Help me pick a tire...

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Yep, tires. Please don’t beat me up…

I posted over in the reviews section but didn’t seem to get many suggestions there.

I know it’s been discussed a lot, but the few I’m looking at haven’t been discussed much.

I’m running a Duro right now, and actually don’t mind it. However, it’s heavy, and that’s finally starting to get old. For general riding I don’t care much, but any climbing at all starts to become a chore after so many miles.

I’m also planning a multi day epic next year, that’ll involve 5 of the local peaks all at once (read: some decent vertical). I really don’t want to be dragging a 3.5 lb. tire along with me, and I want to start trying some different ones out during the off season.

Soooooooo, here’s what I need to know:

I’m interested in 3 main tires, a Kenda Nevegal 2.5, Maxxis High Roller 2.4, and Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1. Obviously there is an oddball in there; the Panaracer is one of the highest rated XC tires on MTBR. However, the Panaracer is 2.1" and I’m running a 42mm rim. I know in theory it’d be fine, but I don’t wanna be worrying about blow outs riding Muni on it.

I’m also open to suggestions. I’ve been recommended Specialized, and they are still on the table, though there are no dealers near me. I’m trying to find something available locally (at my favorite LBS) before I go to the innernet.

I REALLY liked the look of the Continental Trail King, but it felt heavy, though the sidewalls felt bullet proof.

Bottom line, I’m looking for a mid weight XC/AM tire that is durable. Volume isn’t a huge deal as long as I don’t have to worry about blow outs.

Thanks to all, keep the rubber side down…

2

At the risk of sounding pedantic, you didn’t mention the diameter of tire you need. I know your most recent project was a 700c, but one wouldn’t want to presume…

3

Diameter – 700c?

4

Doh! Can’t believe I left that out… :o

26er.

5

I’ve got the Conti Trail king 2.2 on my Oracle 26. It’s not heavy at all, but I wouldn’t call the sidewalls “bulletproof” (just watched some sealant bubble through when I did my tubeless conversion tonight). None the less, I’ve liked it so far and have been riding it since June or so. It’s held up well.

If you want to try it, let’s meet for a ride. I’m out of town this weekend, but could meet up next weekend.

6

The conti I was looking at was UST, that may be part of the reason the sidewalls felt so thick to me.

I’m down to ride sometime. Hit me up with a PM when you get back in town…

7

Yo, I’m running the Hans Dampf, Snakeskin, Trail Star Compound, 26 x 2.35 on my O26 with a Heavy Duty, 1.2 mm wall, Giant Freeride tube. The tire was spendy ($75 at Go-Ride), but I like it a lot. That being said, it is showing a bit of wear, as might be expected from the Trial Star (softer, stickier) compound. (I wanted the Pace Star version, but it wasn’t available locally.)

Sounds like Ubernerd and I should come up to Antelope Island one of these weekends and bring our 26ers so you can try them both out & compare the two tires. I’m betting you will experience very little difference in performance between the two.

8

If there’s no difference in performance, then there is one big difference - how much the two will lighten your wallet. :wink: I got the conti $15 at the “local” performance bike.

9

Yep, I kinda left out the Hans. I ran an HD on my 29er, and it was a good tire, but even with the Pacestar compound, my knobbies were starting to show signs of peeling. I think it was from all the rock around here. They weren’t pulling off, but I could see some cracking at the base of the knobs.

I want to check out the non UST version of the Trail King and see if it’s sidewalls feel as beefy as the UST version.

This is the problem with 26ers, too many tire choices. And now that I’m employed, I might just have to buy a couple…

I’d say I could hold out until we could all ride together, but I’ll probably talk myself into something before then…

Jury still out on the Nevegal, High Roller, or Fire XC Pro?

10

Yesterday I went out an rode in the morning. Recently, our local trail building organization has put in a bunch of rock features that are fun to do some natural trialsish stuff on. Lots of hopping, and working lines (think Moab type stuff).

Obviously, the Duro is great for this type of riding, but I’m not sure how these other tires would perform I don’t think the Hans Dampf would hold up to all of the rock, but I’m not sure about any of the others. Would I just have to switch tires whenever I want to do super tech. Muni? Or is there a tire that’ll do it all?

I won’t be doing this much, AM riding is still where my heart lies, but it’s fun to take a few minutes and screw around there, I just don’t want to get a tire that I’m going to chew up in 3 weeks :roll_eyes:

11

I ride on a specialized s-works the captain 26x2.25 (ish?). I got it because the s-works series are lightweight. Works fine for me. But I don’t take it on super technical stuff. Mostly fire roads and very easy single tracks.

12

Wait! Hold the phone…

Think I might have found what I’m looking for. Kenda makes an SB8 in 2.35 that’s only 800 something grams. SB8’s a great tire that I ran on my 29er, so if the sidewalls aren’t too flimsy, that’ll be it. If I get an SB8, I might get it’s bigger brother the Nevegal for tech Muni and trade off between them.

Of course, at 22 bucks a tire, I could also push the limits of the SB8 :p.

Going to the bike shop tomorrow to check it out…

13

UST are heavy tires, designed for tubeless, so the sidewalls have a lot more rubber, not really what you need.

A lighter weight tire with decent tread, good sidewall protection:

Ardent 2.25 EXO
Advantage 2.25 EXO

Want a little more beef and durability:

Hans D 2.35 Pacestar

Personally, I like the Hans tread pattern better, tends to ride straighter on sidehills, but it weighs ~100gm more than the Ardent. The Advantage has the same casing as the Ardent, but the tread pattern has a solid line of knobbies on the outside edges, so it rides more like the HD.

I have never liked the Trail King/Queen, though I think Conti makes good tires, but the patterns just didn’t ride that well.

I would definitely not get an overly light tire like the Racing Ralph as you will have to run higher pressures and you will still be prone to pinch flats and sidewall tears, in regards to the Fire XC 2.1, same issues, so don’t do it!

My wife has Fire XC on her FS bike, it’s a popular tire, decent tread, decent weight, decent price, BUT at your weight it would not be a good bike tire and most definitely it would not be a good muni tire.

SB8 is also not a great tire, too flimsy, I had one and gave it away, poor tread for mud. Seriously, you need to stick with known tires or you are just tossing money into the wind. There is a reason that certain tires are more common for muni: the others failed the test.

So, where ya goin?

14

Too late, at 22 bucks, I got the SB8 for now. If I don’t like it, what am I out? I’m running it with a freeride tube and it seems to be doing alright.

Where am I going? As in the epic I’m planning? I’ll basically be going up and over Grizzly, Willard, Ben Lomond, Lewis, and Mount Ogden peaks. The ride for now is still just an idea in my head, so I haven’t calculated mileage or anything yet, but I think it’d be a neat ride.

Thanks for the info. I’ll be testing tires out at Antelope Island all winter, so there’s a chance I may end up with the HD when all is said and done.

15

You will have a hard time finding a “one tyre fits all”. However, you can find a tyre that performs well for you in most situations (and your skill make up for the rest in the few situations left).

As I said, we can resurrect the good old sharing of tyres with USPS (post-test-post next or back). It would help you testing more different tyres without breaking the bank :wink:
I have a couple of tyres not actively used (only one at a time :p), so you can PM me if you feel playful.