Well, I have been running dual ply tires (mostly maxxis) for the last couple years. Lately I have noticed a lot more lighter, single ply FR tires on the market. My question is, does single ply ride/feel different the the heavier DH casings? Obviously they will be lighter and more prone to damage and flats but do they feel different at speed, in hard corners, ruff sections, or landings? My other question is, how much more likely are you to dent or flat spot your rim with the single ply's? Thanks in advance for your input.
Single Ply vs. Dual Ply Casing Tires?
- Thread starter Nomotivs
- Start date
Nomotivs said:
the one thing is i am pretty sure they dont make 1 ply tires in bigger than 2.35. if you have been running 2 plys then you have been on at least 2.5s
and ofcourse the 2.35 will feel different
I have some single ply 2.5 mobsters. But they could have been oem. 2 ply is better, better than getting a flat that is.
For downhill I would use a double ply tire front and back. depending on the course you couls run a single ply. (sea otter) For mountain cross or dual slalom definately use a single ply tire.
-Peter
-Peter
single plys suck after you have been riding dual ply..... many tire companys make single ply in sizes bigger than 2.3. I have seen a few 2.4s and 2.5s. I dont know of any bigger than a 2.5 though. I tried single plys ONCE for ONE ride and will never do that again even on a trail bike.
I'm guessing he got a flat 10ft down the trail. The risk of getting a flat via any means is so much greater on a single ply tire that it far out weighs the benefits of being a bit lighter and "snappier." Like others have said, if you're a full on xc racer or 4x/slalom, then single ply would be good, but if not then just go with double ply and know that you will flat much less often.Nomotivs said:
What I mean is;
-you have to run the tires at a high psi which means less traction and less supple
-real picky when it comes to air pressure, you have to check them more often and make sure they are at a high psi
-sidewalls rip out if you hit a rock
-due to high pressure they bounce all over the trail
I rarely (once a year) flat with DH casing tires and THIN XC tubes. With single ply tires and XC tubes I flated almost every ride...... I weigh 180 and like to think I am easy on tires and rims.
It all depends on trail conditions and the rider but for me.... no thanks.
-you have to run the tires at a high psi which means less traction and less supple
-real picky when it comes to air pressure, you have to check them more often and make sure they are at a high psi
-sidewalls rip out if you hit a rock
-due to high pressure they bounce all over the trail
I rarely (once a year) flat with DH casing tires and THIN XC tubes. With single ply tires and XC tubes I flated almost every ride...... I weigh 180 and like to think I am easy on tires and rims.
It all depends on trail conditions and the rider but for me.... no thanks.
well im about to try some singles. ill let yall know how they work oiut. i dont think im using em for this race. ill throw em on when my brand new super tackys wear out tomorrow
the specialized single ply 2.6 is as big or bigger than the Michy 2.8.
Kanter's on the right path here. Dual ply tires allow for much lower tire pressures without worrying about pinch flats while retaining a "firm" feel but still giving extra traction.
The big difference is weight. Rotational weight is probably the most important weight to keep an eye on for any bike that is going to see climbing time. Tires are the outermost point (obviously) on a wheel, so having more weight there makes a bigger difference in terms of accelleration and climbing performance than it would at the hub. My Saber weighs about 35 pounds with my light wheelset and single ply tires (2.5 IRC Trailbear up front, 2.35 Maxxis Minion R in back), and I don't feel the overall weight of my bike to hinder me too much while climbing because my rotational weight stays down. Of course, I don't have as much traction since I have to run my PSI at least above 40 PSI, usually closer to 50 if I'm going to be doing a long ride. I weight about 195 in street clothing.
Generally speaking, for my own trail bikes, I am willing to sacrifice a bit of weight if it means better performance while descending. That rule doesn't apply to my wheels and tires, though. The good news is there are several choices for larger volume, single ply tires these days. When I was racing XC a few years back, my 2.1 tires were 60 psi all the time, and it was sketchy, but I didn't want to worry about flatting. 45 pounds in my Trailbear up front and 50 in the Minion provides pretty unbelievable traction, at least in dry summertime Utah dirt, and still rolled fairly fast.
The big difference is weight. Rotational weight is probably the most important weight to keep an eye on for any bike that is going to see climbing time. Tires are the outermost point (obviously) on a wheel, so having more weight there makes a bigger difference in terms of accelleration and climbing performance than it would at the hub. My Saber weighs about 35 pounds with my light wheelset and single ply tires (2.5 IRC Trailbear up front, 2.35 Maxxis Minion R in back), and I don't feel the overall weight of my bike to hinder me too much while climbing because my rotational weight stays down. Of course, I don't have as much traction since I have to run my PSI at least above 40 PSI, usually closer to 50 if I'm going to be doing a long ride. I weight about 195 in street clothing.
Generally speaking, for my own trail bikes, I am willing to sacrifice a bit of weight if it means better performance while descending. That rule doesn't apply to my wheels and tires, though. The good news is there are several choices for larger volume, single ply tires these days. When I was racing XC a few years back, my 2.1 tires were 60 psi all the time, and it was sketchy, but I didn't want to worry about flatting. 45 pounds in my Trailbear up front and 50 in the Minion provides pretty unbelievable traction, at least in dry summertime Utah dirt, and still rolled fairly fast.
How are those Trailbears as far as durability? I've gone back and forth between the tried and true dual ply Maxxis, and several wide single ply offerings such as Panaracer Fire 2.4's which has side knobs that push too much on slow corners, and the Kenda 2.5's that blew off the rim on a rocky section. In other words....James | Go-Ride said:
I'm looking for a 1000g 2.5 tire that doesn't need to be babied.
The 2.5 Trailbear has been holding up pretty well for me and Krispy. You do need a wider rim to run it, as it's a full 2.5" at the casing. I'd suggest a Mavic EX721, Atomic Aircorp, or at least a Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite.Dusty Bottoms said:
I run DH tubes. I race too.
You know what? I've had 2 flats ever since I started riding (1 year). Beat that.
You know what? I've had 2 flats ever since I started riding (1 year). Beat that.
Are folding tires single ply and non folding tires dual ply? Can you tell me about wire beads?
I gave up on single ply tires. Running the pressure that high makes handling way sketchy. I had just built up an Intense 5.5 EVP and tried to save some weight. The first ride out, literally 5 minutes into it, I blew the tire while blowing through a stream I had crossed 50 times before with Maxxis High Rollers with no problem. The tire was a panaracer and it was set up tubeless with Stan's and on a Mavic EX823 rim (blew the tire off the rim and destroyed it so bad that it work as a tubeless anymore. This is not the first single ply that crapped out on me and now I am not even thinking about running anything but dual ply.
I'm quicker with a few hundred grams extra rotating mass than I am walking my bikemack said:
It really all depends on where you are riding. If you ride in really rocky areas get two ply. If you ride in areas that aren't that rocky (like where I live Santa Cruz Ca) get one ply. It really does make a noticable weight difference to run 2-ply, I have never had any problems with single ply, however, I rarely ride anywhere rocky. If I lived in Sonora, which has super sick dh hill trails littered with rocks, I'd probably ride 2-ply, but I'd be pissed at the weight difference.
Run 2-ply DH lighter tires. I went from Minion 2.5s about 1300g each to Kenda 2.35s about 1100g. I could actually notice a difference in weight and they are the same size width. Thats almost a lb of rolling weight. There are a lot of 2-ply tires in the 1000 GRAM range.
I've found that the newer generation of large volume, sticky compound single ply tires have allowed me to refrain from using dual ply's on my trail rides. My main issue with running single ply tires in the past was I had to run about 35-40 pounds of pressure, often resulting in having my tires break traction sooner then I wanted. The new generation of tires though have addressed this problem through larger contact patches and stickier rubber. While not quite in the same league as my downhill tires, the upside in terms of rotating weight more then makes up for it on longer trail rides. I'm currently running Specialized Enduro Pro 2.3 Dual Compound tires, and I've only had one flat this month. I can live with that, especially as I can still ride at the same speed I did with dual ply treads.
dude, dont call yourself a racer. mr. fronjdownhillzeypher said:
freeriders have to use dh tubes. remember to try that fronj landing technique that orven taught you 
oh and i use xc tubes and i havent had a flat in over a year, but i change em out whenever i change my tires. wich seems to be quite often for some reason 
What kind of riding are these tires going to be used for?
For any pure DH riding, 2 ply is a must in my mind. I run 2 ply tires (anywhere from 2.2-2.8) and XC tubes and have flatted maybe once in the last year, maybe not at all in the lat year.
I got 2 flats running single ply tires on DH rims with XC tubes in about 2 hours of total riding (with about 40 lbs of pressure, maybe a bit less). For XC use, they'd be fine, but anything more and I worry. I used a 2.35 single ply Blue Groove for XC and it was good, but the weight difference when I switched to my UST Vertical Pros was noticable (lighter rim too).
For any pure DH riding, 2 ply is a must in my mind. I run 2 ply tires (anywhere from 2.2-2.8) and XC tubes and have flatted maybe once in the last year, maybe not at all in the lat year.
I got 2 flats running single ply tires on DH rims with XC tubes in about 2 hours of total riding (with about 40 lbs of pressure, maybe a bit less). For XC use, they'd be fine, but anything more and I worry. I used a 2.35 single ply Blue Groove for XC and it was good, but the weight difference when I switched to my UST Vertical Pros was noticable (lighter rim too).
Dude, 1000 lbs. is a little heavy for my liking.Kanter said:
Go roll a jump you dumb racerboy.lovebunny said:dude, dont call yourself a racer. mr. fronj
haha will do.