New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[carlh]

I don’t have anything yet and the Ritchey is a 38mm. I’m hoping for muddy races so most gravel tires seem like they would pack up and turn into slicks. The gravine looks decent but I would prefer more aggressive knobs and a bit heavier casing.
If wtb made the sendero in a 700x40 that would be perfect.

Yeah those ritcheys look like they'd be decent if you already have them. For most people there's no requirement to ride 33s so I recommend gravel tires with nice big edge knobs. Pirelli gravel rc, wtb raddler, maxxis ravager, etc.

For actual cross tires challenge is starting to make some in 38mm, like the grifo and limus. Their 40mm gravine is kind of like a more aggressive, bigger grifo that should be pretty good for cross too. I also think the traditional "grifo" pattern isn't a very good choice unless you're on tubulars and have mulitple tire options. The baby limus has been my favorite cross tire but the 38s aren't out yet.

[Abies]

Need some 27.5 x 2.1s for my gravel bike. Looking at the Terevail options, maybe Starwood rear and rutland front. Any experiences or other recommendations? Coming off of Rene Herse Juniper Ridges that I liked ok but they’re too fragile. Gravel tires do not excite me I just want something that works for rough dirt roads and won’t leave me stranded or weep 20 oz of sealant every ride.


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[HotSchmoo]

Got myself some new carbon wheels for the solstice revolution, so new tires too. After good luck with a Vittoria Mazza on the rear most of last season and Assegai front, decided to go Mazza/Martello.
Just One ride in but pleased so far.
Both tires seemed invisible under me. ie didnt think about them much at all with very little learning curve.
I figured I'd like the Mazza as a front but wasn't so sure on the Martello. It just looks kinda generic. Also wish I'd gotten the enduro casing Martello, but whatever.
Perhaps I'll replace it with another Mazza come June or so.
Looking forward to not dragging that boat anchor assguy around anymore.

[Andeh]

For anyone curious to try Schwalbe Radials, I have a set that I did 2 rides on and decided they're not for me.
29x2.5 Magic Mary Radial Trail Ultra Soft
27.5x2.5 Magic Mary Radial Gravity Soft
$100 shipped for the pair in USA.

[HotSchmoo]

Andeh could you explain what you didnt like about them?
Have you tried the non-radial version?

[Andeh]

Andeh could you explain what you didnt like about them?
Have you tried the non-radial version?

In a word, squirm. Specifically on hardpack (there's a lot of that where I'm at, and even in the winter, large portions of my trails remain pretty firm and higher speed). Some of it is knob squirm (I have used prior generations of MM and found that also), but some of it is the casing. I tried adding 4 psi, then 3 psi, to the pressures I normally run with Conti DH casing. That had a similar level of casing deformation when I pressed the bike onto the garage floor at an angle. But what I found was that while the Radial construction was quite good at conforming to roots at speed, that same higher pressure that was needed for sidewall stability made them ping off stuff at really slow speeds (tech like a log ride). They kind of highlighted to me my preference for tires with stiffer sidewalls - I like that because I can run lower pressure to conform to roots but not suffer casing roll in berms.

I think these tires would be great for someone who is less picky about casing roll, and who has consistently soft dirt. If I were to try Schwalbe Radials again, I'd run Gravity up front also, and a different tread pattern with more supported knobs (best looking in my eyes is Shredda Rear, but run it front & rear). Those are heavy AF though, which kinda defeats the purpose of changing things up from my tried & true Kryptotal DHs. I didn't want to try the Albert because its tight tread pattern would clog up from our clayey mud pockets.

[waveshello]

Need some 27.5 x 2.1s for my gravel bike. Looking at the Terevail options, maybe Starwood rear and rutland front. Any experiences or other recommendations? Coming off of Rene Herse Juniper Ridges that I liked ok but they’re too fragile. Gravel tires do not excite me I just want something that works for rough dirt roads and won’t leave me stranded or weep 20 oz of sealant every ride.


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I'm ditching a pair of 700x42 Teravail Rampart slicks--was not impressed, but maybe I just wasn't using them correctly. They have horrendous wet grip, and were pretty squirmy at the pressures I wanted to run them (mid to low 30s). Hopefully their other offerings are better. They were plush, rolled fast, and held air well.

I had been using a pair of Gravelking EXTs, those were better than the Teravail for everything except cruising dry tarmac. I recently picked up a pair of Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H--they are excellent across the board and have great wet grip, even on greasy pnw tarmac. I have found the limit but it's up there, almost as good as a GP5000s. Can't speak to durability yet.

[jamal]

Yeah gravel h comes in 650x50 and is one of the faster rolling tires with tread according to bicycle rolling resistance. I've ridden them for a couple years, in the summer i rotated the front to the back and put a gravel rc up front to give me more control on the drier looser stuff.

Right now i'm on some challenge getaway 700x45s and it's like riding on clouds, and they go fast. but i don't know if they do 650b and i don't really trust them around sharp rocks.

[HotSchmoo]

In a word, squirm. Specifically on hardpack (there's a lot of that where I'm at, and even in the winter, large portions of my trails remain pretty firm and higher speed). Some of it is knob squirm (I have used prior generations of MM and found that also), but some of it is the casing. I tried adding 4 psi, then 3 psi, to the pressures I normally run with Conti DH casing. That had a similar level of casing deformation when I pressed the bike onto the garage floor at an angle. But what I found was that while the Radial construction was quite good at conforming to roots at speed, that same higher pressure that was needed for sidewall stability made them ping off stuff at really slow speeds (tech like a log ride). They kind of highlighted to me my preference for tires with stiffer sidewalls - I like that because I can run lower pressure to conform to roots but not suffer casing roll in berms.

I think these tires would be great for someone who is less picky about casing roll, and who has consistently soft dirt. If I were to try Schwalbe Radials again, I'd run Gravity up front also, and a different tread pattern with more supported knobs (best looking in my eyes is Shredda Rear, but run it front & rear). Those are heavy AF though, which kinda defeats the purpose of changing things up from my tried & true Kryptotal DHs. I didn't want to try the Albert because its tight tread pattern would clog up from our clayey mud pockets.

Good answer, thankyou. I haven't been at all sure what to think of the radials. Never ridden Schwalbes old stuff either. Tales of squirmy Marys on hardpack dont sound great

[One (+) Sentence]

The Albert tread pattern was designed in conjunction with Radial casing and it's a pretty awesome tire. Can confirm many reports of MM tread being squirmy with the more compliant casing. But I've got those on my e-bike, and where I live e-bikes are still largely prohibited, so I have been using them more off the beaten path and backcountry and haven't noticed the excessive squirm I might notice on the more popular hard packed trails.

[Roxtar]

Tioga Edge 22s are back in stock.
Wow
Just an amazing front tire for hardpack. Carves turns like 75mm slalom skis on groomers.

[grskier]

That tioga tire looks like a bad idea on crack.

[Roxtar]

That tioga tire looks like a bad idea on crack.

I was skeptical until I tried it

I was expecting a squirmy feeling when going straight. Sort of like a competition water ski when not on edge

Nope. It just works

[joetron]

One of my friends has been riding that Tioga for a few months and he is super into it so far. I laughed when he asked for me to order one, but now I’m kind of intrigued.
I just don’t know if could handle looking down at one. lol


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[ripvw]

Definitely a weird looking tire, but it rides great. Reasonable weight, rolls well and corners fantastically. I like them quite a bit better than the DHF or Assegai I was running before.

[Toddball]

Who has recommendations for a fairly fast-rolling tire setup that is still decent on rocky tech trails? I'm currently running 2.5 DHF DD MaxxGrip front/2.5 Aggressor DD rear on my hardtail, which I really like on the descents and technical climbing, but definitely notice how slow it is on paved/gravel road climbs (compared to my 2.25 Mezcals--not really a fair comparison).

My use case is long XC/trail rides on rocky trails in NM through next summer, and a big race on the Monarch Crest and surrounding environs in September. Probably will try to get a few hundred more miles out of my current setup, but don't want to swap to race tires right before the event without a testing period.

2.6 Forekaster/2.6 Rekon maybe?

[snowaddict91]

Vapor Trail? I like the 2.4 Dissector more than I thought I would as a front tire for an XC "downcountry" rig, but I'd be tempted to go faster rolling for a long race. Rekon rear lacks a little in braking when it gets really loose in mid-summer, but is probably the right call for what you are looking for.

[Toddball]

^Yep. Hadn't thought about the Dissector, will check that out too. Will try to squeeze in a few reconnaissance missions this summer to get a sense of how XC I can push my tire choice, just want to avoid dropping $$$ on tires that I later decide are too slow or scary.

[SchralphMacchio]

Problem with Dissector is it doesn’t hold up well to braking on rocks. I think people remarked upthread that even the DD Dissector can be fragile - I have no experience on DD just EXO. Like, I’m in a part of Oregon that has some but not too many sharp rocks, I weigh 140 lbs, but I can tear the knobs apart on my Dissectors with a lot of aggressive late braking into hard cornering.

I’ve posted many times here that I have a love hate relationship with the Dissector: I love how FUN that tire is, just fast fun and locks into loam on rails when tipped over aggressively, drifts at upright angles, brakes well … hate how fragile it is for how expensive it is, and also it sucks on wet clay-loam in my opinion.
I think the Spesh Eliminator Grid Gravity or Grid Trail probably has the edge on durability over that tire, while allegedly providing very similar traction performance and riding characteristics. I don’t have any firsthand reporting on the Eliminator as I hoarded on $30 Dissectors during post pandemic surplus and I’m still working through that now, lol.

[g_man80]

Jenson has some cheap OE Dissectors if you want to try them without spending too much (low risk).

https://www.jensonusa.com/Maxxis-Dis...e-No-Packaging

[snowaddict91]

Problem with Dissector is it doesn’t hold up well to braking on rocks. I think people remarked upthread that even the DD Dissector can be fragile - I have no experience on DD just EXO. Like, I’m in a part of Oregon that has some but not too many sharp rocks, I weigh 140 lbs, but I can tear the knobs apart on my Dissectors with a lot of aggressive late braking into hard cornering.

I’ve posted many times here that I have a love hate relationship with the Dissector: I love how FUN that tire is, just fast fun and locks into loam on rails when tipped over aggressively, drifts at upright angles, brakes well … hate how fragile it is for how expensive it is, and also it sucks on wet clay-loam in my opinion.

You aren't wrong, but I still think it's a good choice for this application as a Front tire. I too have a love-hate with it as a rear tire. They just don't last long enough.

[carlh]

Dissector feels a bit looser to me than the eliminator and the exo casing is noticeably flimsier than a grid trail. Max terra has better wet grip than T7. Dissector might be a smidge faster rolling but not sure.

[skaredshtles]

Jenson has some cheap OE Dissectors if you want to try them without spending too much (low risk).https://www.jensonusa.com/Maxxis-Dis...e-No-Packaging

Be advised - those are dual compound - which, IMNSHO, sucks quite a bit.

[grinch]

Has schwalbe's new radial tires made all other tires obsolete? Reports seem to suggest that, idk

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[HotSchmoo]

I dunno about those new Schwalbes. I mean, I'm quite intrigued as well but I'm seeing mixed messages. Some folks seem to think they feel too soft.
I would like to try them in a robust casing variety in order to get good sidewall support and durability while still getting optimal traction in loose chundery steeps.