"Light" tires with insert of heavier tires

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
As title says what would be te best option for me?

Little explaining:
I've been running some schwalbe nobby nic superground in 29x 2.4 skinwall.
For the seccond time I've got a cut on the back . just when I've put it on for the good weather.
I luckily got it plugged with 5 tubeless plugs and got to to ride back 40 km to my house. View attachment 20240331_150855.jpg
It runs fast is light.
For the winter I had some pirellis scorpion enduro in 2.6 size with a weight of 1100gr(nobby nics are around 850-900gr Fix time at)

Although they are not that much of a difference in weight, the pirellis feels like I'm pulling a bus

on this road I got a flat( other time was an equal road)
View attachment 20240331_134008.jpg

What other tire could I try that rolls fast( mostly 60%hardpack and some 40% asphalt)

Or should I get an insert instead of a heavier tire?
 

Book'emDanno!

Member
May 2, 2020
18
21
Italy
I have been running cushcore and a Hans damph 27.5" in the back of my focus sam²(27kilos) riding on rock gardens half the time. Never had a flat.
Now running a huck Norris and Eddy current 29" always in the rear... It's bulletproof!
 

Book'emDanno!

Member
May 2, 2020
18
21
Italy
Oh and you realize how many times it saved you a loooong walk is when you replace your tires and see how many indentations on the inserts! On an emtb + rough terrain I would absolutely recommend them. 👍🏻
 

theremotejuggernaut

Active member
Aug 2, 2022
386
278
UK
Inserts are good for protecting against snakebite punctures where the tyre pinches against the rim. You've punctured the centre of the tyre so an insert was never going to help. I'd ignore those. They're great if your riding rocky stuff or want to run lown pressures but otherwise they're just extra weight in the worst possible place.

If all your rides are hardpack and tarmac then I wouldn't have thought you really need anything too aggressive tread wise.

Super soft compound enduro tyres like some of the above suggestions are just a waste of time if you want fast rolling and low weight.

Maxxis Rekon Race in EXO comes in at around 780g and is a fast tyre. Surprising grippy too. It's only available with EXO casing though.

The Ardent Race is a great tyre for just about anything that isn't mud. Slightly more aggressive than the Rekon Race and an excellent rear. Again though, no EXO+ unfortunately.

The new Forekaster looks pretty good too. Slightly heavier than the Rekon but still under 1kg. I planned to fit some to replace the Dissector that I had on the back but instead,
I fitted an Bontrager XR4 to the back (of my Rise and my hardtail) and have been impressed so far. It's fast and light for a trail tyre (~800g). There's also the SE4 which has a much tougher carcass. I'd say that's probably a really good tyre for what you're riding. You could go SE4 2.4 on the back and XR4 2.6 at the front. The heavier casing of the SE adds about 150g to the tyre.

What sealant are you using?
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
Inserts are good for protecting against snakebite punctures where the tyre pinches against the rim. You've punctured the centre of the tyre so an insert was never going to help. I'd ignore those. They're great if your riding rocky stuff or want to run lown pressures but otherwise they're just extra weight in the worst possible place.

If all your rides are hardpack and tarmac then I wouldn't have thought you really need anything too aggressive tread wise.

Super soft compound enduro tyres like some of the above suggestions are just a waste of time if you want fast rolling and low weight.

Maxxis Rekon Race in EXO comes in at around 780g and is a fast tyre. Surprising grippy too. It's only available with EXO casing though.

The Ardent Race is a great tyre for just about anything that isn't mud. Slightly more aggressive than the Rekon Race and an excellent rear. Again though, no EXO+ unfortunately.

The new Forekaster looks pretty good too. Slightly heavier than the Rekon but still under 1kg. I planned to fit some to replace the Dissector that I had on the back but instead,
I fitted an Bontrager XR4 to the back (of my Rise and my hardtail) and have been impressed so far. It's fast and light for a trail tyre (~800g). There's also the SE4 which has a much tougher carcass. I'd say that's probably a really good tyre for what you're riding. You could go SE4 2.4 on the back and XR4 2.6 at the front. The heavier casing of the SE adds about 150g to the tyre.

What sealant are you using?
The thing is i do rides of 120km every weekend wich include riding over parts tarmac (40km).
there are regions I ride Wich have more stone/rocks but I don't ride big rockgardens and don't ride them hard.

So I look for a tire that rolls smooth but has a good punctures protection.

I use dynamic barkeeper sealant. That stuff is insane. It seals very fast
When I had tire rip the sealant had a blast on my frame. When I got home it was already dried up and it was so hard to remove, no water or soap could do it.
 

theremotejuggernaut

Active member
Aug 2, 2022
386
278
UK
I'd have thought a Rekon EXO+ would make a good rear for that type of riding. Then either the same up front or something more aggressive if you think you need it. Dissector makes a good front or rear. Anything more aggressive than that and you start to really notice the rolling resistance (I do, at least).

I'd say a Maxxis EXO+ or a Bontrager SE something is probably a good shout for the thicker casing and puncture resistance. I'm sure they're are equivalents from other manufacturers but I'm not overly familiar with them.

The Rekon is fairly light and pretty fast. The Bontrager XR or SE4 is a lot faster than it looks. It's quite an aggressive looking tyre but still rolls well.

The Bontrager range is fairly easy to understand. XR is lighter, SE is tougher. Numbered 1-6 with higher numbers being more aggressive in their tread. 3 on the back and 4 up front would a good combo for what you describe. Nice and light and roll really well.

Tyres are such a personally thing, it's hard to recommend a specific tyre. I love certain things that I know other people hate.

Main thing for you I think is deciding on a casing that will give you the support and puncture resistance that you need, and then picking a tyretread pattern that you think will give you the grip you need. The other good thing about the Bontrager range is that they're relatively cheap. £40 per tyre rather that £60+ for a Maxxis.
 

Mrj35

Member
Sep 29, 2023
194
124
canada
As title says what would be te best option for me?

Little explaining:
I've been running some schwalbe nobby nic superground in 29x 2.4 skinwall.
For the seccond time I've got a cut on the back . just when I've put it on for the good weather.
I luckily got it plugged with 5 tubeless plugs and got to to ride back 40 km to my house. View attachment 137328
It runs fast is light.
For the winter I had some pirellis scorpion enduro in 2.6 size with a weight of 1100gr(nobby nics are around 850-900gr Fix time at)

Although they are not that much of a difference in weight, the pirellis feels like I'm pulling a bus

on this road I got a flat( other time was an equal road)
View attachment 137330

What other tire could I try that rolls fast( mostly 60%hardpack and some 40% asphalt)

Or should I get an insert instead of a heavier tire?
if you have a motor im not sure if having a fast rolling tire even matters anymore. Just get dh casing tires and you will be good to go. on downhill stuff I've hit over 60kmh on the assegai dh casing tires. and I cant pedal much faster than the max speed of the motor on flat (32kmh) without considerable effort lol.
 

gmoss

New Member
Mar 21, 2024
113
40
Hickory, NC
It's odd that you are getting cuts riding on the road.? Are you hitting broken glass, or can you tell what is causing it? I have rode over stuff with my reae tire making a very loud pop and wondered how I did not puncture or tear it, but I have yet to have a torn tire, or even a flat with tubeless running them since getting back to riding in 2016. I cannot imagine what you are describing would be harder on a tire than what I have ridden here in the foothills and mtns of NC.

Otherwise, I tend to agree with theremotejuggernaut on inserts based solely on your posts.

I have ran several lighter tires including the Rekon, Ardent Race, and even the Forekaster. The XR4 has been my go to tire for the past several years, front and back on my normal full susp and now my new Fuel EX-e. Great tire all yr, rolls fast with predictable perfomrance.
But, you may need a tougher carcass if you are tearing tires and not punch flatting.

Air pressures?
 

theremotejuggernaut

Active member
Aug 2, 2022
386
278
UK
if you have a motor im not sure if having a fast rolling tire even matters anymore.

It does.

If you only ride uplfit or winch and plummet stuff up and down the same hill all day, then it might not be so noticeable but a bike with a motor is no different to a bike without.

Heavier tyres still need more effort to accelerate. Sticker tyres still need more effort to keep them rolling.

That extra effort has to come from somewhere. It'll be your range that suffers on a ebike rather than just your legs on a normal bike.

I cant pedal much faster than the max speed of the motor on flat (32kmh) without considerable effort lol.

This confirms it 😂 If your bike had lighter wheels and faster tyres, pedalling above the cutout would be easier.
 

Mrj35

Member
Sep 29, 2023
194
124
canada
It does.

If you only ride uplfit or winch and plummet stuff up and down the same hill all day, then it might not be so noticeable but a bike with a motor is no different to a bike without.

Heavier tyres still need more effort to accelerate. Sticker tyres still need more effort to keep them rolling.

That extra effort has to come from somewhere. It'll be your range that suffers on a ebike rather than just your legs on a normal bike.



This confirms it 😂 If your bike had lighter wheels and faster tyres, pedalling above the cutout would be easier.
Yeah I have zero intention of ever pedaling that tank above its max power output 🤣
If I put lighter tires wheels they would be destroyed in a few days lol.

It's basically a pedalable adventure machine thats dh oriented. Love it
 

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