That's quite the endorsement. And yeah, little loose in the rear can be fun. The front not as much.
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That's quite the endorsement. And yeah, little loose in the rear can be fun. The front not as much.
Welp, I should have done this...The 2.6 Kryptotal has been fine on local trails, but the pebbles in Helena must have been just the right size to get stuck in the tread. Kept hearing crunches and "tick tick tick" noises and having to kick pebbles out of the tread. One day of riding did this to the rear triangle:
Attachment 476210
Maybe a bit hard to see through the dirt, but shredded the ridewrap (not surprising) and put a number of deep gouges through the paint.
Will be sizing down to the 2.4 in the back. Might see how the 2.6 rear feels as a front tire.
Continental dropping H2 distributing and going full in with QBP. Also announcing Minimum Advertised Pricing soon, so get your $65 DH casings now before they reach Maxxis prices. https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...an-distributor
Just ordered an Argotal 27.5 DH SS for the winter slop at $65 yesterday from Evo. :)
Niiice. Have you used Shorty or Hillbilly before? Would love a comparo with the Argotal!
I've used the gen 1 Shorty a bit, and the Hillbilly in 2.6 for like 1 ride. Hillbilly I hated the huge volume (it's a true 2.6, I expected it to run small like Maxxis) so can't really speak beyond that. Shorty it's been a couple years but I think I had the EXO MT version so not MG. Dug in soft soil well and cleared well, was terrifying on wet roots. But our wet roots are mostly eucalytus which seeps oil, then has water over top - less traction than a buttered skillet, nothing sticks to them.
I'll do a first ride on the Argotal (front only, with Kr Re in back for now) today or tomorrow. They are going on the ebike so won't be able to speak much to rolling speed, but it should be proper slop as we've had like an inch of rain in the last couple days over all the summer dust.
Right on.
Yeah that Spesh 2.6 is really pretty much 34-37mm rims only IMO. 2.6 Hillbilly Trail Grids on 35mm rims are super solid for me for our winter riding here (and 2.6 Butcher front and back in the summer). I’m curious if in a heavier casing I can go from 19.5-20 psi down to 18 psi as that would really help with the roots.
I have a Butcher Grid 2.6 on my 30mm rim front wheel of my Bronson right now and the balloon factor plus soft sidewall makes it pretty so-so, but as a shoulder season front tire it also barely gets worn and I don’t hate it enough to change it. It’s pretty much only used April-May and then October. Maybe one of these years it will turn into an Argotal 2.4.
First impression of the Argotal is 2 thumbs up. Rode today right after the rain stopped, never slipped the front riding all my usual trails. Never clogged up. Didn't feel too spiky or too much vibration on harder pack sections. Rear end with just the Krypo Re was dancing around though. Looking forward to mounting a matching one rear when it arrives. I was running my usual 19f/22 rear (DH casing).
Not sure if it has been discussed yet (search fn said "no") but holy smokes the specialized cannibal is a great front tire. Basically a super DHF. Harder edge, less transitional ambiguity, better braking.
First time I rode it (coming off a T9 2.6 butcher grid or grid trail - not a huge fan but a shipping error from specialized meant it was free) I got home and excitedly slammed a bunch of beers and texted all my tire-interested friends about how awesome it was.
Second ride out on it I started hitting the loose chute that needs a catch berm (winter project) with speed instead of creeping it, for example.
I haven't been riding it (was mounted on my heavy wheelset with a Grid Gravity casing and I didn't feel like hauling it around) - spent 3 or 4 weeks on a MG DHF Exo+, had to switch back to the Cannibal this AM (100% norcal perfect conditions) and was re-blown away by this tire.
I'm sure the Grid Gravity vs. Exo+ makes for an unfair comparison, but the side knobs just seem so much stouter - there's a little less distance so you get less drift / hook, and they feel like you can transmit so much more force throught them.
Braking is straight up better in grease, good dirt, blown out duff, regardless of steering input.
Only downside so far is, like all specialized tires it seems to roll even slower than it looks like it should (hello, Eliminator).
Hoping they put out a grid trail at some point - or one of those T7/T9s for a back tire even.
Do you guys who ride below 35F find that MG loses its grip when cold much worse than MT does? Had an interesting ride over the weekend, we dropped in at 25F or so with 3” of powder, my buddy with MG Assegai up front said his tire was outrageously sketchy, way more than his MT DHR2.
I wasn’t having issues with my T7 Butchers; as they clear mud a little better than Minions, they also happen to clear snow better as well!
Back to the other topic, while Argotals are on sale from various outlets right now, it looks like you can only get SS in DH, S in Enduro, and Endurance in Trail casing? I wasn’t sure if I wanted an Enduro casing for my front tire … so I ended up getting a 2.4” Grid Trail T9 Hillbilly for $55 shipped from Spesh to replace the 2.6 Grid Butcher T7 that I had been just okay with for my shoulder season front tire. Hillbilly / Butcher on my Bronson for semi-slick conditions and then Hillbilly / Hillbilly on my Pedalhead for nasty conditions ought to be a nice November through May quiver setup for here.
Finally mounted up a set of Conti enduro casing tires on my GG Smash. They were the most difficult tires I've ever mounted to my 31mm ID rims. Had to add a layer of tape to the rear to get it to seat, probably complicated by a big ding that was letter air out before the bead could snap into place. They look great now that they're mounted up, stoked to give them a shot in SWUT this week.
PSA - Assegai 29" 2.5 3C EXO+ oem specials on Jenson for $45
^^^ Sweet thanks!
Grabbed a couple of those and a couple Dissectors. Only have a little time on a Dissector and it didn’t leave a strong impression but what the hell. Never been too discriminating about rear tires.
I believe Colorado Cyclist still has some cheap OEM Maxxis as well.
Where are people buying burly grippy tires right now?
To clarify, I’m picky and not looking for a $30 grey market take off OEM fingers crossed on the casing and grip Door Prize tire.
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I can double check if it was white logo or yellow logo, but I stocked up a bit on double down maxterra 2.4 dhrs from planet cycerly for a little under 40. Again, can’t remember if it is oem but they were very clear on the casing and compound.
QUOTE=jm2e;6972111]Where are people buying burly grippy tires right now?
To clarify, I’m picky and not looking for a $30 grey market take off OEM fingers crossed on the casing and grip Door Prize tire.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums[/QUOTE]
Never had an issue with a Maxxis OEM tire before. Spent the savings on beer.
Yep. $30 Exo+ Ass Guys and DD DHRIIs are legit.
Two questions
1. Are OEM Maxxis all Maxxterra?
2. What’s the grip and speed difference for Maxxterra vs. MaxxGrip for the Assegei?
My MaxxGrip Assegei is comically slow.
I haven't ridden the Maxx grip but I would call the max terra ass guy comically slow, so... It sure does find traction wherever though. I've given up on riding fast on my trail bike: I just have more fun with big tires. I can use the gravel bike with 50s to go fast.