What trail bike tire casings don't suck?
- Thread starter Kanye West
- 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.
Definitely not as stout as a grid casing. I run the grid slaughters at or just above 30psi. I'm running the minion ss at about 35+ cuz it just don't feel right.
Sideknobs are too thin. It doesn't work as well cornering as a brand new slaughter imo, but the slaughter sideknobs start falling apart really soon. That's the only reason I wanted to try the maxxis one.
Sideknobs are too thin. It doesn't work as well cornering as a brand new slaughter imo, but the slaughter sideknobs start falling apart really soon. That's the only reason I wanted to try the maxxis one.
My SS has lasted less than 6 months, lots of cuts in the tread patten. And the tomahawk that I got to replace it with has a cut in the tread patten in under 2 weeks riding.
The side walls seem to hold up fine through the rocks as all the cuts seem to be in the tread patten on both tires.
Hope the DHR2 sitting at home will hold up like the old HR2 that the SS replaced. These new EXO tires seem "softer" than the old EXO tires
DD is working well for me... 4 days in Angel Fire bike park. No flats. Riding a trail bike reasonably fast.
I just mounted up some DD Shortys for park use and they seem really burly. I expect they'll hold up quite well.
What rims?
What are your overall impressions of those tires? Have you ridden them on non-lift trails?
I think maxxis watered down the Exo to slot the DD casing into the line.
Aluminum SRAM rims. They are proto that won't ever be released. 30mm wide, nothing special.
I've been running aggressor on front, tomahawk rear. Not the best, but it's all that's available in DD for 29".
Yep, ridden several times on my local trails plus Moab and Grand Junction, CO. I think they're pretty darn good. Great even? They have yet to do something 'weird' on me. Consistent and reliable traction. I am running them F & R. If things start to slip in the corners, they are very predictable, no weird surprises yet. The 2.3 on the 26mm internal rim is pretty skinny. Wish they made them in 2.5" DD. I'm also talking about the 29er version.
I've been trying the new e13 TRS+ tyre and have been really really impressed.
sidewalls seem to be on a par with the Mavic Charge's, not a Dh dual ply but def way more beef than an EXO.
Weights 870gm so not a lightweight but not a boat anchor either.
They have 2 different compound versions, "Durable dual" and "Sticky tripple"
in the theory that the dual must be the rear I've had it on the back of the zesty 527.
Ok this is no climbing tyre in soft conditions, the ramped knob's tend to break free and spin if you put a bit of power down on anything slightly soft or slippery. I could turn the tyre around for better climbing but then I'd lose the braking power.
On the flat and downs this tyre has freakish grip, the cornering and braking grip is better than the Mavic Charge which really surprised me!
the TRS really excels on wet rocks and roots so far.
Not 100% sold on it as a rear but it will def be an awesome front tyre.
sidewalls seem to be on a par with the Mavic Charge's, not a Dh dual ply but def way more beef than an EXO.
Weights 870gm so not a lightweight but not a boat anchor either.
They have 2 different compound versions, "Durable dual" and "Sticky tripple"
in the theory that the dual must be the rear I've had it on the back of the zesty 527.
Ok this is no climbing tyre in soft conditions, the ramped knob's tend to break free and spin if you put a bit of power down on anything slightly soft or slippery. I could turn the tyre around for better climbing but then I'd lose the braking power.
On the flat and downs this tyre has freakish grip, the cornering and braking grip is better than the Mavic Charge which really surprised me!
the TRS really excels on wet rocks and roots so far.
Not 100% sold on it as a rear but it will def be an awesome front tyre.
I ripped a knob off a Minion SS in the Santa Cruz super gnar (ie that one rock we have here). It was just one knob, and it looks like a mfg issue with the rubber. Just peeled half the knob off with cord showing underneath.
Forced me to dive down the Maxxis warranty rabbit hole.
Coming from a Slaughter GRID, I like the Minion SS more betterer. Seems like it brakes better and has less of a "oh shit I'm not gonna make it, wait the side knobs just kicked in" effect than the Slaughter. Sidewalls are for sure less stout though.
For sure...the exo tires released post DD have definitely been lighter...couldnt believe how flimsy the 2.5 DHF "WT" was compared to my usual 2.4 Hr2 60a in exo.....pretty hard to beat a 2.4 hr2/slaughter combo for me...the SS was good but I think it feels more like a normal tire on the descents than the slaughter and I've gotten used to the feeling of sliding the rear around....I do think the slaughter grips better on the climbs...at least in blown out loose dusty conditions...only reason I tired the SS was because the slaughter side knobs get destroyed in short order being there isnt allot of rubber on the back edge but the SS didnt last much longer....I get about 5weeks out of a rear tire if I lucky and riding allot
The DHR2 Exos that I got were noticeably thinner sidewalls than the HR2 they replaced. Not sure if that was old-Exo vs new-Exo or just different tyre model variation though.
Sigh. Yet another way THE MAN wants screw 26" holdouts. No DD for 26", only barely passable exo casings. Can't they see the OG mtb spirit coursing through my veins? What's next? 26" fork will only be available with a QR?
24psi???
I don't think the tires that were available before the DD casing changed. It's just the newer ones. Unfortunately some of those are the 27.5 versions that just now started showing up.
I might be wrong but some exo 26 versions I just bought seem the same as they ever were.
Yeah, agreed. I've bought a couple 26" Exo tires recently and they seem same as ever.
Maxxis dd casing is probably the best out there for non wire bead toughness. I just got a couple schwalbe super gravity tires and the sidewall and bead seem tougher than a Michelin, but the tread area is a little thinner.
As a side note continental has been removed from my list of acceptable tires. I brapped a corner too hard and tore a bunch of threads in the casing about 2 weeks ago. The wet traction sucks anyway.
Bontrager SE5 casing is pretty good too, and the rubber lasts a long time compared to Maxxis (though wet traction suffers b/c rubber is harder). The casing is maybe somewhere between an EXO and DD.
Beware of non-ribbed sidewall SE3 and SE4- they are garbage. New SE4 is ribbed like the original SE5 and should be pretty dialed.
Beware of non-ribbed sidewall SE3 and SE4- they are garbage. New SE4 is ribbed like the original SE5 and should be pretty dialed.
Black Chili Compound: long lasting and grippy
Made in Germany: no outsourcing
The Athertons: whatever they ride must be good, right?
Also new models available in 26": f*** yeah!
Some seriously good threads: e.g. http://enduro-mtb.com/en/test-review-the-continental-baron-2-4-projekt-tyres/
Continental tires are oversized dentist balloons that pop and fall apart. They use tread patterns that look like cake sprinkle vomit. The only tire that company has ever made in its incredibly long history of failure is that ramstein thing.
I'm quite familiar with them. Which is why I asked.
I'm quite familiar with them. Which is why I asked.
I bought a used bike and it had a pair of Contis on (XC tires) and I have to say I am pretty impressed. More grip than expected from a tiny tire like that and good wear characteristics. Also their CycloXKing is pretty neat.
And people seem to really like the Baron 2.4 Project as an all around tire unless there is a lot of gravel. What is wrong with that in your opinion?
FWIW: their car tires are awesome.
baron projeKt: Little girly sideknobs that are too far apart.
It's certainly not on WTB level of goofy tread design, It's just nothing great. Seems like it might work well in really loamy stuff. But then again what doesn't.
I don't care about their car tires. It doesn't erase the years of my life I've wasted waiting on friends to figure out how to patch the slashes in just about every continental tire they've ever used.
It's certainly not on WTB level of goofy tread design, It's just nothing great. Seems like it might work well in really loamy stuff. But then again what doesn't.
I don't care about their car tires. It doesn't erase the years of my life I've wasted waiting on friends to figure out how to patch the slashes in just about every continental tire they've ever used.
Some time circa 2006 our Conti rep came by the shop I worked at at the time and gave me a pair of Mountain Kings to try. They were their hot new shit at the time. I tore 2" long holes in both of them on literally the first ride. I don't think I've ridden a Conti tire since.
I'd tried Continental DH tires. This was in 1993-94 on my Rockhopper and my Stumpjumper without suspension. Was like a paddle tire in the middle with massive shoulder knobs. Good on the rear of the bike, that's what we called these things back then.
My friend rides for them and probably close to 40% of them end up bulging out in one spot...it's weird..kinda like the inner casing tears and allows the tire to swell up in one area...Some time circa 2006 our Conti rep came by the shop I worked at at the time and gave me a pair of Mountain Kings to try. They were their hot new shit at the time. I tore 2" long holes in both of them on literally the first ride. I don't think I've ridden a Conti tire since.
He says the baron project one is good though but I still dont think he races on them because he doesn't trust them...he's going to give me one so we'll see...I will say the x-king isnt a bad rear tire...Ive used 2 of them and I didnt flat with either....dont last very long but they dont have much in the way of knobs to begin with...
You are sure he isn't sponsored by Schwalbe? The problems you describe sound a little like them.
Kidwoo: where do you see girly side knobs that are too far apart here?
Oooh... I smell a rubber-war! 
Kidwoo: where do you see girly side knobs that are too far apart here?
When my eyeballs pick up on the light reflected off the surface of them, usually provided by the sun or an indoor illumination source. That rendering makes the sideknobs look a lot longer than they do in person. The gaps are too big in real life.
http://14761-presscdn-0-15.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ContiBaron4-780x520.jpg
They probably clear dirt well at least. That and the one dh tire they make that doesn't suck look a lot better than what they've done in the past. That still doesn't mean they're anything special though. And until I know that they don't fall apart, it's still a moot point.
It's okay man. You can like tires that I talk shit about. I've been biking a long time. I've never had or even known anyone to get continental tires to last. Maybe they've improved. But I've wasted too much money on crap from them in the past and watched too many other people do the same. They make lots of tires that grip okay in a general sense due largely to oversizing and soft rubber. If they're working for you, great. Just ignore me.