Yeah, it’s way too much, but Nathan is used to the Nightrider being a stiff ole beast at all pressures, so I’m sure he’ll get around to a lower pressure trial.
I have run mine as low as 16psi when it was new, but as it got broken in the tire softens, so now 20-22 psi is my special place. I can run lower pressures, but below 20psi the shoulder gets a little spongy for whipping through tight turns on single track.
I also weigh 200# plus gear, so not a lightweight by any stretch.
The biggest turn around for me has been an increase in my desire to ride the 36er off road vs choosing one of my smaller wheels. I rode the 29er today because it was so swampy, but I was wanting to ride the 36er, so I packed em both in case it was dry; it wasn’t
On the Stealth 2 rim this tyre has almost straigh sidewalls and feels very well suported I am running 18.5 psi and it feels so stable and jumping about like a loon makes little deflection in the tyre or significant risk of rim shots. I am sure I could air it down even further which I may do on the trail.
I only weigh 154 lbs sans gear though
It is not even just about grip it is about rolling efficiency, on the road cranking the pressure is a good idea but on a bumpy surface the wheel has to go up and over a root/rock etc which takes massive amounts of energy to lift your body weight, a softer tyre deforms around the object rather than forcing the uni up which conserves energy.
Bike.de magazine/website (I think) did a big scientific article on this to disprove the higher is better hangover from road riding. Ever since I looked into it I have been riding large volume tyres on my XC mtb at 20-25 psi and have never looked back
Back to “The Todd”, have yet to get it off road but even at 18.5 psi she flys quietly along the road and feels very stable with no real crowning (less tan my 29er Hans Dampf which is not a big crowner anyway).
The other thing I noticed was how well the tyre seals on the bead, when fitting the tyre with a 29er tube before I inflated I was checking the bead to prevent pinching the tube and noticed the tyre was compressed at one point and squeezing it into shaped sucked in another point in the tyre somewhere else as it had such a good air seal (the tight flat 29er tube was acting like stans tape / ghetto cut innertube on the rim), I can see this being a doddle to set up tubeless
Better put an extra syringe of oil in your Schlumpf hub. You need what I need which is a second ungeared 36er with my new WaltWorks tire (instead of my “road” NightRider) and much longer cranks. I wish I’d hadn’t sold my Impulse. I should have went ahead and destroyed that aluminum spindle disc hub and replaced it with a CroMo Oracle. The Impulse’s drilled Stealth1 rim with this new 36er tire and a FOSS tube would have been the best of all worlds. I love my geared 36er but it is a tank.
There is a sweet 36" Nimbus Impulse with an Oregon hub on the trading post, it’s very similar to the one I ride, all it needs is a good handle and a muni tire. I’m kinda suprised it hasn’t been snatched up…
I’d buy it, but then I’d have two, and that’s excessive even for me
This tyre grips pretty much as well as my Hans Dampf!
Despite a lack of big wheel skill I virtually road through the filth below (I have a video I will post in my 36er thread in a bit). It ate up muddy grass, rocky flint, slippery leaves, any slips were predictable and easily recovered. And on the road sections the tyre was quiet and fast.
Believe me, I’m well aware. I’ve sent that trading post thread to both my local unicycle friends who refuse to buy a 36er telling them I’d drive them half way to Cleveland to pick it up. I should have never sold my Impulse. I would put this new tire on it and risked that aluminum spindle (knowing I could always replace it with a new Oracle CroMo disc hub) on some MUni. I’m tempted (don’t tell my wife) to buy it myself. Or perhaps a brand new 36" Oracle. Who says you can’t have more than one 36er? One geared up with short cranks and one ungeared with long cranks and this new tire.
I went for a couple more test rides, both half offroad, about 20 miles, with lots of slippery mud. The tire performed really well and I am liking it a lot. I’ve now tested it at 35psi, 30psi, 25 psi and 21 psi. The last ride, at 21, felt fine although I was a little scared of snakebites. At one point I hit a pile of logs quite fast and launched pretty high, but no problem. I had several slides that I would’ve never recovered from on the Nightrider, but on this one, it was fine.
Our big question is longevity. We’ll have to see how much life we get out of these. A big box with 4 more of them arrived last Friday, so we won’t run out at least!
As I mounted my new tire to the wheel I voice concern about flats. Four days later with less than 50 miles it was flat with a tiny rock chip stuck in the tread.
I have many miles off road on my tire and not a problem to date. In fact, I have ridden enough that my tread is actually wearing down, now ~50% tread wear, maybe I can sell it as a lightweight road tire after a few more months of riding
Try tubeless, it’s been great for me, holds pressure, rides well, and no maintenance other than the very ocassional tire pressure checks.
I’ve continued my testing and love the tire. I’ve ridden down to 18psi and at that pressure, on a pavement section, camber felt worse than I think it should’ve although I’ve never ridden that section before so can’t really compare it.
I think for my normal 50/50 combo rides that 25psi is about right. Haven’t really done any all road rides yet, but I suspect it will be 35-45psi for those.
I run 20-22 psi. I tried 18psi yesterday on a cold and muddy single track ride, the soft tire rode nicer when I was cruising, but I got rim shots on roots and it was a bit sluggish, so I bumped back up to 20psi.
The tire rides nice when firm, a real mtb styled tire, so none of that fat tire DH stuff, this tire is made for going fast. If you look at Vee Rubber tires, this tread is considered a race pattern.
I have settled on 18psi off road and 45psi on road, man is it fast at that pressure on the black stuff was cruising at 14 mph without going for it the other day.
Off road it is continues to amaze, in the rare occasion we actually had snow it was gripping amazingly allowing me to stand and slog up snowy hills and plough through soft 1 foot fresh snow with deep muddy puddles under it.
I will be ordering a spare or two next pay day as I fear I am going to tear this one on some of the nasty flint I ride on and be without my baby
Just went for my first ride with it yesterday. Extremely happy!
I mounted it on my KH36, with rim brake and Foss tube. Pumped it up to almost 30psi, which is much more than usual for me (more in the 20psi range usually). But I felt the tyre was deforming a bit too much for my liking at 20psi.
The ride was all on hard-packed snow, mostly smooth single track with occasional rocky uphills / descents. I can’t really compare to the Nightrider which I used to ride until now as that was my first ride on snow here. But the tyre did great, with amazing grip!
This is Denmark, so don’t expect big climbs/downhills, but the trail I went to was actually a good test as it features a good number of steep up and downhills. Short ones, but steep enough to make me stall on the uphills. The grip was excellent, it did not skid even once on these ups and downs, even when I thought there was no way it would keep tracking. So the limit was my own, not the tyre’s. Is that good or bad news? Hmm, at least for this review, good news…
Regarding the weight, mine weights in at 1,640g, against 1,990g for my Nightrider. So a very nice saving here, thank you. Can’t really say it was a game-changer though. It did feel really good and responsive, but maybe that was partly to do with the hard packed snow. More rides required in the good old mud I am used to before concluding. I am not too fussed about the weight anyway, but that is a nice bonus obviously.
I bought that tyre specifically for better grip as the trails I ride tend to be wet almost all year round. So far, it has clearly delivered! Thanks for making a great tyre!
PS: a bit late for a name… it’s a shame because Yardy would have been a very fitting name for a 36er. Yes, that is how many inches there are in one yard…
telling them I’d drive them half way to Cleveland to pick it up. I should have never sold my Impulse. I would put this new tire on it and risked that aluminum spindle (knowing I could always replace it with a new Oracle CroMo disc hub) on some MUni. I’m tempted (don’t tell my wife) to buy it myself. Or perhaps a brand new 36" Oracle. Who says you can’t have more than one 36er? One geared up with short cranks and one ungeared with long cranks and this new tire.
