[umberto]

I'm running the Continental Vertical 2.3 tires which are pitifully small for 2.3s. Who has experience with WTB 2.24 Moto Raptors and/or WTB 2.24 Mutanoraptors? Are these much bigger? I was planning to run the Mutanoraptors up front and motos on the rear because I've heard the mutanos were a little bigger?
Thanks

 

[bjanga]

Have you though about maybe 2.4 mutanos? Motos (2.4) are on the heavy side and did not really impress me when I tried them a few years back.

 

[umberto]

I have, and suposedly from what some people said on MTBR was that wtb messed up on the sizing and the 2.24 mutano raptors and larger, more aggressive, and heavier that the 2.4 mutano raptors. Have you used both? And would you know if the 2.24 mutanos are bigger than the 2.24 motos? they're probably about the same.

 

[dfinn]

i briefly used the 2.4 mutano "race" version tires. Light, high volume, quick rolling but traction was not that great. You might want to check out the Kenda Cortez in a 2.4.

 

[umberto]

I'm not so sure a "true" 2.3 or above tire will fit on my bike because it's leaned more towards xc. My friend just got the 2.24 motos in the back and mutanos in the front, both race versions, and loved it after we rode today. I think I'm just going to try that out and see how it goes for me
Thanks for the help guys

 

[BIRDMAN111]

maybe get bigger tubes that will make you tires fatter

 

[umberto]

are you sure? How would bigger tubes make the tire fatter? wouldn't that have the same effect as pumping up the tires to the max psi?

 

[BIRDMAN111]

yeah with a smaller tube it will only streach to a certain amount (whatever the max size is). but if the tube is 2.3 then it will stretch and the tire will be the max size (2.3)

my dad has a 2.2 tire but only like a 2.1 tube and its teeny. he has a 2.2 on the fron with a 2.25 tube and its huge.

 

[bjanga]

sounds fishy

 

[umberto]

yea but haven't you ever inflated a tube outside the tire? they can get pretty huge, like 4 inches huge. I don't see how a 2.1 tube wouldn't stretch past 2.1 inches I think your theory is wrong

 

[oldfart]

yeah with a smaller tube it will only streach to a certain amount (whatever the max size is). but if the tube is 2.3 then it will stretch and the tire will be the max size (2.3)

my dad has a 2.2 tire but only like a 2.1 tube and its teeny. he has a 2.2 on the fron with a 2.25 tube and its huge.

And monkey's fly out my butt. Tube size is irrelevant to tire size. Try and pump 30psi into just a tube and see how large it gets.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

i know a tube will expand to like four inces out side of a tire but not inside. not only does a tube expand when inflated a tire does as well to some extent. and if you have a smaller tube it wont be able to expand the tire as well as one made for that tire size.

 

[umberto]

I'm not really sure about that, I'm just going to use some generic 2.0-2.1 tubes

 

[BIRDMAN111]

if i were you i would buy the tubes the manufacuers recomended you buy. im pretty sure they have a good reason for it.

 

[umberto]

I run presta tubes and there aren't too many specifically for 2.24 tires, there're the 2.4+ tubes and the 2.0-2.2 tubes
can you point me out to some?

 

[Wumpus]

I run presta tubes and there aren't too many specifically for 2.24 tires, there're the 2.4+ tubes and the 2.0-2.2 tubes
can you point me out to some?

Don't worry about it. The only benefit of a bigger tube is that a smaller tube is going to stretch a little thinner and be slightly easier to puncture.

 

[umberto]

cool, makes sence
thanks wumpus

 

[Biscuit]

can you point me out to some?

I've got a Sharpie you can borrow to write whatever number you want on the box.

I've been told by "people" that many tubes you buy in different boxes are from the exact same production line.

 

[Biscuit]

I have, and suposedly from what some people said on MTBR was that wtb messed up on the sizing and the 2.24 mutano raptors and larger, more aggressive, and heavier that the 2.4 mutano raptors. Have you used both? And would you know if the 2.24 mutanos are bigger than the 2.24 motos? they're probably about the same.

That is correct.. sorta.

The 2.24 Mutano's are heavier than the 2.4's.
The 2.4 Mutano's aren't intended to be 2.4 inches wide, they are 2.4 inches tall. They still fit most xc rigs and have a lot of air volume.

If you ride in a lot of roots/rocks the extra height can transform your bike. They roll fast too.

 

[bjanga]

My 2.4 moto is gnarly tall.

 

[reflux]

I swear by the 2.24 Mutanos for my trail bike, and the 2.4 Mutanos for my xc hardtail.

I find them to be very good on singletrack and anything hardpacked, but they can get a little squirly when the trail gets a little loose.

 

[umberto]

I've been told by "people" that many tubes you buy in different boxes are from the exact same production line.

wow i believe it

so now companies are measuring tires by how tall they are? what happened to 2.4" being how wide a certain tire was

 

[Biscuit]

wow i believe it

so now companies are measuring tires by how tall they are? what happened to 2.4" being how wide a certain tire was

As far as I know, that is the only tire like that.

It's a little weird though, there is no standard as to how a tire is measured. Meaning to the edge of the knobs, edge of the sidewall, overall casing width can vary dramatically. That's why a Kenda 2.3 is about the same size as a Maxxis 2.5. Which makes comparing tire weights tricky.

The same goes for durometers. 60d doesn't actually mean anything from brand to brand. It's all relative to each individual companies product line.

As for the tubes.. I recommend you buy wal-mart tubes with the Japanese name (akira, shakira, something like that). They are exactly the same as another hyped up "premium" tube.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

well if my opinion is anything, i would get a panoracer fire xc for the back (only 2.1) and a tioga DH tire for the front (2.3) i have that and i love it. you only need a real fat tire for the front for steering but you can run them on both sides

 

[umberto]

well I want a little more cushion front and back because my bike is not a plush all mountain bike, even though I treat it like one

 

[BIRDMAN111]

oh yea i have a fs

 

[umberto]

oh i have full suspension but it's somthing like 2.7 inches in the rear, not enough for too techincal of downhill or jumps and stuff, just my preference

 

[DRB]

The Tioga Blue Dragon 2.3s are a really good all around tire. They roll decent when new but once they get worn down a bit they get faster. I also get pretty good life out of them.

In general look for the ISO width. Its usually a two part number the first being the casing width the second the width of the tread.

The 2.4 mutano raptor race is 55, while the tioga 2.3 is 58. Go figure.

 

[umberto]

ok, i installed the 2.24 mutanos front and motos rear. i don't like the setup, not only are front and back noticably heavier, only the front tire is bigger than my continental verticals. the rear motos are tiny looking, hardly 2.1s. I bought a pair of each tire so i'm want to run the 2.24 mutanos front and back now. My question is about the rear tire, should i run it backwards in the back? My guess is it will shorten life for more grip, but is that a lot of added wear for a little more grip and more rolling resistance?
Thanks a bunch

 

[lovebunny]

hutchinson tires are pretty high volume. the octopus is a really good tire too. similar to a highroller

 

[narlus]

the geax blade is a big volume tire which i dig for xc stuff.

 

[MMcG]

the geax blade is a big volume tire which i dig for xc stuff.

Those are monstrous high volume!

 

[narlus]

but they are still pretty light, and roll well. i've been using them for over 5 years and are my defacto rear tire.

 

[SuspectDevice]

Kenda is going the way of hi-volume. The sent me some 2.2" Karma's (they call them Cortez in that size) and 2.3" Small block 8's that are preposterously fun to ride due to their lightweight and high air volume.

The Shortracker Semi-slick is also very high volume and works great for XC use as well as DH use

The XC casing one is very heavy, and it rolls very slowly as the contact patch is huge and the casing is giant, but if you run it pretty hard it is fun as hell for sliding the turns.

 

[dfinn]

what do you think about those small blocks? that's a tire i'm interested to try out. looks like it would make a great rear tire as long as the conditions weren't too muddy.

 

[SuspectDevice]

isclaimer:
I ride for Kenda, and they take very good care of me
isclaimer:

The small block 8 pisses all over the Larsen TT in every respect. It is a great front or rear tire and is suprisingly VERy, Very grippy on roots and in moisture (just not in anything peanut buttery)

The astronomical number of working edges is what provides the great traction, and it is a very predictable cornering tire.

The tiny knobs almost make it feel like you are running suction cups instead of tread when you are cornering hard or climbing on loose stuff, but they still roll very fast.

I REALLy want a DH casing 2.35 for the back of my DH bike, as it rolls much faster than the shortracker.

It corners better than the Karma/Cortez, especially on slacker bikes (my trailbike has a 65 degree head angle). It is also more predictable feeling than the nevengal on hardpack, and slightly better than the Blue groove on the hardpack. The bluegroove has it beat up front when it's slightly looser, as the shoulder knobs are sometimes not open enough to really hook up for DH-style cornering in soft-over hardpack conditions.

 

[MMcG]

but they are still pretty light, and roll well. i've been using them for over 5 years and are my defacto rear tire.

Yep, my post was based on the visual of those on your bike during the MMcG freedom ride.

 

[oldfart]

Tube size isn't terribly important as long as you are within range by .25 or so. I have used 1.75 in a 1.9 to 2.1 lot's of times. The only caveat is that a small tube will be a bit thinner as it has to expand more to fit larger casings and more prone to pinch flats. For the last time tube size has NO BEARING ON TIRE SIZE. The tire casing holds in the air. It does not matter if the air is kept in by a small diameter tube, large tube or stan's sealant, the casing size determines tire size.

 

[blue]

FYI, the 2.24 Motoraptor is slightly larger than your "standard" 2.1...like it should be. I'm currently running one on rear on my 1996 XC race hardtail with no tire clearance (doesn't fit 2.25 Cinder), to give you an idea of its size.