I've always liked what Maxxis has to offer, either the Minion or the High Roller are good. Michelins are also good. Arrow's grip like crazy but tend to be pretty heavy. I will be running 2.35" High Rollers for my light DH/AM bike, and have a set of 2.5" Michelins to run if I feel like getting frisky.
I run a 2.5 maxxis minion dh tire on the front and a 2.35 from kenda(dont know the type of tire) on the back but i like it... lots of grip on everything i've ridden through
All of the tires previously mentioned and the ones that will be mentioned in following posts are good. Quite honestly, although any of them will work for DH, you'll have to do your own experimentation to find out specifically what brand, type, and size will work best for the various conditions you'll ride in. That's also why many DHers have a selection of tires at their disposal and choose accordingly based on the ride they're doing.
Mammoth? Considering I'm going to be at Mammoth in a few weeks again, I thought I'd ask the more specific question - what have you guys found to work well in the "kitty litter"? I've ridden Maxxis Minions there for a while, and they're OK, but I'm wondering if there's an easy upgrade. --Matt :beer:
There's a good bit of kitty litter in certain parts of big bear, so maybe I can help? for that kinda stuff, I find a higher volume helps. gives you better flotation and keeps you from sinking. I run a 2.5 dual ply blue groove up front, and currently a 2.35 1 ply nevegal rear. I'm going to be moving up to a 2.5 rear soon, but the 2.35 works very well for most stuff. And like Lee said, it really depends on what you like and what your personal needs are (like everything in this sport). I, for one, am pretty happy using a nevegal as a front tire. I've ridden with one for over a year and I'm used to it. Others absolutely hate them :?: As a general rule, for more DH stuff I'd run at least a 2.5" also, I really recommend going 2-ply on at least the front tire. You might not think so, but there is a lot of extra stiffness from running a thicker tire, and it really helps for aggressive cornering, as well as on rockier sections where the wheel gets deflected a lot. You can also run <30 psi for a front tire, which is awesome btw
The most fun tire/wheel setup I had was a set of 24" Doublewide rims with 3.0" Arrow Wide Bite tires. Gripped like crazy, I think I ran 20-25 psi and never flatted. Definitely not fast though
If it isn't 2ply then it isn't DH. Keep that in mind you little cherubs. 2ply front and rear, soft compound up front, dual compound rear. I've been happy with the Minions. The michelins and specialized DH tires look good for lift assisted riding.
I was just up at Mammoth in July:bang:, and was talking to the locals about what tires they like best in their terrain. They swear by Michelin DH32's( 2.8 ) front and rear, or Kenda Nevegals. A wrench at the Adventure Center said "one of our local pros wont ride anything but a Kenda Telonix". When I was up there, it was dry, but once I got used to the kitty litter, my 2.7 Maxxis High Rollers did fine. Hope that helps.:beer:
That 2.8 Michelin DH 32 has the reputation around the shop as the tire for Mamoth and Tahoe. For local conditions, I like the Maxxis UST 2.5 High Roller front and rear. Like Lee said tires are very individual and condition dependant, so you will have to try some for yourself.
I am looking for a new set of DH tires as well. My old favorites, the Nokian NBX DH 2.5 are no longer made sooo ... I just got back from a ride on the Gambler running Maxxis Minion's, DHF up front and DHR in back. The probs I had with them before were due to the Armorall that was applied by the shop when I bought the bike #-o Now that that has scrubbed off they seem to be working quite well. Very good grip in all the local stuff (i.e. hard pack, slick rock, sand), very predictable (you can feel when they will let go) and as for durability (how long they will last) I have no idea since this was only there second ride. I am still going to slap on a set of Syncros BH 2.5's to give 'em a try since their Point-N-Shoot tires seem to work great and they use the same compounds. The one thing that really through me off was the pressure to use, seems the Minions work better with a higher psi then what I am used to. You do realize that Minions DHF's are single ply and still considered a Dh tire? The DHR is a two ply.
Well my reccomendations are, of coarse Maxxis, and after that, I would of coarse reccomend Maxxis, But if you cant find the Maxxis, you could always grab a Maxxis. Lots of choices out there, hope this was helpfull!!!!!
The Maxxis Minions have treated me great for shuttle stuff (I'm running 2.5 front and back), and I've run Blue Groove/Nevegal combos and High Rollers on other bikes - but I'm always looking for an excuse to try something different, and I've been thinking about a bigger volume front tire (or maybe rear also) for Mammoth. The Michelins sound like an interesting option ... --Matt
Roger and I both run Maxxis Minion front and High Roller rear on our DH bikes. Rog runs tubes and I run tubeless.
I run Minion 2.5's front and rear at all times and love them. Doesn't matter the terrain, they hook up and are predictable.
