[MikeD]

Looking for some all-round tires for hardtailing...I tend to be pretty rough on tires. Love my Michelin Comp 24s, but was hoping to find something lighter; sub-1000 gram, for more all-round capability. Riding California stuff...hardpack combined with loose soil and rocks, occasionally tacky conditions.

So I thought the Kenda Blue Groove sounded good...thinking 2.5 fr, 2.35 rear. The question is, which sidewall to get? I like running 28 PSI f/30 PSI r on my Micchies with the DH sidewall, and generally don't pinch at all this way.

So for those of you who've used Blue Grooves, how does the lighter casing compare with the DH casing? What pressures are you running? Is it even worth considering a lighter casing?

(background on this question: Have a 'hardcore' HT with the heavy tires, and an XC HT with UST XC wheels. For space and financial reasons, I'm getting rid of both and getting an Evil Sovereign-when it's finally out- for all my HT needs. Would like to find the impossible tire...the one I don't mind doing 20-30 mile rides with, and the one I don't mind heeling over in a steep twisty rocky chute at speed. I guess my other option is to keep my 2 wheelsets and just swap the wheels depending on my purpose...I just know I'm too lazy and will end up running the heavy one all the time.)

MD

 

[Sir_Crackien]

one thing i will say is that the light version of kenda tires have really thin side walls. i run the 2.6 kenetics on my fr hardtail and they are not too heavy but they have a good sidewall. on the xc'ish bike i have the light 2.35 version and i have hade no flat problem so far but i run atleast 40 psi but i weight 240 so you might want to ake that into account.

 

[BurlyShirley]

My buddy runs the blue grooves and doesnt have any issues at all. He does alot of urban and goes pretty nuts on them, but he's a small guy, maybe 145, so I dunno if that helps any. But he's been using them for a while with no issues.

 

[OGRipper]

I'd say get the dh casing, it's not as heavy as other dh tires (don't have a gram count, just my hands on comparison to michy's, maxxis, and intense) and works great. Haven't used the lighter ones but a buddy of mine did and said he hated them, need to run too much pressure (like over 40) or they were too squishy when leaning on them.

And I suggest the nevegal rear/blue groove front combo.

They're great tires, good medium to heavy weight casing, good versatile tread, great sticky rubber that seems to last pretty well compared to say maxxis. They don't roll particularly fast but I'm psyched on mine.

 

[Matt D]

I've had good luck with Kenda's, ONLY as tubeless. I don't get along with tubes + Kendas, and I've heard the same from others.

 

[MikeD]

Matt, can you tell me how would they work with Stan's goop on UST rims?

 

[Brad23]

I have a 2.5 bluegroove front and a 2.3 nevegal rear, both dh casing and tubeless. I run 20-30 psi. For tubeless I would recomend the dh casing and I've had no problems with that set-up. My rear has worn in one season so I'm looking at the Maxxis Highroller 2.3 UST, and at 750grams it looks good on paper.

The kendas have great traction on the trails I ride, dry loose gravel/ rocks/ and hardpack. I've been using my rear brake too much so thats most likely why it wore out. The rolling resistance could be better at least for the bluegroove. That anouther reason I'm looking at the Maxxis HR

If I were you I'd be looking at two tubeless HR's. I'm gonna get one soon and see how it does.

Cheers, Brad

 

[Rabie]

Looking for some all-round tires for hardtailing...I tend to be pretty rough on tires. Love my Michelin Comp 24s, but was hoping to find something lighter; sub-1000 gram, for more all-round capability. Riding California stuff...hardpack combined with loose soil and rocks, occasionally tacky conditions.

So I thought the Kenda Blue Groove sounded good...thinking 2.5 fr, 2.35 rear. The question is, which sidewall to get? I like running 28 PSI f/30 PSI r on my Micchies with the DH sidewall, and generally don't pinch at all this way.

So for those of you who've used Blue Grooves, how does the lighter casing compare with the DH casing? What pressures are you running? Is it even worth considering a lighter casing?

(background on this question: Have a 'hardcore' HT with the heavy tires, and an XC HT with UST XC wheels. For space and financial reasons, I'm getting rid of both and getting an Evil Sovereign-when it's finally out- for all my HT needs. Would like to find the impossible tire...the one I don't mind doing 20-30 mile rides with, and the one I don't mind heeling over in a steep twisty rocky chute at speed. I guess my other option is to keep my 2 wheelsets and just swap the wheels depending on my purpose...I just know I'm too lazy and will end up running the heavy one all the time.)

MD

Mike, I've got a spare set of Hutchinsons (Team Competition 2.3) if you want to try them. I'm using them f/r on the ht right now and they seem fine for just about everything I've ridden (from San Juan to Laguna shuttles).

 

[MikeD]

I have some Hutchinsons, too...Octopuses(i). Those tall, squirmy side knobs don't seem so at home in SoCal. Not a bad back tire, though.

I think running Comp 24s tubeless might be the best answer...

MD

 

[Brad23]

Matt, can you tell me how would they work with Stan's goop on UST rims?

for me great with mavic 823's. I had to put tubes in to seat and then take the tubes out (after a week or two because I'm lazy) and they poped on no prob with a compressor. They did not fit with the 823 rim strip from stan's BTW. and they're a bit of a pain to lever on but not impossible.

 

[MikeD]

I have a 2.5 bluegroove front and a 2.3 nevegal rear, both dh casing and tubeless. I run 20-30 psi. For tubeless I would recomend the dh casing and I've had no problems with that set-up. My rear has worn in one season so I'm looking at the Maxxis Highroller 2.3 UST, and at 750grams it looks good on paper.

The kendas have great traction on the trails I ride, dry loose gravel/ rocks/ and hardpack. I've been using my rear brake too much so thats most likely why it wore out. The rolling resistance could be better at least for the bluegroove. That anouther reason I'm looking at the Maxxis HR

If I were you I'd be looking at two tubeless HR's. I'm gonna get one soon and see how it does.

Cheers, Brad

Thanks for the tips...just to warn you, a Maxxis 2.35 is about a 2.1 as far as every other maker would be concerned. They're still in what most of us would think as a traditional XC size. HRs are great tires, though.

 

[Brad23]

I think running Comp 24s tubeless might be the best answer...
MD

Comp24 tubeless??? those arn't on the website yet. Do you have a link or info?? Size, weight, etc?

 

[Brad23]

Thanks for the tips...just to warn you, a Maxxis 2.35 is about a 2.1 as far as every other maker would be concerned. They're still in what most of us would think as a traditional XC size. HRs are great tires, though.

Well that would explain how light they are. Comp24's tubeless now sound very enticing...

 

[MikeD]

All michelin Dh tires are UST, and have been for years. The standard Comp 24 is already tubeless if you use it on a UST rim.

 

[Brad23]

yah, I just looked a little deeper, funny they don't list em in their tubeless section. How's their rolling resistance, I'm now thinking f/r comp24/comp16 or highroller/minion or HR2.3/HR2.5

 

[MikeD]

For a Dh tire, the Comp 24 rolls really well, IMHO. Really fast tire in dry conditions, obviously doesn't hook up like the 32 does. The HR is probably just a tad faster-rolling...then again the Slow reazzy rubber might slow them back down a bit (I only used them in 60d).

The biggest difference I noted between Maxxis and Micchie was the Maxxis' tendency to wash out...they bit in and hooked up, but slid out if leaned too far. The Michelins don't have that same initial bike (in the loose, dry stuff where we DH, anyhow), but just kept holding up and drifting controllably as you leaned more.

MD

 

[DßR]

hmm, pretty weak sidewalls all around on those, dh casing included. I flatted my (dh)Kendas pretty much every ride on them this year, regardless of what I did -- 40+ psi, tubeless, dh tubes, etc. Couldn't win. FWIW I had much better luck running them tubeless (Stans') than with tubes, but still ended up with several ripped casings that couldn't be sealed up. As for UST, I dunno; I used 'em on D321s.

Michelin and Maxxis tires on the other hand, were 0% flats for me. Not a one all year.

 

[Brad23]

Thanks Mike, I think you've ended up being more of a help to me on your tire thread. The Michie's are sounding like what I'm looking for despite the weight.
Holding corners is key for me. I also hear the hold their grip better than Maxxis as they wear...

Cheers, Brad

 

[Tarpon]

I've had good luck with Kenda's, ONLY as tubeless. I don't get along with tubes + Kendas, and I've heard the same from others.

Matt, what setup are you running (tire and rim)? I tried to get Stan's to work with a set of Kenda single ply's (BG and Nev) and could not get them to work. The bead would not fully seat and the sidewalls had trouble sealing as well. The finish quality on the Kendas are king of rough which I think was the problem. Never have had trouble with Stan's on any Maxxis tires.

Thanks.

 

[MikeD]

Thanks Mike, I think you've ended up being more of a help to me on your tire thread. The Michie's are sounding like what I'm looking for despite the weight.
Holding corners is key for me. I also hear the hold their grip better than Maxxis as they wear...

Cheers, Brad

Brad, you mentioned 24 up front and 16 in back. I'd look at the opposite arrangement if I were you. Comp 24s pack up horribly in mud, too. You might look at the comp 16 front and rear, maybe 2.5/2.2 combo, in NorCal. 16 is supposed to be a primo soft/damp soil tire. 2.5 has a rep for having long, fold-y shoulder knobs; my friend has them here (came on his bike, and hasn't bothered to replace them yet) in SoCal and they are a bit sketchy when leaned over in the dry stuff.

 

[Matt D]

I've used 2.5 Nevegals DH's for all around DH/FR riding on D3.1's, Nevegal 2.5 Single Ply Sticky Rubber on Bontrager and D3.1 rims, and 2.35 Kinetics on Bontrager rims. All went smoothly, but IIRC the tire's ERD is a bit large so it's a little tougher than normal to get the seal on D3.1's. I tried using Dan's portable compressed air tank and it didn't push enough air fast enough; I needed a 12g to get it to pop in.

The past half dozen tires I've done have been kenda's and have been done with a floor pump or at worse a 12g CO2. After the initial bead pops in, I finish the rest of the bead with a floor pump, sometimes going up to 70-80 psi if need be.

If I were you, I'd try using more sealant, closer to 2 scoops. I've found the Kendas seem to "drink" up more of the sealant quicker than the Maxxis tires I ran for a while (from XC experience only).

I've never pinch flatted a Kenda (DH or XC) with a tubeless setup, but I have ripped a few sidewalls or put a dent in the rim that allowed air out, and gotten some thorns on XC rides.

As much as I rag on them for keeping me out of the top 10 @ the US Open b/c of a mystery flat at the bottom of a great race run, they are good all around tires and the price is right. I just learned my lesson not to run tubes in them for DH.

 

[JRogers]

I have used the XC and DH sidewall versions. I would not run the XC ones for anything other than normal XC riding or some lighter DH/FR stuff. I rarely get flats on any tire (usually run Michelin) and never got a flat with a Kenda DH tire. I slapped a light casing Nevegal 2.5 on my bike, pumped it up high to ride on the street a bit and flatted within 5 minutes or so. I have not had that happen since, but the casing is so thing and flimsy on the non-DH version that it scares me to run the pressure I would like to.

 

[Tarpon]

I've used 2.5 Nevegals DH's for all around DH/FR riding on D3.1's, Nevegal 2.5 Single Ply Sticky Rubber on Bontrager and D3.1 rims, and 2.35 Kinetics on Bontrager rims. All went smoothly, but IIRC the tire's ERD is a bit large so it's a little tougher than normal to get the seal on D3.1's. I tried using Dan's portable compressed air tank and it didn't push enough air fast enough; I needed a 12g to get it to pop in.

The past half dozen tires I've done have been kenda's and have been done with a floor pump or at worse a 12g CO2. After the initial bead pops in, I finish the rest of the bead with a floor pump, sometimes going up to 70-80 psi if need be.

If I were you, I'd try using more sealant, closer to 2 scoops. I've found the Kendas seem to "drink" up more of the sealant quicker than the Maxxis tires I ran for a while (from XC experience only).

I've never pinch flatted a Kenda (DH or XC) with a tubeless setup, but I have ripped a few sidewalls or put a dent in the rim that allowed air out, and gotten some thorns on XC rides.

As much as I rag on them for keeping me out of the top 10 @ the US Open b/c of a mystery flat at the bottom of a great race run, they are good all around tires and the price is right. I just learned my lesson not to run tubes in them for DH.

Thanks for the reply. I went up to 60psi and quit there, I've heard stories about the Kevlar beads failing with Stan's at high pressure and did not want to push it. I'll have to give it another try sometime. BTW, I was using Single Tracks.

 

[BigStonz]

I've had countless pinchflats with the Kev Kendas....unless I used DH tubes.....Which ends up being around the same weight as Kenda with DH caing and a reg. tube. I suggest 2.35 BG/Nev DH for a versatile hardtail set-up.