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Complete Guide to Downhill Rubber

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Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,548
6,454
UK
Agreed.
A fucking conti piece of shit smashed me into Tarmac tonight.
Um a bit dazed but not entirely confused.
 

mrgto

Monkey
Aug 4, 2009
295
118
Any of you guys set up mtx rims up tubeless? If so did you use a rim strip or tape? Trying to get these Minions DHs setup. I just used Kapton tape so far. They are leaking down pretty quick. I've not used sealant yet just checking here before I make a mess.
 

Muddy

ancient crusty bog dude
Jul 7, 2013
2,061
969
The Other Farmington CT
Flat Tire Defender installed, very simple. Fits so well my e.thirteen valves will be used - no need to release the valve to unseat the tire.

I suppose ProCore has benefits, those tire levers included in the box are pretty sweet.
 

konastab01

Turbo Monkey
Dec 7, 2004
1,262
316
So I've been out of the loop for a long time, what tyre is like a comp 16 these days and that they make in 26" still?
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,548
6,454
UK
Personally I prefer a DHF or DHR2 up front to a HR2 but that wasn't the question.
HR2s seem as close to an OG Comp 16 as you'll find these days. not the same tho. the HR2 definitely drifts betterer than the ol' michies did but from memory possibly aren't as good in the mud. (it has been rather a long time tho)
 

landcruiser

Monkey
May 9, 2002
186
40
San Jose, CA
Probably an okay rear tire for MSA where the ground is hard and there's not a lot of severe braking. Even on the front, all that surface area and edges will be good on the exposed rock that makes up 50% of the track. I'd be worried traction in all of the dusty/grassy high speed corners though. I'd expect to see something else on the front at least come race day.
 

'size

Turbo Monkey
May 30, 2007
2,000
338
AZ
from maxxis via vital:
"Maxxis Tires and Greg Minnaar have a rich legacy together with countless wins at the highest levels of downhill racing. At the 2016 Mont St. Anne race, Greg approached Maxxis with a tire idea that would combine the “on-rails” cornering sensation he fondly remembers from the original High Roller with the predictability of his current favorite Minion DHR II. A tire was sketched out and sent home with our engineers and then modeled for his approval before the first molds were cut. 27.5-inch and 29-inch samples have been created to allow for testing against the full lineup of Maxxis downhill-racing tires.

Mont-Saint Anne 2017 was the target race to test this tire due to its mixture of rock-littered forests and wide open high-speed sections. Given its longstanding history as a World Cup venue, it seemed appropriate to bring something new to the table in the search for any competitive advantage."
 

landcruiser

Monkey
May 9, 2002
186
40
San Jose, CA
I loved getting rider feedback about tire performance, but I always tried to interpret their actual design input in ways that meshed with my understanding of how the tread actually worked. There's a lot of elements of this latest tire that I would have never allowed into a final design for world cup DH racing.

But then the other aspect of tire design is just a whole lot of trial and error. Again I'm very curious to see what tires end up on the bike on race day.
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,645
1,094
coloRADo
What happened to the "channel" theory? Going with the "knob vomit" theory?

Would like to hear more on Greg's request to rail corners. Cuz that tire does not look like an OG High Roller & DHR2 had a child. This tire and the Griffon has me scratching my head.
 

djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,115
1,801
Northern California
There's still a defined channel on there, look at the pic MmmBones posted up above. I've found that for the slippery blown out baked clay trails I have locally a narrower channel lets me go faster, while if I go 20 miles west to a zone with a softer/less-slippery surface I'm able to take advantage of a wider channel.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,660
1,237
Nilbog
Not sure what to think of that new Maxxis proto...I guess if you never ride anything with a drop of moisture in it they would be good (bike parks around here at points). Otherwise, it would be a nightmare once any moisture accumulated.

In other news, I am currently testing a pair of Kenda (yes the 'K' word) Hellcats, pretty cool tire so far...
 
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6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
17,293
14,776
Just discovered my rear minion SS tore off a side knob on my ride last night, probably only had it mounted a month.

Likely to be warranty viable? Mail order bought from Universal.
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
17,293
14,776
About another 6 or 7 of the L shaped knobs on the same side are clinging on...Going to try for a warranty as I've never had a Minion do this.

Clearly I turn right harder than I turn left...

Aggressor acquired on Mr @Full Trucker 's recommendation.
 

Mo(n)arch

Turbo Monkey
Dec 27, 2010
4,468
1,466
Italy/south Tyrol
from maxxis via vital:
the “on-rails” cornering sensation he fondly remembers from the original High Roller with the predictability of his current favorite Minion DHR II.

Mont-Saint Anne 2017 was the target race to test this tire due to its mixture of rock-littered forests and wide open high-speed sections. Given its longstanding history as a World Cup venue, it seemed appropriate to bring something new to the table in the search for any competitive advantage."
That worked out very well :bonk:
Maybe he forgot that the old High Roller was ridden slower back in the day as overall speeds were significantly slower? And still the old HR had a far wider channel and in general a far more open thread then this proto.



Kidwoo should cut him a few DHR2's for Val di sole. Dude will throw away another WC-overall this way...
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,491
5,160
The new maxxis gnaar ... the perfect retirement tire to accompany your retirement wheelsize.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,660
1,237
Nilbog
I'm dump. It looks like 'just nice' bike park tire...but it's not real for anyone who deals with moisture. Where does the griffin sit in all of this? Seems like a real POS to me...why?
 

landcruiser

Monkey
May 9, 2002
186
40
San Jose, CA
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is most likely to result in washing out over a berm in the rain, the Mingnaar is objectively a 10, so that makes the Griffin a 20.

It makes for a good placebo for a "fast rolling" rear tire for anyone who already doesn't know what the hell their rear wheel is doing anyway though.
 

'size

Turbo Monkey
May 30, 2007
2,000
338
AZ
sounds like maxxis should have had a meeting about what they were doing :

vital : "...a tire idea that would combine the “on-rails” cornering sensation he fondly remembers from the original High Roller with the predictability of his current favorite Minion DHR II."

pinkbike : “He was really trying to get a tire that would serve as a middle ground between a Minion DHF and a Shorty,”
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
sounds like maxxis should have had a meeting about what they were doing :

vital : "...a tire idea that would combine the “on-rails” cornering sensation he fondly remembers from the original High Roller with the predictability of his current favorite Minion DHR II."

pinkbike : “He was really trying to get a tire that would serve as a middle ground between a Minion DHF and a Shorty,”
Combine all those marketing speeches and you get Knob Vomit ™. AKA Schwalbe.
 

atrokz

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2002
1,552
77
teedotohdot
Probably an okay rear tire for MSA where the ground is hard and there's not a lot of severe braking. Even on the front, all that surface area and edges will be good on the exposed rock that makes up 50% of the track. I'd be worried traction in all of the dusty/grassy high speed corners though. I'd expect to see something else on the front at least come race day.
Have you ever been to Mt St Anne?
 

landcruiser

Monkey
May 9, 2002
186
40
San Jose, CA
Have you ever been to Mt St Anne?
Of course not. No one on here actually rides bikes outdoors or has first hand knowledge of what they speak.

My speculation was based on how the conditions were being reported in the track walk videos/posts/etc from this year. If the conditions at the time of my post were not actually as described, then obviously I was full of shit.

Your signature quote seems apropos here.
 

atrokz

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2002
1,552
77
teedotohdot
Of course not. No one on here actually rides bikes outdoors or has first hand knowledge of what they speak.

My speculation was based on how the conditions were being reported in the track walk videos/posts/etc from this year. If the conditions at the time of my post were not actually as described, then obviously I was full of shit.

Your signature quote seems apropos here.
I see. I've spent considerable time there, I can tell you it's often very wet, with lots of mud. While the rocks do get cleaned in the rain (and it's like, 60% rock), and the dirt is pretty sandy, there is plenty of mud to clog tires up if the lugs aren't spaced very well. Granted it's not clay like, but yea, it's not very hard packed, more like lose over hard. Some runs are full on bogs though.