Tyres

[ysnnim]

Just picked up an Orange 5, which came with continental mountain king 2.4 tyres... anyone have an opinion on these tyres, as so far i am not overly impressed. Are they any better in dryer conditions?

Cheers

[Beyond Rational]

Are they the cheap wire/folding far East version of the MK or the more expensive protection/supersonic Germany version?

[pdV6]

My O5 came with Mountain King 2.2's.

I didn't get on with them at all and am happier now I've swapped them out.

[WildCards]

I haven't tried the Conti's but I can recommend Larsen TT's if you're switching, I use the 2.1's which are quite wide for a 2.1, but they're a great summer tyre, very grippy and fast rolling too.

[pdV6]

I've swapped to a Blue Groove 2.35 on the front and a Nevegal 2.1 on the back.
Seem to be working well in current conditions.

[ysnnim]

Back in the UK tomorrow, and will go for another blast...(should be a bit firmer under foot)
Not sure though if they are the cheap nasty version or the expensive version mentioned in an earlier post. How do you check?

[Beyond Rational]

The more expensive, stickery compound versions have "Handmade in Germany" on them.

They do seem to be a marmite tyre, maybe because of the differences between versions, I quite like the 2.2 supersonic version as a front light high volume front tyre but I think that maybe the 2.4 doesn't have enough structure to it for the kind of riding expected Certainly I've read about numerous Orange owners unhappy with the original tyres.

[BOR]

It's pretty confusing for Continental to brand so many versions of tyre with the same name.

I currently use the 2,4 MK Supersonic. I find it a good compromise between speed and grip. Dry grip is OK, but I must admit to becoming less and less confident using them in wetter conditions (particularly after crashing into a river). The rounded profile of the MK is great for quick steering, but probably doesn't do it any favours when trying to "knife" into softer ground.

I can see why UK based riders aren't 100% happy with them in typical british weather.

[pdV6]

BOR said:

I can see why UK based riders aren't 100% happy with them in typical british weather.

Which makes them an odd OE spec for Orange...

[Digga]

I've found tyre choice very subjective and personal. (I test rode an O5 with those tyres and was also non plussed.)

It's hard to review/recommend tyres, but here are a few bits I've gleaned from the 7 tyres I;ve bought in the last year:

• Terrain; makes a big difference to what works. We don't get much hardpack where I live and even in summer it's quite 'loose' so knobbly treads (Specialized Sterm or Maxxis Medusa) seem quite popular, especailly on singlespeeds that get run all year round.

• Riding style: a lot of the (very good) Maxxis tyres like the High Roller have a large 'transition gap' - they're made for faster trails where you're either upright or banked right over in a turn. They don't work well for slower, more technical trails. Other 'general' tyres like the Specialized Captains are not much better - the lateral 'bars' on the centre tread just slip too easily in the wet.

• I have some Fast Trak XC race tyres - skipmy tread - on my Epic and it's amazing how much you can do with them, even in mud (and how it builds your skills) but ultimately they're not much 'fun'.

I've tended toward more knobby styles of tread for most use, something like a Maxxis Ardent or Specialized Eskar or Purgatory. Even the 'mud' tread of the Storms on my singlespeed isn't too bad on hardpack, although get them on tarmac and you can hear the resistance - think convoys of army Land Rovers on the motorway sort of racket.

HTH

Edited by Digga on Tuesday 13th April 15:26