in 2.6 but I went for the 2.4 for lower rolling resistance (easier on battery drain).

Below is the thread profile from my spinning Continental MKs (these particular Conti models seem to have a similar cross-section - although slightly different tread patterns). It's roundish with a minimum central row of knobs, with the side knobs only coming into play when you need them during cornering. I believe its why it's got low rolling resistance and gives a livelier steering for trail riding which is what I mostly do.

I don't ride hard enough to ever take a DHF to the ragged racing edge, so I can't comment regarding a high performance comparison. But I do like the Conti MKs 2.4 as a jack-of-all-trades tyre that's more trail oriented, and is at the very least - predictable in the wet.

 

[njn]

Used Maxxis for years, the Michelin e wild 2.6 have been great on the Meta.