I've had my time on several Vittoria Graphene tires (although not the Martello in particular), and the transition from "good" to "skidland" is really notorious. As they use a dual compound construction (harder on the foundations, softer on the cover), once that soft top layer gets worn, you end up with a no-grip tire.My go-to is the DHR 2. But I'm always curious to try new things, and his praise for the Vittoria Martello got me curious. Anyone have any time on them? Mostly curious about the casings...
That was such an awful review roundup, even by Pinkbike standards. It was like, let's review a bunch of shitty tires that ignorant people try as alternatives to good tires.So this was an interesting article. https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rear-tire-grouptest-which-enduro-tire-is-best.html
He liked the Aggressor. My only issue with the Aggressor is that they are great when new, but wear past the "good" stage very quickly. Mostly, I find the sideknobs get undercut very quickly.
My go-to is the DHR 2. But I'm always curious to try new things, and his praise for the Vittoria Martello got me curious. Anyone have any time on them? Mostly curious about the casings...
i'd totally bride your dirt. buuuuu red clay!I generally ignore tire reviews from people who don't bride the same dirt I do.
You will love the new one...I have one on the rear and I wasn't a huge fan of the old one...kept telling them its not a good front...now lo and behold its rear specific which is cool they finally made the change and that sob grabs and rolls well...braking is good it can be locked under load or a little unload itll Rutter steer very predictable...I've got one of the new Schwalbe Big Bettys in the garage waiting to be installed.
Yeah My DHR2 is 50% and I have a DH race tomorrow but I think I'll stick with what i'm familiar with and try the Big Betty when i can get used to it.I will be curious to hear your thoughts this is just mine and I've been out for a while...
i concur. i burned through a (new) big betty (super gravity, soft) on the rear over the winter. solid tire (at least for our wet coast conditions). may even like it a bit more than my current DD dhr2.You will love the new one...I have one on the rear and I wasn't a huge fan of the old one...
I was on maxxis while I waited for schwalbe to get me set up again...Just bought a Magic Mary / Big Betty combo for my trail bike, super gravity rear, super trail front, both addix soft (orange)
Hopefully is not too heavy and draggy for me, guess I'll wait and see but it will be nice to have decent grip through the wet and cold season.
As an aside does anyone have a comparison between Schwalbe Addix and Maxxis 3c? How similar is Maxx Terra and Addix soft?
Sorry, I should have been clearer in my question, where does addix soft sit in comparison to 3c maxx grip and max terra? I'm hoping it's somewhere between.I was on maxxis while I waited for schwalbe to get me set up again...
1- super trail is like 3c as far as weight
2- soft is stickier than 3c and park is a smidge harder...
3- i have beaten my magic mary rear and the days of lugs ripping or missing are over. I have ridden my rear tire hard and pushed outside lugs on concrete with my son or jump park which is natures asphalt its so hard...rocks etc...back tire is solid still...in past id have a lug or 3 missing and several would be ripped..
Full ack. BB is a really good rear tire.I was on maxxis while I waited for schwalbe to get me set up again...
1- super trail is like 3c as far as weight
2- soft is stickier than 3c and park is a smidge harder...
3- i have beaten my magic mary rear and the days of lugs ripping or missing are over. I have ridden my rear tire hard and pushed outside lugs on concrete with my son or jump park which is natures asphalt its so hard...rocks etc...back tire is solid still...in past id have a lug or 3 missing and several would be ripped..
I like maxxis alot but will go schwalbe especially with the lug durability everytime
Big Betty rear rolls fast and brakes amazing, leaned in corners i cN 2 wheel drift the bike..back is predictable and rolls well..(if you have super soft it will have obvious drag from durometer)...
Can't go wrong with either brand...I'm a schwalbe guy but do respect the maxxis dhf..had alot of good solid rides on that tire...
Interesting, even for a trail bike that I pedal a decent distance on? A ride here might include 800-1000m of vert and I need to ride a few km in and out of town on the road as well.The Ultra Soft is the go for the front at any time IMO. The Orange Soft is noticeably harder than the Purple Ultra Soft and wear rates aren't worth the trade off.
I think you're spot on with positioning the soft between Maxx Grip and Maxx Terra but I don't think its worth the trade off.
Did a single action 1200 m climb on said combo last Sunday and didn't die.Interesting, even for a trail bike that I pedal a decent distance on? A ride here might include 800-1000m of vert and I need to ride a few km in and out of town on the road as well.
I have a spare ultra soft MM in SG casing so I guess I can give it a shot and see what I think.
I was interested in the SG BB for the rear until I saw its weight, I believe it was 1250g for the purple or orange Addix rubber. Does it really pedal better than a 1050g MM? I had a SG VertStar MM in the rear for winter riding and that thing just does not roll well at all in the rear, bike refuses to pick up speed even on smooth downhill sections.Did a single action 1200 m climb on said combo last Sunday and didn't die.
IIRC, you don't like the Wild Rock'R2 either... ya FREAK.I find the DHR2 to be the suckorz of all trades. The side knobs of the 2.3 size are feeble, it sucks in the wet, it rolls badly, it does not inspire confidence - just not good for me at all.
I've always liked the dhr2, the 2.3 is a bit of a joke but the 2.4 is fine, my only issue with it is I need DD casing and can only get that with Max Grip rubber, which is too slow rolling and fast wearing for me.I find the DHR2 to be the suckorz of all trades. The side knobs of the 2.3 size are feeble, it sucks in the wet, it rolls badly, it does not inspire confidence - just not good for me at all.
I guess that was a silly question. I just need to try it and see how I get on.Did a single action 1200 m climb on said combo last Sunday and didn't die.
I gave a SuperTrail Soft version of the MM/BB a try over the fall / winter, and didn't like them. They're heavy as shit even in the trail casing, and don't have the ultra soft compound available then. Combined they felt slower than an EXO+ Assegai & EXO DHR with CushCore, and as you figured, felt less confident on off-camber. I never got a chance to see how the durability faired, as I took them off within a couple weeks.I'm curious how the BB compares to the DHR2. I've pretty much settled on the DHR2 (27.5, 2.4, EXO+, w/ an insert in the rear) for my year round riding. Does most of what I want, most of the time. I like having the same tire front in rear so I can swap the front to rear and put a fresh tire in the front.
I read that the BB is rounder and doesn't hold off-camber corners as well as the DHR2. But I don't have too many off camber corners. If it's cheaper/more durable/rolls better/ or is lighter, it might be a worthy contender?
I've always liked the dhr2, the 2.3 is a bit of a joke but the 2.4 is fine, my only issue with it is I need DD casing and can only get that with Max Grip rubber, which is too slow rolling and fast wearing for me.