FACK! Broken rim = new wheel (and rear all-mountain tire advice needed)

**Tap** · 03-15-2007, 08:34 PM

Shit, after 3 years of hard riding, my Mavic 3.1 cracked. Now I need to build a new wheel. $175 later............ (and let's face it, the rim, build, spokes, nipples, etc......I guess that's a reasonable enough price - Webcyclery is the shop)

but.....my conflict is finding a good UST or non-UST rear tire that isn't going to flat on these new Mavic 819 UST rims.

I'm a true clyde (225) and hell if I haven't been flatting a bunch last season and this, but notably after I changed from a Geax Barro Marathon 2.35 UST to 2.4 Motoraptors. Heck, I flatted yesterday at 40 psi (WITHOUT a patch kit) and had to ride back to the car on the rim, which MIGHT have contributed to the crack, but the RP3 was in plush mode and the trails in Bend aren't really rocky at all

Give me your favorite faster rolling but grippy larger volume UST and non-UST rear tire for a clyde (terrain is Central Oregon and Western Oregon, mostly.)

**Arty50** · 03-15-2007, 09:00 PM

225 and he rides a red 5 Spot...dude, you're my long lost twin.

I'd stay away from the WTBs in the future. I really liked them when they were new, but the sidewalls are really thin and break down quickly under a "bit" of weight.

I'm in your same boat though in that I want new tires. I'm currently running 819s with wire-bead StickE Nevegals. The traction is awesome, but they're heavy and roll slowly. I'm thinking the next step is to try kidwoo's porn shop tubeless on some folding bead DTC Nevegals. Or I'm open to other suggestions.

**marshalolson** · 03-15-2007, 09:27 PM

2.35 nevegal

**uncle crud** · 03-15-2007, 09:40 PM

You cats who weigh above the average Joe's 165-180 lbs have a raw deal. Unless you're super smooth and avoid all sharp/square edged hits, you won't find many single-ply (XC casing) tires that will work at the low PSIs they work at for us lightweight cats.

I weigh 155 and ride pretty smoothly, and I have a hard time not pinch flatting any single-ply tire that is at 25psi or lower, unless I'm riding pure dirt trails. But we don't have many of those where I ride, so I tend to run about 35psi on the smoother trails, and 40-45psi on the rougher ones.

Kenda Nevegal single-ply tires have really thin sidewalls and if you weigh 225 you'll need to run a lot of pressure to keep from pinch-flatting.

Maxxis "Freeride" casing tires have more beef in the sidewall and will tolerate lower PSI. The Minion DH comes in that casing and it's worth checking out if you're a big dude.

**kidwoo** · 03-15-2007, 09:42 PM

Tahoe gets dusty like bend does in the summer so maybe this is relevant. I've had the same problem flatting on the beads on most ust tires on my xc bike.....mostly on rocks (don't worry what those are, just stay with me).

Here's my VERY short list of people who are making tires that last longer than the others.

Any specialized UST....yes I'm serious.....the tread patterns aren't the best but they hold up the best of any I've used.

maxxis larsen...cut some knobs two out from the center knobs and they're a good tread (the 2.1 is tiny, rear use only)

Maxxis high roller.....was my holy grail until it started folding over on me on really hardpacked santa cruz trails but some pressure fixed that (>45psi)

Fire xc pro....good tread that I'm sure you've owned at some point.....not as durable as the spec or maxxis but close to the maxxis. Cut the knurled knobs for a good front tire (you'll pleased with difference)

IRC mibro (front only)....comparable to the panaracer but better tread pattern for a front

As far as non-ust.....meh...pick a pattern

The smaller nevegals end up with more space between the knobs than the big DH ones and work better..... but that channel between the center and next knobs over could be bigger in my opinion. But I like the 2.35 and whatever the next smaller is....never ridden them tubeless though. I'm not a fan of sticky rubber on bikes I'm climbing on for hours at time.

Tire tread preference is a matter of how you corner though in my experience. A buddy of mine who rides like velcro through turns likes the nevegals better than I do. I'm more of a press and bounce or drift out kind of guy......even though we're usually going the exact same speed.

**shirk** · 03-15-2007, 09:56 PM

While riding back in Ontario I loved my Conti Vertical ProTection 2.3's.

Mind you I am light at 175 adn prefer high air pressure. I've ridden them here in BC on a few xc rides on a very dry dusty alpine trail and they were great. Have since switched them for 2.5 Nevegals with the sticky rubber single ply kevlar bead. Love the sticky rubber in the wet slimey roots and rocks, didn't notice them slowing me down on the same dry dusty high alpine ride later in the season. If I was anywhere other than Norht Van I would probably have picked up another set of the Conti's.

**Arty50** · 03-15-2007, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by uncle crud

Kenda Nevegal single-ply tires have really thin sidewalls and if you weigh 225 you'll need to run a lot of pressure to keep from pinch-flatting.

I wonder what the new side wall shield version is like. It's only slightly heavier than the single ply, but might fix what you're describing above. Hmmm...wondering if SWS is worth the extra $$$. BTW, I run the 2.35s.

All my hemming and hawing is because I love running tubeless and most people have had bad luck running the folding bead Nevegals that way (hence the liquid latex musings). The wire bead version works just fine tubeless. Methinks I'm going to take a good hard look at kid's list too.

**Big Blue** · 03-15-2007, 11:32 PM

I have the Geax Sturdy 2.35 in the rear, and it's holding up great. Not very fast rolling, but I've been running it down around 25-30 psi with a ghetto tubeless configuration (I weight about 200). After a few months in Moab, including four or five trips around slickrock, it still has a ton of tread left. Haven't had any trouble with sidewall durability. It's also very high volume for it's width. Much taller than the 2.35 maxxis ignitor I have on the front.

**Tap** · 03-16-2007, 07:39 AM

how about the Maxxis ADvantage?

Schwalbe Big Betty?

**maniloff** · 03-16-2007, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by marshalolson

2.35 nevegal

I ran those for a year and a half and loved em - 200 pounds on a 575 in Utah.

High Rollers wore down fast for me - within half a dozen rides.

I also like Conti Diesels. They're not fast uphill, though.

**uncle crud** · 03-16-2007, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by kidwoo

Tire tread preference is a matter of how you corner though in my experience. A buddy of mine who rides like velcro through turns likes the nevegals better than I do. I'm more of a press and bounce or drift out kind of guy......even though we're usually going the exact same speed.

That's something I've always wondered about. People rave about the High Roller but it doesn't work for me as a front tire, it slides out. Works okay as a rear tire for me, I don't mind drift at the rear especially in tight corners where I'm going to scrub some speed anyway. But drift up front just un-nerves me. I think I must corner like your "velcro turning" friend. It reminds me of how I like to turn on skis. I like precise turns, carving on hard snow and in crud. The sideways drift is a little too unpredictable for me. I guess that's why I don't like really fat skis with big turning radius.

Originally Posted by Arty50

I wonder what the new side wall shield version is like. It's only slightly heavier than the single ply, but might fix what you're describing above. Hmmm...wondering if SWS is worth the extra $$$. BTW, I run the 2.35s.

That would be great, because the Neve is an outstanding pattern for my terrain and riding style. It rolls pretty slow when the surface is mainly hardpack, but it wasn't designed for that kind of situation. I wonder how heavy it's going to get with a thicker sidewall. The Neves have a lot of rubber on their tread, and that's where most of their weight is, and they aren't exactly light outside the 1.95 version. I run the 1.95 DTC rear, 2.1 stick-e front on my 5-Spot, both with kevlar bead, with thin tubes. I run pretty high pressures for my scrawny ass, but they hook up even at 45 psi. I really like them. The only other patterns I like well enough to keep on the bike are Maxxis Minion and Tioga DH Pro.

**homerjay** · 03-16-2007, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by shirk

While riding back in Ontario I loved my Conti Vertical ProTection 2.3's.

Mind you I am light at 175 adn prefer high air pressure. I've ridden them here in BC on a few xc rides on a very dry dusty alpine trail and they were great. Have since switched them for 2.5 Nevegals with the sticky rubber single ply kevlar bead. Love the sticky rubber in the wet slimey roots and rocks, didn't notice them slowing me down on the same dry dusty high alpine ride later in the season. If I was anywhere other than Norht Van I would probably have picked up another set of the Conti's.

I loved the conti vert pros, but they're the smallest 2.3 out there. I've started using Maxxis Ignitor 2.35 USTs, similar tread to the conti, much bigger volume, corner just as well and roll fast. I ride usually pretty dry to somewhat tacky singletrack and they're perfect.

My buddy who's bigger than you just got some hutchinson's that are 2.3 and tubeless...they're fucking tight and could be my next tire. Scorpion maybe? I dunno.