New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[teledad]

Speaking of tire pressure, what gauge does everyone like?

https://www.jensonusa.com/Meiser-Acc...Pressure-Gauge

[jamal]

I had an sks airchecker. After a few months it was really hard to get to seal and then became un-usable on anything but mtb tires. Even my cross tires at 35ish it would just leak and not give me a good reading. then it would start just showing wrong numbers and I couldn't trust it. Tried taking it apart and making sure it was all clean, no better. The blackburn looks very very similar so I'd avoid both of those.

Current gauge is a topeak d2. Pretty happy with it, and you can use the "tune" button to vent air without having to remove the gauge and it will keep refreshing the reading. I do suspect the number it gives me is a little lower than reality but that doesn't really matter.

[klauss]

[jm2e]

Speaking of tire pressure, what gauge does everyone like? I generally just try to use the same floor pump throughout the year and find a pressure I like. I have a Serfas and Topeak and I’m seeing about a 4psi difference between the two.

Have tried several different gauges. I liked the brass one for a while because I thought it was pretty dope having fractions of a psi specificity. But then I bought a second one and realized there wasn't much reliability comparing the two. It always comes back to the Topeak D2 for me. Now have 3 of them and they are very consistent between them. Maybe I just notice things that reinforce my own decisions, but I see a lot of Pink Bike vids at world cups that show people using the D2. Yay Me!

[LC]

Light lil thing

I use this one. Same thing but cheaper. Reads a little lighter than my track pump but it's consistent and I know what to set on the digi gauge for the pressures I want. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/u...0/rp-prod51403

I pretty much always set 23/27psi now FWIW. 180lbs plus gear, 30mm rims with 2.35" rubber (light front, heavy-ish rear), mostly natural rocky trails, I feel light rim dings occasionally, pinch flat only once or twice per year.

[Skistack]

Topeak fan here too. It works well on both presta and schrader. Use it to check car tires too.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Dee Hubbs]

I have a drawer full of broken or inaccurate gauges. The only one I've constantly used over the years is the Topeak SmartGague D2. Its accurate and easy to use. As other have mentioned, I really like that you can bleed some air and get a reading without having to remove. It has a very definite sequence: Press the on button, it beeps when ready and reads zero, push it on to the valve and it beeps when it records a pressure. You can pull the gauge off of the valve to see the pressure, or read the pressure while its still on the valve, hit the tune button and bleed air with pressures still showing.
I see this in the head of many pros in the pits.

[ticketchecker]

I picked up a JoeBlow low pressure floor pump for the fat bike. I use it for my trail bike too, pushes volume but only up to 40. Has button to release small amounts while attached.

[bagtagley]

Accu-gauge from Amazon is cheap and works fine. I rarely use it and never carry it riding, though. You can get close enough with your hand. I guess fat tires could be an exception, but I don’t have any of those.

[bagtagley]

Speaking of pinch flats, here's Nukeproof's entry into the insert market. ~130 grams and only costs a bit more than Huck, valves included.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/first-...e-inserts.html

[g_man80]

Thanks for the input everyone. I’ll look into the D2 and Schwalbe. Once a preferred pressure if found, I think being consistent with what you’re measuring with is most important.

[adrenalated]

Thanks for the input everyone. I’ll look into the D2 and Schwalbe. Once a preferred pressure if found, I think being consistent with what you’re measuring with is most important.

Yep - my D2 lives with my bike stuff and I measure with it every time.

For everyone saying the D2 is awesome because it lets you bleed off pressure without removing - no, it's not. Yes, that is a good feature. It's a feature that literally every single good quality automotive tire gauge has. It's not special, in fact the D2 is FUCKING STUPID that you have to push a special button in order to do that. You put it on, press the bleed button, and it should read the pressure in real time. Not show the initial reading until you push another button to go into "adjust mode" or whateverthefuck they call it.
[/rant]

[jamal]

True, but the sks and a few digital gauges require you to remove the gauge and put it back on to get a new reading despite having a button to bleed air. I assume it's just cheaper or some way to improve battery life by not having it continuously read. The thing I like most about the d2 is that it actually seals on the valve stem even with 100psi road tires, which the sks would barely do when it was brand new.

Oh, other downside of the topeak- if you don't have valve type selector thing all the way over it will just push in your valve core and bleed air when you try to use it.

[Jonny Snow]

Looks like my schwable gauge is only good for Schrader now, I'll pick up a topeak and leave the schwable in the car.

[jm2e]

Recommend me a 26" x 2.5" DHF Double Down Super Tacky/MaxxGrip equivalent. Because it doesn't exist from Maxxis in 26".
Looking to replace the wire bead on front of wifes DH rig. Specialized Grid and Maxxis EXO are going to be lighter than what I want.

[grskier]

So, for riding in the Roaring Fork and Colorado in general... which of the 5 or so Minion DHF 29 x 2.5 tires do I put on the front of my Hightower LT?

[toast2266]

So, for riding in the Roaring Fork and Colorado in general... which of the 5 or so Minion DHF 29 x 2.5 tires do I put on the front of my Hightower LT?

Exo 3c maxterra wide trail.

Unless you tend to destroy tires, in which case double down casing.

[adrenalated]

Exo 3c maxterra wide trail

I like Maxxgrip better for a front tire, but yeah basically this.

[toast2266]

I like Maxxgrip better for a front tire, but yeah basically this.

Agreed, but last I checked you could only get a 29" maxxgrip in a dh casing, which is a bit much for most people. I think maxxis is going to offer a maxxgrip in lighter casings, but I'm not sure those are available yet.

[adrenalated]

Agreed, but last I checked you could only get a 29" maxxgrip in a dh casing, which is a bit much for most people. I think maxxis is going to offer a maxxgrip in lighter casings, but I'm not sure those are available yet.

You're right, I was accidentally looking at the 27.5 specs on the Maxxis website. That said it does list a 29x2.5 (non-WT) Exo in "Triple" compound listed as "3CG" and a 29x2.5WT DoubleDown with the same compound. Is this the same thing as 3C MaxxGrip? I can't keep Maxxis's word salad of acronyms straight.
https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-468-121-minion-dhf

Nothing wrong with MaxxTerra though, which should be much easier to find.

[toast2266]

You're right, I was accidentally looking at the 27.5 specs on the Maxxis website. That said it does list a 29x2.5 (non-WT) Exo in "Triple" compound listed as "3CG" and a 29x2.5WT DoubleDown with the same compound. Is this the same thing as 3C MaxxGrip? I can't keep Maxxis's word salad of acronyms straight.
https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-468-121-minion-dhf

Nothing wrong with MaxxTerra though, which should be much easier to find.

3C just means it's a triple compound rubber. There's three varieties of 3C tires- maxxspeed, maxxterra, and maxxgrip. You really only see maxxspeed on the dedicated xc tires. Maxxgrip was originally mostly just on dh casing tires, but they've been expanding the options there lately. Maxxterra is by far the most common, and generally, if it only says "3C" that means it's maxxterra.

I think the whole mess is one of those things where the engineering guys came up with the rubber options, and then the marketing guys fucked it all up and made it confusing.

Edit: went and looked at that link. No idea what 3CG means. Maybe Maxxgrip? So the engineering guys invent the rubber, the marketing fuck it up and make it confusing, and the web guys ignore all of that and invent new names to put on the website that don't correspond with anything else.

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
I think the whole mess is one of those things where the engineering guys came up with the rubber options, and then the marketing guys fucked it all up and made it confusing.

And Maxxis isn't the only company doing it.

[adrenalated]

3C just means it's a triple compound rubber. There's three varieties of 3C tires- maxxspeed, maxxterra, and maxxgrip. You really only see maxxspeed on the dedicated xc tires. Maxxgrip was originally mostly just on dh casing tires, but they've been expanding the options there lately. Maxxterra is by far the most common, and generally, if it only says "3C" that means it's maxxterra.

I think the whole mess is one of those things where the engineering guys came up with the rubber options, and then the marketing guys fucked it all up and made it confusing.

Right - that's why I'm wondering if 3CG is 3C maxxgrip. There is another size that says maxxterra next to 3CT...

[toast2266]

Right - that's why I'm wondering if 3CG is 3C maxxgrip. There is another size that says maxxterra next to 3CT...

Yeah - see my edit. No idea, but seems plausible. Wish they'd get their shit straight.

I've also found that just because something is listed on maxxis' website doesn't mean you can find a retailer that actually has that particular option.

[grskier]

Hence me asking...

Thanks for the erm, recommendations.