New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[joetron]

I just threw a new Forekaster on the back of my Ranger to replace a Rekon. Paired up with a Dissector in the front. Should be a fun, fast grippy setup, with a little better braking than the Rekon. Will report back


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[J. Barron DeJong]

I would like an Enduro Race 4C Martello. Please.

Sooner rather than later:



Now I need to decide if I go with an Enduro Martello, EXO+ Dissector, DD Dissector, or something else.

[MegaStoke]

Enduro Mazza. Best tire on the market right now IMO.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Enduro Mazza. Best tire on the market right now IMO.

I have a trail Mazza on the front. Want faster rolling than that on the rear. Bike is a Norco Optic, so aggressive trail, not enduro.

Found a decent price on the Martello Enduro, so we’ll so how that goes.

[Rossymcg]

Or you can buy tires that allow you to lean them hard without sliding 6" before they hook up.
Those do actually exist. Hell, Maxxis even makes a couple so you can continue the love-fest.

Also, not all turns require an intense lean. Going into a 30-45* hardpack, non-bermed, turn at speed on a DHF requires true faith in God.

I live in the UK and ride Wharncliffe. Its never dry and hard pack. The DHF clears better than the assegai. Truth be told you'll see a shorty on my bike for some of the season

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[skinipenem]

Not loving the Assegai up front. Am I just a gaper?

2.5 Assegai 3C MaxxTerra 29, tubeless, 20 psi. Coming off running 27.5 High Roller II 2.4 for years that I really liked. Bike is quite a bit larger (470mm reach to 510), paired with wagon wheels and a slacker head angle means I'm using a lot more body english out front, but I don't think this is entirely a technique thing. Tire feels dishy in tight corners where I'm steering instead of just leaning, is generally meh all around. Riding SW moondust over hard pack. Should I get a new HRII, or am I just doing it wrong?

What does 'dishy' mean?

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[bagtagley]

Not loving the Assegai up front. Am I just a gaper?

2.5 Assegai 3C MaxxTerra 29, tubeless, 20 psi. Coming off running 27.5 High Roller II 2.4 for years that I really liked. Bike is quite a bit larger (470mm reach to 510), paired with wagon wheels and a slacker head angle means I'm using a lot more body english out front, but I don't think this is entirely a technique thing. Tire feels dishy in tight corners where I'm steering instead of just leaning, is generally meh all around. Riding SW moondust over hard pack. Should I get a new HRII, or am I just doing it wrong?

Coming from an older geo bike, it can be surprising (and off-putting) the amount you need to shift your weight forward to get the bike to handle well, especially on steeps. Initially, it can be helpful to exaggerate that shift forward until you find a good, neutral position.

[Tailwind]

I’ve been running a Specialized Fast Track and Renegade tire combo on my XC race bike for a few years. Doing normally 50 or 100 mile races so efficiently is really the important factor.

Anything else I ‘need’ to try? I’m tempted by the Maxxis Aspen. It would be about 300 grams of extra tire weight which isn’t nothing. Also unsure if I’d run the Aspen front and rear or just front.

[XtrPickels]

I've had great luck with my Continental RaceKings - The Bernstein skin wall edition is sexy, fast, but has a bit less sidewall protection than the regular "protection" model.
For a bit more front grip you can run a Cross-King on the front.

I think they're the best combo of weight, grip, rolling, and durability for fast xc riding.

[Meconium]

Coming from an older geo bike, it can be surprising (and off-putting) the amount you need to shift your weight forward to get the bike to handle well, especially on steeps. Initially, it can be helpful to exaggerate that shift forward until you find a good, neutral position.

And then you get that figured out and for whatever dumb reason your brain mindfucks and old habits are hard to brake. Jesus, my “modern geo” bike is probably considered conservative yet still relevant nowadays. Took about a month to feel that dialed, neutral position bliss that lasted two seasons. End of last season I started randomly rowing off the back a bit, so I started to exaggerate that shift forward to reset, followed by old school 26er stretched out, ass back extremo steep xc racer DH rock crawling position at the same time.

Sorry for the drift, does anyone have a link to that vid that someone shared awhile back? Kind of a lengthy episode that had a handful of skilled old school riders getting advice from modern geo new school riders. I want to see what tires they had...................

[mildbill.]

Has anyone run a Rekon with an Assegai? Been running 2.4 Rekons front and rear on my hardtail that I regularly pedal from the house and have been pretty stoked on them. I enjoy the fast rolling nature of ‘em and thought tossing it on my stevo could be fun until proper enduro-ey/steep trails open up around here.

Yes - total frankencombo that I use in exactly the way you describe - pedalling through the neighborhood. The Ass/Rek (F/R) is less draggy to and from the trailhead than Diss/Ass (R/F). I do like the Rek/Diss (R/F) combo too.

Ass/Rek (F/R) is a little unbalanced as far as quantity of grip but not the character of said grip - both tires respond to the same lean angles.

Also apologies for the confusing nomenclature above but I spend quite a bit of time on climbs thinking of the funniest way to combine those different tire abbreviations...

[Tailwind]

I’ve heard good things about the race kings. I’ve normally defaulted to a 2.3 or 2.35 tire but it seems like it could be interesting to try something a bit narrower.

I've had great luck with my Continental RaceKings - The Bernstein skin wall edition is sexy, fast, but has a bit less sidewall protection than the regular "protection" model.
For a bit more front grip you can run a Cross-King on the front.

I think they're the best combo of weight, grip, rolling, and durability for fast xc riding.

[Marshal Olson]

I just threw a new Forekaster on the back of my Ranger to replace a Rekon. Paired up with a Dissector in the front. Should be a fun, fast grippy setup, with a little better braking than the Rekon. Will report back


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About to go to this exact setup on the little bike... thoughts? go/no go?

[J. Barron DeJong]

I have a trail Mazza on the front. Want faster rolling than that on the rear. Bike is a Norco Optic, so aggressive trail, not enduro.

Found a decent price on the Martello Enduro, so we’ll so how that goes.

FYI, received 29x2.4 Enduro Martello. Actual weight is 1286g, so a bit heavier than advertised. A little chunky for a trail bike but I’ll see how it rides.

I’d be interested in knowing actual eight of the Enduro Race Martello. Catalog lists them both at the same weight, but I’d think a single ply 60tpi casing with under tread protection would normally be lighter then a 2x120tpi casing.

[joetron]

About to go to this exact setup on the little bike... thoughts? go/no go?

Got about 30 trail miles on the tire and so far so good. It seems a little narrower on the same rim (i9 27mm internal) than the Rekon. Just measured it at 58mm both casing and side knobs. I didn’t measure the Rekon before taking it off.
Definitely better grip in loose stuff and better braking than the Rekon. Can’t tell much of a difference in rolling resistance.


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[jamal]

I’ve been running a Specialized Fast Track and Renegade tire combo on my XC race bike for a few years. Doing normally 50 or 100 mile races so efficiently is really the important factor.

Anything else I ‘need’ to try? I’m tempted by the Maxxis Aspen. It would be about 300 grams of extra tire weight which isn’t nothing. Also unsure if I’d run the Aspen front and rear or just front.

I've always been tempted by the aspen but still haven't actually gone and bought a set. Vittoria Mezcals have been really great and I keep going back to them. I am trying the pirelli XC/RC on the new hardtail and they seem good so far. Decent fast xc tire grip, decent speed, 700g for the "prowall" casing in 29x2.4. Haven't ridden contis or aspens or thunder berts. Have been on ikons, ardent race, previous racing ralph, current racing ray/ralph, mezcal, barzo, kenda sabers.

[SchralphMacchio]

Definitely better grip in loose stuff and better braking than the Rekon.[/url]

Wow I wouldn’t have guessed better braking just looking at the tread pattern!
Definitely looks like it will bite better in loose … and wet.
I’ll keep it on my short list for a future light and fast bike.

[EWG]

Anybody running WTB Vigilante fronts and/or Trail Boss rears? Trying to stay in the WTB world. General trail riding, not racing. Trail Boss rears come in 2.4 and 2.6, Vigilante fronts come in 2.4/2.6/2.8.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, experience, or beta on what those widths look like in real life.

[evasive_MT]

And then you get that figured out and for whatever dumb reason your brain mindfucks and old habits are hard to brake. Jesus, my “modern geo” bike is probably considered conservative yet still relevant nowadays. Took about a month to feel that dialed, neutral position bliss that lasted two seasons. End of last season I started randomly rowing off the back a bit, so I started to exaggerate that shift forward to reset, followed by old school 26er stretched out, ass back extremo steep xc racer DH rock crawling position at the same time.

Sorry for the drift, does anyone have a link to that vid that someone shared awhile back? Kind of a lengthy episode that had a handful of skilled old school riders getting advice from modern geo new school riders. I want to see what tires they had...................

It was from NSMB: How to cure your 2006 riding posture.

https://nsmb.com/articles/cure-your-...cone-training/

[toast2266]

Anybody running WTB Vigilante fronts and/or Trail Boss rears? Trying to stay in the WTB world. General trail riding, not racing. Trail Boss rears come in 2.4 and 2.6, Vigilante fronts come in 2.4/2.6/2.8.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, experience, or beta on what those widths look like in real life.

I have in the past.

I got along with them pretty well. They run fairly big - the 2.4 is close to a maxxis 2.5. But a 2.4 trail boss sits a little smaller than a 2.4 Vigilante, so they pair nicely.

Wtb's high grip is a bit harder than maxxis / schwalbe's grippier compounds. And the fast rolling compound is pretty hard. None of the wtb's are especially light, but I never had issues with durability, even with the lighter casings. I still usually ran a tough casing in the back though.

Overall, pretty decent traction. The Vigilante is a straightforward tire that's easy to get along with. The trail boss is a little more condition dependent, and I think it's best as a moderately quick rolling tire for non-hardpack conditions.

[smmokan]

Agree with Toast on the Vigilante (no experience with the TB). Nice front tire that has a lot of grip… but it definitely runs very big. The 2.6” version is freakin huge, so unless you’re looking for something close to plus-size width, I’d stick to the 2.4”.

[XtrPickels]

I’ve heard good things about the race kings. I’ve normally defaulted to a 2.3 or 2.35 tire but it seems like it could be interesting to try something a bit narrower.

For a true XC tire where rolling resistance is the major determinant of performance, I think it works really well. If someone is looking for a tire to perform at low to moderate speeds as they work through technical sections of trail than I think extra volume / grip would perform better.

[EWG]

Agree with Toast on the Vigilante (no experience with the TB). Nice front tire that has a lot of grip… but it definitely runs very big. The 2.6” version is freakin huge, so unless you’re looking for something close to plus-size width, I’d stick to the 2.4”.

I have in the past.

I got along with them pretty well. They run fairly big - the 2.4 is close to a maxxis 2.5. But a 2.4 trail boss sits a little smaller than a 2.4 Vigilante, so they pair nicely.

Wtb's high grip is a bit harder than maxxis / schwalbe's grippier compounds. And the fast rolling compound is pretty hard. None of the wtb's are especially light, but I never had issues with durability, even with the lighter casings. I still usually ran a tough casing in the back though.

Overall, pretty decent traction. The Vigilante is a straightforward tire that's easy to get along with. The trail boss is a little more condition dependent, and I think it's best as a moderately quick rolling tire for non-hardpack conditions.

Great info. Thanks. I'll probably try 2.4s of both.

[SkiLyft]

FYI Jenson has a sale on Maxxis rubber. Most sizes/compound for $64.


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[toast2266]

FYI Jenson has a sale on Maxxis rubber. Most sizes/compound for $64.


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Nice. Good tip. They didn't have the maxxis unicorns I wanted, but I at least got some fresh rubber for the wife.