New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[Anospa]

I've been running e13 tires for last year and a half, they hold up just fine. Any of the flats or cuts I got were very well deserved, they offer good bit of support, just a bit less than a maxxis DD.

Side knobs are very very tall and supported, picture a magic mary with a more squared off shape. They definitely wear a bit faster than most other tires but hold onto grip pretty well for awhile. Center knobs could be bit taller but they roll slow enough as is, braking traction drops off a good bit as they wear.

So far, the semi-slick is much nicer than the minion ss or rock razer. Rolls fast, corners great and actually can slow you down when braking.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Nice. I understand braking traction would drop off as it wears, but does it start out DHF-like? That's my only concern. Wouldn't mind a little more width than DHF/SS, but the new Specialized tires look weird and the Butcher isn't ramped anymore. Trails are usually hardpack, loose over hard, or hard over more hard around the immediate Missoula area. Some backcountry or rocky stuff that might be difficult on a hardtail, especially with narrow tires.
It's been 10 fucking years, I need to ride out of town more.

[nortonwhis]

Just destroyed my second DHF DD in as many weeks. This one was a pinch flat on the bead. Bad luck or move to DH casing? i have one more DD to burn thru. Fingers crossed it lasts longer than the last one (3 days riding). DH casing on trail bikes is wack.

[grinch]

Just destroyed my second DHF DD in as many weeks. This one was a pinch flat on the bead. Bad luck or move to DH casing? i have one more DD to burn thru. Fingers crossed it lasts longer than the last one (3 days riding). DH casing on trail bikes is wack.

Dude get a Michelin wild rockr 2. Cheap from CRC. 2.35 is same as 2.5 dhf. Same weight as dd. It will last longer. Very minionesque. You're a perfect test case. You could probably sell that dd locally for atleast the same price
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[toast2266]

Just destroyed my second DHF DD in as many weeks. This one was a pinch flat on the bead. Bad luck or move to DH casing? i have one more DD to burn thru. Fingers crossed it lasts longer than the last one (3 days riding). DH casing on trail bikes is wack.

How much do you weigh, and what pressure are you running?

[adrenalated]

Just destroyed my second DHF DD in as many weeks. This one was a pinch flat on the bead. Bad luck or move to DH casing? i have one more DD to burn thru. Fingers crossed it lasts longer than the last one (3 days riding). DH casing on trail bikes is wack.

Cushcore

[nortonwhis]

The Rockr not the enduro tires? I have a couple of buddies on the enduro ones who like them. Good price.

160lbs was running 27ish, maybe 25 at the lowest.

Cushcore or just DH? I don't really see the advantage to cushcore/DD over just straight DH. One of the ruined tires was a tear thru tread which cushcore likely wouldn't have done anything for.

[toast2266]

The Rockr not the enduro tires? I have a couple of buddies on the enduro ones who like them. Good price.

160lbs was running 27ish, maybe 25 at the lowest.

Cushcore or just DH? I don't really see the advantage to cushcore/DD over just straight DH. One of the ruined tires was a tear thru tread which cushcore likely wouldn't have done anything for.

Yeah, go for a DH casing.

I'm not entirely sold on Cushcore. They add a bunch of weight, they only protect against one type of flat, and I don't find that I can run any lower pressure with them. They also reduce the air volume in the tire, so I find them to be much, much more sensitive to air pressure (which is kind of annoying for those of us that don't like to check pressure before every single ride). And a DH casing is still probably lighter than a DD casing + Cushcore.

[grinch]

Yes rockr2. I haven't tried the wild enduro front. I have the wild enduro rear on the back for quicker rolling(with huck Norris that needs to be changed with every new tire)

Dhf DH- 1390g
Cush core 140g each
Huck Norris 75g each

Lighter than dh
DD 1160
Exo + 1005
Wild enduro front 1025g
Wild enduro rear 998g
Wild rockr 2- 1120g (1195g w Huck)


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[toast2266]

...

Cush core 140g each

just as a point of reference, my Cushcores are around 260g each (29")

[D(C)]

CushCore has pros and cons, but I'm generally a fan for rough, chunky trails with hard dirt. I took my CushCore out for a week-long trip to the BC Interior where trails have softer, loamier dirt and less rocks than what we have here on the Coast. I didn't miss them one bit. But first ride back on the Shore without CushCore and 26 psi in back, I felt like I was going to rattle my teeth out. CushCore with Double Down has gone back on the rear at 22 psi and I'm happy.

I am also a serial rim destroyer and I haven't substantially dented a rim yet over the 6 months or so I've been running CushCore.

But the bike was a lot nicer to climb on and more responsive on mellow trails with the CushCore not installed.

[adrenalated]

The Rockr not the enduro tires? I have a couple of buddies on the enduro ones who like them. Good price.

160lbs was running 27ish, maybe 25 at the lowest.

Cushcore or just DH? I don't really see the advantage to cushcore/DD over just straight DH. One of the ruined tires was a tear thru tread which cushcore likely wouldn't have done anything for.

Other than just flat prevention, the ability to run flat is one of the biggest benefits of Cushcore for me. Ever had an unrepairable flat, so you throw a tube in, only to flat that as well? I have. Had one ride where I spent almost an hour patching holes in a tube after I shredded a tire then pinch flatted the tube to get me home. With Cushcore, in the unlikely event you put a gaping tear in the tire that can't be fixed with Dynaplugs, you just ride home and don't have to worry about destroying your rim.

The other thing is that it does more to protect your rim than a heavier casing does.

I don't have the complaint about checking pressures because I always did that every ride anyway. Fair criticism if you don't check, though. I also run pressure about the same, not much lower.

Per grinch's numbers, it appears CC+DD is slightly lighter than DH only, and Exo+DD is lighter than DD only. (Edit: appears his number for CC weight is for the light "XC" version, which is not what I have. I basically don't care about weight though, if it works)

I have had zero flats since I installed Cushcore. And I've smashed a lot of rocks with them.

CushCore has pros and cons, but I'm generally a fan for rough, chunky trails with hard dirt.

I'll note that these are the conditions I ride in the vast majority of the time and may color my experience.

[grinch]

Good info all. My weights for the liners were off Amazon. I didn't realize cush core had a lighter option. They do have added benefits over the huck Norris for sure but when your balancing weight options on your pedal bike it's all worth considering. I agree it's better to have some kind of liner in there (I'd prefer a dd w liner over a dh in most cases as an example/pardon the pun). Whistler does chew tires especially when you dont have the problem ones memorized in the park.
I haven't been on a dhf dh since I had 26" but I ran a dd, magic Mary super gravity, and a wild rockr2 on the front of my dh bike both on boulder and blanket(should encompass any rock strikes whis might have) and the wr2 is the only problem free one despite the mm being a dh casing tire. All good treads. Punctured the mm through the tread casing, several rim dings with the dhf dd. I did feel like I got lucky with the wr2 and would like to have a liner in the front to go with the rear. I'll probably put some cush cores in my dh/emtb build but confident in that tire.
Another note is Michelin's proto dh tire is running without liners and Laurie Greenland was able to run all winter and part of the spring before a flat or rim damage. Not sure what they have going on in there but reportedly its heavy af. I'm up to 5 Michelin' without issue. Only changed 2 because I went 26-27.5. Broken record I know but thems the facts. I am considering something lighter for long alpine pedals but a bit of apprehension assuming the additional risk

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[nortonwhis]

Some good info in here for sure.

Im hoping that this was a freak accident and that maybe i had burped a few psi earlier in the ride (doubtful) or just got unlucky. I definitely wasn't in full plow mode when i think it happened, though did hear a ding at some point. I've been on the same rims for 2.5 years and they are still primo so i don't normally trash wheels.

I've wanted to try cushcore, but don't think i can run exo, and then DD cushcore seems like a lot of hassle. and then switching tires becomes a nightmare. Ill run the fresh DD and see how that goes.

Anyone had much luck with tire boots near the bead? Its a pretty small hole, tried a bacon strip but the sealant didnt seem to be getting to it.

[D(C)]

I've wanted to try cushcore, but don't think i can run exo, and then DD cushcore seems like a lot of hassle. and then switching tires becomes a nightmare.

If you're talking about ease of installation, I didn't find much difference between Exo and DD with CushCore. Brand new CushCore are a bit rough to get on and off, but after 3 or 4 installs, they loosen up, plus you get better at it.

As an aside, I ran Huck Norris last year and didn't find it horribly useful. I still dented the crap out of my rims, and it doesn't have the added support CushCore has.

[grinch]

Anyone tried both the cushcore options?


Side note: I didn't list exo weight(I think they're 850g). That tire has minor sidewall reinforcement and nothing additional through the tread casing. I listed exo+ (1005g). My wild enduro rear is only 70g heavier with huck Norris then the exo+. That makes the exo+ irrelevant for the rear from my experience

Cushcore is definitely better but I was able to really test the huck Norris when I was running Easton arc rims. They have butter in the aluminum. I put dings in those things that I've never done to any rim. Small hits would deform those. Had a few all around the inside across the whole rim. The huck didn't stop that, incredibly soft rims, from happening but greatly reduced it. The hucks were sliced to shit when I changed the tire too. So many factors(interior v coast, weight, trails, bike, rider). They're my experience here
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[jm2e]

Just destroyed my second DHF DD in as many weeks. This one was a pinch flat on the bead. Bad luck or move to DH casing? i have one more DD to burn thru. Fingers crossed it lasts longer than the last one (3 days riding). DH casing on trail bikes is wack.

FWIW, there's a massive difference between 27psi and 25psi on my back wheel. That said, there's also a big difference between 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, etc width tires and 25psi. My point is, whatever pressure is your sweetspot for high performance and flat avoidance, dropping down 2psi is just not going to work.
My $0.02: EXO + CushCore and keep it like that. If you want to be switching tires around, get another wheelset. Pick a psi and stick with it.

[adrenalated]

I've wanted to try cushcore, but don't think i can run exo, and then DD cushcore seems like a lot of hassle. and then switching tires becomes a nightmare. Ill run the fresh DD and see how that goes.

Like D(C) I also didn't find much difference in cushcore install between Exo and DD. I also didn't think it was that hard. Watch their instructional video, follow the directions. If you don't get the first bead into the center of the rim when installing the second bead you will be fucked. Do it correctly and it's not that bad.

Anyone had much luck with tire boots near the bead? Its a pretty small hole, tried a bacon strip but the sealant didnt seem to be getting to it.

I haven't needed a tire boot, and my hole plugging experience lately has been just on friend's tires since I haven't flatted, but it seems like Dynaplugs are way more effective than bacon strips. We've plugged a couple holes with Dynaplugs that wouldn't plug with bacon strips, and I've plugged 3 or 4 right next to the rim in the last 9 months or so. Expensive, but they work.

[jm2e]

Old school inner tube patch kit is what I repair tires with. Rubber cement. Works a charm.


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[Name Redacted]

I use a dollar bill. It costs a dollar....always.

[Cozzey]

I was getting super stoked to mount up my new tires (Maxxis High Roller II 27.5x2.4 and Aggressor 27.5x2.4) on my Marin Attack Trail Pro, but then it snowed 8 inches overnight in the rockies....

anyone have any experience with the Maxxis Aggressor?

[jm2e]

I hated that tire. YMMV.

[XXX-er]

I was getting super stoked to mount up my new tires (Maxxis High Roller II 27.5x2.4 and Aggressor 27.5x2.4) on my Marin Attack Trail Pro, but then it snowed 8 inches overnight in the rockies....

anyone have any experience with the Maxxis Aggressor?

yeah my Yeti 5.5 came with a 2.5 DHF on the front and an 2.3 Agressor on the back in a 29" , the Agressor does not have a lot of traction its about fast rolling and then it breaks loose when you lean over the bars in hairpins which is great for where I mostly ride

[SJG]

I switched from Cushcore to Vittoria Air-Liners, much better. They are bigger and much lighter, and save my rims. Like a previous poster said, they do take up a huge volume of air in the tires, so a little "air loss" will result in a huge pressure change. You need to check pressure before every ride. But I have also had a gash in a tire and ridden home with 0 pressure for 2 miles, and it wasn't that bad at all. Good option to look into.

Maxxis Aggressor; fast tire, but why buy a tire which is already 3/4 worn out (no tread)? If you are racing and someone else is buying them I guess it makes sense, but if you have to pay for them get some meat on there and ride it a thousand miles first.

[kidwoo]

Dude get a Michelin wild rockr 2. Cheap from CRC. 2.35 is same as 2.5 dhf. Same weight as dd. It will last longer. Very minionesque. You're a perfect test case. You could probably sell that dd locally for atleast the same price
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Those things are way better than minions. Thanks for the heads up. Just ordered 3!