New 29er Tire from Schwalbe

[uniShark]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

So, we need a solid, subjective opinion comparing this tire to an Ardent, which has a thicker sidewall, more rubber, etc....

Well, at least you're not expecting objectivity from me!

[rawcyclist]

I just got a new Hans Dampf in the mail.

Out of the box it looks very nice. My moderately solid objective opinion is that the sidewalls seem thick and solid. My calliper says they are 1.1mm thick. I don't have a measurement for the Ardent to compare with though and it is mounted so I can't get one now.

Looking at the treads the Hans (uninflated) is not as wide as my Ardent on a KH 37mm rim. The tread width on the Hans is 57.1mm where as the mounted Ardent is 61.1mm. Its a bit hard to compare an unmounted tire to a mounted one though.

Image below.

[Nurse Ben]

ooking at the treads the Hans (uninflated) is not as wide as my Ardent on a KH 37mm rim. The tread width on the Hans is 57.1mm where as the mounted Ardent is 61.1mm. Its a bit hard to compare an unmounted tire to a mounted one though.

Can you press it flat on the ground/table and get a bead to bead measurement? I can compare that measurement with an RR 2.4 and Ardent 2.4

Can anyone take a sidewall thickness measurement for an Ardent? I don't have calipers, though I probably need a set

[Nurse Ben]

In lieu of starting another "new tire" thread:

http://twentynineinches.com/2010/10/...ut-of-the-box/

This is Duro coming out of the closet, so watch out!

Notice the Kevlar casing, this is the same type of construction as is found in the Devist8er 26 x 4", the beefiest fat tire made!

If Duro can do a 29 x 2.4 in 1000gm with the kevlar casing, it would be a solid tire for DH/FR and of course muni

At $30, if I can find one of the Captiv8ers, I may just order one.

[davidp]

Ben, the other day I ran into this Origin8 Captiv8er listing on eBay. The tire is listed as a 2.3 but looks like a pavement and hardpack style tread; it could prove to be a higher volume alternative to something like a Small Block 8 for mixed use. The twentynineinches article you linked is from Fall 2010 so I'm not sure if they re-purposed the Captiv8er name on a new tire design or what.

[munimag]

My brother just bought a Captiv8er 29 x 2.3 as a street tire. This is what the tread pattern looks like.

[Nurse Ben]

The twentynineinches article you linked is from Fall 2010 so I'm not sure if they re-purposed the Captiv8er name on a new tire design or what.

Rebranded, no, Duro has always been the mfg, the tire had a different new "Miner", but I think the chance is in the casing, the Kevlar shield is new. I didn't relaize it was a 2010 link, I thought the newer feedback was 2012...

I have heard that there are some new products coming down the pike, possibly even a new wheel size, so it's good to watch some of these sites to get the early look.

My brother just bought a Captiv8er 29 x 2.3 as a street tire. This is what the tread pattern looks like.

Any idea on the actual volume or sidewall feel?

[MuniAddict]

What do you think of the racing ralph 29x2.4? It looks to be the lowest weight of all offroad 29er tires, with a good wide width.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/225...p=320%20SWB121

[munimag]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

Any idea on the actual volume or sidewall feel?

I don't think he has mounted it yet. I can ask him to measure it flat from bead to bead.

[uniShark]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

Can you press it flat on the ground/table and get a bead to bead measurement? I can compare that measurement with an RR 2.4 and Ardent 2.4

Can anyone take a sidewall thickness measurement for an Ardent? I don't have calipers, though I probably need a set

Just got my Hans Dampf, 29x2.35, in Pacestar compound.

Spread flat, I measure 149 mm, edge to edge.
Sidewall thickness: 2.4mm.

[Nurse Ben]

"edge to edge", as in the edge of the rubber on each side?

The Ardent 2.4 is 155mm edge to edge, 150mm bead center to bead center, so darn close to the same size.

The Raxing Ralph 2.4 has the same dimensions as the Ardent 2.4

MuniAddict What do you think of the racing ralph 29x2.4? It looks to be the lowest weight of all offroad 29er tires, with a good wide width

It doesn't have a very strong sidewall or casing, which is it is so lightweight. It is designed for racing, so not really that durable. Rode one for a while, liked it best second to the Ardent, but I also had to run it at higher pressures and it's the only 29er tire that I had snake bite flat issues.

Anyone have a caliper to measure casing thickness on the Ardent, or do I really have to buy one?

[rawcyclist]

Ill measure my Ardent later today. I need to pick the calipers up from work though. Ill get back to you.

[uniShark]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

"edge to edge", as in the edge of the rubber on each side?

Yes, outer edge of the rubber to outer edge of the rubber.

I mounted it up this evening, but forgot to measure bead to bead first.

The tire went on the KH 29XC 38mm rim quite easily. Not so loose that I'm worried about it popping off, but should be no problem for in-the-field flat fixes.

The Pacestar rubber feels plenty sticky to me.

The tread looks very good. The blocks are closer together and more evenly spaced than on my Stout, so it likely will have lower rolling resistance than the Stout. At the same time, my highly scientific measuring method (hold one in each hand) does indicate that the Hans is lighter than the Stout.

I measure the max width of the tread and sidewall (which come out the same) as 58mm. This is with the new tire mounted on the KH 29XC 38mm rim, at 20 psi.

From just weighting the wheel (haven't ridden it yet), I'm quite happy with the response of the sidewalls.

Every indication is that this is a very good 29er muni tire. I think the only way to determine whether the Hans Dampf or the Ardent is "better" will be for an experienced rider to try each of them back-to-back in varied conditions. From the numbers, it appears that the Ardent is slightly larger (consistent with the 2.4 vs 2.35 manufacturers' listings). It will be interesting to see how the Ardent sidewall thickness measures out -- if the Hans has better sidewalls, this could cancel out the advantage of the Ardent's slightly greater size. Comparing the tread patterns will likely come down to personal preference. The Ardent might have an advantage on slippery roots from its stepped tread design, while the Hans might have an advantage on rock from its more even tread footprint.

[rawcyclist]

OK, for what its worth here are some measurements I made tonight from my new Hans Dampf and a used (but still good condition) Ardent 2.4.

Ardent 29" 2.4
- bead to bead - 155mm
- tread width (spread flat) - 65.4mm
- sidewall thickness - 0.8-0.9mm (I took about 5 measurements)

Hans Dampf 29" 2.35 (Trailstar compound)
- bead to bead - 152.5mm
- tread width (spread flat) 60.9mm
- sidewall thickness - 1.2-1.3mm (again multiple measurements)

I agree with uniShark that it is a nice looking tire and feels solid. Ill be mounting it on my MTB for now though as I am really happy with the Ardent on the uni so Ill let UniShark report on its feel.

[Nurse Ben]

Schwalbe makes good tires, his one sounds like a winner, I might just have to get one