Hey guys I have been doing alot of searching but still cant find really what is the best wet combo for our local stuff here in the east coast. I am looking for the best wet combo for race. I was in Plattekill last weekend and it was pretty wet ran my Minions they were ok but I am searching for a great Wet combo that I can use for race days aswell. I have a Highroller front and swampthing rear combo not sure if there is a better combo i also have Wetscreams but I am not digging them on the rocks . What do you guys use or recommend
Tire setup for the wet?
- Thread starter DH-LOS
- Start date
For the wet and rooty PNW trails we have around here the WetScreams work real well, as long as you are not more than 180ish lbs, otherwise the knobs fold. As you said they don't seem to be as much fun on rocks.
If there are alot of rocks and mud I find that the Tioga Black Turtles do really well. I find myself leaving the Black Turtles on for alot of conditions, including some dry stuff.
Bontrager Big Earl Wet's have hooked up well for me in wet rocks in the past but it's been almost 2 years since I ran those. Althought I don't recall them working well too many other places.
-Kevin
If there are alot of rocks and mud I find that the Tioga Black Turtles do really well. I find myself leaving the Black Turtles on for alot of conditions, including some dry stuff.
Bontrager Big Earl Wet's have hooked up well for me in wet rocks in the past but it's been almost 2 years since I ran those. Althought I don't recall them working well too many other places.
-Kevin
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I've been really digging the swampthings this year. They typically hold up really well on roots and rocks and they dig in the mud pretty well too. I've raced no less than 6 wet races with them this season. If you don't want to run a full spike, they're the way to go.
swampthings or cut down spikes
swampthings for rocky areas like pkill
cut down wet sreams for sure (might want to cut all the knobs, not just the center ones for rocky places like plattekill). not sure what they guy is talking about who said you need to weigh more than 180lb, sounds pretty bogus to me. i'm barely 160 and i know plenty of riders well over 180lb who dont have issues with folding. folding issues would be attributed to running pressure too low or running the knobs too long for the given conditions. i posted a video a few days ago of some trails at bromont much like what you'll find at plattekill and the rest of the north east, all the riding was done on fully cut down wet screams front and rear.
a fully cut wet scream has a profile very similar to a minion dhf
swampthing work okay, but you can't corner nearly as aggressively on them.
a fully cut wet scream has a profile very similar to a minion dhf
swampthing work okay, but you can't corner nearly as aggressively on them.
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careful comparing plattekill to other places in the rain. Plattekill stays pretty dry and drains extremely well...a wet day at whiteface or highland is far removed from platty, where the soil is mostly non-existent and replaced with rock. Other places have a lot more standing water (read: mud) where a rain tire will be more of an advantage.
For platty I'd stick with the tackiest compound tire you can...not sure water "shedding" is as much of a necessity vs. grip on rocks, particularly in the wet.
Just my 0.02 pesos.
For platty I'd stick with the tackiest compound tire you can...not sure water "shedding" is as much of a necessity vs. grip on rocks, particularly in the wet.
Just my 0.02 pesos.
Bromont and plattekill have very similar soil in many places. the high gravel content drains quickly and has pretty good grip in the wet, so running dry tires can work great. it comes down to preference more than anything, but personally (having run dry and spike tires at both places in the wet) i'd probably go with the spikes to take advantage of the rootier loamy sections that pop up as all those rock slabs at plattekill get pushed to the side and on the fresher-cut sections that can be slippery.
but i also subscribe heavily to the 'run what ya brung' school of tire choice
For wet roots and rocks, it's not the tread that matters, its the rubber.
Any soft compound Maxxis tire will do well. Either newer 3c or older 42a/40
Any soft compound Maxxis tire will do well. Either newer 3c or older 42a/40
You should try a stock 42a Wetscream on rock slabs or a 42a Larsen TT in the mud and tell me how that goes...
Tread , rubber it all matters.Im a big fan of the Wetscream although you have to be aware of their slippery nature on rocks.Otherwise I run Minion Fr on my trail bike for the winter,preferably 42A.Its plenty for the little bike but for the DH sled, I like the grip the side knobs gives me on a Wetscream.
Bontrager BigEarl is hands down the worst tire Ive tried in a loOOOOng time, Im 150 and dont have any problems with the Wetscream.HighRoller are good as well, althought they tend to be a bit more slippery FOR ME on rocks but my friends find them better than Minion...I dont know, I must me doing something wrong, they tend to shed mud a bit more than my Minions.
Im in the PacificNorthwest, so probably way different needs than you regardless of the tread design or the rubber.I used to live back east and was really enjoying the Swampthing back in the days...
Duro Muckmeisters 40a compound cut short or cut and worn, stick like glue on wet rocks and shed the mud from the ski trails. I'm sure wetscreams work much the same.
At Platty its all about grip on wet rocks and shedding the mud in between. Prob the only place I've liked my SR Swampthing.
At Platty its all about grip on wet rocks and shedding the mud in between. Prob the only place I've liked my SR Swampthing.
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I agree it's all about the rubber compound on roots and rocks mud/clay/loam and hardpack is where tread pattern matters.
it is a rare Platte course where you will have to worry about mud. Platte is wet rocks or dry rocks with some weird red silt that is like some type of paint. Platte is one of the few places that could have more grip in the rain than on a dry day. I agree with the guy who said "tacky tire". Save your wets for Mt snow or Highland.
+1 for that.
Sorry I miss typed a few words there and didn't explain myself clearly. 180lbs+ on wetscreams are a no go. We had a couple guys playing with my tires and they were a little concerned so they called up Maxxis and asked them and Maxxis said that those tires are not recomended for anyone over 180lbs as the knobs are not supportive enough to dig in.
You are right about the Big Earl beign bad in PNW conditions, however on wet rocks(ie: not mud) the Big Earl Wet's did well for me. The only place locally that I could get them to work decent was at Hood as it has some rock.
Then again, everybody has different preferences.
-Kevin
Hmm I am 230lb and the wetscreams have not giving me any folding issues.. I think as someone said that would be with psi issue I think..
I have heard of cutting down the wetscreams but to me cutting $100+ of new rubber is a no go call me oldschool but i will cry cutting them..
I was gonna try this combo and not just for platti as you gus are right it doesn drain well cause they had alot of rain last weekend and I was on Minions the 60a compound and they still faired pretty good. But I was thinking of running a SR Highroller with a SR Swampthing in the rear talked to a few guys and they ran that combo at Diablo in the rain.. I really like my supertacky Wetscreams I am just hesitant to run them in the rain at diablo due to the rocks.. So I am looking for that nice combo for Diablo condtions since I am racing there next weekend and it has been real wet lately.. Anybody run swampthings front and rear?
Also so being that Platti drains well should I even break out the wetscreams or run a different combo.. Also never used them but how are the wetscreams in the snow??
I was gonna try this combo and not just for platti as you gus are right it doesn drain well cause they had alot of rain last weekend and I was on Minions the 60a compound and they still faired pretty good. But I was thinking of running a SR Highroller with a SR Swampthing in the rear talked to a few guys and they ran that combo at Diablo in the rain.. I really like my supertacky Wetscreams I am just hesitant to run them in the rain at diablo due to the rocks.. So I am looking for that nice combo for Diablo condtions since I am racing there next weekend and it has been real wet lately.. Anybody run swampthings front and rear?
Also so being that Platti drains well should I even break out the wetscreams or run a different combo.. Also never used them but how are the wetscreams in the snow??
Schwalbe has some pretty cool stuff for mud n' such, Dirty Dan, Big Betty. They're kind of hard to track down though, unless your name is Aaron Gwin or Jared Graves... Couple guys around here have had good luck with some of the new Conti tires. Der Kaiser is pretty good, the tread pattern is a bit High-Roller/ Minion DHF love child clears up nicely in the mud. The Rain King is also a good choice but again hard to source.
Yeah I was checking out the Schwalbe the other day they seem like cool tread patterns I didnt see if they were available. The rain king is by schwalbe aswell?
Rain King is a Continental tire.
The Schwalbe Dirty Dan is great in the wet and the steep dry stuff. I just found one of my favorite new tires. Shame I only have 2 of them and don't know where to get anymore.