What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

[33red]

For about 1 month i use a Rekon 2.8 on 40 mm(rear). It is mounted not to favor rolling but grip because climbing is my fun. My experience is close to yours but most of the time it grips back soon enough. Obviously it was never designed for mud but when i see some ahead i slow down a bit and i am suprised that good rolling tire have that much grip. My front is a 3.0 Chronicle and performs well.

 

[Rusty]

For about 1 month i use a Rekon 2.8 on 40 mm(rear). It is mounted not to favor rolling but grip because climbing is my fun. My experience is close to yours but most of the time it grips back soon enough. Obviously it was never designed for mud but when i see some ahead i slow down a bit and i am suprised that good rolling tire have that much grip. My front is a 3.0 Chronicle and performs well.

The other thing that should be noted is that often a certain tire that you really liked on a 27.5 really does not work as well in 29 format & vice versa. Heck, I had a tire I loved on my conventional 29er but when I decided to try plus wheels I found it nowhere near as predictable.
Again, from my motocross background I often found a pattern I loved on the 125 was not as nice in a bigger size on the 250.

 

[papab]

My commencal came with 2.6 hans dampf and magic mary. Can't complain, but I'll probly try minions when they wear out, that's what I have on the front of my ripley & really like it.
For those with a similar big tire setup, what tire pressure are you running? I'm about 150 lb (68 kg) & running 16 psi front and 18 or 19 rear. I'd like to go even lower.

 

[33red]

My commencal came with 2.6 hans dampf and magic mary. Can't complain, but I'll probly try minions when they wear out, that's what I have on the front of my ripley & really like it.
For those with a similar big tire setup, what tire pressure are you running? I'm about 150 lb (68 kg) & running 16 psi front and 18 or 19 rear. I'd like to go even lower.

Are you with tubes? How wide are your rims?

 

[papab]

Tubeless of course, 35mm

 

[33red]

Tubeless of course, 35mm

18 seems high to me. I would take 1 off each ride to find my sweet spot

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

I just had my first ride with a Maxxis Assegai 2.5 with DH casing on the rear wheel. It replaced my Maxxis DHR II 2.6 exo which was collecting a number of leaks and holes. FYI I'm running a DHF in the front.

Very impressive traction!! It holds a line like nothing else and really boosts your confidence to #SendIt in muddy/wet conditions thanks to the tall knobs. The thick sidewall and lower profile do wonders to minimize tyre roll on corners. The drawback is the weight and rolling resistance which is noticeable on the climbs and coasting but nothing that is going to me want to go back to an exo casing.

My priority is reliability and traction, I'll gladly slow the bike down slightly to make sure I don't faf around with leaking tyres and punctures.

 

[tp_reading]

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.

 

[KenX]

On my Decoy I'm running 29 x 2.5 DHF 3C DH casing tubeless with 2.8 x 27.5 Eddy Current soft SG casing also tubeless, 18psi F&R, no burping, no wallowing and claws uphill like a velociraptor!

 

[Matthew87]

Ex. downhill racer here. Nowadays I almost only ride trails with a very aggressive riding style. I think Maxxis Assegai (EXO+) in the front and DHR (DD) in the back with Cushcore is the best combo. The grip in the Assegai is insane.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Ex. downhill racer here. Nowadays I almost only ride trails with a very aggressive riding style. I think Maxxis Assegai (EXO+) in the front and DHR (DD) in the back with Cushcore is the best combo. The grip in the Assegai is insane.

I want to try the Assegai in 29” Exo+ but can’t find it anywhere.

 

[Matthew87]

I want to try the Assegai in 29” Exo+ but can’t find it anywhere.

Do you ride with Cushcore? I think EXO is ok then if youre not riding super aggressively.

 

[khorn]

I want to try the Assegai in 29” Exo+ but can’t find it anywhere.

What about the brand new Dissector, it should be insane grip.


Karsten

 

[Armeniandave]

I'm interested in the Dissector too. Once I wear out the
Maxxis that will come with my bike I'll look into this tire
for the rear.

 

[mtbross]

Here in So CA I keep going back to Maxxis Minion for both E and every other mtb I own.

 

[iainc]

I was planning on 2.8 Magic Mary front, Nobby Nic rear on my on order Focus Jam2 but having heard some very good reports on the new 2.8 Michelin E Wild F&R I think I’ll go with them instead.

 

[Dirtnvert]

I was planning on 2.8 Magic Mary front, Nobby Nic rear on my on order Focus Jam2 but having heard some very good reports on the new 2.8 Michelin E Wild F&R I think I’ll go with them instead.

I went through 3 email restock notifications from chain reaction before i snagged some. It seems if theyre in stock they sell out quick(within a day or 3) but so far they keep restocking all the michelins fairly quick

 

[Pukmeister]

I just had a minor issue with my new front Michelin E-Wild going flat every few days (tubeless). I used some snoop leak detector fluid and found one small rim leak but lots of tiny pin holes and splits in the sidewalls that were feathering slightly. I called the Giant store Southampton where purchased and they were superb, they swapped out my front tyre without quibble. I presumed being a noob that the tyre slime should seal any tiny punctures. I assume these were either tiny thorn piercings or rubber splits from rim impacts unless the tyre was a rogue one from manufacture. Just done a 20 mile trail ride today in near swamp conditions after heavy rains and the E-Wild really are superb at finding grip in everything I could throw at them.

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

No problem with wifey mate. Just my own reservations. At what point do you stop spending money on bike bits?
When the bailiffs turn up maybe?

nah just don't open the door or leave any windows open. At least you cant afford to drink or smoke

 

[iainc]

Good to hear more positive reports on the E Wilds, I’ll be setting up tubeless with the Stans Race sealant most likely. @Pukmeister , what size you on ?

 

[Pukmeister]

Good to hear more positive reports on the E Wilds, I’ll be setting up tubeless with the Stans Race sealant most likely. @Pukmeister , what size you on ?

2.6" wide on the standard Giant 27.5 rims, which are 35mm IIRC.

If I suffer leakage again I will try a better sealant than the OE stuff, I can't just keep changing tyres out or pumping up every few dayd.

 

[iXi]

I just put an 27.5 assegai exo+ maxxterra 3c on the front, initial thoughts are positive. On the rear have the Aggressor, it rolls well but slips and slides around heaps on the loose stuff, maybe I should have went with the DH casing on the back

 

[Dirtnvert]

2.6" wide on the standard Giant 27.5 rims, which are 35mm IIRC.

If I suffer leakage again I will try a better sealant than the OE stuff, I can't just keep changing tyres out or pumping up every few dayd.

You may want to try this. Most times the leaks are the tape. I just got new tires and wheels. Wheels came taped and ready to be tubeless and they sealed up quick and ez. Now today im getting a leak. Im going back to getto. Rarelt loose any psi and they even held air all winter in the shed with a few weeks of -25c. I put a strip of gorilla tape before the split tube

 

[rsilvers]

I want to try the Assegai in 29” Exo+ but can’t find it anywhere.

Maxxis Assegai 29" Trail Tire | Jenson USA

 

[Ginsterdrz]

I went through 3 email restock notifications from chain reaction before i snagged some. It seems if theyre in stock they sell out quick(within a day or 3) but so far they keep restocking all the michelins fairly quick

Wheelbase at Staveley had plenty in stock but I didn't notice pricing.... Maxxis guy!

 

[Dirtnvert]

Wheelbase at Staveley had plenty in stock but I didn't notice pricing.... Maxxis guy!

Thanks , i snagged one last round. Im not familiar with wheelbase. Im in Canada

 

[Nickolp1974]

Another new e-wild user. So far so good, no problems with deflating, sealed 1st time. Got them in 2.6 width and changed from DHR front and rekon rear. So much more confidence in the back end now, they really dig in and only improve the faster you go. Not tested battery usage yet on a full ride but they do roll well.

 

[Swissrob]

Dude. After I left Paul I rode all afternoon at Glentress with my Ebike switched off (the battery still had the 3 bars when I switched it off) spent a good half an hour just jumping and climbed to the top twice. I don't really care about battery range, and certainly don't have battery anxiety. when the lights go out it doesn't mean the party's over

I'll try to answer your questions but I can't really offer you the specific advice you're asking for.
The tread design depends on what you can cope with and what your local terrain is. I'll happily ride my go to dry weather set-up (2.5 DHF exo DC front and 2.3 SS exo DC silkworm rear) in the wetest slippiest conditions down some of the hardest steepest trails in the country. Most people won't. I actually enjoy being a little more on the edge (not 100% in control) at times.
Most people where I ride will be scrabbling to fit shortys or Magic Marys right around this time of year. I won't. I never do.

What I run is irrelivant to you. but basically I run a DHF or DHRII up front, Semi slicks or DHFs rear.
2.5 DH casings on my DH bikes, 2.5/2.3 Exo on enduro/Eeb and 2.35/2.35 single ply on hardtails and Slopestyle bikes.

A DHRII upfront when ridden properly corners almost exactly the same as a DHF but offers massively more braking performance. They are both soe of the most predictable tyre tread designs ever created.

You almost certainly don't need a full DH casing unless you are absolutely smashing very rough/rocky DH tracks. a lighter intermediate casing and appropriate presures should suffice.
A clumsy rider can dish out more abuse. as can a heavy rider. But the solution is not to go to full DH casings. It's to ride within your limits, choose better lines and stop smashing into square edges.

There's absolutely no point in me telling you a starting point for tyre pressure as I know nothing about you, how you ride, where you ride, what you weigh, your riding style, cornering preference etc. etc.
What I can tell you is you need a sidewall to support the tread, so the thinner/lighter the casing the more pressure you need to run to support it. You're looking for a tyre pressure somewhere high enough where it will never fold or squirm and low enough it gives you the grip and comfort you're looking for. it's always a compromise and also down to personal preference. I'm not looking for ultimate grip and I'm certainly not looking for maximum comfort. Support is far more important to me.
To try and explain something to you I'll use the Minion SS semi slick as an example.
If you run a minion SS too soft in the rear looking for more straight line traction it will conform (squirm) too much and simply won't dig in properly (consistently) when you lean it over properly. ie. When you REALLY need the grip! it won't hold you! Straight line grip really isn't that important to me at all. cornering grip is.

Missed this but it answers my question in another thread.

Fancy a race Karsten?


I'll stick to my stupid tyre volumes and pressures.. You stick to yours.

Good luck.

Random thoughts while riding yesterday with my new DHF not gripping wet roots any better than the Butcher I took off. Everyone has an opinion about tyre pressures but what are we trying to achieve with tyre pressures? There again there is no absolute answer as everyone has similar needs but different priorities.

In my mind it comes down to the amount of deformation of the tyre with the surface it's in contact which will determine the performance. Speed, skill, weight, terrain ect all effect deformation and therefore grip. So maybe concentrating on the maximum pressure you can run to get the level of deformation you need before losing grip would be better than a pissing competition about low pressures?

Thoughts on this?

 

[Gary]

Riding wet roots well is down to the rider.
Softer compound tyres help a little as does optimum tyre pressure and tread pattern but neither is a magical fix for a poor rider, line choice or weight placement.
And no tyre is designed specifically with wet root performance as its ultimate goal.

Watch a good rider ride those same roots on a DHF*.

* or a butcher. It won't make a difference which tyre it is between the two (very similar) treads.

Ps. What's with cross quoting posts between different threads?

 

[Swissrob]

Wet roots are one of my many poor skills!
I posted then searched and you post came up so I thought it was relevant to both threads.
Given how some people have raved over DHF and I could get one for next to nothing I thought it was worth a try but was surprised by the lack of difference on roots.