[Biffff]

I've run both ST, and 3C minion DHF's ove the years, and really can't tell a difference in performance. I know the 3C seems to wear better then the ST, but what about weight???? The posted weights show the ST much lighter. Is this a typo or reality. I did consider the 3c a better buy if all other things are equale due to the longer life of the tire but if its that much heavier I think the ST makes a better race tire.

 

[S.K.C.]

SRY (Slow Reezay): Better grip than a ST (Super Tacky), slightly more rolling resistance. Preferred by racers on almost anything. When SRY treads wear down - they wear down like a pencil eraser - the edges of the knobs become dulled and rounded off.

ST (Super Tacky): Excellent grip - but juuuust a bit less than a SRY. Slightly less rolling resistance than a SRY. Some racers prefer to use this compound on rocks while others perfer to use it in loam or dust. When ST treads wear down - they tear, chunk-off, and rip. This compound will retain sharp edges on knobs much longer than a SRY compound BUT that's only if the knobs are there in the first place.

3C: 40a SRY on the edge knobs (cornering knobs), 42a (ST) on the center knobs, with a 70a base underneath the entire tread surface. What's weird about this new "Triple" compound (really a "Dual" compound because only 2 different compounds are actually making contact with the ground) is that to me - it "feels" gummier than either a SRY or a ST. Tires that use this compound weigh on avg. about 100g more per tire (2.5") vs. a pure ST or SRY tire. The wear on 3C tires is by far superior to either SRY or ST. One would think that the ST center knobs would tear or that the SRY edge knobs would wear down - but the tire seems to wear in a uniform fashion AND maintain its grip over a longer period of time. This is due in part to the 70a base layer that provides support to the overlying SRY and ST compounds. The 70a layer actually protrudes a bit up inside each of the knobs on the tread providing a very secure and firm foundation.

Hope this helps.

 

[tuumbaq]

I prefer the Super Tacky for a few reasons.

I ran 3c for 2 full seasons and too me, the ST last a fair bit longer.

The side knobs on a 3C compound seems to "dry out" a lot faster than on a ST...Just like the Slow Reezay would .

Performance wise, I'd like to think , actually my mind wants me to think the 3C's offering a slight advantage on the wet stuff but its so subtle.Personally , if Im not racing, I dont mind a tire that offers a bit less grip.It makes me a better rider for the upcoming summer which is usually very dry where I live anyway.

There's one think that Im 100% sure though, the 3C are considerably heavier than a ST, not that I can feel it once mounted on the bike, but if you hold a ST in one hand and a 3C in the other, the weight difference is noticeable

Plus the 3c are more expensive and you cant get them on CR ;-)

 

[aj-monkey]

It makes me a better rider for the upcoming summer which is usually very dry where I live anyway.

Are you kidding? Sure last summer was warm and dry but it was an anomaly. Usually we get like maybe 6-8 weeks of 'dry' weather, with a long wet spring and an early wet fall.

Some good and interesting points on the 3c though.

 

[Kntr]

SRY is by far the best.

 

[Sandwich]

Super tacky or 3C for recreational use? I've heard of some people running 42a front and 3C rear...I was happy with my 3Cs previously but I'm wondering if I'm missing out.

 

[Sghost]

42a f/ 3C r if you only have 1 of each. Its fairly easy to destroy a 42a on the rear if you're goofing around a lot.

 

[bdamschen]

I personally can't really tell the difference in wear and tear or grip. I guess by that logic, then the ST are the way to go since they are lighter? Never really noticed that either though.

...maybe I'm just dead inside.

 

[Sandwich]

Me too! I ordered the 3C. Too good of a deal to pass up, but we'll see if they're the right thing. Had the option of 3C or ST for roughly the same price...we'll see what happens. I loved my 2.5 3Cs, now let's go 2.7 for more meat.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

supertacky all the way.
it makes no sense to spend $5000 on a bike for "performance", and then skimp $30 or $40 or each tire set, because of longevity, when tires are the single most important factor in performance.

 

[Sandwich]

How about if you don't have a $5000 and are on a tight budget, and don't need to squeeze out that last 0.00021s from each run? I had good luck with the 3cs previously, and I found a deal on them...the STs changed from 42a to 60a when I put them in my cart, so I stuck with the 3c. Hell, my old minion 3c that I had on the front is still in fair shape after 2 seasons....but I wasn't sure if there was a big difference, or if it was worth spending the extra 3 bucks on the 3c.

 

[kidwithbike]

2 seasons on a minion? hate to say, you are doing it wrong.

 

[Sandwich]

yeah I'm like a normal guy or something. I don't live at whistler nor the base of any epic ski hills.

 

[HAB]

Damn dude. I'm lucky if I only go through 3 sets a year.

 

[Sandwich]

Damn dude. I'm lucky if I only go through 3 sets a year.

holy crap! how many days of riding do you get in? maybe i'm not doing enough skidz. I mean, my rear is toast but my front has enough life left in it to be considered for use as a rear tire. It's not in good shape but it's usable.

 

[gemini2k]

A 3C will last maybe 2-3 weekends at a resort tops. If it doesn't, then you're not riding properly.

Anyone know what the compounds on the Specialized DH tires are and how they compare to the 3c's?

 

[kidwoo]

A 3C will last maybe 2-3 weekends at a resort tops. If it doesn't, then you're not riding properly.

Oh shlt I'm doing it wrong!!!

 

[gemini2k]

Oh shlt I'm doing it wrong!!!

Ha ha, okay, well it will WORK, but it'll probably grip like sh*t compared to new . Maybe I should've said 4 or 5. Alls I know is 4-5 weekends at northstar = about 11 days of riding at 10-15 runs/day thats 120-160 runs and almost 200k feet of vert. No way a 3c will be rideable after that.

 

[landcruiser]

Anyone know what the compounds on the Specialized DH tires are and how they compare to the 3c's?

Our Butcher, Hillbilly and Storm tires are dual compound: 70a base, 42a outer/top.

When it's dry (so like 90% of the time) Northstar causes tire wear well above average. I've destroyed tires in as little as 1-2 days there, compared to weeks of riding other terrain with the same tires.

 

[kidwoo]

Ha ha, okay, well it will WORK, but it'll probably grip like sh*t compared to new . Maybe I should've said 4 or 5. Alls I know is 4-5 weekends at northstar = about 11 days of riding at 10-15 runs/day thats 120-160 runs and almost 200k feet of vert. No way a 3c will be rideable after that.

Oh I just though it was funny to claim that without saying front or rear, whistler or mammoth, diablo or sol vista..........


I only run soft tires on the front in dry climates so I get pretty good life out of them......better than a handful of weekends for sure.

And my tires after a week at whislter barely look like I used them compared to what they look like at CA locales....

 

[gemini2k]

Oh I just though it was funny to claim that without saying front or rear, whistler or mammoth, diablo or sol vista..........

Well I thought everyone would just know that I was talking about the only resorts I ride and thus know exactly what conditions I'm talking about!

 

[norbar]

holy crap! how many days of riding do you get in? maybe i'm not doing enough skidz. I mean, my rear is toast but my front has enough life left in it to be considered for use as a rear tire. It's not in good shape but it's usable.

Strange. I'm light and not agressive. Last season I had exactly 5 weeks of riding (adding up all riding days) and I went through 2 rear tires and 1 front. All of it was resort riding though.


I'm also suprised 60a's don't get any love in here. For dry days I prefer them in the back over anything for rolling resistance. They roll awesome.

 

[gemini2k]

Our Butcher, Hillbilly and Storm tires are dual compound: 70a base, 42a outer/top.

When it's dry (so like 90% of the time) Northstar causes tire wear well above average. I've destroyed tires in as little as 1-2 days there, compared to weeks of riding other terrain with the same tires.

Okay, so just like the 3c. I wish speci made a 60d type replacement. That'd work better for the rear.

 

[jonKranked]

holy crap! how many days of riding do you get in? maybe i'm not doing enough skidz. I mean, my rear is toast but my front has enough life left in it to be considered for use as a rear tire. It's not in good shape but it's usable.

when i was able to ride DH every weekend, i'd get maybe a month out of a set of ST minions

 

[StabprimoMonkee]

holy crap! how many days of riding do you get in? maybe i'm not doing enough skidz. I mean, my rear is toast but my front has enough life left in it to be considered for use as a rear tire. It's not in good shape but it's usable.

When I rode every day I went through 2-3 sets of "training" (50a) tires and 3-4 sets of "racing" (40a front 42a rear) tires.

 

[Sandwich]

When we say "every day" what are we really talking here? I typically get out on the DH bike every other weekend, and ride usually 2 days, maybe 1 day a weekend. I've never really counted the actual lift days I get in a year. I typically ride all day, and I'm out here on the east coast, so it's a well mixed terrain, and I'm a bit of a princess, so it's typically dry or loamy when I ride, not overly hardpacked nor wet and sloppy. I'm definitely no pro...hmmm...

My specialized butchers wore very well while I used them, I felt....though I don't think they had quite the same "tack" as 3cs...

 

[slyfink]

I like to run the same tire front and rear so I can migrate my front tire to the rear once the rear is beyond its useful life. because of that I don't run different compounds front and rear. 3C works well for that (as does the DHF), whereas a ST would just wear out far too quick as a rear tire. I find this works out to be a good mix of economy and performance.

I slapped on a Spec Butcher in the front at the end of the last season. I can't comment on wear caus' it's only got two days on it, but I liked it.

I don't race.

 

[jonKranked]

I like to run the same tire front and rear so I can migrate my front tire to the rear once the rear is beyond its useful life.

i do this as well. minion DHF front and rear, but i run them opposite rolling direction on the rear wheel.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Ha ha, okay, well it will WORK, but it'll probably grip like sh*t compared to new . Maybe I should've said 4 or 5. Alls I know is 4-5 weekends at northstar = about 11 days of riding at 10-15 runs/day thats 120-160 runs and almost 200k feet of vert. No way a 3c will be rideable after that.

mine last about 100k of vertical downhill.

my "big mountain" trails are from 8000-12000ft vertical downhill per run.... i dont think i ever get more than 8 days of big mountain riding from my rear tire. i use 42st. i dont get more than 6 rides from high roller st rear.

 

[jackalope]

i do this as well. minion DHF front and rear, but i run them opposite rolling direction on the rear wheel.

Huh, interesting about running the back tire in the opposite direction. So does grip/perform about the same (or better)?

 

[jonKranked]

Huh, interesting about running the back tire in the opposite direction. So does grip/perform about the same (or better)?

grip is about the same. slightly better for braking.

 

[Verskis]

grip is about the same. slightly better for braking.

That doesn't make sense, ramping the braking edge does not increase performance.
That's like saying worn tires brake better.

 

[jonKranked]

That doesn't make sense, ramping the braking edge does not increase performance.
That's like saying worn tires brake better.

when the knobs are half ripped off they do.

 

[Verskis]

Oh, we're talking about very worn tires here. In that case, it may make sense.

 

[jonKranked]

Oh, we're talking about very worn tires here. In that case, it may make sense.

Yea sorry, should've clarified. When a fresh tire goes on my bike, its on the front. once the side knobs start to tear it migrates to the back (or gets thrown in the "future rear tire" pile). I tend to keep tires on the back wheel longer than on the front.

 

[StabprimoMonkee]

When we say "every day" what are we really talking here? I typically get out on the DH bike every other weekend, and ride usually 2 days, maybe 1 day a weekend. I've never really counted the actual lift days I get in a year. I typically ride all day, and I'm out here on the east coast, so it's a well mixed terrain, and I'm a bit of a princess, so it's typically dry or loamy when I ride, not overly hardpacked nor wet and sloppy. I'm definitely no pro...hmmm...

Well, when I say every day I mean every day. There were a couple of seasons when I rode 4-5 days a week during whole season. Of that there were at least 3 lift days a week.

 

[Lelandjt]

I use Minion DHF 2.7s on both ends. MaxxPro 60a on my practice wheels and Slow Reezay or ST on race wheels. When the rear practice tire is badly worn it gets tossed. When the front tires are a little worn they become rear tires. When the rear race tire is 1/2 worn it becomes a rear practice tire. Fresh tires only get put on the front wheels. This rotation allows me to ride a lot, only buy 3 or 4 tires a year, have fresh tires for racing, and reasonably grippy tires for "everyday riding".

*Race wheels/tires only get used for 3 runs on Sundays.

 

[SylentK]

In my experience, 3C offers slightly more grip than the ST, but wears faster.

My new fav combo is ST/42a front, 60a rear. The harder rear tire wears longer, rolls faster and skids better!

 

[Bedlam]

"Friends don't let friends ride MaxxPro"...

I think there's a big difference in what people count as a worn out tire. I know people who ride their minions until they're more like semi slicks and others who more or less discard them when the edges of the knobs are torn and rounded.

This year I got roughly 6-8 days of uplift assisted DH on mixed types of tracks on each ST tire, a bit more on Conti black chili rubber.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

Minion 3c's here pretty much around the clock...Do this every year.

-Buy new tires in August before I go to whistler, ride whis, and finish out the north east season on fresh treads.
-Run the last season set pretty much may-aug
-Buy a new set before whistler again

works pretty good.

Crazy some of you are talking about killing 3c's that fast, mine last pretty damn long time...