New Season, New Tires, New Thread

[jm2e]

Folding saw in a plastic bag. Keeps the muck off the saw and the saw from tearing up my paint. Another needed tool riding where I live ...

I’ve been carrying one of these in my pack for the last 10 years. It’s an amazing utility to burden ratio.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Chain-Ma...-303167765-_-N


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[D(C)]

What's everyone's experiences with bacon strips (tire plugs)?

I used them for the first time recently and it sealed up nicely, allowing me to keep riding without putting in a tube. But 3-4 rides later, it started leaking from the plugged hole, and adding additional plugs couldn't seal it up. It seemed almost like the hole continued to tear and got bigger since the initial repair.

Has anyone had the plugs work for them as a permanent fix? Or are they more to get you home?

I ended up taking off the torn tire (DHR II Exo+) and replaced it with a DHR II Double Down, so hopefully there will be no more punctures.

[bagtagley]

Bacon strips are generally a temporary fix. I like the Panaracer glue in plugs for something more permanent. Easy to install without removing the tire and they’ve never let me down even when I’ve had 4 or 5 jammed in there.

[Ottime]

I’m happy to do it!

Gotta get up to visit you. Those trails look sweet. I just throw my saw in the pack, but I like your method. I’m sure I’d fuck it up and it would rattle off the frame.

[Dantheman]

Bacon strips are just to get you back to the car with less hassle than putting in (or carrying) a tube. Stans Dart or Dynaplug a more permanent. I just go cheap with bacon and then throw on a radial auto patch at home later.

[Ottime]

I recently obtained some 27mm IW BTLOS wheels (1380g) and decided to go all in and put light tires on them as well. Shwalbe Rocket Ron 2.35 F&R. They are not XC file treads, but the knobs aren't very tall, either. Between the wheels and tires the Ripley lost 3 pounds! (Note that I weigh 138# and ride lightly, having been around since the days of full rigid. Not everyone can get away with a setup this light.)

I was coming off of 35mm rims with 2.5 Assegai front and 2.4 Grid Control rear. I liked that setup, especially the Assegai. It was very confidence inspiring.

I don't feel like I have the same level of grip with the RRs, but the clock doesn't lie. I am putting up PRs on pretty much every ride without really trying on the new wheels/tires both up and down. Even on fairly technical downhills, I'm faster. These are trails I've ridden a lot.

I think it's an interesting data point.Attachment 349293

That is interesting. I’m a re-newb. Rode as a kid on full rigid bikes then took a decade off then on a hardtail and then took 15 years off. Back on a new hardtail. Biked 4-7 days a week until my shoulder surgery.

When I replaced my XR2 2.2 with a Enduro 2.4 I started popping my PRs easily. I think thee crew grip helped improve climbs and downhills and the extra weight and rolling resistance was easy enough to peddle through. But I sure liked all that extra grip. But maybe it was just my learning curve.

[bagtagley]

Bacon strips are just to get you back to the car with less hassle than putting in (or carrying) a tube.

I don’t completely agree simply because, other than trimming, I don’t do anything to the majority of bacon strips I put in. I’ll replace l them if they’re in a spot that’s definitely gonna cause problems or if they start leaking, but most of them last the life of the tire.

[Dantheman]

It's definitely possible for them to last a long time. Personally, I'd rather not even risk having one fail mid-ride.

[jamal]

What size, specs, and what would you sell it for next summer?

It's an XL, 2020 hei hei carbon:

https://www.konaworld.com/archive/2020/hei_hei_cr.cfm

Mostly stock. Not sure what I'm going to do yet and it will also depend on what's even available, bike shortages appears to be extending well into next year. Bought in august, feel like I could get something like 3500?

[skaredshtles]

I recently obtained some 27mm IW BTLOS wheels (1380g) and decided to go all in and put light tires on them as well. Shwalbe Rocket Ron 2.35 F&R. They are not XC file treads, but the knobs aren't very tall, either. Between the wheels and tires the Ripley lost 3 pounds! (Note that I weigh 138# and ride lightly, having been around since the days of full rigid. Not everyone can get away with a setup this light.)

I was coming off of 35mm rims with 2.5 Assegai front and 2.4 Grid Control rear. I liked that setup, especially the Assegai. It was very confidence inspiring.

I don't feel like I have the same level of grip with the RRs, but the clock doesn't lie. I am putting up PRs on pretty much every ride without really trying on the new wheels/tires both up and down. Even on fairly technical downhills, I'm faster. These are trails I've ridden a lot.

I don't know how this would be possible on the *down*... maybe those shitty tires are messing up your GPS signal?

[XtrPickels]

I don't know how this would be possible on the *down*... maybe those shitty tires are messing up your GPS signal?

I think it would depend on the descent, but faster rolling could go a long way and more than make up for a bit slower cornering speed. Obviously varying courses would have different levels of optimal rolling / grip / protection.

There's a lot of descents that I'm faster on my Epic than my Switchblade.

[SchralphMacchio]

Soil quality, soil conditions and trail quality would be some pretty big independent variables to rule out ...

But yea, sometimes heavy ultra grippy isn’t always what’s fastest. Mostly though, who cares about fastest ... most fun, consistent, and appropriately durable for a given season and a given region is the way to go!

I’m really settling on 3 seasons of tire swaps for my bikes ... shoulder (moist to drained wet), dry summer, and wet/muck. Thankfully I’ve got room in the garage for the various unused tires.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Nice bike, I'm out. You must be really tall!

[SchralphMacchio]

I’ve been carrying one of these in my pack for the last 10 years. It’s an amazing utility to burden ratio.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Chain-Ma...-303167765-_-N


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Yeah one advantage of the chainsaw is that you are more likely to be able to cut on the side of the log that’s under tension, not under compression. I’ve used them before, but not on a hardwood like an oak branch or maple log ... how does it cut compared to a narrow blade saw?

[jm2e]

Ultimately, it’s a pain going through any dense wood, but not much more than using a Sven Saw (which is pretty wicked). I do 4” diameter solo or tandem all the time. 6” kind of blows, but the wife and will do it to keep a bandit trail running.

My Ryobi 18v sawzall fits in my pack. That + ebike is a trail clearing dream come true. Friends are like “I could clear that in 10 min with my chainsaw!” and my wife is like, “yea? When’s the last time you hiked in here with your saw and a can of gas?”

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[SchralphMacchio]

I’m rolling the 15” Sven right now.

I have fantasies of getting a Pivot Shuttle when they go to the EP8 ... and already have the same lightweight Ryobi One+ saw I assume that you do!

[rideit]

Now, if the ebike batteries had an 18v battery charger...

[climberevan]

I have carried this Silky on the moto for years, and it's ridiculous for cutting anything smaller than 8". It's way faster than a cordless sawzall, I wouldn't even break out the chainsaw unless I have a lot of trees to go through.

https://www.rei.com/product/120668/s...00-folding-saw

[grskier]

I have carried this Silky on the moto for years, and it's ridiculous for cutting anything smaller than 8". It's way faster than a cordless sawzall, I wouldn't even break out the chainsaw unless I have a lot of trees to go through.

https://www.rei.com/product/120668/s...00-folding-saw

I have a cheap generic of the silky bigboy, it'll too wobble bent up after this years Christmas tree excursion, but for 16.99 I got 4 ish years out of it. I think it's the bees knees for small stuff.

[mall walker]

can anyone recommend a decently fast rolling xc kinda tire? dhf/dissector is overkill for much of what I do these days and will stay on for snow or super loose sand... I got gifted a cheap i23 wheelset and hoping to run something at least vaguely tolerable on the road as well as fast on mellow trails. rekon race?

[jamal]

I've been thinking about the rekon race for xc, but not sure if i'd do a pair of them or mix it with something else. could work on the rear with a rekon front although I wasn't really thrilled with the rekons that came on my hei hei. Before I sliced both of them I wanted to try a dissector up front. DHF/rekon was a little unbalanced.

Assuming there's even xc racing next year I'll probably do either the racing ray/ralph combo or stick with vittorias. I have a mezcal rear, barzo front going on the hardtail and would buy a fresh pair. Mezcals roll super fast and have decent grip, barzo is good for an xc front tire but I wish it had just a touch more side knob. I might even just try mezcals front and rear.

[mall walker]

huh, I had heard the mezcals were super weird on edge, has that been your experience? that tire looks perfect otherwise

[jamal]

I haven't noticed anything strange, but also have it on the rear only. And there probably isn't much reason to put one up front instead of the barzo.

[Ottime]

huh, I had heard the mezcals were super weird on edge, has that been your experience? that tire looks perfect otherwise

The bonty XR2 that came my bike were plenty fast and decent for almost very thing I was going. I suck at biking, but am in good shape so shifted to the wild enduros, but the xr2 might fit your Bill. I was on i22.5 for what it is worth and all those tires have good shape.

The forte pishgah was somewhere in between and like $18 on Performance right now. Loved mine but to a 1cm diameter nail through it so it is no longer tubeless. Will go on my wife’s hardtail up front next.

Pishgah up front and xr2 out back was actually a nice fast and fun combo.

[panchosdad]

I have carried this Silky on the moto for years, and it's ridiculous for cutting anything smaller than 8". It's way faster than a cordless sawzall, I wouldn't even break out the chainsaw unless I have a lot of trees to go through.

https://www.rei.com/product/120668/s...00-folding-saw

Silky BigBoy FTW.