What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

[Oded]

Short version: Schwalbe Eddy Current rear, 27.5x2.80, super gravity. Best tyre yet!

long version: 2 months ago I slashed the sidewall of a brand new Maxxis DHR II on barb wire.

I stitched the tear with fishing line and patched the inside. Fix works great and carried me so far, but now this tyre is going to be used as a spare.


The Schwalbe is amazing and is far grippier than the Maxxis (I ride a lot of sand).
It’s a really heavy tyre and is hard to install, but i’m never buying Maxxis again.

 

[steve_sordy]

............. How low can you go with tubeless?

Depends upon the tyre strength, presence of any inserts, your weight, and of course where and how you ride.
The thing to do is to keep dropping the pressure until bad things happen, then back off. For that I would recommend the Topeak D2 digital tyre pressure gauge. They are very robust and will last for years, with only the occasional coin battery.

Topeak D2 Digital Pressure Gauge | Chain Reaction

Topeak D2 Digital Pressure Gauge - Lowest Prices and FREE shipping available from The World's largest online bike store - Chain Reaction Cycles

www.chainreactioncycles.com

You may be able to get it cheaper if you search.

 

[Dirtnvert]

Short version: Schwalbe Eddy Current rear, 27.5x2.80, super gravity. Best tyre yet!

long version: 2 months ago I slashed the sidewall of a brand new Maxxis DHR II on barb wire.
View attachment 41569
I stitched the tear with fishing line and patched the inside. Fix works great and carried me so far, but now this tyre is going to be used as a spare.
View attachment 41570

The Schwalbe is amazing and is far grippier than the Maxxis (I ride a lot of sand).
It’s a really heavy tyre and is hard to install, but i’m never buying Maxxis again.
View attachment 41571

I want to get some 2.6 super gtavity schwalbe's next. Weight/sidewall should be good on the eeb around here. Id like to have another wheelset to complement my 2.4 michelin dh34 equipped wheelset.
Used to sew my tires back in the 80's and 90's when tire sidewalls were all single wall sidewalls. Tubes , rock hard and run them to the threads or atleast until the freeride years. I would sew them and crazy glue some duct tape over the threads on the inside and smear crazy glue on the threads on the outside to protect the threading. Bike bum years living 7 in a 2 bedroom and pulling in $152 pogey cheque every 2 weeks, scrounging parts for my 67 microbus to get us around the mountains. No going back there. Super gravity is the shit.........and dh34's

 

[Bumpy]

Plus 1 for Eddy Currants. My Levo came with the butcher/elimantor which were very sketchy in the wet. Tried maxxis and got a couple of punctures, now on Eddy's and never had a puncture and can ride at 16psi with no issues if needed as sidewalls so strong, don't even need inserts. I normally ride 18-20 but will go 16 if really muddy which is often in the UK at this time of year. Also the tread gives really good grip and feels more confident. I have 2.4 front and 2.6 rear. Bit of a pain to install, but worth it IMO.

 

[Dave_B]

just put Schwalbe magic Mary 2.8 front and big Betty 2.8 rear on the heckler. I ran bout 20psi today front and rear, front felt a bit hard so let some air out. I'm 85kg kitted up. am I in the right ballpark with these pressures? they are what I run in standard 2.5 front and 2.4 rears.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

ive been loving the michelin wild enduro on my Levo but yesterday I went riding in the wet/mud and those things are scary.. I locked up the front with the slightest braking so.... I bought 2 assegai tyres with the DH casing in maxxgrip, mostly because I know that combo of casing and compound will annoy @Gary but also im hoping that ill be able to stop next time I ride ?
will let you know how I get on with them.

 

[Gary]

I genuinely couldn't care less what casing or compound tyres anyone else runs @dobbyhasfriends . It's not me that's having to pedal them.
I am however amazed that you managed to think an Assegai tread patern is going to work better in wet/mud than a wild enduro.

Choosing appropriate tyres for your riding style and conditions really shouldn't be as difficult as this car crash of a thread makes it seem.

 

[Zimmerframe]

ive been loving the michelin wild enduro on my Levo but yesterday I went riding in the wet/mud and those things are scary.. I locked up the front with the slightest braking so.... I bought 2 assegai tyres with the DH casing in maxxgrip, mostly because I know that combo of casing and compound will annoy @Gary but also im hoping that ill be able to stop next time I ride ?
will let you know how I get on with them.

I thought that was you at Leogang !

 

[KeithR]

Plus 1 for Eddy Currants.

Any particular raisin?

 

[Gary]

@dobbyhasfriends

I know you like makin' tings so Imna make tings simple fo ya

NOT A MUD TYRE

You now made yourself a MUDDEGAI
Glad to be helpful(ish)

Ps. Not only will this modified tread shed mud better it'll also make the tyre drift nicer and allow its side knobs to dig in better when leant over properly. Oh... and don't make the mistake of running it on a stupidly wide rim.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

@dobbyhasfriends

I know you like makin' tings so Imna make tings simple fo ya

NOT A MUD TYRE

View attachment 42029

You now made yourself a MUDDEGAI
Glad to be helpful(ish)

Ps. Not only will this modified tread shed mud better it'll also make the tyre drift nicer and allow its side knobs to dig in better when leant over properly. Oh... and don't make the mistake of running it on a stupidly wide rim.

aye, I hear ya but the wild enduro has no knobs in the centre to speak of, the assegai will deffo be better.. the 'mud' here isnt really like 'real' mud, its 20mm of slime mixed with grass and grit over bedrock.. I actually wanted a DHR2 for the rear but couldnt get one for less than 70 sovs so fuck that.. dont mind 50-ish quid but 70... I was paying less for my KTM tyres
anyway, thanks for your helpful-ish-ness mate, be on a 30mm rim so should be reet ! and ill let you know how I get on or whether I am just expecting too much of any tyre in that slime.

 

[Gary]

20mm of slime mixed with grass and grit over bedrock.

Sounds the perfect mix for a nice cheap (£35) magic mary TBH

 

[Doomanic]

-1 for Eddy Currents.

I ended up with one after trashing my Bonty XR5 6km into a two day Coed y Brenin weekend. The shop had no 29er 2.6 tyres at all so I was “lucky” that one of my mates had brought it with him “just in case”. On the Welsh rock it was harsh but OK, in the FoD it’s bloody horrible; those stiff sidewalls everyone seem to love offer no compliance over roots and the tread pattern clogs really easily. Heavy too, I could really notice the extra weight.

 

[Josepma]

I have bought the Hans Dampf tire from Schwalbe and my intention is to mount it at the front. I have seen in several places that it is mounted both front and rear. Do you have any opinion about its usefulness on the front wheel ... thank you very much

 

[Randy]

The Rekon + rear I bought a while ago managed only 1 descent when I took it to the alps with me before I exploded it, then I repaired it when I got home and exploded it again within a couple of miles. Shame as for a summer tyre it rolled really well so gave great range and was a little less sketchy than the semi-slicks I've used. Maybe I'll get another next summer but the + casing isn't really tough enough so unlikely. I put my worn our Michelin enduro on the back for a bit which is just a brilliant tyre but a bit draggy and wore it down to the nub and now replaced with a new Super Trail 2.6" Nobby Nic with the blue stripe. Great e-bike tyre, just works, one of those tyres that you fit and forget. Casing is heavier than the Rekon + but still not heavy like a DH casing, just about right for a mixed use EMTB, it rolls well and grips well enough. When I wear it out I might try Nobby Nic front and rear but put a soft on the front with a lighter casing as I still don't really like the 'drift zone' of the DHF I have and the Mary is a bit too much for most of what I ride.

 

[Dirtnvert]

That new big betty looks like it could solve a number of the issues mentioned the last couple pages. I think they hsve 2 different casing/weight options to choose from. Mm on the front but it looks like the BB would work well f or r.
Kind of surprised no ones tried one

 

[Josepma]

That new big betty looks like it could solve a number of the issues mentioned the last couple pages. I think they hsve 2 different casing/weight options to choose from. Mm on the front but it looks like the BB would work well f or r.
Kind of surprised no ones tried one

in a very short time I will put on the rear wheel a big betty 29 "in 2.4 super gravity and I will report its behavior.

I have the impression that Hans Dampf as a teammate on the front wheel will not be up to the task ... what do you think?

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Sounds the perfect mix for a nice cheap (£35) magic mary TBH

never had a schwalbe tyre of any type, at that price its worth a punt !

 

[Doomanic]

A 29er 2.6 is more like £50ish but still worth a punt.

 

[Hamina]

Does anyone have experiences on Panaracer Aliso (rear) and Romero (front)? Just replaced old DHR with Aliso 29x2.60” 60tpi version

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

aye, I hear ya but the wild enduro has no knobs in the centre to speak of, the assegai will deffo be better.. the 'mud' here isnt really like 'real' mud, its 20mm of slime mixed with grass and grit over bedrock.. I actually wanted a DHR2 for the rear but couldnt get one for less than 70 sovs so fuck that.. dont mind 50-ish quid but 70... I was paying less for my KTM tyres
anyway, thanks for your helpful-ish-ness mate, be on a 30mm rim so should be reet ! and ill let you know how I get on or whether I am just expecting too much of any tyre in that slime.

HOLY HELL these things are beefy !! the tyre carcass is so thick... and heavy.. they are supposed to weigh about the same as the michelins I have but they dont feel like it, ill check em when I change em tomorrow.. postie dropped em off at half seven this evening !

 

[Dirtnvert]

in a very short time I will put on the rear wheel a big betty 29 "in 2.4 super gravity and I will report its behavior.

I have the impression that Hans Dampf as a teammate on the front wheel will not be up to the task ... what do you think?

I cant say. Ive never heard anything good about the new or old hans so i haven't considered it or really looked at it. Maybe the new is ok but from memory i think there are better tires. The bb to me looks really good. I prefer tires without intermediate knobs like the assegai, wild enduro, e wild, hans have. Not that theyre not good i just think there are better treads. I think i want a bb and also considering getting dome vee rubber snap flows. The v rubber look good to with nice width and weight options. Id like a 2.5 or maybe 2.6 in a 1400ish gram weight for my emtb. Thats weight and width is kind of what our trails dictate i think.
Vee rubber have good distribution in the uk and people seem to get on with them on the race scene. Also surprised no one has been trying those. I think ill end up ordering the vee rubber from the uk and my schwalbe's from germany (bike24)

 

[Bumpy]

in a very short time I will put on the rear wheel a big betty 29 "in 2.4 super gravity and I will report its behavior.

I have the impression that Hans Dampf as a teammate on the front wheel will not be up to the task ... what do you think?

I just noticed on Schwalbes webby they state the Big Betty as being for dry to damp conditions so I might try it in the spring months as winter is about to hit for me.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Is this normal? I had to double the sealant and then after a long ride it stopped losing pressure but I’ve never seen a tyre leaking through the sidewall before.

 

[Jimmer]

Is this normal? I had to double the sealant and then after a long ride it stopped losing pressure but I’ve never seen a tyre leaking through the sidewall before.
View attachment 42244

That looks to me like it’s leaking through the spoke holes which would imply that the tape isn’t holding/sealing properly inside. Have you checked it?

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

That looks to me like it’s leaking through the spoke holes which would imply that the tape isn’t holding/sealing properly inside. Have you checked it?

look for the bubbles mate, the whole tyre and all the spoke holes are covered in soap solution, if the spoke nipples were leaking, there would be bubbles.

 

[Josepma]

Is a 2.4 tire for the front wheel too narrow?
I currently carry 2.6 which is 3mm bigger than the 2.4 but the little one has more grip than the big one.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Is a 2.4 tire for the front wheel too narrow?
I currently carry 2.6 which is 3mm bigger than the 2.4 but the little one has more grip than the big one.

I was worried about that too but I put the michelin wilds on at 2.4 and they are great

 

[Jimmer]

That looks to me like it’s leaking through the spoke holes which would imply that the tape isn’t holding/sealing properly inside. Have you checked it?

Ah, I see what you mean. I was looking at it on my phone and thought it was erupting tyre sealant!!! Yeah, strange.

 

[Spagnol]

Assegai's are working great on wet conditions, but it looks like they are allergic to wet roots ... anything that will perform better on wet roots ?