Sidewalls: Downhilll vs Trail?

Z

zirkel

Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2023
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Tahoe City
As a general rule, is it better to use DH sidewalls for emtb tires (Trail/AM bike) vs Trail sidewalls?

And what about mixing DH sidewall (rear) and Trail sidewall (front)?

Or using Trail sidewalls (front and rear) but with a tire insert in the rear.

Is there a consensus here? Thanks!
 
⚡ EMTB Pro Go Pro — Living Intelligence Reports, exclusive discounts & ad-free Up to 25% off Peaty's, PEMBREE, Magicshine & more · Ad-free browsing · Pro badge See the deals →
Depends on a lot of factors, mostly terrain and tyre brand, but many of us just use full downhill casings and don't even take a tube with us anymore.

For many people an intermediate (maxxis DD, schwalbe super gravity, conti Enduro) will do fine, especially at the front.
 
I use even lighter then trail casing with cush core pro inserts. I find it has much less rolling resistance when I want to run lower pressures. I have magic mary super ground out back, which is lighter then trail. Up front I am forced to use trail because the ultra soft rubber is not available in super ground casing. They are also much lighter, making up for the inserts, and a bonus is they are much easier to mount

This setup seems to be very unconventional, but it works great for me. Without the inserts I would probably have a completely different set up. I started running the inserts and lower pressures to get some more damping on the ridiculous amount of big roots that I ride. It works pretty well for that

I might try the radials one day, but I think then I have to commit to always running high pressures -- need to tune my suspension a bit more for that first, but hope to get there. At that point I might ditch the inserts
 
Is there a common consensus 🤣
The only thing we agree on is the need for 2 tires (some will argue that)

You need to consider your
Weight
Riding style
Riding speed
Terrain that the tires will be used on
Budget
Any additional goals(durability, weight savings)

Then…. Magically the correct tires start to come into focus
 
I don't see a downside to just using DH casing tires. Tire weight is really not an issue with regards to an eMTB. The DH casing will give you the best protection against flats regardless of where you ride but especially in areas with sharp rocks or roots. My riding areas are in the desert SW of the US and they contain a lot of "wicked-sharp" rocks that can damage the strongest tires if hit at the wrong angle. I currently run the Schwalbe Albert radials (ultra-soft front at 26psi & soft rear at 28 psi) ) which I've found to have excellent grip even with higher tire pressures.
 
Last edited:
DH/DD/Super Gravity casings are though, available super soft compound but also more better rolling not so soft compound, give you good damping and because sidewalls are so thick you can run low pressures. Negatives: Not so fast rolling and heavy but who cares when you are on ebike?
 
I care a lot about rolling resistance and tire weight on ebike, it makes a huge difference for acceleration and range. To prove it you can just try a spare wheelset with XC tires for example, the bike will feel like a rocket, and battery lasts a lot longer
 
@zirkel Ref soft and grippy tyres. Some have said high rolling resistance should not be an issue for those on an ebike, it should be all about GRIP! Well, some do care. Yes, they are on an ebike, but they want the battery to last at least to the end of the trail without having to carry a spare battery in their pack. If they they are not tearing the arse out of rocky trails at warp speed, but do want to do a reliable 30-mile trip with lots of climbing, then range may become more important than glue-like grip. So consider the questions from @Pizzman

If you choose to go light, then go tubeless as a minimum. Then give a lot of consideration to taking the means to get going again if you get a puncture or tear that the sealant will not fix. (plugs, patches, spare tube(s), pump, tyre levers).
 
zirkel said:
Or using Trail sidewalls (front and rear) but with a tire insert in the rear.
Click to expand...
I run this. EXO casings, but with Tannus Armour inserts and 50 gram TPU tubes.

Why ?

The Tannus inserts reinforce the sidewalls, giving even greater support than DD casings, so I can run low pressure, without any chance of burping.

The inserts support the tyre so well, you can run flat, to get yourself back, in the event of a puncture.

Due to the lighter tyres and not needing sealant. The weight is about the same as tubeless without inserts. And infact lighter than if you run tubeless with an insert.

The EXO casings are much cheaper than the DD casings, so I tend to not wait till tyres are well worn, before replacing.

The only downside, is that if you ride very sharp rocked areas. It can cut the sidewalls. But I have never had this.

Running this setup worked so well for my rear tyre, that I have converted the front tyre to the same setup, for absolute peace of mind.
 
zirkel said:
As a general rule, is it better to use DH sidewalls for emtb tires (Trail/AM bike) vs Trail sidewalls?

And what about mixing DH sidewall (rear) and Trail sidewall (front)?

Or using Trail sidewalls (front and rear) but with a tire insert in the rear.

Is there a consensus here? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Having had tyre slashes on both wheels,i only run dh casings on maxxis now,exo and exo + are crap,id do a minimum of a DD casing on both.
 
My last bike came with Conti Enduro casing tires and I found they were not as supportive as needed for me. I had to run 32-35psi to keep them from rolling the side wall on the rear in berms. I can run Maxxis DD easily and not have an issue so the Conti Enduo casing are not as stiff as DD.

I also noticed that the weight difference from the Maxxis DD to DH casing is negligible. Its something like 40oz. The fell is very noticeable. The DH casings feel more damped where the DD casings feel more poppy. Both come is most grip compounds.
 
Trail up front and Gravity rear is my favorite setup for Schwalbe tires.
 
I use trail casing tyres and OPTIS pneumatic inserts. Being 100% confident I am not going to burp is very liberating in terms of choosing pressures.
EXO+ and above is reliable for me with this setup, going down to an EXO (without the plus) is a recipe for a ripped sidewall. The difference between running thicker heavier softer tyres and trail tyres on battery range is surprisingly noticable for me.
Lots of choice in carcass weight, with the next one up always being "just a hundred grams or so heavier" but that extra weight on tyres is very noticeable to me.
 
Joakim said:
I care a lot about rolling resistance and tire weight on ebike, it makes a huge difference for acceleration and range. To prove it you can just try a spare wheelset with XC tires for example, the bike will feel like a rocket, and battery lasts a lot longer
Click to expand...
This for me too! I recently tried Tubolight inserts along with a DHF 2.5 exo+ up front and a Dissector 2.4 exo in the rear, on my Rise H10. It turned my bike into a slug! Needless to say, the range went way down also. 18 ounces of added wheel weight really sucks the life out of my bike!
 
Ride in the UK South Downs - chalk with embedded flint which when split can be incredibly sharp.

Have used Maxxis EXO and EXO+, got punctures and/or ripped tyres with both.

For last 3 years have used Maxxis DD (Double Down) Maxxgrip on front and rear, no punctures or rips. They're a bit 'livelier' than the DH (Down Hill). Summer Assegai front, DHR2 rear. Winter something with more grip like Shorty/High Roller.

Edit: forgot to say, front ~23psi and rear ~25psi. Check pressures before every ride.
 
Last edited:
I run dual Assegai MaxxGrip with DH casing at 22 psi front and 26 psi rear for my rocky, desert terrain. I had considered running 21 psi front but then had a light rim strike when I messed up once, so that solidified 22 psi as low as I can get away with.

I like the symmetry of running the same exact tire front and rear so I’m not personally considering different front and rear patterns, compounds, or casings right now.
 
Really depends how hard u ride. I use trail casing on my Amflow and I’m a very average rider (no double black line) and it has been fine.
 
Front and rear tyres have different jobs to do. Therefore I do not expect them to be the same. The closest I could get to symmetry would be the tyre brand, but I haven't been there for years. I don't even have the same wheel size.
 
Do you plough or glide?
 
If you need to ask you’re probably a plougher… 😂
 
  • Like
Reactions: MOG
You must log in or register to reply here.
Keep reading
    Browse all

    Similar Threads

    Community Stats

    Since 2018
    670K
    Messages
    41,189
    Members
    Join 30,000+ Riders, it's free!
    Back
    Top