What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

[RustyMTB]

Back in a bit.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

I had one ride on the MM 2.4 Super Trail and BB 2.4 Super Trail.

Im not sure on them. After running the DD DHR2 2.4 and Assegai 2.5 MaxxGrip the Schwalbes feel…. Harsh? Even at lower pressures of circa 21psi. Grip seems good but the casing is way harder. I mentioned before the 120 TPI of the Maxxis feels great. Nice and supple.

In contrast the BB casing felt much cheaper and stiff. I could notice the difference in ride quality and comfort.

 

[Gary]

It's not just down to the TPI count. Rob. Super trail and DD are very different casing constructions.

If there's one thing this thread shows its that far too many punters try to compare different manufacturers tyres with totally different casings and compounds and it's simply not a fair comparison.

I watched (bits of) your recent tyre choice video the other night and thought it was really good simplifyication of the steps a beginner should follow when choosing tyres.
Definitely room on YouTube for another few excellently produced more advanced follow up videos explaining things like actual tread patterns, knob size, placement, shapes, sniping, transitional and angular knobs and directions. Casing construction comparing between the top few manufacturers. And then rubber compounds used, why, and where.
A little bit of homework required though.
PM me and I'll find you an old link that goes into great detail explaining knob/tread design.
The rest is easily found on all the major manufacturers websites.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

In contrast the BB casing felt much cheaper and stiff

yea, I recently took off an Assegai with DH casing from the back of my bike and put a Big Betty on there, needed the grip now things are getting sloppier here. I notice the same kind of thing and for the first time ever, I ragged the tyre so hard in corners that I lost sealant which is kinda like rubbing all the mould release gloss off your rear superbike tyre (the hero line)
point being I think your'e right though, the BB isn't as flexible on the sidewall even than a DH casing assegai, the sidewall feels...... 'plastiky' stil, I dont mind it

 

[Waynemarlow]

Something to consider, if you are not racing at pro level, not hammering the big drops, not doing anything other than 95% of all riders, that of XC and trail riding, the Schwalbe all rounder Nobby Nic ( yup they have been around forever ) saves a lot of pffafing around. Fit them, run them all year round, take them off when they have 1/2 worn, put them on fleabay and you get 1/2 your money back. What more could 95% of us ask for.

Psst, they are actually very good in sloppy conditions, big wide open treads that clear and nice rotational layout pattern of the knobs.

Nobby Nic | 57-559 | Super Ground | Addix Speedgrip | Black | 11654105

THE MTB TIRE WITH THE GREATEST RANGE OF APPLICATIONS. The all-rounder that works in every situation, no matter the weather, no matter the terrain. Widest possible range of use: for Tour and All-mountain, for difficult XC tracks as well as technically cha…

www.schwalbe.com

 

[Doomanic]

Psst, they are actually very good in sloppy conditions, big wide open treads that clear and nice rotational layout pattern of the knobs.

They really aren't. Especially when compared to an actual wet weather tyre.

 

[RustyMTB]

I run NN's on my trail bike & while they are ok all rounders, they're definitely a bit lightweight for winter, being polite about it & all.

 

[RustyMTB]

Gratuitous shot of my beloved Zesty on its Nobby Nics because reasons.

 

[Waynemarlow]

They really aren't. Especially when compared to an actual wet weather tyre.

Totally agree, but the words I used was pfaffing around. If they are good all rounders, then in almost all probability they will cope well with 90% of the trails a trail / xc country rider would encounter. Is it worth the Pfaff to constantly change to wet / mud tyres for 10% of trails you actually encounter in the winter time and because you have the latest and greatest winter tyre on, you will get 10% more grip.?

Sometimes the lure of the marketing hype out does the products actual usefulness in the real world.

 

[Tubby G]

Totally agree, but the words I used was pfaffing around. If they are good all rounders, then in almost all probability they will cope well with 90% of the trails a trail / xc country rider would encounter. Is it worth the Pfaff to constantly change to wet / mud tyres for 10% of trails you actually encounter in the winter time and because you have the latest and greatest winter tyre on, you will get 10% more grip.?

Sometimes the lure of the marketing hype out does the products actual usefulness in the real world.

I recently put a Nobby on my rear wheel basically because they’re cheap, readily available, and do me for 90% of the trails. Admittedly I had a spectacular 180 spin out on a wet sloppy patch of berm at the weekend but it’s all part of the fun of the ride imo. Far more grip than the Minion SS I had on in the summer

 

[Waynemarlow]

The Nobby Nic has changed over its last couple of iterations to now a " go to " tyre for me. People are a bit sniffy about it, principally as its been around for such a long time, but these latest ones seem to be a step up and I simply can't be bothered to change tyres for every season. I guess if you have a winter set of wheels as some of my riding buddies have then fine, but do they ride any better, that I'm not so sure about.

At the end of the day, without back to back testing on the day, on the same bike, on the same conditions, then its beyond the paygrade of most to get the best out of any of the tyres currently out there.

 

[Tubby G]

The Nobby Nic has changed over its last couple of iterations to now a " go to " tyre for me. People are a bit sniffy about it, principally as its been around for such a long time, but these latest ones seem to be a step up and I simply can't be bothered to change tyres for every season. I guess if you have a winter set of wheels as some of my riding buddies have then fine, but do they ride any better, that I'm not so sure about.

At the end of the day, without back to back testing on the day, on the same bike, on the same conditions, then its beyond the paygrade of most to get the best out of any of the tyres currently out there.

It all depends what you’re riding too obviously. Around here we tend to keep off the off-piste trails in the winter otherwise they just get churned up. Sticking to trail centres and XC rides for the next few months until the sun starts to shine once again. Nobby Nics will be absolutely fine. I got my 27.5 x 2.3 for £18, bargain

 

[RustyMTB]

Round here, it's all chalk downland & gravel loose pack. You could ride metal spikes in winter & still have a twitchy bum every ride. I may as well run slicks for half the trails I burn around on.

 

[Tubby G]

Round here, it's all chalk downland & gravel loose pack. You could ride metal spikes in winter & still have a twitchy bum every ride. I may as well run slicks for half the trails I burn around on.

I used to ride the Ridgeway when I lived down south. That was chalky, Made a right mess of the bike when wet!

 

[Waynemarlow]

On and around the Ridgeway is my patch, some superb riding in the area and very much overlooked. But can you remember the Ridgeway in the 80's - 90's when the 4 x 4 boys had free reign, they would chew it up to chassis level then spend the rest of the winter dragging each other through it for sheer fun.

Those days have gone when a lot of it was downgraded by Tony Blairs cohort to footpaths one late ( 2.30am ) parlimentarian session when on a call to all off road organisations to map and note where we had been travelling, over 10K miles was about to be submitted as RUPPS.

Plenty of steep chalky, mud, flint strewn, you name it, of climbs in the area. Some of the below climbs are over 20%

 

[Tubby G]

On and around the Ridgeway is my patch, some superb riding in the area and very much overlooked. But can you remember the Ridgeway in the 80's - 90's when the 4 x 4 boys had free reign, they would chew it up to chassis level then spend the rest of the winter dragging each other through it for sheer fun.

Those days have gone when a lot of it was downgraded by Tony Blairs cohort to footpaths one late ( 2.30am ) parlimentarian session when on a call to all off road organisations to map and note where we had been travelling, over 10K miles was about to be submitted as RUPPS.

Plenty of steep chalky, mud, flint strewn, you name it, of climbs in the area. Some of the below climbs are over 20%
View attachment 74316

To be fair, I don’t remember much of the 90’s, except all the free parties along the Ridgeway and staying overnight at Wayland Smithy whist under the influence of hallucinogenics, but that’s a different story

 

[Waynemarlow]

To be fair, I don’t remember much of the 90’s, except all the free parties along the Ridgeway and staying overnight at Wayland Smithy whist under the influence of hallucinogenics, but that’s a different story

I thought that was the 80's

 

[Mikerb]

We all run in different conditions. My local forests are sandy loam plus pine needles/leaves/grit etc. I rode yesterday in Wareham Forest and the bike came back cleaner than it has on most rides throughout the summer and that after 2 days of heavy rain and strong winds. The ground is a bit softer and the leaf/pine needle drop is like a carpet in places but the rain dampened all the dust the bike got covered in during the summer. Yestrdays ride was on the Levo which has Michelin Wild 2.4 tyres ( not E Wild!). They have been great on the hard ground all summer and are still good on the softer ground with slightly lowered pressures (19f/21R). More XC type rides along the ridges a bove the coastline will be more slippery but I would only change tyres...and then only the rear tyre ......for muddier terrain further north from the coast.

 

[RustyMTB]

Purely anecdotally, I swapped the MM's for an Assegai up front & a Minion on the back & went riding yesterday. 20 miles, 2000ft vertical & got home on three bars vs two on a MM equipped comparable ride last week on the same trails but not the exact same route.

They definitely feel like they're rolling faster & they're narrower so should do anyway & it's what I wanted from my tyres so likely a mix of obviously the case & some psychological bias. Let's see how they add up over time.

 

[apac]

Purely anecdotally, I swapped the MM's for an Assegai up front & a Minion on the back & went riding yesterday. 20 miles, 2000ft vertical & got home on three bars vs two on a MM equipped comparable ride last week on the same trails but not the exact same route.

They definitely feel like they're rolling faster & they're narrower so should do anyway & it's what I wanted from my tyres so likely a mix of obviously the case & some psychological bias. Let's see how they add up over time.

What compound and casing did you go for?

 

[RustyMTB]

What compound and casing did you go for?

 

[The Hodge]

I have an Assegai upfront ..and mistakenly ordered a Minnion DHF DD casing to replace the rear DHR ..
I'm loving the combination

 

[carlbiker]

They really aren't. Especially when compared to an actual wet weather tyre.

Agreed, was dogshit for me when I hit the most difficult enduro line I’ve faced and had zero help from the tyre…..I even showed my coach some examples of how poor it was and he just laughed.

 

[Gary]

View attachment 74499

A softer compound tyre on the rear than the front is an interesting concept

 

[apac]

I'm lucky enough to have two sets of wheels.
winter combo.. ultra soft Mary front, DHR max terra DD rear. (Currently max grip on rear, it's wearing very fast and is a pita for pedalling).
summer combo... assegai max grip exo+ front, minion SS max terra DD rear.( not got these yet, but would love some advice on a Minion SS alternative).... anyone?

 

[Zimmerframe]

summer combo... assegai max grip exo+ front, minion SS max terra DD rear

Otherwise known as "Sheep Survey Setup"

winter combo.. ultra soft Mary front, DHR max terra DD rear.

Otherwise known as "Sheep Action Setup"

 

[apac]

Otherwise known as "Sheep Survey Setup"


Otherwise known as "Sheep Action Setup"

Just Sheep worrying in the summer,, but I need my big wellies on in the winter, with room for an extra pair of legs

 

[Waynemarlow]

A softer compound tyre on the rear than the front is an interesting concept

Depends on what width the tyre and tread pattern is. That wider tyre with more contact points might just need a softer rubber to get grip on the hard surfaces and having more faces of the blocks to pull through the sloppy surfaces, just could mean its a better tyre overall, less likely to puncture and probably more durable.

Oh I think we are back to to the old " do you run wider tyres in the winter "

 

[Gary]

I'm lucky enough to have two sets of wheels.
winter combo.. ultra soft Mary front, DHR max terra DD rear. (Currently max grip on rear, it's wearing very fast and is a pita for pedalling).
summer combo... assegai max grip exo+ front, minion SS max terra DD rear.( not got these yet, but would love some advice on a Minion SS alternative).... anyone?

Personally I don't see any benefit from running soft compound semi-slicks like the SS. The entire reason to run one is to increase rolling speed and acceleration. Therefore a draggy compound on the centre tread just doesn't make much sense. Even in lowly dual compound those side knobs rail like a motherfucker when leant over properly. (same side knob design as a DHF)
Low pressures just don't work with the concept either. neither would a larger volume than the 2.3 they come in. And they're also optimum profile on a 25mm rim

 

[Gary]

Depends on what width the tyre and tread pattern is. That wider tyre with more contact points might just need a softer rubber to get grip on the hard surfaces and having more faces of the blocks to pull through the sloppy surfaces, just could mean its a better tyre overall, less likely to puncture and probably more durable.

That's absolute nonsense Wayne.
Both tyres are EXO casing and the wider tyre is his front Assegai. (the one with the harder compound)

I suspect he simply had little to choose from rather than making up some seudo scientific nonsense to justify the unusual choice.

Grip wise It won't make a whole lot of difference TBH.. But that rear tyre tread isn't going to last too long if it sees much dry)/hardpack or braking.