New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[jqualls]

I have not considered a trail boss, but looks like it fits my needs. The couple reports of e13 has them checked off my list. I am also doing a short bike pack trip with this bike and a tire I cant get off is a no go. Anyone else ridden both the rock razor and trail boss. How is the durability on each.

[carlh]

I have ridden the trail boss and rock razor. Rock razor is faster but much less brake or loss drive traction. Cornering seems similar in grip but the transition is less abrupt on the trail boss. Addix speedgrip is stickier on rocks/roots than wtb fast rolling. WTB tough casing is way burlier than a snakeskin and a bit stiffer than super gravity. Don’t know yet on durability for the wtb but the speedgrip schwalbe has lasted me a long time, the soft compound is great on dirt but wears fast on rocks.

[ticketchecker]

Have a Trail Boss/Bridger combo on a plus hardtail. Rolls pretty good but holy crap are those tires hard to mount. Got them for bikepacking on a karate monkey but would hate to have a problem on a trip with them. Mounted on WTB asym i35 rims and are the fast rolling casing.

[radam]

It's been a while since I had a rock razor, but the trail boss in the light casing is a bit flimsy, especially for the weight. The fast rolling compound is not the grippiest when things get moist, but perhaps with the tough casing you'd be able to air down a bit to regain some grip in those situations.
Also maybe checkout a bontrager se2? Confusingly they have two distinct versions of that tire, one is a like a mini chupacabra, the other is like an se5 that's had the center tread brought down to almost nothing. With the bontrager guarantee you can try it for a month and bring it back if you hate it

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[D(C)]

I am 675 km into my Wild Enduros. The Gum-X rear is wearing pretty badly, with several side knobs having torn. The front Magi-X is looking decent, with edges of knobs rounding. But given how the rear is wearing, I don’t think I’d get another set. It’s too bad because they work well when new.

[Roxtar]

Had a Trail Boss/Breakout combo for a while, both in light/fast compounds. Really liked the Breakout on hardpack (for a while) but the Trail Boss wore very fast. The Breakout was good for a while but WTB's concept of very soft outer lugs caused them to wear out quickly.

[SchralphMacchio]

I'm super happy with my new setup for bike park, Assegai in the front, Agressor in the rear. Assegai has been blowing my mind with it's grip, coming from the dhf. Thing just rips, point and shoot. Been killing it in the loose and dry lately. Definitely a slow roller when things get pedally. Agressor has been solid for the rear, even moderate grip as it tips over, coming from dhr2 and more recently high roller 2.

I was super happy with my 2.3 EXO Aggressor rear when it was brand new. And overall very happy with it on consistent loam and intermediate surfaces as it’s a very light and fast tire for the amount of grip. But I’ve found that if the conditions are too dry over firm (like a dry hard clay where you can pull off the surface dust from the underlying trail tread), too wet, or too soft, as the Aggressor wears its knobs into even slight rounding, the rear end braking drifts start to slide for longer than I’d like before hooking back up. I’m probably going to try out the Dissector back there to see if it is more predictable in braking traction as it wears.

(Edited to clarify size and casing)

[SchralphMacchio]

Anyone like a certain kind of 29 x 2.6 that can shed mud okay, decent wet traction and isn’t too draggy as a rear? I want to pair with a Butcher Grid 29 x 2.6 front.

I’ve been running a 29 x 2.4 Trail King and the wet root traction isn’t as good as I’d like, nor is the mud traction / mud shedding (which isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as the Butcher). And since this is a hardtail I’ve decided to try a fatter tire for better compliance.

I’ve been very happy with the Butcher 2.6 up front and might even try that in the back too, to see if it’s slow or not.

[grinch]

Anyone like a certain kind of 29 x 2.6 that can shed mud okay, decent wet traction and isn’t too draggy as a rear? I want to pair with a Butcher Grid 29 x 2.6 front.

I’ve been running a 29 x 2.4 Trail King and the wet root traction isn’t as good as I’d like, nor is the mud traction / mud shedding (which isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as the Butcher). And since this is a hardtail I’ve decided to try a fatter tire for better compliance.

I’ve been very happy with the Butcher 2.6 up front and might even try that in the back too, to see if it’s slow or not.

Michelin ewild rear 2.6 fits that description. Rolls pretty fast for the traction it has and sheds mud well. It is around 1200g though. Wear has been good. 1800km but im almost due for a new one. Im considering pairing it with a magic mary super gravity 2.6 on the front. I have a nuke proof tire liner in the rear ewild

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[grinch]

Also vee rubber has a couple snap flow 2.6 options that look good. Couple of weights to chose from. Id like to try one up front too

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[SchralphMacchio]

Michelin ewild rear 2.6 fits that description. Rolls pretty fast for the traction it has and sheds mud well. It is around 1200g though. Wear has been good. 1800km but im almost due for a new one. Im considering pairing it with a magic mary super gravity 2.6 on the front. I have a nuke proof tire liner in the rear ewild

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Looks like it’s only available in 27.5 x 2.6 or 2.8.

But a bit more tire than I need.

Some of those Vee tire gravity series in 29 x 2.6 look interesting though ...

[grinch]

Looks like it’s only available in 27.5 x 2.6 or 2.8.

But a bit more tire than I need.

Some of those Vee tire gravity series in 29 x 2.6 look interesting though ...

Ya michelin has a lot of gaps in their offerings. Good tires that could be have a wider option or heavier or lighter option or be made in both 27.5 or 29. Kind of a head scratcher. They have the tread design and rubber. Seems like thats the actual hard part, the developement.
Those vee tire snaps do look good. I havent tried them yet but they look like theyd work well. I see commencal canada has them on their site for a reasonable price but only in 2.35. Maybe commencal usa has some size options. Guessing theyre sized like schwalbe and the 2.35 is slightly bigger than a maxxis 2.35. When i "followed" them on instagram they messaged me a code that i didnt use. Might be worth a try

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[SchralphMacchio]

I was super happy with my 2.3 EXO Aggressor rear when it was brand new ... very happy with it on consistent loam ... But I’ve found that if the conditions are too dry over firm ... too wet, or too soft, as the Aggressor wears ... the rear end braking drifts start to slide for longer than I’d like before hooking back up.

Well, west slope Oregon Cascades trails right now are endless tons of grip on that worn Aggressor, I struggled to find a speed limit even in corners with that tire in these conditions ... probably will wait until fall rains to get that Dissector back there, heh.

[carlh]

So who makes an XC fast tread pattern on a casing that will survive smashing into sharp rocks? I keep slicing my rear on my hard tail and want something fast and tough. Current tire is a snakeskin rock razor. Tried a wtb tough trail boss and it felt like bricks so I put it on my full suspension. Might try the worn out super gravity hans damf that came of the fully for a comparison. I have a nobby nic in waiting but don’t think that will survive. Most of my punctures are into the tread not in the sidewalks and I want a 29x2.4ish tire. Schwalbe doesn’t make a rock razor or nobby nic 29 in super gravity. Looks like I can get a minion ss double down is that my best bet?

[toast2266]

Aggressor comes in a double down too.

[carlh]

I want something faster than an aggressor or Hans damf. Some more research has me looking at the e13 lg1en semi slick. Weight is about 1050g so halfway between a snakeskin and a super gravity and I am happy with the semi slick feel on this bike if I need more traction I probably want the fully anyway.

[ready2tumble]

How 'bout an Aggressor as a front XC tire? Kind of want to size up my 2.25 Rekon but don't have wide enough rims for the 2.4WT in that tire.

[D(C)]

I just swapped out my Michelin Wild Enduro front Magi-X/rear Gum-X for a pair of 2.4 DHR II in MaxxGrip (front Double Down, rear DH casing). Notes after 1 ride:

- the front DHR DD is brand new whereas the rear DHR DH was from my closet stash and had been used for a couple months. The used rear tire is 2 mm at the casing wider than the brand new tire, presumably due to stretch

- the DHR pair is noticeably slower-rolling than the Wild Enduro setup. I have gained about 200 g in front over the Wild Enduro front, whereas the rear DHR DH is within 50 or so g of the Wild Enduro rear. I am thinking the rubber compound is the biggest differentiator, but maybe also the firm casing not conforming to the ground. Previously I ran DHF MaxxGrip/DHR MaxxTerra EXO combo and they didn’t feel as draggy.

- the biggest thing I notice so far is that the new setup feels chattery and maybe has less grip as a result, in spite of the noticeably stickier rubber. I am running the same 19.5 psi front/26 psi rear I was running with the Michelins. Maybe I need to go down in pressure. But it makes me think that casing compliance plays as large, if not larger, a role in grip as tread and rubber compound.

[D(C)]

I want something faster than an aggressor or Hans damf. Some more research has me looking at the e13 lg1en semi slick. Weight is about 1050g so halfway between a snakeskin and a super gravity and I am happy with the semi slick feel on this bike if I need more traction I probably want the fully anyway.

If you wanted to stick with Maxxis, there’s a Tomahawk in DD, and you could also track down the discontinued Griffin in DD or DH.

[carlh]

I bought the e13 semi slick on sale from Jenson will be here end of the week. Moving to the east coast has resulted in changing out most of my tires. Now I just need more time to ride

[g_man80]

I was running a Michelin Wild Enduro Front Magi-X this spring. I’m thinking of switching to the Gum-X compound for the next bike which will be shorter travel. Does anyone know if the Gum-X will faster rolling due the faster rebounding rubber? I loved the grip of the Magi-X when really pushing it, but I’m looking for something a little faster rolling.

[smmokan]

How 'bout an Aggressor as a front XC tire? Kind of want to size up my 2.25 Rekon but don't have wide enough rims for the 2.4WT in that tire.

2.4" Dissector WT would fit the bill nicely vs an Aggressor....

[ready2tumble]

Yeah, 2.4 Dissector is a candidate, as it comes in non-WT configuration, which is what I need. Might be more tire than I want for XC hardtail, though.

[D(C)]

I was running a Michelin Wild Enduro Front Magi-X this spring. I’m thinking of switching to the Gum-X compound for the next bike which will be shorter travel. Does anyone know if the Gum-X will faster rolling due the faster rebounding rubber? I loved the grip of the Magi-X when really pushing it, but I’m looking for something a little faster rolling.

My Wild Enduro Rear Gum-X did not wear well at all, with side knobs tearing off. The Front Magi-X I had on the front did a lot better. I wonder if the Wild Enduro Front Gum-X does any better than the rear.

[SchralphMacchio]

Yeah, 2.4 Dissector is a candidate, as it comes in non-WT configuration, which is what I need. Might be more tire than I want for XC hardtail, though.

But it’s lighter weight than an Aggressor!

We’ll see how well it rolls. I might try Dissector 2.4 front and back this fall (when my worn Aggressor will be both done and sucky in wetter softer stuff), I figure if I don’t like the front end feel then I’ll just throw something else up front and have a spare rear.