MTB Tyres

[Minnsy]

Need some new rubber - searched through the old posts and nothing conclusive.. my riding is XC, single track, no free riding (too old for that)and no loopy downhill stuff (bike is a Spesh Epic) but after last wednesdays ride, realise that the current tyres are past their best.

Meandered over to Chain Reaction - and Maxxis Minion (as do High Rollers) look reasonable - or are they too DH focussed?

Also want one with reasonably low rolling resistance a bit of road work is inevitable...

Any suggestions?

Thankings...

[neil_bolton]

High Rollers over Minions for XC work, however neither are what I'd call good fast tyres.

Off road though, High Rollers are pretty much some of the best, and if you've got your eyes on those, I'll recommend them as I use them on both XC and DH (I use a Minion front DH though)...

[Jimbo.]

I'm assuming you want something in keeping with the Epic's whippety-like nature, in which case, Continental Race Kings? Go for the sturdier Protection or the lighter Supersonic and you get their fancy "Black Chilli" rubber compound, which supposedly "makes" the tyre, if that makes sense...

Edited by Jimbo. on Friday 25th July 00:26

[BOR]

Schwalbe Racing Ralphs are fast XC tyres, but disappointing as the terain gets more demanding. Not great in wet, muddy conditions. OK when the ground is dry.

[pawsmcgraw]

Currently the lowest rolling resistance is apparently a Maxxis maxlite 310....but it ain't cheap.They are easy to make tubeless too which makes for a fantastic climbing wheel/tyre combination.I used them on several races but you need to run them at sub 35lb on the rough(er) stuff.On the smooth at 55psi they are the fastest mtb tyre i've used, by far.
Also the furious fred in either size is good, or the previous fast fred from swalbe
Another good one imo is the Geax Barro race, but not the tubeless version.Just make the normal ones tubeless.Pretty fast tyre though.

All tyre tyres really though.

Edited by pawsmcgraw on Friday 25th July 10:27

[cjs]

I also have an Epic and have recently fitted new tyres. After a lot of home work I finally went for Specialized tyres, The Captain Armadillo Elite. Great off road grip and they roll well on the road plus the added bonus of no punctures! I would highly recommend them.

They are £30 a pop so not the cheapest tyre.


http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spi...

[Gooby]

I have been using Continental Mountain King 2.4 UST and I really like them.

Can I suggest that while you are replacing tyres, you finish the job off and go tubeless.

[Minnsy]

Gents - thanks for replies. Given the unpredictable weather conditions, the tyre should be reasonable in the wet as well... roots and rocks take are not so friendly when damp! And of course mud... there will be mud.

On the tubless front - benefits being weight I presume - any others? I don't mind getting the odd puncture, as I always carry a spare inner or two...

Cheers

David

[SystemParanoia]

Just got rid of my Road/trail biased tyres today and got some mud pluggers.

ANYTHING will be an improvement on those abortions!

suggested maxis.com tyres, but the LBS said i should have some other ones instead.

testing them out tonight

[Gooby]

Minnsy said:

On the tubless front - benefits being weight I presume - any others? I don't mind getting the odd puncture, as I always carry a spare inner or two...

Cheers

David

The advantages are less weight (it is like a £200 upgrade on your wheels. You will be able to run lower pressures, always helpful with mud. Fewer punctures, FAR fewer punctures.

[PomBstard]

Couple of other suggestions... Maxxis Larsen TT always works well for me in most conditions except the boggiest, but only on the rear. Have also found a (WTB??) Weirwolf to be pretty good in the mud. On the front, Maxxis Ignitor seems to be working well.

And when these wear out, a tubeless conversion is on the cards.