trailridin/lightDH tires for UST rims

Heath Sherratt · May 18, 2005

Michelins-I'm running the new ust all mountain 2.2's...awesome.

Salami · May 18, 2005

frorider said:
c. nokian NBX ust 2.3inch => 990 g, dual durometer (sounds good). narrow footprint?

I have no idea how these would work for Downieville or Mammoth but I have been running the Nokian's for about a month now. I am running them on a pair of EX 823's with no Stans. I have had no leakage problems at all. I use them on my DH bike for local trail riding. They roll very well which helps if you must ride up as well as down. They don't grip as well as a pure DH tire but for what they give up in traction they more than make up in lower rolling resisitance. I find them to be a very good all around tire.

This reminds me I need to get them back on the bike before this weekends ride. The Michelins currently on are like boat anchors on the local trails, though they sure worked good at Windrock.

Ian F · May 19, 2005

The Continental Vertical Pro 2.3 UST is also a great tire. Very light, great traction, wears well. I ran it during a heli-drop ride at Whistler and never found myself wanting for anything bigger. I'll try the Michelins when these wear out.

punkassean · May 19, 2005

frorider said:
....looking for a general-purpose UST tire for downieville / mammoth / non-lift-served riding under 950 g with reasonable pedalling efficiency....

e. Specialized 2005 model Enduro Pro D2 tubeless 2.4 inch => 980 g. (I have the new adrenaline pro 2.2 inch D2 on my XC bike and it rules on the front--much bigger footprint than most 2.3 tires, rides like my blue groove 2.35 but better wear resistance.) So this has me thinking that the 2.4 inch Enduro Pro will be comparable to typical 2.5 inch tire. dual durometer.

whaddya think??

Look no further than the Enduro Pro D2, I have been running those for a few months and I've hit all types of terrain from Tunnel in SB (rocky loose) to Santa Cruz (packed tacky) etc. These tires RULE. I think they'd be perfect for D-Ville and Mammoth too. Do not waste your time with anything else in this category. You will not find a dual-compound, 120TPI, UST, 2.4" that provides this traction at only 980-gm. The best UST all-purpose tire IMO.

punkassean · May 19, 2005

frorider said:
thanks PAS, after looking around i also came to the same conclusion. the marketing claim that specialized has made about finding a way to make UST tires 200g lighter than most comparable UST tires appears to be truth, not hype. specialized 2.4s are nice and big, comparable to 2.5 inch tires from other manufacturers, none of this maxxis BS measurement thing going on.

it's ironic, years ago kenda and specialized seemed to be low quality tires. now it seems that kenda and specialized are selling some of the best tires on the market.

Not only are they light-ish but they have nice stiff sidewalls so you can run slightly lower PSI and get away with it. I also find that they roll MUCH better than most burly tires (even with wide spaced knobs), I assume that's because of the 120tpi casing, harder compound center section and lighter weight. I know roadies care about TPI count because of the reduced rolling resistance but historically "freeriders" don't really seem to factor that into the equation.

Kntr · May 19, 2005

What about the Panaracer 2.4?

descender · May 19, 2005

I am in the same exact boat. Looking for <1000g UST tires for some mavic 821s. There are lots of good tires in this catagory, but not many UST ones:

IIRC Trail Bear (big)
Panaracer Fire FR
Kenda Blue Groove
Kenda Tomac Nevegal Stick-E
Maxxis Minion DH Freeride (small)

Kenda doesn't metion UST versions of Nevegal and Blue grove, but universalcycles has some listed... but only 2.1 avail...

Kenda Tomac Blue Groove UST
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=5672&category=181

Kenda Tomac Nevegal UST
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=5397&category=181

Here are all the UST tires at universal:
UST tires:
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/index.php?category=181

bent240sx · May 19, 2005

i ride on the central coast, dh/fr, Nokian NBX gets my vote for best all around tire. best front tire i've ever used.

punkassean · May 19, 2005

I used the old HotS 2.5" extensively and found them to be very light and have a nice big footprint but otherwise they pretty much sucked. The compound was too hard and the sidewalls were WAY too thin. But, these new "Xtrem" Michi 2.5's actually sound pretty good. The weight jumped up which most likely means the sidewall is thicker and best of all they are not RED!

Michi's in general are great tires and they mount wonderfully to UST rims.

Might be worth checking out but they would have to be MUCH better then the old HotS to be anywhere near as good as the new Enduro 2.4" based on my experience.

Biscuit · May 19, 2005

Hutchinson JUST released an octopus 2.5 ust tire.
The tread is nearly identical to highrollers, but it's dual compound.

Hard in the middle soft on the outside.. like me, but more rounder.

That means it will roll faster, wear better, and hook like a tubless, soft compound highroller.
No idea how much they weigh yet, I'm gettin' mine tomorrow.

punkassean · May 19, 2005

Biscuit said:
Hutchinson JUST released an octopus 2.5 ust tire.
The tread is nearly identical to highrollers, but it's dual compound.

Hard in the middle soft on the outside.. like me, but more rounder.

That means it will roll faster, wear better, and hook like a tubless, soft compound highroller.
No idea how much they weigh yet, I'm gettin' mine tomorrow.

Do report back on those ASAP! I like Hutchinson, like Michi they are very high quality tires. Please get a weight for us on those once you get 'em.

descender · May 19, 2005

frorider said:
last I looked, the kenda website had all their tires listed including the UST, but those only came in XC sizes unfortunately.

noticed on the universalcycles site that michelin has a 2.5 inch XCR Extreme UST that uses the tread from the DH 24.1, and only weighs 950 g. Other than the Enduro D2 tubeless mentioned above, this seems like one of the best choices for what i'm looking for. maybe i'll buy one of each, and see which works the best.

This michi 2.5 might be sweet:
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=4956&category=181

But it isn't mentioned on Michi's site....

Mountain Extreme
http://two-wheels.michelin.com/2w/front/affich.jsp?codeRubrique=2092004115810&codePage=2092004115810_13092004150405&lang=EN
26x2,50 Tube type reinf. / 127 TPI / 855g / red+black / SW / FB
26x2,50 Tubeless reinf. / 127 TPI / 1070g / red+black / SW / FB

XCR X'trem
http://two-wheels.michelin.com/2w/front/affich.jsp?codeRubrique=2092004115810&codePage=2092004115810_28022005182224&lang=EN

26x2,00 Tubeless / 127 TPI / 790g/ gray+black / SW / FB
26x2,00 Tube type / 127 TPI / 590g/ gray+black / SW / FB

Heath Sherratt · May 19, 2005

The Michelins all mountain 2.2 weigh about 650 to 725grams and have a large footprint but roll very fast and have the great predictability that michelin is famous for. Pretty light, good side wall-I live in Auburn where it's very rocky and sharp! and they roll like a batman out of the cave. Very nice.

MikeD · May 27, 2005

Hutchinson Octopuses(i?) don't like anything hard-packed. The side knobs are a lot taller than a highroller, at least on the 2.3 USTs I was using, and the sidewalls were thin and prone to tearing. Not a bad tire, but one that was really best in tacky dirt without many rocks.

Reminded me more of a Comp16 than a Highroller, actually. Those side knobs fold over pretty badly if the soil isn't soft or really loose.

Biscuit · May 27, 2005

MikeD said:
Hutchinson Octopuses(i?) don't like anything hard-packed. The side knobs are a lot taller than a highroller, at least on the 2.3 USTs I was using, and the sidewalls were thin and prone to tearing. Not a bad tire, but one that was really best in tacky dirt without many rocks.

Reminded me more of a Comp16 than a Highroller, actually. Those side knobs fold over pretty badly if the soil isn't soft or really loose.

Hmmm.. A friend of mine loves his 2.3's, which is why I wen't for the 2.5ers.
I hope your wrong, but I'll give her hell either way as soon as my rc40 comes in the mail.

Still no clue on the weight.

MikeD · May 27, 2005

Biscuit said:
Hmmm.. A friend of mine loves his 2.3's, which is why I wen't for the 2.5ers.
I hope your wrong, but I'll give her hell either way as soon as my rc40 comes in the mail.

Still no clue on the weight.

Never said they were bad tires, just that they weren't good on hardpack... and it's possible that the knobs on the 2.5 won't fold as bad, either. Thin sidewalls are just part of being a light tire.

punkassean · May 27, 2005

^ typically yes UST tires are stiffer in the sidewall than non-UST tires.

Get the Enduro's and be done with it! I swear they really are THAT good.

punkassean · May 27, 2005

I got mine at The Spokesman, it's a local shop. They had to order them though since their inventory is mostly related to high-end road an XC.

You will LOVE them. :thumb:

EDIT: Since you and I are running the same rim, FWIW I run about 28-30 out back and 28. The tire doesn't squirm at all so you might be able to get away with lower PSI but you have the SoCal rocks to deal with so I'd start there. I weigh ~165 geared up with a Camelback.

Mstaples · May 28, 2005

for D-ville, I'm thinking about Enduro Pro D2's as well. I'm probably going to run tubes. What size do you recommend? What about tubes? Anything in particular?

punkassean · May 28, 2005

Mstaples said:
for D-ville, I'm thinking about Enduro Pro D2's as well. I'm probably going to run tubes. What size do you recommend? What about tubes? Anything in particular?

Dear God why would you want to run tubes? Even if you have regular rims get a Stan's kit or run ghetto style tubeless. A pinch-flat at D-Ville and your race run is DONE. Even if you aren't racing pinch-flats still suck.

I am running the 2.4" "2Bliss" version on UST Mavic rims ('05 EX823) with a scoop of Stans sealant and I have run some really rocky trails (Tunnel) w/o incident. Avoid tubes at all cost, especially at places that are really rocky.

descender · Jun 2, 2005

I saw the Hutchinson octopus at supergo. Felt much heavyer than a Panaracer 2.4 FR. Their site lists the weight well above 1000g.
http://tires.hutchinson.fr/uk/velo/accueil.htm

punkassean · Jun 12, 2005

I just bought a backup set for when these wear out, still loving them. Glad you like yours too. I have been using Stans sealeant w/o issue. I recently found out these tires are made in France for Specialzied I believe by Michelin. :thumb:

descender · Jun 12, 2005

Sweet. Are they roudish or squarish in profile?

I am going with these or the Michis mentioned in this thread.

Biscuit · Jun 12, 2005

An update for anyone who's interested in the Hutchinson Ocotopuses..
I finally got around to mounting my 2.5's an they are friggin HUGE!
More like a 2.7+

Definitely go with the 2.3 if your considering these for "trail" tires.

punkassean · Jun 12, 2005

descender said:
Sweet. Are they roudish or squarish in profile?

I am going with these or the Michis mentioned in this thread.

They are slightly squarish but not like a gazzi or anything.

Supa8 · Jun 13, 2005

I have been running the Enduro 2.4" 2bliss for a few weeks now and they have to be one of the best tires I have tried for trail riding. I was weary mounting them on my 5Spot but there is enough clearence.

With a good mix of climbing , small drops and nasty rocky rooted singletrack they held up and perform better than I expected. Nice that the air up with only a floor pump.

S.K.C. · Jun 13, 2005

...definitely check out the Spesh Enduro D2 2Bliss - they have huge volume and are lightweight...

Instead of using Stan's try using Bontrager's Super Juice - it's not latex based, but glycol based, so it won't dry out as quickly.

trailridin/lightDH tires for UST rims

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