I had some of the Gazzi 2.3 SC tires and they pinched a lot, flimsy sidewall, but I was in SB at the time with lots of rocks. the Nokian NBX 2.3 or 2.5 in an SC would be good also...
Lightweigh DH Tires (for freeride)
- Thread starter erikkellison
- Start date
I am running Maxxis 2.35 High rollers on my HT and man its fast
That is exactly why I like the Hot S 2.5 they are like big balloons...
Thanks for the tip Sean, I will definitely check those out. I ordered the Specialized Roller RS Pro 24 x 2.7 for dry conditions today. I have narrowed the front tire choice down to the Octopus, the Diesel (I have my doubts about the sidewall, no one carries them around here so I can actually check it out) and the Michelin Hot S w/ P.P..
The Octopus 2.5 is a tad heavy, but apparently has great traction, even in wet (apparently the dry traction suffers a bit bcause of the larger side knobs...), and the rubber is nice and soft
The Diesel ProTection looks like it'd be okay in both dry and wet, leaning toward moist, and it is super-light
The Michelin Hot S 2.5looks like it'd be good in dry more than wet or moist, and the weight is awesome too.
The research continues...
The Octopus 2.5 is a tad heavy, but apparently has great traction, even in wet (apparently the dry traction suffers a bit bcause of the larger side knobs...), and the rubber is nice and soft
The Diesel ProTection looks like it'd be okay in both dry and wet, leaning toward moist, and it is super-light
The Michelin Hot S 2.5looks like it'd be good in dry more than wet or moist, and the weight is awesome too.
The research continues...
maybe i'm just ignorant but I'm still not sure what you're looking for in a tire, somethign in a 2.7 width with a thinner casing than a downhill casing, thicker than XC lighter than 1000 grams. Sounds like the perfect imaginary tire to me. Either you're going to have to sacrifice some pinch flat resistance, or some width to get the weight you want from there tread pattern is limited to just a few tires that fit the wieght/sidewall requirements. If I were you I'd look at getting a 2.5 front and a 2.35 rear, or 2.35 all around since you "pedal between stunts" and you're looking to drop weight, those widths have plenty of tread patterns available and a few different sidewalls that come in at under 1000 grams.
Marketing jargon aside, what type of riding are you doing, is it just sessioning jumps and drops or do you ride trails with rolling hills too? If you're really not riding uphill that much and just want to drop the weight to drop the weight I'd say don't bother, if you feel like you're suffering on climbs then I'd say go narrower and maybe lighter but remember that a Bullit will never climb like a superlight, and if it does it certainly won't freeride well. If you sacrifice sidewall protection for weight you'll find yourself pinchflatting alot and trying to compensate by using a larger tire will significantly limit your choice of tread patterns.
Marketing jargon aside, what type of riding are you doing, is it just sessioning jumps and drops or do you ride trails with rolling hills too? If you're really not riding uphill that much and just want to drop the weight to drop the weight I'd say don't bother, if you feel like you're suffering on climbs then I'd say go narrower and maybe lighter but remember that a Bullit will never climb like a superlight, and if it does it certainly won't freeride well. If you sacrifice sidewall protection for weight you'll find yourself pinchflatting alot and trying to compensate by using a larger tire will significantly limit your choice of tread patterns.
FWIW
I ride the 2.5 hot S's on head high ladder drops and DJ's as well as for XC/trail riding. I too "pedal between stunts". If you have a bullit, you should build a 26" rear, I thought you had a bighit or something restricted to a 24"
I ride the 2.5 hot S's on head high ladder drops and DJ's as well as for XC/trail riding. I too "pedal between stunts". If you have a bullit, you should build a 26" rear, I thought you had a bighit or something restricted to a 24"
Thanks for caring 
Yes, it sort of is an imaginary tire that I am in search of. However, there are a few that have a decent sidewall, lightweight kevlar/aramid bead, good rubber, and come in under 1000g.
The kind of riding I do is usually up a fire road or occasionally an easy trail, and down a finely sculpted stunt trail (mostly rock drops, jumps, gaps, a few ladder drops, steeps!, that kind of thing).
My tire doesn't have to be 2.7" wide, but I found a 800g tire that was 2.7" and made for hardpack and yet still had pretty soft rubber and a good sidewall (I know, it makes no sense), so I'm going with it. But my tire does have to be at least 2.4" wide, preferably 2.5" or more. I am leaning away from the Michelin Hot S 2.5" because of the lightweight sidewall, and apparently I can only get it in red (can't find the black anywhere). I found a tire called the Azonic Vigilante, but apparently the sidewall on it is paper-thin. So it's down to the Octopus and the Diesel, and after talking to that guy who has experience with the Diesel, I am leaning toward that since it is 200+g lighter than the Octopus, and the tread looks like it'd get the job done on hardpack and moist, whereas the Octopus is more suited to moist to wet terrain. Maybe it will be my new winter tire. But it's summer now, so it's looking like:
Continental Diesel ProTection 26" x 2.5" 780g for Front
Specialized Roller RS Pro 24" x 2.7" 790g Rear
Thanks for all y'all's help!
Yes, it sort of is an imaginary tire that I am in search of. However, there are a few that have a decent sidewall, lightweight kevlar/aramid bead, good rubber, and come in under 1000g.
The kind of riding I do is usually up a fire road or occasionally an easy trail, and down a finely sculpted stunt trail (mostly rock drops, jumps, gaps, a few ladder drops, steeps!, that kind of thing).
My tire doesn't have to be 2.7" wide, but I found a 800g tire that was 2.7" and made for hardpack and yet still had pretty soft rubber and a good sidewall (I know, it makes no sense), so I'm going with it. But my tire does have to be at least 2.4" wide, preferably 2.5" or more. I am leaning away from the Michelin Hot S 2.5" because of the lightweight sidewall, and apparently I can only get it in red (can't find the black anywhere). I found a tire called the Azonic Vigilante, but apparently the sidewall on it is paper-thin. So it's down to the Octopus and the Diesel, and after talking to that guy who has experience with the Diesel, I am leaning toward that since it is 200+g lighter than the Octopus, and the tread looks like it'd get the job done on hardpack and moist, whereas the Octopus is more suited to moist to wet terrain. Maybe it will be my new winter tire. But it's summer now, so it's looking like:
Continental Diesel ProTection 26" x 2.5" 780g for Front
Specialized Roller RS Pro 24" x 2.7" 790g Rear
Thanks for all y'all's help!
I had a Brodie Diablo that was designed to have a 24" rear for freeriding, hence the 24". I may eventually build a 26" rear, but I will have to ride the 24" and really not like it since I do love my rear wheel.Originally posted by punkassean
If you have a bullit, you should build a 26" rear, I thought you had a bighit or something restricted to a 24"
I rode a Mutano raptor for a couple of months on my Stinky and loved how fast they were but they flat real easy and are sketcky on the downhills. On the plus side they teach you how to control the bike better and power slide through corners.
Actually I believe the Mutano 2.4 is only 590gm. It is lighter than the 2.2 version (650gm?) because it has smaller knobs. That tire is great for XC but it lacks "real" traction. If WTB is the brand, then the Motoraptor 2.4 SC is okay also...
50a/42a combo is dual compound which is Slow Reezaay
42a/40a combo is super tacky
60a is normal
If your hansadventures have orange stripes on the sidewall means it is the 60a. No stripes means either slow Reezaay or super tacky.
No stripes
isn't the 40a the slow reezay though.
And what are everyone's thoughts about a dual durameter tire? Does it make sense?
I think it makes sense, you need extra traction when cornering and since you corner less than you go straight, making the sides softer will allow better grip and not wear out faster than the center. A hard center for smooth rolling and longer tread life. In theory it is great...
Yeah, got it crossed up, not thinking straight today.
how about intense tires? theyve got some that are 2.25's, the system 4 cross countrys....i think intense tires run big, right? and these only weigh 760g or osmething...
how do yall feel about intense rubber, says its the c3 compound, BTI says its a 65 durometer....
how do yall feel about intense rubber, says its the c3 compound, BTI says its a 65 durometer....
I am noticing that you guys are making compromises here... either the tires are getting smaller, heavier, or not gripping as well. I think I will be very happy with my Specialized and Continental, but it's great to hash it out though...
I had many of the same requirements as you when picking out tires. In fact, if you ride the Snake in B-ham, I know the conditions you speak of.
Bulldog is correct on the weight on the Gazz Dual. Kind of an odd tire, really. The tire was huge, verfied 2.51" on my skinny D521s, 900g-1000g. I got rid of them because the heavy wire bead didn't work well with Stan's. Also, they didn't roll reall well which is important for pedaling.
I ended up with the Kenda Kinetics 2.6" tires in Stick-E rubber and kevlar bead. You are right, the sidewall is pretty thin. I have pinch-flatted only once with these but I run them about 30 psi. They have good grip, are big, kevlar bead, soft rubber. (at least as soft as Maxxis 42) The downside is the sidewall all of the way. (you made the correct determination) The tires did weight in at 773g and 778g though verfied on my +/- 1g scale. Also, these are just slightly smaller than my Gazz Duals.
Please report back on how you like the tires (Diesel and Roller Pro)
Kevin
Kevin
Okay, for all of you that are interested, I have been riding my new Conti Diesel up front for some time now (10+ rides), and I have mixed feelings. It is light, it rolls well, but it is pretty terrible on wet logs and rocks, and isn't stellar on dry hardpack either. I am torn whether it is worth the weight savings to lose such performance that I was getting from my Mobster 2.5. I guess it's just a different kind of biking; right now I am pedaling fast but feel a bit sketchier pushing my limits, however with the Mobster, I definitely can do whatever I want, but it takes a bit more energy to get there. I may be selling my Diesel, or just stashing it for a (non) rainy day. And for the record, that Diesel is only on the front.
I have yet to purchase the Specialized Roller RS Pro 24 x 2.7 because I have not verified the claimed weight of 808g. I picked it up at the shop, and it's hard to tell. The shop didn't have a scale, so I couldn't weigh it. I do like the rubber though as it feels very sticky, even for a "dry" compound. If I can verify the weight of this tire, I will go with it, so any outside input on a verified weight would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, it's on to a skinnier rear tire.
I have yet to purchase the Specialized Roller RS Pro 24 x 2.7 because I have not verified the claimed weight of 808g. I picked it up at the shop, and it's hard to tell. The shop didn't have a scale, so I couldn't weigh it. I do like the rubber though as it feels very sticky, even for a "dry" compound. If I can verify the weight of this tire, I will go with it, so any outside input on a verified weight would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, it's on to a skinnier rear tire.
After a long tire search i got the Nokian NBX 2.3DH. I know its not superlight but at 1000gr its relatively light. That said, it has 4plies in the sidewall and 6plies under the thread. Durometer of 55a.
TREMENDOUS traction and stiffness, When i saw the tire of the rim uninflated it had the exact same shape as on the rim inflated. Very well shaped, and stiff/durable. NBX all the way for me... i am going to try the FR version at 750gr next (2ply sidewalls 3ply thread, 60a durometer).
TREMENDOUS traction and stiffness, When i saw the tire of the rim uninflated it had the exact same shape as on the rim inflated. Very well shaped, and stiff/durable. NBX all the way for me... i am going to try the FR version at 750gr next (2ply sidewalls 3ply thread, 60a durometer).
Tradeoffs are a pest, hu? I'd bite the bullit and go with a narrower width, especially if you're not riding through rock gardens you certainly could ride just fine with a 2.35 rear 2.5 front, or 2.35's all around. I've only pinch flatted once on a 2.35 maxxis dual ply when riding through Utah rock gardens. Just keep the pressure above about 30 lbs and you'll be fine.
One other option would be Tioga Factory DH's they're really stupid light and the 2.3 measures like a 2.5, if you're not riding through rock gardens you don't need the sidewall protection and the air volume will let you run lower pressures. The grip is nothing to praise but I hear the DH Pro's are better but with the softer compound rubber you have to get the wire bead and heavier sidewall.
I don't think I've ever heared anything good about specialized tires, I'm not saying that you shouldn't try them for yourself, I'm just saying the weight may not be your biggest concern if traction and rolling resistance are at all important to you.
Have you considered running stan's tubeless? That would drop some weight from your wheels and let you run a slightly heavier tire, or maybe the same tire since you won't have to worry about pinchflats.