This is what's right with The Industry®
- Thread starter Jm_
- Start date
-
Two more days to enter the Secret Santa!
Entries must be in by midnight on November 29th. We're kicking off the 2024 Secret Santa! Exchange gifts with other monkeys - from beer and snacks, to bike gear, to custom machined holiday decorations and tools by our more talented members, there's something for everyone.
Early Emtb mullets (back when only old men rode them) pretty much all came with 30-35mm rims and 2.8-3.0 rear tyres with the thinking that they needed moar cushion and tyre footprint (for climbing) with the weightier bikes. Almost all manufacturers have now realised the error of their thinking now that younger decent riders ride Emtb and actually hit turns fast.
Fatbike handling is fatbike handling. Learn toride. crawl
Darrington
You haven't heard? Marshmallow vagueness is the new hotness. Everyone wants an alloy frame for the flex. Mechanics trim down links to allow the rear end to follow terrain.
In all seriousness, I've found I like a fairly stiff frame, fork, & wheels with generous 2.5 or small 2.6 heavy casing tires, rear with insert. That's just my preference for the terrain I ride the most. You could see it as taking the edge off a very light, stiff, precise bike. I also see it as insurance against rim damage.
Bullshit.
If you have a person on an e bike going up a hill at a sustained speed rotating weight matters only as much non rotating weight.
I'm sure that could be phrased much better by somebody that knows what they are talking about.
Yeah. Coz YOU really don't.
Also...
Did you notice which sub forum you're arguing badly in?
Its all comprising tbh.
Yeah I am wrong, don't post at 6am or whenever it was, haha.
Because of the short power strokes the wheels would be slowing down and speeding up pretty frequently.
It doesn't matter which subforum it is, it's all old people whining in circles.
Moi moi back at the top is awesome, but also putting the full GoPro of his runs up to prove no sneaky lines taken is a boss move. It may seem simple but Jack's Vlogs put so much into the coverage, plus show that he's not doing any underhanded pre-riding of the venues or running through tape.
I inadvertently did a bit of an experiment last week. Same conditions: high humidity, recent rains, and sweaty rocks. On Tuesday I rode without having checked my tire pressure in about a month. started schralping in berms, and off-camber corners when pushing through. I had excellent traction, and even fast sharp rocky descents weren't a problem. but the sidewall folding was. checked my pressure when I got home and I was at 19psi in the rear tire.
Sunday I rode the same trails, but aired up to my normal 28psi. Definitely felt the rear tire deflect all over the place, and break traction much more often. But didn't get sidewall flex. I think I will drop down a psi every ride now till I feel the tire squirm in berms, then air back up.
my setup is a 2016 Transition Patrol (155mm rear travel), Spank Race 33 rim (28mm internal I think?), 2.3 Spesh Grid Trail Butcher T7, Rimpact Pro insert. I weigh 220.
tl;dr: intermediate casing tires squirm when pushed hard while aired down, but have good traction. also, this just in: water is wet, more news at 11...
Is this still a thing these days? I thought we were past that?
28 PSI? That's a lot of air for that tire with an insert. In rocky conditions I'm running 23 without inserts, but I weight 191 pounds.
evidently it depends on what you're prioritizing: traction or sidewall support...
Yes, I see your point. I'd still try with a couple less PSI, maybe you could find a sweet spot.
And a lot more rocks to ride on!
i finally made the switch to 30mm internal rims on both my trail and DH bike. my tire pressure - with inserts - varies between low to mid 20's depending on the tire casing (lower on DH because thicker casings). low pressure wasn't a goal, its just where I net out to get it feeling / riding how I want.
I had about 28 rear and 25 F, a little lower than if I was charging harder with fully functional body parts, but not by much. I led the group down the trails the last two days. The air in the tire is another spring. Running it too low is like running your fork low and trying to ramp up at the very end. I need the support, I need the support because Im going into stuff hard, im not deflecting everywhere and its my forks job to suck up the impact. I did get a burp at the end of the last run (Out of the Blue), but that tells me I was where I needed to be generally. Putting on the DDs I always have to adjust a bit.
IMO, people get unrealistic expectations of how tires work, thinking they can ride a variety of speed ranges and impact forces with one psi setting.
IMO, people get unrealistic expectations of how tires work, thinking they can ride a variety of speed ranges and impact forces with one psi setting.
Last edited:
Since I'm often swapping tire brands and casings, I'm always messing with tire pressure at each ride and trying stuff, but my own formula is getting pretty stable around those numbers (185lbs geared up):
Full-suspension : 24-24.5 psi rear (enduro casing 2.4 Conti with Tubolight insert) and 22.5-23 psi front with a 2.4 DH casing Conti.
Hardtail : 21-22 psi rear (Enduro casing 2.4 Conti + Cushcore Pro) and 24psi front with a 2.4 trail casing E13 no insert.
I can't stand casing roll when cornering hard, but I don't smash through stuff and ride pretty light. I prefer to go as comfy as I can on tire pressure to filter out small vibrations and let suspension take the work from there.
For comparison, here's some pro tire pressures from Les Gets last year:
Loic Bruni: 23psi front, 29psi rear (cushcore pro f+r)
Andreas Kolb: 24psi front, 29psi rear (no insert)
Greg Minnaar: 24psi front, 26psi rear (no insert)
Luca Shaw: 22-23psi front, 26-27psi rear (no inserts)
Brook Macdonald : 24 psi front, 25 psi rear (no inserts)
To each their own, but I guess everyone is setting their suspension with their prefered tire pressures, or vice-versa, and nothing's ever going to be universal. It's a fun thing to tinker though, at least for me. Setting up my bike for each ride and registering how changes felt is part of the fun of riding my bike.
Full-suspension : 24-24.5 psi rear (enduro casing 2.4 Conti with Tubolight insert) and 22.5-23 psi front with a 2.4 DH casing Conti.
Hardtail : 21-22 psi rear (Enduro casing 2.4 Conti + Cushcore Pro) and 24psi front with a 2.4 trail casing E13 no insert.
I can't stand casing roll when cornering hard, but I don't smash through stuff and ride pretty light. I prefer to go as comfy as I can on tire pressure to filter out small vibrations and let suspension take the work from there.
For comparison, here's some pro tire pressures from Les Gets last year:
Loic Bruni: 23psi front, 29psi rear (cushcore pro f+r)
Andreas Kolb: 24psi front, 29psi rear (no insert)
Greg Minnaar: 24psi front, 26psi rear (no insert)
Luca Shaw: 22-23psi front, 26-27psi rear (no inserts)
Brook Macdonald : 24 psi front, 25 psi rear (no inserts)
To each their own, but I guess everyone is setting their suspension with their prefered tire pressures, or vice-versa, and nothing's ever going to be universal. It's a fun thing to tinker though, at least for me. Setting up my bike for each ride and registering how changes felt is part of the fun of riding my bike.
This trail is a good testing ground for tires. steep af climbs up rocks and roots that are often very slick, but also high speed chundery rocks. to do it well you need both sidewall support and grip.
I have a love-hate relationship with this trail... the climbs at the beginning and in the middle absolutely destroy me, but the descents are so technical and fun...
We've got no rocks here, just loose over hard. I love the stiff sidewalls of the Conti DH because I can run crazy low pressure but not fold them in tight, steep, schralpy berms. The low pressure gives outstanding grip in these loose summer conditions. I've never been able to maintain as much grip in the summer as I've got with this setup. 18 front, 22 rear, weigh 160 lbs. I'll probably go up a few psi in each, begrudgingly, when I road trip up to OR next weekend.
I'm sure I'll get shit for this, but the Special Ed Butcher and Bontrager G5 resemble the DHarrrrrrrr! Both stuck to the rocks/roots for me and lasted a lot longer than that shit brand Maxxis. Plus they're a lot less expensive.
Just some other choices that are out there and similar.
Maxxis tires are $130 in shops here, and $110 from on-line retailers. Spesh has my tire on sale for $63 at the moment. The Maxxis are not 2x performance of the Spesh...
Depends on the venues and the public access situation leading up to the events. It's hard to police. Even the DHers were having a moan about the guys pre-running the WC venues in the lead up weeks.
After watching Jack's channel all winter and seeing how much training and shit he did, then to get injured, have a flat, etc I'm so stoked for him.
Also, the beers are flowing
Thanks for the post. Love hearing what to super pros run. And yeah, your suspension is going to differ depending on tire pressure. Trust the science! HA
I'm probably like a Greg Minaar in size. And generally run those pressures. But for fun. Hmm...But depends on the casing.
DH casing? And racing? yep 10/10. DD or smaller casing? Not so much. And the SylentK's always run Maxxis
Am I the only one ripping knobs off Butchers?
That original GG Megatrail I had with the 40mm Carbon 36 spoke wheels, 20mm Front axle, Huge carbon bars 30mm stem was giving zero fucking flex. The only MTB I had close was an Imperial with MAG 30s on it. Thing would beat you if you were not hauling ass......
^flashbacks of racing dh on a 24/26 mullet letoy with mag30's & profile cranks. punishing, that thing. albeit so much fun, in a masochistic sort of way.
I rock the t9 grid gravity butcher on a bunch of my bikes. Def rip corner knobs off. If you have a good relationship with your local specialized dealer and bought them there sometimes they will warranty.