New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[grinch]

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/u.../rp-prod116032

Still the best tire ever made. Fast rolling it’s not. I want to snip a bevel on the rolling edge of the centre knobs on one of those some day. To bad they didn’t make the wild enduro rear in a 26”, that would fit danno’s Requirements to a t. I’m finding it’s not just there tread pattern and supportive sideknobs. SR(slow rebound) Michelin rubber both grips and wears incredibly well. Detailed construction. I’m not sure any other companies have variable sidewall thickness. My new wild enduro is thicker from the bead up over the rim sidewall a touch . Not sure if the wild rockr has that

[evasive_MT]

Agreed on both counts- great tire, but slow rolling for sure. I had the Wild Rock’R2 and Wild Grip’R2 for a season a few years ago. Loved them on trail but when rolling back to town on group rides I noticed that instead of having to use the brakes to stay with the pack, with the Michelins I had to pedal to keep up.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> rolling back to town on group rides I noticed that instead of having to use the brakes to stay with the pack, with the Michelins I had to pedal to keep up.

Agreed - their performance on the most irrelevant part of a ride is somewhat less than optimal.

[Jonny Snow]

Just wanted to post up that I mounted my 26" Cushcores, they seem to be working well so far. 28mm internal non-tubeless rim, non-tubeless 2.4 Minion DHR2 2-ply, 949 racing Schrader valves, DIY slime/PG AF sealant (1:1). Did two days of mellow lift served riding, ran 23/27 psi. Had no problems with tire roll, a few somewhat hard hits but nothing shocking that made me say that they were really doing their job. Will try significantly lower pressures next time, but don't want a squirmy ride.

[LC]

WR2s roll fine. I just ordered another two for cheap in case they get harder to find.

grinch, did you weigh your Wild Enduro Rear? How does the overall casing thickness feel in hand compared to the WR2? I still haven't seen the Enduros in the flesh, might order a Rear sometime from a shop that does free returns so that I could at least see it first. Front might work well on the rear but I think it's Magi-X (soft) rubber only and I like my rears to last.

[evasive_MT]

Agreed - their performance on the most irrelevant part of a ride is somewhat less than optimal.

For rides that start right at the trailhead, you never notice. But riding them out from town really sucked.

[skaredshtles]

I just ordered a Magi-X WR2 to replace the shitty High Roller 2 on my bike.

@Danno - you should too.

[grinch]

Agreed on both counts- great tire, but slow rolling for sure. I had the Wild Rock’R2 and Wild Grip’R2 for a season a few years ago. Loved them on trail but when rolling back to town on group rides I noticed that instead of having to use the brakes to stay with the pack, with the Michelins I had to pedal to keep up.

Tire reviews are so subjective to what you’re doing and where. I think I end up just spinning along to get to a downhill or a fun tech climb so I’m not really pushing between the fun bits. I’m thinking “sharedshtles” has a similar objective. A couple times group rides did push the whole ride but that was more me trying to keep the 20 something’s in sight. I usually try and conserve some energy for the downs

Agreed - their performance on the most irrelevant part of a ride is somewhat less than optimal.

[skaredshtles]

Tire reviews are so subjective to what you’re doing and where. I think I end up just spinning along to get to a downhill or a fun tech climb so I’m not really pushing between the fun bits. I’m thinking “sharedshtles” has a similar objective. A couple times group rides did push the whole ride but that was more me trying to keep the 20 something’s in sight. I usually try and conserve some energy for the downs

Yup.

I'm pretty much always the last guy up the hill. Fortunately, most of my riding buddies are good sports about it.

I do not blame the tires for this, though.

[rideit]

Toshi doesn't count.

[jm2e]

I keep thinking about trying the Wild Rock'R2 on the back of my trail bike. Then I get hung up on the weight. It's really more comparable to a Maxxis DD casing. I've not really had problems with my non-DD DHRIIs, so taking that weight penalty just to try something new is harder to swallow.

[grinch]

I keep thinking about trying the Wild Rock'R2 on the back of my trail bike. Then I get hung up on the weight. It's really more comparable to a Maxxis DD casing. I've not really had problems with my non-DD DHRIIs, so taking that weight penalty just to try something new is harder to swallow.

You may want to try the wild enduro rear. Same weight as a dd or wild rockr2 but it’s going to roll faster than the dhr2 and edge better. Probably won’t shed mud as good or have quite as much traction on the climbs but it doesn’t really suffer from lack of traction. I had a dhr2 exo on previously, also with a Huck Norris , and I liked it. I just swapped to the wild rockr2 as a prevention , and it rips. Then changed to w enduro rear. I’ll stay with it on my trail bike. Be ok on my bigger bike but not all the time. Onza citrius(similar weight)is working good there until I try a wild enduro front on the rear of that next. Always going to be wr2’s on the front

[Danno]

Thanks to all who suggested the Aggressor as a rear tire. Been on 3 rides so far, and digging it. Seems to roll a little better than the DHF and still grippy as fuck. DHF front and Aggressor rear has so far been a great combo for me.

[funkendrenchman]

Tried a dhf 2.6 for the second time (for some reason) and yep, still feels really sluggish. Gonna try the 2.3 DHF.

Really trying to find a slightly grippier combo to replace the 2.4/2.25 ardent but I’m having a tough time. I really like how quickly they roll.

[riff]

I miss my ardents but have been enjoying the panaracer fat-b-nimble that were in the garage on standby.


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[gravitylover]

I miss my ardents but have been enjoying the panaracer fat-b-nimble that were in the garage on standby.

That's one of the few tires I've had on a bike the last few years that I really disliked. Sure they're light and roll quick but it's not good at anything else and the sidewalls are about as tough as wet toilet paper.

[riff]

For now they are just keeping the rims off the ground; I tore a sidewall on the ardents and retired them. I ride a rigid 9er and generally go pretty mellow.


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[jackstraw]

Thanks to all who suggested the Aggressor as a rear tire. Been on 3 rides so far, and digging it. Seems to roll a little better than the DHF and still grippy as fuck. DHF front and Aggressor rear has so far been a great combo for me.

I just ordered another DHR. I cannot change at this point because I'm so happy with that tire. I went with the 2.3. I like the weight and the grip, so no need for the 2.4. I'm also not sure how the "WT" will feel and act. According to Maxxis, it is set up for 35mm internal rim and I'm at 29mm. It probably doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference, especially for someone like me, but I know what I've got with the DHR 2.3 and it works. Don't fix what is not broken, eh?

[nickwm21]

I just ordered another DHR. I cannot change at this point because I'm so happy with that tire. I went with the 2.3. I like the weight and the grip, so no need for the 2.4. I'm also not sure how the "WT" will feel and act. According to Maxxis, it is set up for 35mm internal rim and I'm at 29mm. It probably doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference, especially for someone like me, but I know what I've got with the DHR 2.3 and it works. Don't fix what is not broken, eh?

Maxxis says WT tires are for 30-35mm rims, so I bet your 29mm will be close to ideal for them. I’m running 25mm rims and debating between 2.3s and 2.5WTs next. Anyone have experience on WT on a 25mm rim?


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[ticketchecker]

When I was at NEMBA Fest the Maxxis guy recommended what you said, the Industry Nine guy totally different. Run whatcha got

[adrenalated]

I just ordered another DHR. I cannot change at this point because I'm so happy with that tire. I went with the 2.3. I like the weight and the grip, so no need for the 2.4. I'm also not sure how the "WT" will feel and act. According to Maxxis, it is set up for 35mm internal rim and I'm at 29mm. It probably doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference, especially for someone like me, but I know what I've got with the DHR 2.3 and it works. Don't fix what is not broken, eh?

I just replaced a 2.4WT DHR II with a 2.3 (only reason is that I wanted to go doubledown and they don't make a DD 2.4 yet). I'm on 29mm internal rims.
Honestly, I can't tell much difference in the way they perform.

[D(C)]

So thinking about fast rear tires, what would be the factors in deciding between something that comes more from the DH side of things like a Minion SS, or from the XC side like an Ardent Race? It seems like these two tires could arrive at a similar intended usage from general trail riding. How does one decide?

[toast2266]

So thinking about fast rear tires, what would be the factors in deciding between something that comes more from the DH side of things like a Minion SS, or from the XC side like an Ardent Race? It seems like these two tires could arrive at a similar intended usage from general trail riding. How does one decide?

In theory they accomplish a similar goal. In reality, those two tires are way different.

Ardent Race: rolls fast, more rounded profile, a bit higher volume tire (for its size). Relatively small, tightly spaced side knobs don't squirm too much on hardpack, but never really lock into a turn. Transitional knobs mean the tire breaks loose early, but gradually. Moderate spacing, heavy ramping, and medium-low knob height on the center knobs means it climbs and brakes fairly ok, at least by XC tire standards.

Minion SS: fairly square profile unless you're running it on a pretty narrow rim. Doesn't actually roll all that fast because the tall side knobs contact the ground, even when not leaned over (but it's still faster than a DHF or DHRII). Small center knobs with an open transition between the center and side knobs mean that there's not much cornering grip until you're fully leaned in. But once the side knobs engage, there's a lot of cornering grip. Small tightly spaced center knobs climb ok when they're fresh, but that traction deteriorates quickly as the tire wears. Braking isn't great in a straight line, but works pretty well when you lean the tire over and engage the side knobs (which means the tire really encourages squaring up tight corners).

Summary: Ardent Race is a tire for people that want something that rolls fast but has a bit more volume and a bit more bite than a true XC tire. Good for someone that rides a lot of hardpack with a bit of softer dirt. Minion SS is for people that are comfortable fully committing to corners, and basically want a DH tire that rolls a bit faster. Mostly geared towards softer dirt where the side knobs can dig in and work their magic.

[D(C)]

In theory they accomplish a similar goal. In reality, those two tires are way different.

Ardent Race: rolls fast, more rounded profile, a bit higher volume tire (for its size). Relatively small, tightly spaced side knobs don't squirm too much on hardpack, but never really lock into a turn. Transitional knobs mean the tire breaks loose early, but gradually. Moderate spacing, heavy ramping, and medium-low knob height on the center knobs means it climbs and brakes fairly ok, at least by XC tire standards.

Minion SS: fairly square profile unless you're running it on a pretty narrow rim. Doesn't actually roll all that fast because the tall side knobs contact the ground, even when not leaned over (but it's still faster than a DHF or DHRII). Small center knobs with an open transition between the center and side knobs mean that there's not much cornering grip until you're fully leaned in. But once the side knobs engage, there's a lot of cornering grip. Small tightly spaced center knobs climb ok when they're fresh, but that traction deteriorates quickly as the tire wears. Braking isn't great in a straight line, but works pretty well when you lean the tire over and engage the side knobs (which means the tire really encourages squaring up tight corners).

Summary: Ardent Race is a tire for people that want something that rolls fast but has a bit more volume and a bit more bite than a true XC tire. Good for someone that rides a lot of hardpack with a bit of softer dirt. Minion SS is for people that are comfortable fully committing to corners, and basically want a DH tire that rolls a bit faster. Mostly geared towards softer dirt where the side knobs can dig in and work their magic.

Good info, thanks a lot. I am thinking about this for my Chromag 29er hardtail. I currently have a Slaughter in back, which I like but is due for replacement. Given that I have a Range 29 for heavy-duty usage, I am okay running something faster on the hardtail over the winter.

Around here, we mostly ride mineral dirt with high sand content that doesn't clog tires when wet, so the tighter knob spacing does alright. In the summer, it's deep moon dust, loose and sketchy. But in the winter, it's tacky, velcro-like hero dirt, and I am thinking a rounder tire profile does better given that such a hard edge is not required for bite. I may give the Ardent Race a go.

[toast2266]

Good info, thanks a lot. I am thinking about this for my Chromag 29er hardtail. I currently have a Slaughter in back, which I like but is due for replacement. Given that I have a Range 29 for heavy-duty usage, I am okay running something faster on the hardtail over the winter.

Around here, we mostly ride mineral dirt with high sand content that doesn't clog tires when wet, so the tighter knob spacing does alright. In the summer, it's deep moon dust, loose and sketchy. But in the winter, it's tacky, velcro-like hero dirt, and I am thinking a rounder tire profile does better given that such a hard edge is not required for bite. I may give the Ardent Race a go.

Maybe also look at a WTB Trail Boss. Decently high volume. Slower rolling than the Ardent Race, but definitely faster than any of the Minions. Corners better than the Ardent, but not as well as the Minions.