MTB tyre differences
Discussion
Some/many of you might think I'm about to state the blindingly obvious but...
I recently went on a ride with a mate. I was on a full suspension 26" bike with Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB tyres and he was on a 29" hardtail with Schwalbe Racing Ralphs. I was underwhelmed with the grip of my bike so we swapped for a bit. I found his to have noticeably better grip but it did feel a bit less agile. It also felt more lively but it was hard to be sure if it was the tyres or the hardtail.
The eye opener was when we stopped on a prepared path with a slight downhill gradient. The path was perhaps 1m wide and very smooth and covered with fine chippings. We both set off with only enough pedal input to give sufficient initial momentum to keep from falling over. The 29" almost ran away from the 26"; it's like there was a hidden motor somewhere.
I put it down to the tyres. The Marathon Plus tyres are heavy - I bought them because the flint and thorns in the South Downs are troublesome on most tyres. Must try a set of RRs and see how they feel on my 26. And how long they last!
He had a double snakebite flat earlier in the ride after hitting some stone slabs that were put vertically across the path to reduce erosion. They protrude only a couple of inches but are lethal if you get your weight transfer wrong. When we patched the tube I notices the sidewalls are thin and v pliable whereas the Marathon Plus sidewalls are heavier/thicker than the tread on some road bike tyres. His bike was hired for the day from a shop - I asked about their choice of tyres and the staff member commented that when they used heavier duty tyres customers complained the bikes felt wooden and heavy. Horses for courses I guess.
I recently went on a ride with a mate. I was on a full suspension 26" bike with Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB tyres and he was on a 29" hardtail with Schwalbe Racing Ralphs. I was underwhelmed with the grip of my bike so we swapped for a bit. I found his to have noticeably better grip but it did feel a bit less agile. It also felt more lively but it was hard to be sure if it was the tyres or the hardtail.
The eye opener was when we stopped on a prepared path with a slight downhill gradient. The path was perhaps 1m wide and very smooth and covered with fine chippings. We both set off with only enough pedal input to give sufficient initial momentum to keep from falling over. The 29" almost ran away from the 26"; it's like there was a hidden motor somewhere.
I put it down to the tyres. The Marathon Plus tyres are heavy - I bought them because the flint and thorns in the South Downs are troublesome on most tyres. Must try a set of RRs and see how they feel on my 26. And how long they last!
He had a double snakebite flat earlier in the ride after hitting some stone slabs that were put vertically across the path to reduce erosion. They protrude only a couple of inches but are lethal if you get your weight transfer wrong. When we patched the tube I notices the sidewalls are thin and v pliable whereas the Marathon Plus sidewalls are heavier/thicker than the tread on some road bike tyres. His bike was hired for the day from a shop - I asked about their choice of tyres and the staff member commented that when they used heavier duty tyres customers complained the bikes felt wooden and heavy. Horses for courses I guess.
AW10 said:
The path we did our coasting test on was v smooth - your gran could push a fold-up pram with ease. From what I read the 29's advantage is mostly on rough terrain when there are obstacles to roll over.
Yes, partly that, but its also down to the fact bigger wheel = faster rolling speed.A smaller diameter wheel will accelerate quicker from a standing start (all things being equal) but on your bike you arent doing drag races - 50% of the time you'll be at your comfortable rolling speed, which on a bigger wheeled bike will be higher than a 26".
I'd put it down to tyre pressure, compound and over-all design over wheel size on smooth group, especially given it was a loose surface, there's nothing to roll over to give the 29" any advantage.
Tyres make a huge amount of difference to the way a MTB rides, far more than a few PSI here or there in a fork or shock or a Kgs here or there in the frame or a couple of MMs bar width.
Tyres make a huge amount of difference to the way a MTB rides, far more than a few PSI here or there in a fork or shock or a Kgs here or there in the frame or a couple of MMs bar width.
AW10 said:
The path we did our coasting test on was v smooth - your gran could push a fold-up pram with ease. From what I read the 29's advantage is mostly on rough terrain when there are obstacles to roll over.
29ers are fast all round due to the larger wheels/tyres. At Swinley or on Tarmac my friend cannot keep up on a 26" bike until we get to the tight sections. Soorry to hijack this slightly... ripped a big hole in one of my panaracers at Keilder last week (bodged with a section of inner tube glued to the inside of the tyre, got me the 11 miles back to the car ok 
) so am in the market for a new pair of tyres. The wheels on my Trek EX8 (bontrager) say they are "tubeless ready" although they came fitted with tubes when I bought the bike. What is involved in fitting tubeless tyres? I guess some sort of valve has to be fitted?
The rim tape looks very thick and is a continuous clear plastic affair rather than the rubber or cloth rim tape I'm used to, I guess this is what makes the rim "tubeless ready"?
What tubeless tyres are recommended and what are the main advantages?
) so am in the market for a new pair of tyres. The wheels on my Trek EX8 (bontrager) say they are "tubeless ready" although they came fitted with tubes when I bought the bike. What is involved in fitting tubeless tyres? I guess some sort of valve has to be fitted?The rim tape looks very thick and is a continuous clear plastic affair rather than the rubber or cloth rim tape I'm used to, I guess this is what makes the rim "tubeless ready"?
What tubeless tyres are recommended and what are the main advantages?
lufbramatt said:
Soorry to hijack this slightly... ripped a big hole in one of my panaracers at Keilder last week (bodged with a section of inner tube glued to the inside of the tyre, got me the 11 miles back to the car ok ) so am in the market for a new pair of tyres. The wheels on my Trek EX8 (bontrager) say they are "tubeless ready" although they came fitted with tubes when I bought the bike. What is involved in fitting tubeless tyres? I guess some sort of valve has to be fitted?
The rim tape looks very thick and is a continuous clear plastic affair rather than the rubber or cloth rim tape I'm used to, I guess this is what makes the rim "tubeless ready"?
What tubeless tyres are recommended and what are the main advantages?
Damned thread hijackers! ) so am in the market for a new pair of tyres. The wheels on my Trek EX8 (bontrager) say they are "tubeless ready" although they came fitted with tubes when I bought the bike. What is involved in fitting tubeless tyres? I guess some sort of valve has to be fitted?The rim tape looks very thick and is a continuous clear plastic affair rather than the rubber or cloth rim tape I'm used to, I guess this is what makes the rim "tubeless ready"?
What tubeless tyres are recommended and what are the main advantages?
Was just about to post much the same question - my bike (2004 Specialised) came with tubes but is also tubeless ready and came with a set of presta valves. Is it as simple as a set of tubeless tyres and some sealant? Any good or bad experiences with sealant brands? Was thinking of trying a pair of these - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/schwalbe-nobby-...
AW10 said:
Damned thread hijackers!
Was just about to post much the same question - my bike (2004 Specialised) came with tubes but is also tubeless ready and came with a set of presta valves. Is it as simple as a set of tubeless tyres and some sealant? Any good or bad experiences with sealant brands? Was thinking of trying a pair of these - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/schwalbe-nobby-...
If you can go tubeless! You get more grip as you can run the pressure lower without the risk of snakebites. Also it will be slightly lighter so you will accelerate better and the risk of punchers is greatly reduced.Was just about to post much the same question - my bike (2004 Specialised) came with tubes but is also tubeless ready and came with a set of presta valves. Is it as simple as a set of tubeless tyres and some sealant? Any good or bad experiences with sealant brands? Was thinking of trying a pair of these - http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/schwalbe-nobby-...
My bike came with Stans rims, Maxxis tires, tubes and some spare valves. I bought some Stans sealant to replace the tubes.
So looks like I need some valves:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/stans-no-tubes-...
and some sealant:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/stans-no-tubes-...
and tyres of choice?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/stans-no-tubes-...
and some sealant:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/stans-no-tubes-...
and tyres of choice?
Ian_sUK said:
You'll need rim tap too.
I like specialized tyres at the mo, Butcher on the front and Purgatory on the rear (same set up as comes on an Enduro) They are light (around 700g) but I can run 20psi without a problem.
The bontrager rims I have are marked "Tubeless ready" and have funny clear rim tape, do I need additional rim tape on top of this?I like specialized tyres at the mo, Butcher on the front and Purgatory on the rear (same set up as comes on an Enduro) They are light (around 700g) but I can run 20psi without a problem.
ETA: found the manual, appears the rim tape is already suitable for tubeless
http://media.bontrager.com/owners_manuals/tires/Bo...
Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 29th September 12:23
Herman Toothrot said:
The fact it was a 29er probably the reason it rolled away faster, that being the whole point of 29ers.
not really no... like for like it'd make no tangible difference, 29" will roll over small bumps better but on a relatively flat surface there'd not be much in it.I ain't going to argue one vrs the other, as it's a waste of everyone's time but hat statement is false.
dave123456 said:
Herman Toothrot said:
The fact it was a 29er probably the reason it rolled away faster, that being the whole point of 29ers.
not really no... like for like it'd make no tangible difference, 29" will roll over small bumps better but on a relatively flat surface there'd not be much in it.I ain't going to argue one vrs the other, as it's a waste of everyone's time but hat statement is false.
ecsrobin said:
Like for like in the real world it makes a huge difference me on a hill not pedalling I always beat my friends on 26" or is that because I'm so smooth missing all the micro bumps on the Tarmac?
Same tyres? Same pressures? No puncture prevention strips in your mate's wheels? I'm with dave123456 - wheel diameter alone (26 vs 29) can't make much of a difference on a smooth surface.I'm with robin on this I have two bikes with same tyres same pressures they are both hard tails same size one ti one carbon only difference is ones got 26 wheels other 650b - the 650b rolls away on road from the 26. A riding buddy also on same tyres who rides 29 who is very similar build to me rolls away on road. The difference when I'm on my 26 is such that I have to give it some pedalling to keep up with him rolling.
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