I wouldn’t say that about the Duro - lots of rocky stuff round here as you know, and it grips well on that. Not as soft and grippy as something like a black chilli Conti tyre (or a trials tyre), but I wouldn’t say it’s hard rubber.
If you were closer I’d say borrow mine and see if you like it… but surely somebody you see more often must have one? The 3" tyre is a bit overkill for me really - I was seriously thinking of going to a 2.4 Rubber Queen on the 26", but now I’ve got the 29er for xc it’s quite nice to have a silly bomb-proof tyre on the 26 for all the rock gardens - quite a nice skill-compensator
One thing to consider is the rim width versus the tire casing size. In my experience, a wider rim (within reason and limited by weight) seems to give the impression of higher volume without necessarily requiring the weight of a bigger tire or thicker sidewalls, and lets you drop the pressure slightly without the tire being prone to foldover. There is a noticeable increase in stability, for example, between the Ardent 29x2.4 on a 38 mm KH rim versus a 47 mm KH rim, without any difference in weight.
On a 26 I am really liking the Maxxis High Roller single ply 26x2.5" tire. Works for all the riding I do on my KH26 and it’s under 1000 grams. Previously I used a single ply 26x2.7 tire that at just over 1000 grams was really good. I’m planning to test the single ply High Roller 26x2.7 although locally they are very hard to find. Most places don’t stock it.
Kris
Have fitted the Fat Albert 2.4 - was exactly 750g on my scale, which along with the lighter tube than the DH one needed for the Duro means I’ve saved almost 1.2kg over the Duro. Measured 59mm wide fitted to a Nimbus 42mm rim, which is a bit narrower than I expected - what do Rubber Queen 2.4s measure? I pumped it up to 25psi, a bit below the recommended min of 2 bar (29psi) marked on the tyre, though the website suggests you can go to 1.6 bar.
First impressions on tarmac only - can really feel the difference in weight, and it also rolls significantly faster than the Duro. Can’t remember how it compares to the Racing Ralph I’ve used previously, but given I’ve been mostly riding a slick 29er the last couple of days and it didn’t feel noticeably slow compared to that, I can’t believe I’d feel much difference in rolling. Actually quite surprised how well it rolls at that pressure. No obvious handling problems with sidewalls folding, so I’m actually tempted to try a little less air - though it felt pretty good rolling off a kerb and hopping. So far I’m quite impressed, though the off-road test awaits.
First off-road impressions of the Fat Albert 2.4 (front): initially it rolled well and handled decently, but felt a bit too solid - wasn’t absorbing the bumps that well. So I stopped and let a little pressure out and it felt a lot better - haven’t checked the pressure, but I guess it’s down to a little over 20psi. Still no problems with sidewalls folding or feeling squirmy at that pressure (well below stated minimum), though you have to bear in mind that I was only riding very mild bumpy grass and dirt, no rocks or drops.
I did a little ride I’d done previously on the Duro, and despite the ground being far more wet and draggy (which you’d think wouldn’t suit the narrower tyre that much) the Albert certainly felt a lot faster. Also some muddy bits, and I didn’t notice any problems with grip on stuff where I’d definitely have lost it with a Racing Ralph - I should point out that I’m actually running this front tyre backwards so that the squarer edges of the knobbles designed for braking are helping with traction (maybe a rear would be more suitable, but I couldn’t get one of those cheap!)
Wow, that’s a lot of pressure! I run 1 bar (16psi) on my Ardent 29 x 2.4 and my Arrow Savage 26 x 2.6, the most I have ever run in a muni tire is 20psi on a Racing Ralph 29 x 2.4
Ah well - I am a bit of a newbie, and didn’t want to risk too low a pressure - ran a lightweight 2" tyre with too little pressure early on and it felt horrible. As I mentioned in my off-road report, I found I was pinging off stuff at 25psi, so stopped and let some air out after a few minutes. Have now checked it on the gauge and I’d let out more than I thought - actually only had 15psi in, and it felt fine at that!
I’ve clearly not got a lot of experience or much to compare this to, but from my experiences so far I’d suggest it’s a tyre worth considering - certainly seems to work better at low pressures than the Racing Ralph 2.4 (or than the Nobby Nic, which has the same carcass as the RR, but tread more like the FA). At 59mm on a Nimbus 42mm rim it may not be quite as wide as a 2.4 Rubber Queen (how wide is that really?), but at 750g it’s a lot lighter - could it be the lightest real muni worthy tyre?
Weight is important, but ride quality is equally important, I liked the RR 2.4, BUT, I had to run higher pressures to avoid pinch flats and sidewall collapse, so it rode hard. Switching to an Ardent 2.4 was like a breath of fresh air, more comfort, added 200gm of tire (lost 100gm of tube), and traction was improved.
It’s the same thing with width/volume, there’s a trade off, sometimes fatter is not better, sometimes the characteristics of the tire are “mistmatched”. For example the WTB Dissent: The sidewall is soft relative to the tread/casing, so it rode hard even at low pressure, so it had no real benefits other than being a heavy tire, hence it’s lack of popularity.
Sometimes I wonder if maybe a narrower tire with a decent sidewall might not be better than a high volume tire with a soft sidewall, aka an Ardent 2.2 vs an Ardent 2.4 or in Kris’s case, a single wall High Roller 2.5 vs a 2 play 2.7
I found myself thinking the same thing after riding a wire bead Wolverine 29x2.2 and really liking the feel despite being lower volume than other 29" tires I have ridden. On a 47mm rim the tire feels very stable over rough ground and just forgiving enough.
It’s about 4oz heavier than an Ardent 2.4. There are folding versions available for weight savings but I’m not sure if the sidewalls are thinner on those versions.
Unfortunately the tread isn’t quite perfect for my riding. It’s fine on pavement, great on hard and somewhat loose dirt, and decent on sand; but the tire keeps sliding out on corners that have a lot of loose pine needles. This isn’t something I ever thought I would have a problem with on a unicycle and I don’t feel like I am going too fast. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll stick with the tire or try something with bigger knobs.
The queen is dead… i somehow managed to destroy the casing… last few weeks i rode it at 2 bar and it popped 2 tubes with tubeless-milk and the tire couldnt stay straight on the rim anymore.
Take a look at the Hans Dampf, great tire, been riding it on my 29er for a few months now, wouldn’t go back, it’s a perfect bland of weight, durability, and resilence. Kind of expensive…but then so are most good tires.
Paid over 60€ for the Baron… Bought it in the Black Chili Compound of course. If it lasts as long as the Queen its a very good price. I rode the queen for about 2 years and she still has a lot of profile left.
The chili compound from Conti is awesome!
Still need to ride with it though… wanted to do it yesterday, but slipped away on wet stairs and hurt my foot… cant try it this weekend either (have to work at Challenge Roth triathlon).
I am looking at this Continental Mountain King 26X2.4 i am wondering if it will be to narrow for rocky and rooty stuff. it looks like it will roll faster than my duro but sill have good volume. what yall think?
If you already have the Mountain King, sure try if out. But if you’re shopping for a new tire go for the Trail King 2.4. It’s a much bigger tire than the Mountain King 2.4.
If you already have the Mountain King, sure try if out. But if you’re shopping for a new tire go for the Trail King 2.4. It’s a much bigger tire than the Mountain King 2.4.
I’ve been using the Trail King for over a year and it’s my preferred unicycle for rougher trails.
