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Complete Guide to Downhill Rubber

slowrider998

Chimp
Dec 9, 2013
2
0
Has anybody tried these michelin wild grip'r 2 i have been running maxxis wire bead ardents 2.4 for years now i want to try something different.I seem to chew up the outside knobbies after ten rides.I ride in the northeast so it's got to be tough lots of rocks roots here.Ive read a bit through the whole thread and only saw info on the first verision.Thanks
 
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djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,001
1,693
Northern California
Has anybody tried these michelin wild grip'r 2 i have been running maxxis wire bead ardents 2.4 for years now i want to try something different.I seem to chew up the outside knobbies after ten rides.I ride in the northeast so it's got to be tough lots of rocks roots here.Ive read a bit through the whole thread and only saw info on the first verision.Thanks
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/michelin-wild-gripr-2-advanced-reinforced-2-35-review-257197/

Not as much outright grip as a DHF, but even more predictable drifting characteristics.
 

slowrider998

Chimp
Dec 9, 2013
2
0
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/michelin-wild-gripr-2-advanced-reinforced-2-35-review-257197/

Not as much outright grip as a DHF, but even more predictable drifting characteristics.
Cool thanks for the link!
Another question can I run a folding high roller 2 on the front of my bike and a wire bead rear tire I want to shave some rotational weight.Im thinking the wire bead rear tire for the durability factor?Or would it benefit to have the wire bead on the front?
 

eater

Monkey
Nov 25, 2005
476
20
Switzerland
woow testet on day the bontrager g5 in wet-dry-loamy, never have fear on the bike!! grip is killer and the tire deflated perfect.
 
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blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
wow, not much chatter here!

so, i am going to coloRADo in a couple of months and i will be needing some new rubber when the time comes.. currently, ive got 2.5 wicked wills. i want to stay with schwalbe and in the 2.5 size.

i found some muddy marys for pretty cheap, but i was told by my buddy that MMs would be too aggressive for the summer time.. is there another 2.5 schwalbe tire i should try? i really like the wicked wills, so i wouldnt mind getting another set. but, id also love to try another model out.
 

Samoto

Guest
Dec 16, 2013
402
0
big betty and hansdampf? i dont know about colorado.. but wicked wills appear least aggressive for me.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
they are rated as a 'hardpack' tire IIRC.. ive ridden them in some slightly tacky stuff and they do well.

i just wasnt sure if i should go up to a more aggressive tire. my bud who i am going with is confusing the hell outta me when i was asking about the dirt there. he said 'it rains there almost every day, but it dries out very quickly'. i will look into those other two tires though. i keep forgetting about the hansdampf.

thanks!
 

Beef Supreme

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2010
1,434
73
Hiding from the stupid
they are rated as a 'hardpack' tire IIRC.. ive ridden them in some slightly tacky stuff and they do well.

i just wasnt sure if i should go up to a more aggressive tire. my bud who i am going with is confusing the hell outta me when i was asking about the dirt there. he said 'it rains there almost every day, but it dries out very quickly'. i will look into those other two tires though. i keep forgetting about the hansdampf.

thanks!
Honestly, you probably don't want what you think you want. The Wicked Will is a so so tire at best. I am a Schwalbe fan but Maxxis has better dry conditions offerings than what you can get from them.

Try throwing a HRII on the front. The WW is fine for the rear but even there you could get more braking traction without giving up much in rolling resistance.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
ill see what i can find for maxxis. i really want to stay with schwalbe though, ive had better luck with them.

with that said, i really like the WW tire.
 

Samoto

Guest
Dec 16, 2013
402
0
magic mary is good as front tire. for rear, rock razor would be interesting too.

michelin wildgripr2 that i have on enduro, are grippy as hell despite smaller size than schwalbe.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
sam,

what size tires are you rocking on the enduro? ive got a 2.25 schwalbe for the front and a 2.1 for the rear (on my trail bike).

compared to the 2.5s that were on my DH, these things are tiny.. of course theyre going to be smaller due to the smaller number, but the 2.1 seems like its real small.
 

Samoto

Guest
Dec 16, 2013
402
0
2.35 WildGrip'R in front and 2.25 WildRace'R - rear. This setup is for longer tours.

Size 2.1 is suited for more mellow XC. As general rule, I would stick with at least 2,25-2,35 tires. In old DH times, they were running really tiny tires. :p I think so long you have good side knobs, you go long way.
 
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HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
IMO, the best dry conditions tire from Schwalbe is the Big Betty. I'd still run something else on the front though.


The Big Betty sucks nuts, if you get it drifting you can't do anything, if you turn in more or lean more they drift the same and the lugs tear off in no time if you dig the corners. Maxxis anything is better than Schwobble BB, worst tyre* out there(except the Nevegal).
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
<EDIT> Sorry.. forget it.. 27.5 and 29" only :(
Yeah I don't have any marketing wheels unfortunately. My unridden assessment just based on the butcher sideknobs is that they might even corner better since there's no potential interference from the centers.

I'm not sure you'd really care about anything I'd say about them though. I think their weakness is going to be muddy/wet stuff which is where you are. We're even drier than normal around here this year so I wouldn't have anything to offer on how they gum up in slime or loam.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
Cheers.. most of what you say about tyres translates surprisingly well considering the hugely different weather, hills and style trails we ride here
I'm actually on the East Coast of Scotland..it's surprisingly dry here on plenty of the hills most of the time but there's always muddy goodness to be had if you hunt it out...
I've been riding steep, tight and muddy trails on the hardtail all day today with a bald Bling Bilng out back fishtailing and drifting everywhere, I love the fact you can get so out of shape on those but still hook up on cambers and proper corners you can lean the edge into ;)
 

RJM

Monkey
May 18, 2005
258
0
on the rocks
gr8 thread... I am wondering whats the latest in the best rubber as the summer is midway through.

looks like the bontrager g5 has trumped the dhr2 however it only comes in a porky dh tire(1300grams! is effin heavy). I picked up the only 2 I could find to try on the dh rig, but have been scratching me head for the trail bike...

Whats the call? Is the dhr2 (805g - 3c) version the next best tire for a trailbike???

wondering whats new, kidwoo- any thing on the radar worth checking out other than these, been loving the reviews?

cheers!
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
gr8 thread... I am wondering whats the latest in the best rubber as the summer is midway through.

looks like the bontrager g5 has trumped the dhr2 however it only comes in a porky dh tire(1300grams! is effin heavy). I picked up the only 2 I could find to try on the dh rig, but have been scratching me head for the trail bike...

Whats the call? Is the dhr2 (805g - 3c) version the next best tire for a trailbike???

wondering whats new, kidwoo- any thing on the radar worth checking out other than these, been loving the reviews?

cheers!
I just got back from a short road trip riding in three different states in about 5 different climates.

Where do you live and what's the dirt like? :D

I'm still all about the g5s........ But until some trail versions come out, I've got an exo dhr2 on the back of my trail bike with a butcher sx on the front. Works everywhere but overkill in some places.

Just because some tires are old doesn't mean they're not better than something new. Never forget that ;)
 
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TrumbullHucker

trumbullruxer
Aug 29, 2005
2,284
719
shimzbury, ct
looks like hes taking a cut to make a step on every other outer knob... better cornering traction?
#thesecretsofthepits


this is the first time posting in this thread.. i've had mountain tires on




with 2.7" dh tubes in my wheels... lol its the stupidest combo but the grip is still there and haven't got a flat yet ( i hear pings during the rocky sections but no flats thanks to the beef tubes )

tad heavy tho
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
I always loved my schwalbe muddy mary's. Just got my first ride in on the new magic mary's that came with my bike. So far I really like them, they feel like they have a bit more bit in the loose sand than the minion dhf's did that I had on the last bike. I am hoping that translates well to being better in the east coast mud than the minions are. Eliminating my need to swap to spikes as often (yup, I'm old, skill-less, and slow, so I switch to spikes when its cloudy out)
 

tabletop84

Monkey
Nov 12, 2011
891
15
What about the ultimate trailbike/enduro-combo for dry conditions?

I'm thinking about rock razor 2,35 in the back but idk if I should take the Supergravity-option or not.

And for the front I'm in between the Onza Ibex 2,4 120 tpi or DHR 2 2,4 - dhr should have more grip but the Onza is much lighter...
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
looks like hes taking a cut to make a step on every other outer knob... better cornering traction?
#thesecretsofthepits


this is the first time posting in this thread.. i've had mountain tires on




with 2.7" dh tubes in my wheels... lol its the stupidest combo but the grip is still there and haven't got a flat yet ( i hear pings during the rocky sections but no flats thanks to the beef tubes )

tad heavy tho
They stoutered up the outside walls of the floppy knobs!

I haven't seen those yet. Good move. Those things sucked in soft compounds on hard surfaces.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
What about the ultimate trailbike/enduro-combo for dry conditions?

I'm thinking about rock razor 2,35 in the back but idk if I should take the Supergravity-option or not.

And for the front I'm in between the Onza Ibex 2,4 120 tpi or DHR 2 2,4 - dhr should have more grip but the Onza is much lighter...
How heavy you want to go?


.........touch the heinie..............


 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Hey Woo, back in your DHR2 review you suggested to cut the middle knobs slightly to open up the channel between side and middle knobs.
Could this be the better option.
Not really, they do different things. The cut I suggested just opens up that channel more so the inside of the knobs can get against the dirt easier. That sipe should help it hold once you get more leaned over. It just makes that set of knobs more compliant. Part of why I like the dhr2 more than a minion dhf is because of the bigger (and slightly more rigid) sideknobs. I doubt it really does that much but it's worth a shot.
 

RJM

Monkey
May 18, 2005
258
0
on the rocks
The dirt here when moist is primo sticky icky red clay. too wet and its like ice and peanut buttery. too dry and its a little sketchy. -Maui

we have always rocked maxxis tires hr's, minions, hrII's lately. but honestly just wanting to try some new rubbers... put some g5's on the chromag for a rocky trail ride which turned into spending a night in the woods....lets save that one for later. The g5 felt pretty good overall however a little porkly and it seemed forever to get the right tire pressure. they felt really hard right up until I didn't quite have enough air. wtf?
lightish tubes, on mavic321 rims if that means anything

If you had a set of butcher(s) one control (lighter)and one 2bliss(heavier - I think) which one would be better for the front? about to throw them on a new set of Chinese carbon rice paddy wheels
 

tabletop84

Monkey
Nov 12, 2011
891
15
Aren'T 2bliss & control the same casing? I feel the control casing is to weak for aggresive trail riding, grid should be more gud.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,504
In hell. Welcome!
Aren'T 2bliss & control the same casing? I feel the control casing is to weak for aggresive trail riding, grid should be more gud.
AFAIK 2bliss is an additional butyl wrap around bead eliminating sealant leakage. You can get the Control casing as 2Bliss ready, but you can also get the Grid casing as 2Bliss ready.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
And you can also get sx casings which seal up just fine :D

Mostly because I'm rolling somewhat cautiously after knee surgery but I've had a control butcher on the front of my bike this summer. I can't believe that thing hasn't popped yet. Riding like a pussy has its (financial) benefits I guess.

Normally I'd only be using the sx casings because the other ones that I've bought lasted me less than a week. But I've definitely not been taking entirely easy as of late and it's still there. I don't know what/how/bike you're riding......

Keep in mind too the control and grid ones have shorter knobs than the sx, especially the centers. The sides are kind of close to each other (and may be identical, I haven't measured). It's specialized's ploy to give you a light tire, but not one with a good tread, or one with a good tread, but not a fast rolling compound, or a tough tire, but not one with tread either.........
 

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
Part of why I like the dhr2 more than a minion dhf is because of the bigger (and slightly more rigid) sideknobs. I doubt it really does that much but it's worth a shot.
Interesting, which versions? The thing I like about the DHF/DHR II (2.3 TR EXO) I am running on my trail bike is that the side knobs are identical, so the tires feel the same in corners.