Tire Review Thread

[bjammin]

I swagged some Kenda Nevegals in the new 2.35 ust at I-bike last week. Rode them for the first time today and they hooked up on everything. I ran 35psi in the rear and 32 in the front with zero sidewall flex. This is the new hot tire.

[FyrFytrRyn]

2.4 mutano raptors. i love them.

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by mcgrath

take your wave and wave on out of here Waldo. No, but seriously, thanks. Didn't realize that thread had taken off so much.

No sarcasm intended in my post or the wave...just trying to be helpful! Lots of good info in that thread.

Oh yeah: 2.4" WTB Mutanoraptor front; 2.35" WTB Prowler rear.

[2wheel_lee]

Singlespeed - 2.4 Mutanoraptors. Fast, light tire. Really, there is no condition where it really has good traction. Sidewalls tear easily (I've never worn one of these out - the sidewalls always tear first). I think the tread should be ok, but I think they got some angles wrong on the carcass. Did I mention that it's fast and light?

AM bikes - The 2.35 Minion singleply is my favorite tire for traction for all-mountain bikes. Unfortunately, it's a very slow rolling tire. Still, one of my favorite. Using a HighRoller in the back can help offset the speed of the slow-rolling front Minion. Even the non UST Maxxis tires work well in tubeless applications.

Lately, I've been experimenting with Kenda tires. The Blue Groove has OK traction, but it rolls slowly. So now I've been playing with the Nevegal with decent results. Manufacturing quality is a bit suspect: even when seated in the rim bead, the tires don't always spin straight. Rolling resistence and traction seem to be good with the Nevegal, but I need more time with these. Lots of other people really like them, though. Kenda tires have lots of holes in them, so it can be a tedious process using the non UST tires in tubeless applications.

DH - I generally seem to be stuck on Minions and HighRollers, depending on conditions. Although, I used a Michelin 2.8" UST tire on the front (sorry, I forgot which model) up at Mammoth, and it worked very well for traction. Unfortunately, it's a slow-rolling tire, which was partially expected because of its size. One of these days, I may start using Kenda DH tires, but unfortunately, their weight is fairly high, and I question how well they'll work in ghetto tubeless applications (with regular beads).

Kind of ironic. In suspension threads, I really don't care what suspension components I have, as long as they work. I really don't notice much of a difference. On the other hand, I often notice what's going on with tires.

[mcgrath]

Lee, how is the Mutanoraptor in the back? I've used this tire before and still have it lying around. Seemed ok on my hardtail way back when.

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by bjammin

I swagged some Kenda Nevegals in the new 2.35 ust at I-bike last week. Rode them for the first time today and they hooked up on everything. I ran 35psi in the rear and 32 in the front with zero sidewall flex. This is the new hot tire.

So when will they be available to us common folk??

[2wheel_lee]

Same as the front. It gets OK traction (the singlespeed really tests that). I tear more sidewalls in the rear than the front. The large carcass keeps the ride relatively smooth on the hardtail, but even with its large size, it's fast and light. Although it may sound that I don't like these tires, I've used them almost exclusively on my singlespeed for about 4 years. Thanks to the speed of these tires, some people may actually think I'm a fast and fit rider on a singlespeed.

Originally Posted by bjammin

I swagged some Kenda Nevegals in the new 2.35 ust at I-bike last week. Rode them for the first time today and they hooked up on everything. I ran 35psi in the rear and 32 in the front with zero sidewall flex. This is the new hot tire.

I've been hearing about this new UST tire for a while now. It's about time. It should be a good tire. I'm looking forward to using it.

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by mcgrath

I picked up some Maxxis Minions for the 6point yesterday, and mounted them up. They seem to track pretty well, but man are they thin. For a 2.35 tire, they look more like a 2.1. I think my old 2.1 weirwolf is wider than these minions.

So, I rode with turnerob today, and he's running a schwalbe big betty on his pack. Thinking of switching over to this, although it's a little heavy (says him). What are you guys riding on your trail bikes?

on the big boy hoops

[socal ridur]

well maxxis to me seems to run smaller. i had single ply minnions 2.35 and were like my old 2.1 but the 2.35 double ply were larger. now im running a 3.0 up front and dhr 2.7 in the rear works great around here with all the loooosssseee stuff we have.

[Chewyeti]

i have tried nevegals and intense 909's.... the kenda's wore out way fast.... 909's rock.

[RacinJason]

On my EVO the bike that I ride the most I have the Maxxis 2.35 High roller on the front and the Maxxis 2.35 Igniter on the rear . It seems to work great for the local areas. I have a rack of tires for testing. You can't go wrong with Maxxis Minions of any size. One thing you guys might want to try is running tubeless tires with tubes. For some reason it works great ask around.
Lets just say the dirt demo was hard on tires. Read about bootleg and what it can do to tires.

[socal ridur]

Originally Posted by Chewyeti

i have tried nevegals and intense 909's.... the kenda's wore out way fast.... 909's rock.

thats because kenda has that stick-e compound

[Foesnasty]

2.35 maxxis highrollers Ust for the am bike, 2.1 maxxis highrollers ust on the CC bike and maxxis minions 2.5 ust rear and 2.7 (full of stans )front on the dh bike..I wish maxxis would make a 2.7 or bigger ust...oh well... maxxis do run a little on the thin side but they really hookup nice

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by ChumbaJason

One thing you guys might want to try is running tubeless tires with tubes. For some reason it works great ask around.

I do that some times when I have the urge to carry an extra 150-200 grams per tire for no apparent reason (that I've found yet, anyway).

Or after I tear a sidewall in my relatively new UST tires (damn!).

The Igniter and Larson tires both look nice, but I just haven't tried them yet.

And regards to Maxxis tires running small, that's pretty common and generally well acknowledged in the mtb community, so don't worry, your eyes aren't bad (however, the guy at Maxxis who creates the molds should get his eyes checked).

[mtnbikej]

Originally Posted by mcgrath

Lee, how is the Mutanoraptor in the back? I've used this tire before and still have it lying around. Seemed ok on my hardtail way back when.

I generally don't like running the 2.4 in the back. The knobs are a little flimsy for a rear tire. Try the 2.24 Mutanoraptor as a rear tire. A little heavier, but much better traction.

[BFloFoxRider.]

MAXXIS MINION 3c DHF 2.5
MAXXIS MINION 3c DHF 2.5
its a macigal combination
well at least its been proven for a few of the INCYCLE team riders...

[jfromlv]

For a trail bike I run the Maxxis High Roller or Minions 2.5. I would prefer to run 2.35, but they only come single ply now, and I pinch flat them as soon as I hit the trail. The 2.5's are dual ply, and I rarely flat with those. All that being said, tires are such a personal preference, I run tires on my xc that I've heard many people complain about, yet I love them. (Crossmark's)

[FoShizzle]

Trailbike/AM tires

Big Betty 2.4 - these are phenomenal, but not cheap. They have the most massive sidewalls you will ever see for single-ply tires. This is what sets them apart. A tad over 900 grams but the newer ones are supposed to be lighter, and they now have UST. To get beefier sidewalls you have to go to DH 2-ply and then you are talking about way more weight that you dont need.

Maxxis Advantage 2.4 - Excellent volume; about same size as Bettys, but way wimpier sidewalls.

Kenda Cortez 2.4 - Great volume, great weight, fast as a mofo. Not in the same league as Bettys or even Advantages in terms of robustness but huge and fast rolling and perfect for many applications. Look like a big brother to the Cortez. I like em a lot.

Maxxis Minions - 2.35 are too girly in size, but work ok. Advantage 2.4s are much larger. Double ply Minions on rims as small as 5.1s suck cuz they are so stiff (cuz of 2ply) that they wont expand much. 2-plys reserved for the big boys but good tires.

[Pain Freak]

Originally Posted by tkblazer

big betty up front with a larsen tt on the back... the larsen holds a line better than the SB8 and is more pinch resistance..i will most likely have to change the rear tire if it ever starts raining and will most likely go with a nobby nic.

adrenaline can get you the BB's for a good price

I've got that exact combo on one of my Turners. The Big Betty is a great tire, but doesn't do well in the granite stuff when it gets deep. The tire is really great for grip and has a very large footprint. The weight is a remarkable 800 grams about half of what I'm running with my other bike, but it looks like you can't have both. Big Betty or Specialized Chunder 2.5 are my favorite front tires.

[bjammin]

Originally Posted by PacMan

So when will they be available to us common folk??

They should be hitting QBP at months end.(early oct.)