What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

Kernow

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
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Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
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Cornwall uk
How did these go for you?

I have just put the 29x2.6 and 27.5x2.8 on mine with rim pacts. Switched from the stock DHF and DHR.
Fitted easily and inflated instantly , I can only compare to the original bontrager se5 team issue on my trek rail 9 which I was very impressed with . The michelins hook up better in the mud and soft ground , similar to the Mary’s I had on the last bike
they are lower volume tyres than the originals hence a harsher ride and quite noisy on tarmac . I would say they are similar to DHF and DHR but lighter and faster rolling
Not quite as fast rolling as my originals but not much in it .
On wet hard pack bike park gravel they felt a little unpredictable
I’ll use them for the wetter winter months on natural trails then go back to original tyres for the rest of the season
 

JC1982

New Member
Feb 6, 2021
77
20
South Wales
Fitted easily and inflated instantly , I can only compare to the original bontrager se5 team issue on my trek rail 9 which I was very impressed with . The michelins hook up better in the mud and soft ground , similar to the Mary’s I had on the last bike
they are lower volume tyres than the originals hence a harsher ride and quite noisy on tarmac . I would say they are similar to DHF and DHR but lighter and faster rolling
Not quite as fast rolling as my originals but not much in it .
On wet hard pack bike park gravel they felt a little unpredictable
I’ll use them for the wetter winter months on natural trails then go back to original tyres for the rest of the season

Great they sound perfect for here in Wales where I ride. Thank you.
 

Keisari66

Member
May 1, 2019
57
28
Finland
I ran Eddy Currents last season and for the sake of sanity when installing I will try something else. Thinking of trying MM 29x2.4 at front and Hans Dampf 29x2.6 at the rear, any feedback?
 

JC1982

New Member
Feb 6, 2021
77
20
South Wales
I use to run that combo on my nukeproof mega, loved it for the Welsh Valleys. I find though Schalwbe are expensive tyre and always a hard fit. Which is why I tried the E Wilds easy to fit. Appear hard to get off the bead. I suppose that a posstive though for hard riding.
 

Keisari66

Member
May 1, 2019
57
28
Finland
Michelins seem to be hard to get at this point.

But a slightly wider rear works? I would take a 2.6 front too but find them lacking in bite and grip on damp/wet conditions compared to a narrower front tyre.
 

JC1982

New Member
Feb 6, 2021
77
20
South Wales
I will have to give them a try as my first time using them. Haven't been out on them yet. Picked up a 29x2.6 and 27.5x2.8 in the week.
 

Jorel

Active member
Mar 4, 2021
109
290
Germany
I switched to eWilds last summer.
Two rears and one front later, here's my verdict:
Worth every penny!
If you can't roll around an obstacle then roll over it.
I previously had the Maxxis DHF and DHR.
eWilds are better in every terrain.
I did ultra muddy trails, 30cm snow, dry and wet root gardens, bike park and BMX track with eWilds... they didn't disappoint at all.
The front delivers grip and - in contrast to many reviews - I find it quite precise to steer. The rear is almost nukeproof and saved my ass many times when I once more fu.. ed up the big table and had a hangup (surely more than 30 failed landings)... no snakebite!
Rear grip is amazing, too.
Since two weeks now I have the eWilds set up with the Aerothan tube. That gave the tyres another boost. They roll super easy now, almost like tubeless.
I can jump the biggest tables here at my local BMX track with 1,5 bars in the tube with no snakebite.
Grip and feel improved due to the lower pressure.
I'm running on 27,5 x 2,8.
 

RowanTheKiwi

Member
Feb 8, 2021
23
72
New Zealand
Well, I gave Eddy Current's a go. And while I'm sure this is a freak occurence... this is word to the wise, give them (or any tyre for that matter) a very good test before going backcountry or relying on them. I very nearly had a very bad day. Long story as no one would believe me otherwise, here goes :

Installed them, seated them without insanely high pressures (in the ~40psi range), after quite a lot of huffing and puffing (-----'ds of things to fit on bontrager rims). Did a test ride round the block, left for a week at 28psi to make sure was seated nicely. Deflated, packed into bag for travel...

... At start of the TransNZ Enduro event, unpacked bike, pumped back up to around 28-30, rode around registration, rode to dinner up/down a gravel road (say 15mins) including some bouncing around on them, got back let down to 25psi and then put the bike inside the house we were staying.

3AM in the morning- BOOM ! massive bang - woke our house up. Everyone had thought a C02 cylinder exploded. Nope- Tyre had blown completely off the rim all by itself. Ie one side of the tyre was still seated, the other side was hanging outside the rim. Everyone was groggy and baffled. No heated floor, no weird house temperatures, no unusual weight on the tyre.

This of course was the morning of race start of something I'd been hanging out for 3 months for.

Googling suggested the tyre bead had actually failed - Dr Google and Captain Obvious said 'don't ride that thing at all'. but why it would do that at 3am vs when I'd been riding on it earlier. Who knows. I'm sure an expert will give advice but everyone I'd talked to was baffled. It should have failed while seating, or while I was riding it. I tried reinstalling and pumping up to see what would happen and the tyre was completely deformed on one side and got worse with more pressure confirming the suspicion something had gone wrong inside the tyre.

I then spent the next 90mins running around trying to buy a spare tyre off other people before managing to get on my shuttle at the right time! Including going to the dirtbag/racer crew who all shook their heads when I mentioned Schwalbe "what are you doing, Maxxis all the way". Yeah yeah....

Only thing I'm thankful for it didn't happen downhilling way out in the backcountry, would have had a very bad day indeed. On the upside the Maxxis Assegai I managed to find, held up without a pinch flat even with only an EXO casing on some pretty rocky/nasty terrain.

As I said I'm sure it's a freak occurance, but next time before a big event/ride, definitely going to make sure a tyre is put through it's paces for a good few hours before trusting it.

DSC_1010.JPG
 

JC1982

New Member
Feb 6, 2021
77
20
South Wales
Lol you want to try get the Ewilds back off. I had to soap the rims and bead and step on it, to break the seal.

In saying that I put the Gum X 2.6 on the front and 2.8 back. They are brilliant run 28miles on their first ride mostly down hill and forest roads.

Running rimpact with them, the grip was amazing over roots, rocks wet and dry ground. I found I could corner better and had more confidence than the DHF and DHR.
 

Nick69

Member
Feb 24, 2021
22
1
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire
I'm trying to work out which is the best option for the front of our new Trek Rails. This is my first emtb coming from a SC Megatower.
I'm having trouble with front end grip on the steep, muddy, slippy Welsh off piste trails we've built.
No problem on the Megatower with Michelin 2.4 Wild Enduros, but with the same tyres and wheelset on the Rail it's more of a struggle.
Are the E Wilds the answer, bigger volume or do I just need to get used to the added weight of the bike.
Thanks in advance.
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
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the internet
sounds like weighting the front of your Ebike more is your answer.
Eebs do require slightly different weighting and timing to normal bikes. But it's unlikely your Rail will have the exact same geometry as the Megatower.
Your suspension set-up and tyre pressures will also make a big difference to handling and grip
 

JC1982

New Member
Feb 6, 2021
77
20
South Wales
I'm trying to work out which is the best option for the front of our new Trek Rails. This is my first emtb coming from a SC Megatower.
I'm having trouble with front end grip on the steep, muddy, slippy Welsh off piste trails we've built.
No problem on the Megatower with Michelin 2.4 Wild Enduros, but with the same tyres and wheelset on the Rail it's more of a struggle.
Are the E Wilds the answer, bigger volume or do I just need to get used to the added weight of the bike.
Thanks in advance.

I would say Gary is right on weighting the front I have moved over to ebikes (haibike allmtn7) absolutely love the bike. Still figuring body position out to create traction and grip in certain areas.

In saying that though in the wet today in South Wales. I came across some slippery roots etc. I did find that the 2.6 E wild handled better than the 2.35 Magic Mary I would run on my nukeproof mega.

I was running the 2.6 ewild at around 23psi with a rimpact insert. Certainly more grip than the magic mary.
 

Nick69

Member
Feb 24, 2021
22
1
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire
Cheers guys.
Yeah, I understand about weighting the bike, the geometry is pretty similar to my Megatower, Rail is a bit longer, but it feels the same.
The trails are so wet and slick at the moment, I think they're are a handful on any bike to be honest.
I think I'll try the 2.6 E Wilds, if I can find any in stock anywhere in the country.... ??
 

JC1982

New Member
Feb 6, 2021
77
20
South Wales
Cheers guys.
Yeah, I understand about weighting the bike, the geometry is pretty similar to my Megatower, Rail is a bit longer, but it feels the same.
The trails are so wet and slick at the moment, I think they're are a handful on any bike to be honest.
I think I'll try the 2.6 E Wilds, if I can find any in stock anywhere in the country.... ??

Love the tyres, you have so much more ability to adjust pressures for grip over the DHF and DHR.
 

EebStrider

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2020
712
763
Surrey, UK
Cheers guys.
Yeah, I understand about weighting the bike, the geometry is pretty similar to my Megatower, Rail is a bit longer, but it feels the same.
The trails are so wet and slick at the moment, I think they're are a handful on any bike to be honest.
I think I'll try the 2.6 E Wilds, if I can find any in stock anywhere in the country.... ??

I bought a set from Merlin Cycles a few weeks ago, they had good stock levels then.
 

Crazee horse

New Member
Sep 20, 2020
63
33
Uk
I went out in some thick mud recently and was shocked how poor the clearance is with a nobby nic 2.6 on the rear.assive mud just clogging shizzle up. 27.4+
 

artzicat1

Active member
Mar 3, 2019
65
108
israel
morning all
well installed last week Assagai 29X2.5 DD as front plus 29X2.6 EXO rear
looks like the best tires i have had. so far cornering is a breeze plus 2.5 DD seem to roll quit fast cant be happier
 

Matthew87

Active member
Aug 8, 2019
73
105
Sweden
morning all
well installed last week Assagai 29X2.5 DD as front plus 29X2.6 EXO rear
looks like the best tires i have had. so far cornering is a breeze plus 2.5 DD seem to roll quit fast cant be happier

Why do you have the DD in the front? Makes more sense to change them and run the DD in the back. The back takes way more beating.
 

Kernow

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
1,436
1,149
Cornwall uk
Advice please , I’ve been given a set of 25imm int width rims I want to use for easy longer distance trail rides , so I want some light tyres . Would 2.6 nobby nicks be ok on that width rim , not sure how wide they come up but it’s he kind of easy rolling trail tyre I want and the only thing I can find available currently
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,362
8,590
Lincolnshire, UK
Advice please , I’ve been given a set of 25imm int width rims I want to use for easy longer distance trail rides , so I want some light tyres . Would 2.6 nobby nicks be ok on that width rim , not sure how wide they come up but it’s he kind of easy rolling trail tyre I want and the only thing I can find available currently
Here is a useful source of info from WTB. Page down to the second chart (MTBs). Rim widths across the top, tyre widths down the left. It confirms that your combo is just outside the "optimal" range and in the "compatible" range.

 

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