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Complete Guide to Downhill Rubber

S.K.C.

Turbo Monkey
Feb 28, 2005
4,096
25
Pa. / North Jersey
Aw hell... dammit Vee... STOP looking over Schwalbe's shoulder and EYES on your OWN paper...

Side knobs angled the wrong fu@king way to facilitate "Front End Tuck" and washing out at the limit whilst cornering:

 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,023
1,154
El Lay
Max Ass Guy looks interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a good tire with those inter knobs.

Not sure if I care enough to switch it up from DHRII and DHF, though.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Got to fondle the ass guy tires in the vital test. Those are the softest tire maxxis has ever made. They're unreal squishy. They might not be bad with that transition pecker cut off, the sides are pretty thick. They've gotta be so slow on the back though.
 

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
566
412
Got to fondle the ass guy tires in the vital test. Those are the softest tire maxxis has ever made. They're unreal squishy. They might not be bad with that transition pecker cut off, the sides are pretty thick. They've gotta be so slow on the back though.
Woo, doesn't Minnaar know what he's doing?
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Woo, doesn't Minnaar know what he's doing?
Is minnaar building the tires?



Your question reminds me how well marketing with pro names actually works. I forget that sometimes.

Molds are expensive. Personally I've never seen a tire make it to the prototype stage and not go into production, from any company (except for maybe the michelin WR2 DH tire but that's not a new tread).The only quick revisions I've ever seen were when maxxis thickened up the sidenobs on the highroller 2s, and then changed the mold on their minion SS 27.5s to make the sideknobs closer like on the 26" versions. But even those took over a year before you could find them. Tire companies will improve things but they certainly seem to get their money out of the molds first.

My point being: even if something isn't that good or could easily be made better, it still goes to market, regardless of the 'prototype' moniker. From what I can tell from maxxis in the short time I was on their testing program, they're looking for catastrophic failures that would make releasing it a problem, and buzzwords to use in marketing once they go on sale. I mean christ, look at the griffon. You think they got a single positive response from anyone fast on their testing program? And they still made them.

GM supposedly said he wanted a tire that cornered on rails like the original high roller. Do you see anything on this ass guy that would do that? I know why the original HRs worked like that. They didn't duplicate it.

Brook macdonald just qualified fastest on ass guys. They're sticky as shit and the softness/dampness has to be a benefit on that lozenge course. But that's not tread, that's compound. That also doesn't mean they couldn't be better to perform well in a wider range of conditions without giving up what does work with them. They're so ungodly soft, they're pretty much like a gummy trials tire for moto. I'm not even sure the tread design matters they deform so much.

Although you can tell where greg started using them last year

https://www.rootsandrain.com/rider926/greg-minnaar/results/filters/years2017/
 
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Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,644
5,562
UK
Personally I've never seen a tire make it to the prototype stage and not go into production
I have one here. it's also a michelin. based on the old comp25 but doesn't have the knobs everyone cut out. is in a 2.1 size with a full DH casing and DH compound. It was pro issue only and used for duel and 4X. I got mine from Mr W when he ran Global Racing.
Come to think of it. Now you mention the moulding costs. The mould could well have been from a 2.1 HotS Xc tyre. those things were pretty similar but the carcus and compounds were unusabru for DH.
 

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
566
412
Is minnaar building the tires?



Your question reminds me how well marketing with pro names actually works. I forget that sometimes.

Molds are expensive. Personally I've never seen a tire make it to the prototype stage and not go into production, from any company (except for maybe the michelin WR2 DH tire but that's not a new tread).The only quick revisions I've ever seen were when maxxis thickened up the sidenobs on the highroller 2s, and then changed the mold on their minion SS 27.5s to make the sideknobs closer like on the 26" versions. But even those took over a year before you could find them. Tire companies will improve things but they certainly seem to get their money out of the molds first.

My point being: even if something isn't that good or could easily be made better, it still goes to market, regardless of the 'prototype' moniker. From what I can tell from maxxis in the short time I was on their testing program, they're looking for catastrophic failures that would make releasing it a problem, and buzzwords to use in marketing once they go on sale. I mean christ, look



Your question reminds me how well marketing with pro names actually works. I forget that sometimes.

Molds are expensive. Personally I've never seen a tire make it to the prototype stage and not go into production, from any company (except for maybe the michelin WR2 DH tire but that's not a new tread).The only quick revisions I've ever seen were when maxxis thickened up the sidenobs on the highroller 2s, and then changed the mold on their minion SS 27.5s to make the sideknobs closer like on the 26" versions. But even those took over a year before you could find them. Tire companies will improve things but they certainly seem to get their money out of the molds first.

My point being: even if something isn't that good or could easily be made better, it still goes to market, regardless of the 'prototype' moniker. From what I can tell from maxxis in the short time I was on their testing program, they're looking for catastrophic failures that would make releasing it a problem, and buzzwords to use in marketing once they go on sale. I mean christ, look at the griffon. You think they got a single positive response from anyone fast on their testing program? And they still made them.

GM supposedly said he wanted a tire that cornered on rails like the original high roller. Do you see anything on this ass guy that would do that? I know why the original HRs worked like that. They didn't duplicate it.

Brook macdonald just qualified fastest on ass guys. They're sticky as shit and the softness/dampness has to be a benefit on that lozenge course. But that's not tread, that's compound. That also doesn't mean they couldn't be better to perform well in a wider range of conditions without giving up what does work with them.

Although you can tell where greg started using them last year

https://www.rootsandrain.com/rider926/greg-minnaar/results/filters/years2017/
That was an honest question and thanks for the detailed opinion. My knowledge on these things is limited and I thought that since Greg associated his name with it and helped develop it, and him being pretty meticulous, that it had to be good. It bears a name he chose after all.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,644
5,562
UK
yes. assuming it hasn't rotted sitting in a hot garage somewhere.
They're ok rear tyres . good sidewalls and good compounds but nothing special trad patern wise. The chunder was a better tyre from that spesh era tho. kinda OG Highrollery
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,483
19,492
Canaderp
This was touched on before I think somewhere...but can't see it.

I'm looking to buy a 2.5 DHF in EXO casing and will be purchasing from Jenson's (as they also have some 26" 2.7 DHF's that I needz). Trouble is that it looks like they don't have any normal 2.5 DHF in 27.5, only the WideTrail ones. Has anyone ridden these on a 26mm wide rim? Will my face explode?
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
A tricky question for all the G5 riders - how do you like them G5s in the wet and slop? I always feel these are after me. They get packed with sticky mud in no time and just won't shed it, which makes all rocky&rooty off-camber or steep braking spots extra awesome.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,483
19,492
Canaderp
A tricky question for all the G5 riders - how do you like them G5s in the wet and slop? I always feel these are after me. They get packed with sticky mud in no time and just won't shed it, which makes all rocky&rooty off-camber or steep braking spots extra awesome.
Minion it now?
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,328
5,085
Ottawa, Canada
This was touched on before I think somewhere...but can't see it.

I'm looking to buy a 2.5 DHF in EXO casing and will be purchasing from Jenson's (as they also have some 26" 2.7 DHF's that I needz). Trouble is that it looks like they don't have any normal 2.5 DHF in 27.5, only the WideTrail ones. Has anyone ridden these on a 26mm wide rim? Will my face explode?
http://ridemonkey.bikemag.com/threads/what-trail-bike-tire-casings-dont-suck.276601/page-19#post-4251719
I believe all the good tread EXO 27.5” maxxis come in 2.3”, 2.5”WT and 2.6” only.

Reg’lar 2.5” and the short lived 2.4” have been memory holed.

I’ve heard various places that 2.5” WT works fine on normal width rims, but I too am resentful about it.
Minion it now?
Better in mud?! Not likely...
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,502
4,755
Australia
Minion it now?
The one condition a Minion sucks at? I think the G5 is probably better to be honest.

Run a Magic Mary if its greasy and damp I reckon. I've been super impressed with how versatile those things are. The Minion is still a better dusty/gravelly tyre though.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
A tricky question for all the G5 riders - how do you like them G5s in the wet and slop? I always feel these are after me. They get packed with sticky mud in no time and just won't shed it, which makes all rocky&rooty off-camber or steep braking spots extra awesome.
Shorty FTW in that stuff.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,023
1,154
El Lay
I'm probably really late on this, but just noticed my new Mich Wild ROckr2 GumX Reinforced says made in France on the packaging.

I got bit hard (literally) by the garbage hard compound DH tires they relaunched 6 years ago - those were made in Thailand, IIRC.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
Anyone tried the Michelin Wild Enduro Magi-X (soffest compaund) on the front for DH? How does it ride on wet roots?
It's burly for a trail bike casing, but it's not a real DH tire.

They're pretty good on wet roots, but not as good as a 2.5 sticky rubber DHF. They brake better though.
 

PJivan

Monkey
Aug 27, 2006
157
20
Dublin, Ireland
It's burly for a trail bike casing, but it's not a real DH tire.

They're pretty good on wet roots, but not as good as a 2.5 sticky rubber DHF. They brake better though.
To be fair I have never had issue running super gravity Magic Mary on the front, I'm pretty light tho
 

shelteringsky

Monkey
May 21, 2010
307
257
sam hill PROTO.jpg
Sam Hill's prototype 'enduro' front tire (running on the back) from Michelin...

For those who can parse tread patterns, are Michelin back in the game?

EDIT: trolled by VitalMTB. Correct prototype tire now.
View attachment 129685
 
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HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
:stupid:

Way too few side knobs with too much room between them, and not enough of a channel between the center knobs and the side ones for them to bite in properly. That may be a band-aid to stop the side knobs from getting overwhelmed, but at that point refer back to point #1.