MTB tyres, XC trails +road
Discussion
I've recently bought two sets of tyres with low rolling resistance plus a little mild offroad in mind, I shod my sons Scott voltage in Specialized 'The Captains' and my bike in Continental 'Speed Kings' his seem fine but my scare the s
t of of me!
First ride out was just a ride to work in the damp, I mananged to wheel spin in a mid range gear setting off and braking on tarmac saw the front wash out in some scary understeer, they were great at the weekend on the trails but I need something more all-rounder as i commute on it as well as ride trails at the weekend.
ramble over.
t of of me! First ride out was just a ride to work in the damp, I mananged to wheel spin in a mid range gear setting off and braking on tarmac saw the front wash out in some scary understeer, they were great at the weekend on the trails but I need something more all-rounder as i commute on it as well as ride trails at the weekend.
ramble over.
schwalbe smarts sams, are just good enough for most off road except gloopy or very sandy stuff, very light in evo guise and roll really well on tarmac with some extra PSI thanks to a continuous central ridge. Not sure on wet weather tarmac grip though for that you really need totally slick very high psi and small rounded tires and then your buggered off road.
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 23 June 11:16
Thanks for the replies guys.
In no particular order; I'll look at the sams, another set of captains was my first thought but thought I'd ask for opinions incase there was something more suited and as for the skill set i've adjusted my riding style but I'm kind of maximum attack wherever i go so it's hampering me
When it washed out on me I was doing no more than 15 MPH but it was the first ride out on them and theve had an off road thrash since then so should probably have lost a little of the new tyre sheen, I'll go experiment when it rains next.
In no particular order; I'll look at the sams, another set of captains was my first thought but thought I'd ask for opinions incase there was something more suited and as for the skill set i've adjusted my riding style but I'm kind of maximum attack wherever i go so it's hampering me
When it washed out on me I was doing no more than 15 MPH but it was the first ride out on them and theve had an off road thrash since then so should probably have lost a little of the new tyre sheen, I'll go experiment when it rains next.
I'm looking for a similar set of tyres myself which I'll use mainly for commuting on the road but also want to be able to divert onto hard packed gravel tracks and bridleways for the odd change of scenery. There seems to be far too much choice. Currently the favourite looks to be the Maxxis Wormdrive although I'm still considering Schwalbe Marathons as well. The main concern I've got with the Wormdrives is that they're not slick enough for road use which is where they'll spend the majority of their time. On the other hand the Marathons might be too slick for gravel tracks. Decisions, decisions..!
Edited by Trevelyan on Friday 24th June 09:39
OneDs said:
schwalbe smarts sams, are just good enough for most off road except gloopy or very sandy stuff, very light in evo guise and roll really well on tarmac with some extra PSI thanks to a continuous central ridge. Not sure on wet weather tarmac grip though for that you really need totally slick very high psi and small rounded tires and then your buggered off road.
Plus one on this. Great tyre.Edited by OneDs on Thursday 23 June 11:16
Speed Kings are a horrid tyre.
What is it about Conti's and wet conditions? I paid for a set of UST Verti Pros and threw them away after a short few rides and my most painful 'off' ever. Bike washed out and I landed with my hip on a 4" dia branch - missing an angle-cut branch stub by inches which would have gone right in like a massive hypo-needle. Perhaps they're great in the dry, but most of us live in the UK. My Verti Pro's were just downright dangerous.
house move finished, internet back, hooray!
Update on the speed kings, the packaging rates them as 3/3 for hardpack and gravel, 2/3 for wet, 1/3 for mud. 2/3 my arse, these fecking things will try to kill you under braking in the wet, but I absolutely love them off road, really good bite when cornering, I'm now considering a second wheel set for on road as my rides tend to be exclusively on or off road, will have to hunt down the exact same rims though as even the same width rims may have different angled walls.
Update on the speed kings, the packaging rates them as 3/3 for hardpack and gravel, 2/3 for wet, 1/3 for mud. 2/3 my arse, these fecking things will try to kill you under braking in the wet, but I absolutely love them off road, really good bite when cornering, I'm now considering a second wheel set for on road as my rides tend to be exclusively on or off road, will have to hunt down the exact same rims though as even the same width rims may have different angled walls.
Interesting. I still haven't made a decision on what to buy yet - Smart Sams or Wormdrives. I might have a closer look at the Contis as well now though.
On a related topic I'm a week into using a new set of Panaracer Fire XT Pros now on my usual training route which is 30% road 70% offroad. Initial impressions were very poor as I got a puncture on my first trip out, but since then they've been performing pretty well. They certainly seem to be a bit grippier that the Conti Mountain Kings they replaced. The trick with them seems to be finding the sweet spot for tyre pressure.
On a related topic I'm a week into using a new set of Panaracer Fire XT Pros now on my usual training route which is 30% road 70% offroad. Initial impressions were very poor as I got a puncture on my first trip out, but since then they've been performing pretty well. They certainly seem to be a bit grippier that the Conti Mountain Kings they replaced. The trick with them seems to be finding the sweet spot for tyre pressure.
Trevelyan said:
Interesting. I still haven't made a decision on what to buy yet - Smart Sams or Wormdrives. I might have a closer look at the Contis as well now though.
On a related topic I'm a week into using a new set of Panaracer Fire XT Pros now on my usual training route which is 30% road 70% offroad. Initial impressions were very poor as I got a puncture on my first trip out, but since then they've been performing pretty well. They certainly seem to be a bit grippier that the Conti Mountain Kings they replaced. The trick with them seems to be finding the sweet spot for tyre pressure.
Yeah I'm thinking along the same lines re. pressures, I've always prefered high for road for reduced rolling resistance, but might lower it to attempt to bring more tread blocks into play in the wet. MBR magazine hads a tyre test article this month but sadly none of the tyres in my LBS's...On a related topic I'm a week into using a new set of Panaracer Fire XT Pros now on my usual training route which is 30% road 70% offroad. Initial impressions were very poor as I got a puncture on my first trip out, but since then they've been performing pretty well. They certainly seem to be a bit grippier that the Conti Mountain Kings they replaced. The trick with them seems to be finding the sweet spot for tyre pressure.
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