Cant say, yet. Looks solid, rolls well enough for what it is, but only two easy rides on it so far.
Complete Guide to Downhill Rubber
- Thread starter zdubyadubya
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This is good to know. Do you have a suggestion for what would pair well with a Magic Mary in the front? I feel like the MM and Big Betty have two different "philosophies" to traction (transition channel, vs no transition channel), so might not play well together.
Wet rock and roots are exactly what I'm looking to use these on.
whatchoo running on the front?
If Tech climbing is a thing I’d look for a tire that has a bunch of closer together center knobs and in a sticky compound. The further apart center knobs like on the nn it feels like the root or sharper edge of a rock will get in the space between the knobs and just shoot you off to the side. I’m loving the trail boss rear in high grip, And it feels good together with the dhr up front, it would probably be a little weird with the mm or dhf and the float zone.
ran it with an mm super sticky on the front. It may have been better as a super soft Also rather than just a soft.
ran it with an mm super sticky on the front. It may have been better as a super soft Also rather than just a soft.
I'm running MM f and BB r at the moment. Damn good combo.
Schwalbe had a proto front tyre on a few DH bikes this year. I'd like to find out more about what that was.
Yeah, the MM is the tits.
Thanks for the feedback. I ordered the MM + BB. plus a 2.5 DHF EXO+ for next summer. I've been on dual DHR2 for a while, and recently the T7 Spesh Butcher Grid Trail, so this will give me a decent sample to refresh my opinion.
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MM Ultra Soft Front or wider Front
MM soft rear or narrower. I can't tell any rolling resistance from a Hans Dampf to a Mary. But grip its the Tits.
I finally got around to trying a DHR2 on the front of my trail bike. Holy hell thats a good fun tyre on gravel turns when you're pushing.
Music to my ears. I ended up going DHR2 front and rear for my hardtail tires next Summer. Most alternatives were not available, or at full price, and I decided to go with something I felt was a safe bet.
On the trailbike I've been running DHR2 front and rear for a couple of years.
Switch to Dissector and Assegai in the fall cause that pair deals with leaf litter and pine straw a bit better.
We're heading into a very wet summer here so I'll probably opt for an Assegai front rather than the DHR2 for the muck. One other thing - while the DHR2 has awesome edge grip, there is a little bit of a dead spot if you're not all the way on the edge or straight up and down. If your trails are too tight to allow a proper lean angle it can do a weird grip-slip-grip if the transition is too slow or you do a prolonged cross-camber section. It eventually grabs but it can cause a mid-turn line adjustment while you get used to it. Its not an issue at proper speeds though.
Nah running a DHR2, although to be fair its the MaxxTerra variant so maybe MaxxGrip would be fine.
That actually generated an idea for me - what if the central knobs on tires that have two paired knobs in the center were offset - L/R/L/R etc. Would that provide better lateral grip?That rubber looks so plastic-y and slippery. And they couldn't even be bothered to find a tire for the promo shots that had the left/right blocks aligned right on the seem?
It may give you lower rolling resistance while not sacrificing mud clearing but it bet it’ll feel really weird riding straight on hard pack if you’re using big mud spike lugs like that.
So they're a bad DHR2 and Magic Mary copy.
The first ones are basically the E Thirteen TRS A/T with very slight differences. Since VEE manufactures the E13 tires, it's not surprising.
FWIW, in the Mopo compound (40A), they are my favorite tire ever in all the conditions I've encountered (except mud) and I'm using DHRIIs and Magic Marys on my other bike. Plus they (were) much cheaper than any other brand, especially coming from German stores. Now they discontinued the Trail (1050g) version so I'll have to get the next lightest option (1200g) or find something else.
FWIW, in the Mopo compound (40A), they are my favorite tire ever in all the conditions I've encountered (except mud) and I'm using DHRIIs and Magic Marys on my other bike. Plus they (were) much cheaper than any other brand, especially coming from German stores. Now they discontinued the Trail (1050g) version so I'll have to get the next lightest option (1200g) or find something else.
I've found it quite interesting how bouncy the exo casing is compared to exo+
Listening to the latest Downtime podcast with Amaury Pierron, at the end he's asked what tyres he prefers and he mentions some new Schwalbe offerings. Name sounds like Tacky Chan but can't be sure, maybe the new proto tyre we saw spy shots of last season.
Just got a pair of the new Continental Kryptotals delivered yesterday and unpacked them. Will mount them up for the upcoming Trans Tassie enduro in a few weeks.
I went the DH casing as I wanted to get the SuperSoft compound on the front and its not available in the Enduro casing yet, plus new brand of tyres so thought I'd err on the side of durability.
Pleasantly, their 3 ply DH casing is about the same weight as a Maxxis DD casing. Thumbnail durometer test puts them a smidge more firm than a MaxxGrip Assegai I'd say but still damn soft. Keen to test em out - I like the look of the minimal logos and the textured surface on the casing.
Continental Kryptotal F 27.5 x 2.4 (DH, SuperSoft) 1230g
Continental Kryptotal R 27.5 x 2.4 (DH, Soft) 1235g
I went the DH casing as I wanted to get the SuperSoft compound on the front and its not available in the Enduro casing yet, plus new brand of tyres so thought I'd err on the side of durability.
Pleasantly, their 3 ply DH casing is about the same weight as a Maxxis DD casing. Thumbnail durometer test puts them a smidge more firm than a MaxxGrip Assegai I'd say but still damn soft. Keen to test em out - I like the look of the minimal logos and the textured surface on the casing.
Continental Kryptotal F 27.5 x 2.4 (DH, SuperSoft) 1230g
Continental Kryptotal R 27.5 x 2.4 (DH, Soft) 1235g
That's lighter than same size orange Big Betty in the SuperTrail casing.
The Big Betty 27.5 x 2.4 in SuperGravity I weighed at 1220g. Maybe you saw a 29 or something?
Yeah my last 2 Big Betties were a lot lighter. 1180 for SG casing 27.5x2.4, 1100 for ST 27.5x2.4.
Has anyone had experience with the Schwalbe Bikepark MM e-50 tyres? The prices make it seem tempting. But skidding on my shoulder/elbows potentially don’t. Cant find anything on the Durometer of them.
Same here, ~1110 g for the ST 27.5x2.4.
Just installed the Continental Kryptotal DH Rear. A few reviews mentioned how tight they were and how difficult they are to get on, but in my bravado I dismissed this as being soft hands from the reviewers. Let me tell you - holy balls they are tight. One snapped lever and a lot of swearing later and the rear is fitted and inflated. If this thing needs a tube put in mid-race I'm fucked. I have no idea how you'd get one on with Cushcore. I'm getting flashbacks to Intense DH tyres.
About to go install the front, but the thought of it has me tempted to crack a beer at 6:35am just so I can at least justify the shambles I'm sure I will be in for.
About to go install the front, but the thought of it has me tempted to crack a beer at 6:35am just so I can at least justify the shambles I'm sure I will be in for.
Front done. Slightly easier than the rear but that could be due to me leveling up from the trauma XP of doing the first. No broken levers this time but the dog walked away thinking it was in trouble from the swearing. Tyres themselves look and feel good, front measuring up slightly narrower than the 2.4 Magic Mary it replaced but it might stretch a bit with time.
I am not saying you are going to miss the Magic Mary, but .... 
Yeah its possible. I normally run the Assegais or Marys but thought I'd give these things a go to see what the fuss was about. A little cautious as the thumbnail durometer test seems like they're not as soft as the Schwalbe or Maxxis but I'll give em a rip and see. Going to Tassie for 6 days as marshal/sweep for an enduro so they'll get everything from Maydena forest rocks, mud and roots to Derby granite slabs etc.I am not saying you are going to miss the Magic Mary, but ....
I’m running those Continental’s too currently. I like them as much as my favorites (Assegai, Magic Mary & DHR2). I got used to them and was pushing on the first run. Very predictable and I feel like they might roll faster too.
put on a kryptotal f super soft dh and an enduro soft rear /w insert on recently. rear was worse, but no broken tire levers. logos are not matched with the valves though, didn’t wanna redo it :/
Just got back from a week marshalling the Trans Tasmania enduro (not racing, just course sweep and marshal so still heaps of riding), plus raced a local enduro yesterday.
Really can't flaw the Kryptotals hey, aside from the effort installing them. They worked great in conditions from muddy roots and slate, sandy dusty dry corners, loose over hard and granite/sandstone slabs. Certainly no worse than as Assegai or Mary, and in many cases better. They definitely roll better IMO, and seem to be wearing much less.
I didn't have the easiest time installing the DH Argotals either! And when it was fully seated, I realized it had a wobble . That's a 1 run-used tire the Continental booth gave away at last year's MSA WC but it might have been abused and warped before removing it and giving it away. I've got another one to try, but I ordered another Enduro Kryptotal to insall instead (front of my HT anyway).
Just fit a new 27.5 3c Assegai DH on the front, for a race on the weekend coming, and was very surprised to see it was 1090gr on the scales. Triple checked the weight and the same with the specs to be sure it was a DH. That’s the lightest I’ve had one come in.