New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[Rossymcg]

i know this is a mostly dentist crowd... but anyone have time on the schwalbe billy bonkers?

i love the tabletop, but its discontinued, fantastic front tire for dj/pumptrack

i just got a 2.35 ikon to try up front, its great on dirt, but its trying to kill me on asphalt berms, small soft flexy side knobs and asphalt do not mix...

billy bonkers has smaller knobs than tabletop, almost like a cross with a sb8, a tire i absolutely despise, and it only comes in a 2.1, where the tabletop was a 2.25 and i run a 2.3 dth rear, so im skeptical of the billy...

anyone seen one in the flesh?
how small are the knobs, sb8 size or closer to the tabletop?
how soft of compound?

frustrating they keep killing all the good dj tires off, tabletop, microknobby, mac2 dirt, all gone now

you tried a maxxis holy roller? ate you 24" or 26"

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[nortonwhis]

Whats the go to online ordering of tires site these days?
Looking for DD DHF. tbs is my usual but slim pickings currently.
would prefer not to go crc or bike-discount or anything US.

[mall walker]

amazon has a surprisingly good selection

[grinch]

Whats the go to online ordering of tires site these days?
Looking for DD DHF. tbs is my usual but slim pickings currently.
would prefer not to go crc or bike-discount or anything US.

Without question id say get michelin dh34 with bike park casing. 55cad at the lbs. Somewhere between a dhf/dhr2. Its in the dd weight category. Really versatile. Good everywhere
If youre dead set on maxxis shipping everywhere is ultra slow. Maube dunbar or because youre in whis, try and track down/ask around for Tim the freak. Every year he usually brings a shitload of maxxis in from S America and sells them cheap. Usually dh treads but i wouldnt be surprised if he has some dd's.

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[nortonwhis]

Ill ask around if shops here sell Mich. That seems like a good gamble even if it sucks for me.

[grinch]

Ill ask around if shops here sell Mich. That seems like a good gamble even if it sucks for me.

Youll like them. I only posted them because i was surprised at the price, and theyre legit of course. The dh34 with bike park casing is half the price of the dh34 with dh casing. Bit excessive in price jump. Figure the bp casong should probably cost more and the dh casing less but that works if your after dd weight tires.
Rockr2 is an option but im not sure how theyre priced in canada(only bought through crc). The 34 is a 2.4 and thats the same width as a maxxis dhr2 2.4. The rockr2 is listed as a 2.35 but its wider and sits somewhere in width between a 2.4 dhr2 and a dhf 2.5. Uts also dd weight class. MagikX ftw

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[forty]

you tried a maxxis holy roller? ate you 24" or 26"

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all my mtbs are 26... the correct wheel size

ive got a holy roller in the pile of tires in the garage, its not a bad tire by any means, but it weighs substantially more and has somewhat less grip than a tabletop, which is really a fantastic tire and im not pleased they appear to have stopped making it

think im gonna order some billy bonkers and experiment, finally found some in stock and ok price, somebody has to test them i suppose

[Rossymcg]

all my mtbs are 26... the correct wheel size

too big and too small all in the same sentence


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[nickwm21]

I know the industry has decided that 30mm ID rim on a 2.4 tire is the correct way to MTB... but is anyone here on 32mm or 35mm ID rims and 2.6 tires?

Thinking of stans sentry rims for my next build. 2.6 DHF DHR combo....

I am thinking that smidge of extra tire would increase my grade from Hack to Hack+...


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[grinch]

I know the industry has decided that 30mm ID rim on a 2.4 tire is the correct way to MTB... but is anyone here on 32mm or 35mm ID rims and 2.6 tires?

Thinking of stans sentry rims for my next build. 2.6 DHF DHR combo....

I am thinking that smidge of extra tire would increase my grade from Hack to Hack+...


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Currently on 30mm inner but i prefered my 35mm inner on the front . Tire was a 2.35 mich rockr2 so about 2.45 maxxis width. Straightened the sidewall out slightly and more suppost in the turns. Its going to have to wait til next year but ill be switching back to 35mm inner front and 30mm or less in the rear wheel

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[SJG]

FWIW I recently switched from a 29mm ID wheel to a 35mm, using a 2.5/2.5 combo. The tires work MUCH better with the extra rim width.

[climberevan]

FWIW I recently switched from a 29mm ID wheel to a 35mm, using a 2.5/2.5 combo. The tires work MUCH better with the extra rim width.

Thanks for the data point. I've been really happy with the performance of the 35mm IW wheels that came on my Ripley, but narrower, lighter wheels & tires have been catching my eye lately. It would be nice to save 1.5#. I do always run a narrower, faster rolling rear, so maybe I should be considering a narrower rim to mate to it, and keep the front all burly style...

[mmmm...pow!]

Interesting, I'm on 30mm rims ight now that are made of cheese, so I've been looking to upgrade. I've got my eyes on a nice new wheelset with the right price, 28mm. Figure I won't really notice 2mm, but now kinda wondering if I should look for something wider.

[grinch]

I like the wider 35mm on rhe front for edging and a 28mm rear for compliance. Your body weight is always on the rear so the compliance will allow the sudewall to flex and follow the rut or not get kicked by a root or rock
My emtb came with the opposite because they stock them with wider rear tire and narrower front for added climbing/braking traction. The 35mm rear rim is worse than not having a 35mm inner front. Less gain in what im after on the front between the 30 and 35. The rear 35mm inner rim , even though the tire is still 2.6 could use more compliance for sure even though the front is a dh casing tire and the rear is dd weight casing. Im ok with the casing on the tire o just want more compliance in the rear. I also wish they made dd weight casing tires with wire beads atleast as an option. I want compliance in the sidewall in the rear but i dont like the bead stretching in the berms. If it wasnt in the park theyd probably be ok. Front tire w dh casing and wire bead is perfect. No flex when pushed. Set the psi hard for berms or lower for trail feel and steeps. Super versatile. I like a little flex in the rear tire just not at the bead.

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[toast2266]

Interesting, I'm on 30mm rims ight now that are made of cheese, so I've been looking to upgrade. I've got my eyes on a nice new wheelset with the right price, 28mm. Figure I won't really notice 2mm, but now kinda wondering if I should look for something wider.

28mm rides great, up to and including 2.6. 2.6's will be a bit round, but not terrible.

35mm rides fine too, but unless you're going wider than 2.6, I don't think they offer that much extra sidewall support, and they're definitely heavier. So I see it as a net negative. And 2.3's don't work great on 35mm rims.

[grinch]

Definitely diminishing gains in sidewall stiffness up to 35mm. Bigger gain going from 25 to a 30mm than the gain between 30-35 but there is gain. Depends on where yore priorities are at that point. A dh racer may opt for the weight savings of the 30mm or 28 rather than go 35. Similar reason why i could see myself running a dh casing 2.6 over a dh casing 2.4. Ill generally take a bit of extra weight for a bit of extra control apart from the 2.6 just being for dh trails and the 35mm front inner for dh or jump trails. I cant complain much about my 30 front with a 2.4. Im less enthused about my 35mm inner rear rim. Nice to put a slight round across the top on the rear tire and a bit flatter/edgier across the top on the front too

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[Ottime]

What is a good front tire for 1-2” of fresh ash? Will my Michelin Enduro do the trick?

[grskier]

What is a good front tire for 1-2” of fresh ash? Will my Michelin Enduro do the trick?

This sounds corny, but the DH guys ride blown out shit all the time and that's what the tread is designed for. So, yeah, that endurbro tire should be the bees knees man.

[grinch]

Rockr2 2.35 is as wide and better and the 2.4 dh34 bike park casing also. All michelin and all similar weight. Really liking the dh34 atm but fresh ash id lean towards the rockr2 with magicX

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[SchralphMacchio]

Has anyone ever asked a bike tire engineer why cornering knobs aren’t laterally ramped?

It seems like adding a bit of draft angle so that the knobs are slightly ramped into the channel would resist some deformation of the block over uneven surfaces, which yes would mean less lateral traction. But it could also potentially mean less undercutting and extend the tire’s life. I bet there is a sweet spot, and would be surprised if that spot was dead vertical.

I’m just thinking about my front DHF, on which the center blocks barely look used but the insides of the cornering knobs look like raisins. Since I don’t have the skills to ride with extreme lean angles, I’m wondering if I’d really notice my cornering blocks being laterally firmer and therefore less grippy? I mean, I’m obviously wearing them by leaning due to undercutting / pulling the cornering blocks away from the center of the tire ... I just wanna see the experiments of different ramp angles and block spacings ...

[toast2266]

Has anyone ever asked a bike tire engineer why cornering knobs aren’t laterally ramped?

It seems like adding a bit of draft angle so that the knobs are slightly ramped into the channel would resist some deformation of the block over uneven surfaces, which yes would mean less lateral traction. But it could also potentially mean less undercutting and extend the tire’s life. I bet there is a sweet spot, and would be surprised if that spot was dead vertical.

I’m just thinking about my front DHF, on which the center blocks barely look used but the insides of the cornering knobs look like raisins. Since I don’t have the skills to ride with extreme lean angles, I’m wondering if I’d really notice my cornering blocks being laterally firmer and therefore less grippy? I mean, I’m obviously wearing them by leaning due to undercutting / pulling the cornering blocks away from the center of the tire ... I just wanna see the experiments of different ramp angles and block spacings ...

There have been various tires with oddly shaped side knobs. They pretty much all sucked. I (and most other people, I think) would argue that the inside edge of the cornering knob is the most critical piece to make a tire corner well. Fucking with it is a surefire way to make a bad tire. There's a reason the side knobs look almost identical on every popular tire.

If your side knobs are undercutting while your center knobs barely look used, I'd venture a guess that it's because your rim is too wide, the tire is too squared off, and you're rolling on your side knobs even when you're going relatively straight. Or maybe you're running super low pressures? Or maybe you're just a badass who corners harder that he's letting on and never uses the brakes.

[SchralphMacchio]

None of the above.

Usually 21 psi on a 30mm wide rim with 28mm bead hooks, 27.5 x 2.3 DHF. It’s low, but not unusually so, especially for my weight right? I only weigh 133 lbs naked, probably shy of 150 geared up. I think that maybe my speeds relative to my weight lead to less braking wear than other riders?

I do a lot of rear wheel braking to dump high speeds, and feather my front wheel braking to trim mid-speeds and adjust weight shifting. Part of that is to manage fork dive and I don’t want to run a super high LSC on my A1 Pike.

I’m definitely *not* a badass rider though!

Maybe my hooked rims pull way harder on side knobs than unhooked rims?

[bagtagley]

I just got a pinch flat reading 21 psi. I don't know how you guys get away with such low pressure. I'm a little envious.

[SchralphMacchio]

I also live in an area with outstanding trail tread traction throughout most of the riding season, where you can carry pretty high speeds into corners without breaking loose ...

[SchralphMacchio]

I just got a pinch flat reading 21 psi. I don't know how you guys get away with such low pressure. I'm a little envious.

I run my rear at 24, and again, I weigh 133 lbs and we don’t have big smashy smashy rock terrain. I definitely air up a bit (23/27) when I go into nastier terrain.