New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[summit]

I put a worn 2.4 Mazza on the rear just because. Turns out it is pretty fast and has been really grippy in our current conditions. With the 2.6 Mazza on the front I'm railing corners like a mofo

I want to do this... just gotta find a place in whistler that has them!

[toast2266]

I sincerely doubt hub friction is going to outweigh things like rider weight, tire wear state, suspension effects or differences in rotational inertia from different rims, inserts, or even amounts of sealant, such that you could actually notice hub differences significantly. Hell, I bet drafting effects are more prevalent, or even mm differences in line choice or weighting/lean by the rider, pumping etc.

Rims, inserts, and sealant are all going to affect acceleration, but they're not going to have a huge effect on rolling resistance at a constant speed.

Line choice and that sort of thing obviously matters, but realistically not that much on a green flow trail.

I've taken slow hubs, cleaned them and re-lubed with lighter oil (rather than heavy grease) and it made a noticeable difference. So yeah, there are certainly plenty of other factors at play, but hub friction matters more than you'd think. There's a reason that roadies spend gobs of money on fancy bearings and pro downhillers are pulling seals off their hubs for dry races.

[summit]

interesting

[dcpnz]

Didnt Continental just release or revamp their whole line? For those that have been on them, how has that worked out?
I almost think i want a very meaty XC tire vs a lightish fast rolling enduro tire. If that exists.

Smmokan had initial comments on the Contis a few pages back. I’ve got a pair of Xynotals in transit but might be awhile before I get to try them.

Re meaty XC - trying to go down this path for my lady’s trail bike in dry hardback conditions - ~900g in a 29x2.3/2.4, rolls fast with some moderate sidewall protection.

Vittoria Agarro looks interesting - more tire than Saguaro or Syerra but some reviews not great on durability front.
Conti Trail Kings? Maybe even Cross King on the back.
Not sure where to look in Maxxis lineup - had Rekons before but want a bit more than Rekon/Forecaster. Definitely don’t want to go to Minions/Dissector/HRii etc.

[HotSchmoo]

Yeah I looked back through the thread and saw some of that stuff about the new Continental tires. But it seems like not too many people have put many miles on them.

My problem is I got spoiled with fast rolling tires all these years on my cross country bike. Bought a big squishy bike last summer and it's effing great and I love the grip of the big tires when I need it but they just roll so slow on mellower stuff and while climbing.

OK here's a crazy idea. What about a WTB Trail boss or a dissector on the front and an aggressor or something comparable in the back? Both the trail boss and the dissector are supposed to be at least somewhat faster rolling tires.Would the aggressor be too grippy to pair with either of those?

[adrenalated]

My problem is I got spoiled with fast rolling tires all these years on my cross country bike. Bought a big squishy bike last summer and it's effing great and I love the grip of the big tires when I need it but they just roll so slow on mellower stuff and while climbing.

I posted this a couple pages ago but I'm still really liking my Mazza front/Martello rear on my shorter travel bike. It gets me most of the grip as the Assegai/DHR2 combo that I have on my bigger bike and is notably faster rolling.
I can't compare to XC weenie tires though because fuck that shit

[toast2266]

OK here's a crazy idea. What about a WTB Trail boss or a dissector on the front and an aggressor or something comparable in the back? Both the trail boss and the dissector are supposed to be at least somewhat faster rolling tires.With the aggressor be to grippy to pair with either of those?

Generally speaking, I don't like mixing and mingling different brands front and rear. Every brand has their particular carcass shape, and that tends to dictate how the tire engages as you lean it over (along with knob profile, of course). I find that a lot of times, mixing brands leads to front and rear tires that favor different lean angles and just don't really jive with each other (even if the tread patterns look like they should work well together). Not to mention different brands are all different widths for a given stated size.

Of course, there are exceptions to that, but it's very much a guess and check kind of thing. And tires are way too expensive for me to want to guess and check.

[jamal]

I've been meaning to try 2.4 rekon rear, dissector front as a more "trail" setup. And the 2.4 rekon I think comes in exo+ so you can go a little more durable casing than a full xc tire back there. But I have so many tires right now and donnelly gave us a bunch of stuff to try so it might be awhile. Going to wear out these mezcals, then i guess wear out the racing ray/ralph combo, then uh I dunno sell the dhf/aggressor because I can't handle how slow and heavy they are. Oh yeah I wanted to try syerras too.

[Falcon3]

I’ve had the Trail Boss and Aggressor and honestly I’d put the Aggressor as the tire with better traction.

For trail with XC rolling I’d honestly go with a Vittoria combo. Mazza/Barzo or even Barzo Barzo. I really like the Barzo and that’s coming from a guy that runs DHF (or Mazza equivalent)/Aggressor 95% of the time.

[HotSchmoo]

Yeah I'm not trying to turn my bike into a long travel XC bike, just wanting to roll a little faster uphill and not work quite so hard. Definitely not looking for anything remotely like a semislick for this bike. Hence my original question about faster rolling compounds for chunky Maxxis stuff.
A good allround "Trail" tire like somone alluded to above as opposed to "full enduro"
I know how to pull on my front brake on steep stuff. Dont need the stickiest tires ever. I ride at a solid even pace on most terrain. Pick and weave through techy terrain more than smash. Occasionally smashy though.
Those Vittorias look interesting. I'll read up on them more.
I'd really like more info on the Continentals.
Anybody, Anybody?

[climberevan]

I've worn out one Agarro rear and destroyed another (tore a knob off). It's an ok tire, but I prob won't buy it again.

I'm currently running a Pirelli Scorpion R and like it. I don't think it's quite as fast as, say, a Racing Ralph (fast and much better grip than i would have thought), but it's really predictable and so far seems to be holding up to some serious rocks.

On the front i have a Kenda Hellcat which is heavy and very grippy. I'd like to replace it with something a little faster, but it's incredibly durable and barely shows any wear.

Honestly, I don't think tires matter at much as people like to think. Especially here, where traction is minimal anyway (loose over hard, dust, sand, etc), a predictable slide is the best i can hope for. I'll adapt to most anything so i go with smaller, faster knobs on back and more grip in front.

[toast2266]

I’ve had the Trail Boss and Aggressor and honestly I’d put the Aggressor as the tire with better traction.

The Aggressor gets shat on a bit, but I think it's actually a pretty good tire as long as it's dry out. Rolls decently fast. Decent grip that's entirely predictable. Lasts roughly forever. I'd place it as a legitimate mid-point between a DHR2 and a lighter XC tire. If you want maximum grip, the Aggressor is definitely not what you want. If you want minimal rolling resistance, the Aggressor is also not what you want. If you want a middle ground that balances those two things, the Aggressor is a pretty good trade off.

[grskier]

I found the aggressor not as predictable in the driftability, which for me is important on the rear, as it's a part of my shitty riding style to rely on the back to transition out to the lean.

[rideit]

OK, guys, so I am having a minor issue. I put Assegai’s on both my big and little bikes, and I actually feel as if I have less control with them than the DHF’s. It’s like they hook up just a little too much, and I am finding myself hooking into the sides of the trail a little bit. I don’t have as much confidence going Mach looney as the DHF, however, I did run those for ten years, so that could be some of it. Any insights/experiences?
I know, “Just lean that shit over more, bro” is probably the right answer, LOL

[Andeh]

Ride your bike more. You just said you've got 10 years of muscle memory of how the DHF behaves, and you're probably well accustomed to the intermediate drift of the DHF. Since that's not happening, I could understand how that'd feel hooky.

Speaking as someone who changes stuff all the time, it takes me like 3-4 rides to really get used to a major change like tires or brakes.

[grskier]

Ride your bike more. You just said you've got 10 years of muscle memory of how the DHF behaves, and you're probably well accustomed to the intermediate drift of the DHF. Since that's not happening, I could understand how that'd feel hooky.

Speaking as someone who changes stuff all the time, it takes me like 3-4 rides to really get used to a major change like tires or brakes.

This.

I went from DHF to Assegai in the front after a bunch of years too (I did do a butcher front for a while.. which is about 98% the same) and I was hooking early as well. Then I wasn't. I think I did a bike park day our something and it just started to click with a bunch of dh miles.

[rideit]

LOL, I told my wife that some dude from the internet says I need to ride more.
Was well received. (Actually, it was!).
But I think I have about 20k climbing in the last two weeks. Gonna go do a Crest lap in an hour or so, that should help.

[skaredshtles]

OK, guys, so I am having a minor issue. I put Assegai’s on both my big and little bikes, and I actually feel as if I have less control with them than the DHF’s. It’s like they hook up just a little too much, and I am finding myself hooking into the sides of the trail a little bit. I don’t have as much confidence going Mach looney as the DHF, however, I did run those for ten years, so that could be some of it. Any insights/experiences?
I know, “Just lean that shit over more, bro” is probably the right answer, LOL

This is pretty much the same thing I experienced when I put my 1st pair of Wild Rock'R2's on my bike. And they're right - you'll likely get used to the moar traction and like it.

[skinipenem]

OK, guys, so I am having a minor issue. I put Assegai’s on both my big and little bikes, and I actually feel as if I have less control with them than the DHF’s. It’s like they hook up just a little too much, and I am finding myself hooking into the sides of the trail a little bit. I don’t have as much confidence going Mach looney as the DHF, however, I did run those for ten years, so that could be some of it. Any insights/experiences?
I know, “Just lean that shit over more, bro” is probably the right answer, LOL

Fwiw. Just started riding mtb again regularly after several year hiatus to moto. Have ridden dhf forever, now on assegai front, dhrii rear. Agree assegai has had a little bit of hooking when not either leaned over far enough or not enough counter pressure on the bars (basically causing oversteer.)

I have not experienced the tire riding up the sides of a rutted trail when going straight;; however, I haven't ridden the assegai on a truly deeply rutted trail. I have experienced this on motos with certain tires.

Could also require slightly different chassis setup... i.e. front to rear geo from suspension setup?

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[One (+) Sentence]

Yeah I looked back through the thread and saw some of that stuff about the new Continental tires. But it seems like not too many people have put many miles on them.

My problem is I got spoiled with fast rolling tires all these years on my cross country bike. Bought a big squishy bike last summer and it's effing great and I love the grip of the big tires when I need it but they just roll so slow on mellower stuff and while climbing.

OK here's a crazy idea. What about a WTB Trail boss or a dissector on the front and an aggressor or something comparable in the back? Both the trail boss and the dissector are supposed to be at least somewhat faster rolling tires.Would the aggressor be too grippy to pair with either of those?

Charlie Hatton, Andreas Kolb, and Bernard Kerr are all consistently having their best WC DH season on the new Continental tires.

[HAB]

Charlie Hatton, Andreas Kolb, and Bernard Kerr are all consistently having their best WC DH season on the new Continental tires.

I've got some en route, will report back.

[SJG]

I have some Pinner Pros on the sled (trail rear, gravity front), will report back after some miles. The front is heavy AF though.

[simple]

I wish Vittoria made more tire patterns. Having Mazza front and rear has been awesome (post rain rides often this year). The casing is both strong and supple. Zero torn knobs. 4wd Low feeling on tech climbs. Awesome

[skinipenem]

LOL, I told my wife that some dude from the internet says I need to ride more.
Was well received. (Actually, it was!).
But I think I have about 20k climbing in the last two weeks. Gonna go do a Crest lap in an hour or so, that should help.

So what did you figure out? Curious as to your thoughts since u usually have good insight on the riding side of things

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[rideit]

Well, I rode about 8k of descents this week, and yes, they felt more and more natural over the course of the week. I guess I didn’t realize how much I would let the DHF’s drift before. Pretty cool to have a different feeling tire.