I’ve been doing long rides (often > 10, not more than 20 yet but I’m planning on it!) on my 29er, so I’m considering getting a 36er to make life a bit easier on the longer rides (the 29er will be used as an XC muni instead).
I’m really going to be riding the 36er mostly on the road, and although I’d love to do some coker-muni-ing I can’t really see it happening that often. I was planning on getting the Coker tyre in the hope of extra grip off road. But I’ve seen occasional posts suggesting the Wheel TA (as found on the Qu Ax Big One) might be better for riding on tarmac / pavement.
Although I’d like to be able to go offroad, I really think I should be optimising for the kind of riding I will do most. So, my question is: is the Wheel TA slick substantially better than the Coker tyre for road riding?
And a secondary question: any positive / negative experiences going tubeless with either tyre?
The original Coker tyre was worn down after 1500 km. I now have used a TA Wheel tyre for about 750 km and it is as good as new. The TA Wheel (=Qu-ax) tyre has more rubber to wear down, so it lasts longer.
I use it mostly on tarmac and dirt roads and I feel no difference in riding behavior.
Heh, heh you should ask Gizmoduck about this! Do a search on it. I have a tubeless Coker and it seems fine. Another option is to replace the standard (overly heavy) inner tube with a 29" inner tube. The first time I tried this it worked perfectly but since then others (myself included) have had trouble with 29" inners getting pinch-flats during installation. After my bike shop had pinch-flatted three 29" inners they did the tubeless conversion and all was well.
The Coker tyre is apparently lighter than the Quax tyre. I don’t know how they managed to make it heavier
I like the Coker for off-road but I’ve had no experience with the Quax tyre.
The new Coker tyres seem to wear down a lot quicker. I think I wore through half a tyre last year after just one days riding. After about 1000km most of the knobs are gone, and 1500km you’ll start seeing the casing.
The tubeless kit is great- rides really well especially off-road- it’s lighter and and more supple. The trouble is getting the tubeless kit on- it needs a bit of effort.
My bike mechanic got frustrated having to do the conversion for the third time and stuck half the bottle of Stans into the tyre Now it’s probably as heavy as a non-tubeless tyre. It rides nicer though.
Yes, I’d tracked down all the old threads about the first tubeless conversions - sounded really interesting. But I couldn’t find anybody who’d run tubeless on the Wheel TA - I guess it’s a niche of a niche, which happens to actually be empty in this case!
Have you tried the stock coker for a point of comparison?
My searching mostly suggests that although the Coker tyre is a little lighter, the Wheel TA is a much smoother ride. I was originally leaning towards buying the Coker for the knobby tread pattern, but if the Wheel TA is significantly nicer to ride then I think that’ll be the way to go.
I think the differences between the two tires are subtle at best.
Tha being said, I prefer the Wheel TA for its road handling. Going straight, I don’t think there’s much difference, but the Whel TA has noticably easier turning.
The coker tire might be better off-road, but I’ve used the Wheel TA off-road also, and I can’t say it was dramatically different. (the coker tire isn’t THAT knobby anyways).
So, to recap.
Wheel TA better for road, but still fine offroad
Coker better for offroad, but still fine for road.
The Wheel TA is supposedly heavier, but I didn’t notice.
I can’t imagine that going tubeless would be any different between the two.
My advice? Flip a coin. (If it lands on its edge, get the Wheel TA)
Tubeless is simply that: a conversion to allow you to run the tyre without an inner tube. The Stan’s kit supports sizes up to 36" wheels, and includes sealant to “heal” any punctures that occur in the tyre itself.
It saves weight, adds self-healing (though you can do that by having a self-sealing tube
I don’t know if you noticed my thread a while back but the coker brand tire was in very limited quantities at that time. The only place I could find one was through Bedford @ $30 more than the TA due to price and the shiping from Canada. Might be the determining factor for you.
D’oh! Just noticed your on the other side of the pond there Mark so scratch that last post.
But while I’m trying to save face, does Stans make a 36" rim strip for this application or do they strech a 29er to fit??? I’m in the process of building a coker and have the 29" strips and Stans gooo which I was going to sell but should I try and use them on a airfoil rim with a TA tire?
Thanks for the heads up about tyre availability - but as you’ve noticed, I’m in the UK I think UDC UK have both tyres in stock at the moment.
Stan told me to fill in the order and ask for the 36in rim strip in the notes section of the order form - so it sounds like it’s a different strip.
Stretching a 29er strip might work though I guess … not sure as I’ve never done a tubeless conversion! I’ve also seen a suggestion that you could make a rim strip by cutting up the coker 'tube but I’m not sure anyone has tried that.
Stan is great to deal with- he answered the emails personally, amd made a custom 36" rim strip for my Coker. Judging by the number of people who have now done the conversion, he’s probably got those measurements already.
Good news! I got a flat on my Coker today during a ride. It also happens to be the first time that I have ever gotten a flat during a unicycle ride. Woot! It looks like the flat was due to a blackberry thorn, but I can’t say for sure because whatever caused the puncture didn’t stay in the tire.
Anyways, this gives me the perfect opportunity and perfect excuse to put on the TA tire that I have. My Coker tire still has plenty of rubber on it left, but I’m going to put it in storage as a spare and use the TA. I’ll give the TA a test ride tomorrow.
I hope I don’t end up experiencing a similar excuse to go tubeless.
Now it’s probably as heavy as a non-tubeless tyre. It rides nicer though.