[Scabby Elbowz]

Still looking for the perfect setup. Currently riding 2.25 Cinders, and will stick with that as my rear tire. Up front, it tracks super straight in the dicey stuff, but low speed cornering could be better. Considering a Fire FR 2.4 (heavy), or the Blue Groove in a 2.35 (no experience w/Kendas), or maybe a Nokian Boazobeana F (if I can find one somewhere). Ride alot of gravel & rocks, with a smattering of semi hard pack, scree, roots, sand, and water bars. Local trails are occaisionally wet, but rarely muddy. Can't make up my mind. Any suggestions?

 

[shiggy]

Still looking for the perfect setup. Currently riding 2.25 Cinders, and will stick with that as my rear tire. Up front, it tracks super straight in the dicey stuff, but low speed cornering could be better. Considering a Fire FR 2.4 (heavy), or the Blue Groove in a 2.35 (no experience w/Kendas), or maybe a Nokian Boazobeana F (if I can find one somewhere). Ride alot of gravel & rocks, with a smattering of semi hard pack, scree, roots, sand, and water bars. Local trails are occaisionally wet, but rarely muddy. Can't make up my mind. Any suggestions?

My suggestions:

• Kenda Blue Groove 2.10 (bigger casing than the Cinder) or 2.35
• Kenda Cortez 2.4
• Intense CC 2.25
• Nokian NBX 2.3
• Schwalbe Big Jim/King Jim 2.25/2.35
• Schwalbe Albert/Fat Albert 2.25/2.35

 

[Evel Knievel]

Tioga Yellow Kirin 2.3 or WTB Weirwolf 2.3.

 

[Bortis Yelltzen]

What about....

Do you have any suggestions for a 2.5 ish (or large volume 2.2-2.4) UST tire for XC/Trail riding on rocky, hard, dry Colorado trails? I want a large volume aggressive tire for my front wheel, I have not been able to find anything I like in UST. I am currently running Conti Vertical Pro 2.3 UST on an Intense 5.5 and just want a bigger.larger volume front tire. I have Mavic 819 UST rims and like tubless tires so far, I just want a bigger tire. Weight is not a major concern, but I don't want to run DH tires.

Any help would be greatly appreciateed.

 

[shiggy]

Do you have any suggestions for a 2.5 ish (or large volume 2.2-2.4) UST tire for XC/Trail riding on rocky, hard, dry Colorado trails? I want a large volume aggressive tire for my front wheel, I have not been able to find anything I like in UST. I am currently running Conti Vertical Pro 2.3 UST on an Intense 5.5 and just want a bigger.larger volume front tire. I have Mavic 819 UST rims and like tubless tires so far, I just want a bigger tire. Weight is not a major concern, but I don't want to run DH tires.

Any help would be greatly appreciateed.

Geax Sturdy 2.25, Kenda Kinetics 2.2

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I agree with Shiggy (of course).
I just relocated to the CO front range and have tried Big Jim, Fat Albert, Vert, Blue Groove & Nevegal.
By far I like the BG in the front best, followed by Fat Albert. Simply amazing in loose, sandy & rocky terrain combined with a Nevegal 2.1 in the rear.

The Vertical was the worst thus far. Big Jim was OK. Not great but not terrible.

 

[Bortis Yelltzen]

I agree with Shiggy (of course).
I just relocated to the CO front range and have tried Big Jim, Fat Albert, Vert, Blue Groove & Nevegal.
By far I like the BG in the front best, followed by Fat Albert. Simply amazing in loose, sandy & rocky terrain combined with a Nevegal 2.1 in the rear.

The Vertical was the worst thus far. Big Jim was OK. Not great but not terrible.

I am tempted to try the Kenda Kinetics since they are available in UST. I was also looking at the Nokian NBX UST and the Geax Sturdy UST. Have you ridden any of those? I am really liking the UST thing. Very supple ride, no flats (thanks to Stans Sealant) and running lower pressure and am getting some great traction. I would like to try the Blue Groove but it is not available in UST that I have seen, I could run tubes again but like I said, I am liking the UST thing.

Ah yes, the Front Range, I lived in Ft. Collins and Boulder for the first 25 years of my life, now I am trying to live the next 25 up here in the hills. I miss the trails and go back down often to ride them (Hall Ranch, White Ranch, Horsetooth, you name it) I am living up near Aspen right now, it is a bit different terrain than most of the trails on the Front Range. There are more wet trails with roots and rocks, and most trails start out with similar conditions to those on the front range but climb into very different stuff. There is a bit more moisture up here and the trails often have wet muddy sections as well as fast loose dry sections and hardpack. I guess a bit of everything. I also go to Fruita often in the winter and fall.

Any suggestions would be nice. I kind of like the Vertical Pros, I just wish they were larger volume tires.

 

[gonzostrike]

The Kinetics Stick-E 2.35 work pretty well. Nice for a faily small 2.35 (about a 2.1 if you ask me)

I would go with the better tread of the Blue Groove and Nevegal, though... spend a bit more and get something that is more dependable in really gnarly stuff.

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I haven't tried the UST Sturdy, NBX or Kinetics. Both the Sturdy & NBX get great reviews and not much has been said of the Kinetics. Unfortunately the NBX 2.3 weighed in over 1 kg. I tried my Vert, which I've really liked for northeast terrain, up here on the front range and absolutely hated them. Too much squirm on the rocks and no grip in the sand. I too am a big UST advocate but have gone against the grain for the first time in 3 years with a 2.35 BG up front and a 2.1 Nevegal in the rear. I'm running the BG with a tube which is fine since I rarely pinch the front and have sealed the rear with Stan's on my UST X3.1 rim. After 4 rides I've had no problems and have found this to be an amazing combo. It does great in the sandy loose stuff and also kicked butt on a 4 hr. epic today up on Crosier Mtn which was quite wet due to the rains we've had the past few days. The Stick-E rubber is simply amazing on wet rock.
As much as I like the stick-E, I'll likely replace my rear Nev with the UST version when it's released this fall due to my comfort level with UST over Stan's.
BTW, the Verts are the smallest 2.3's I've come across and the Nevegal 2.1 is the biggest 2.1 I've seen. The Nev 2.1 width appears bigger than my Schwalbe Big Jim 2.25 when placed aside one another.

Actually....the Schwalbe Big Jim is available in UST and is another option for you. Similar, but much better, tread design as the Vert. I ran these for a year in Vermont and really liked them and they did OK up here on the front range. Albert & Fat Albert are also available in UST. I'd recommend either of these over the Vert.

 

[Bortis Yelltzen]

I haven't tried the UST Sturdy, NBX or Kinetics. Both the Sturdy & NBX get great reviews and not much has been said of the Kinetics. Unfortunately the NBX 2.3 weighed in over 1 kg. I tried my Vert, which I've really liked for northeast terrain, up here on the front range and absolutely hated them. Too much squirm on the rocks and no grip in the sand. I too am a big UST advocate but have gone against the grain for the first time in 3 years with a 2.35 BG up front and a 2.1 Nevegal in the rear. I'm running the BG with a tube which is fine since I rarely pinch the front and have sealed the rear with Stan's on my UST X3.1 rim. After 4 rides I've had no problems and have found this to be an amazing combo. It does great in the sandy loose stuff and also kicked butt on a 4 hr. epic today up on Crosier Mtn which was quite wet due to the rains we've had the past few days. The Stick-E rubber is simply amazing on wet rock.
As much as I like the stick-E, I'll likely replace my rear Nev with the UST version when it's released this fall due to my comfort level with UST over Stan's.
BTW, the Verts are the smallest 2.3's I've come across and the Nevegal 2.1 is the biggest 2.1 I've seen. The Nev 2.1 width appears bigger than my Schwalbe Big Jim 2.25 when placed aside one another.

Actually....the Schwalbe Big Jim is available in UST and is another option for you. Similar, but much better, tread design as the Vert. I ran these for a year in Vermont and really liked them and they did OK up here on the front range. Albert & Fat Albert are also available in UST. I'd recommend either of these over the Vert.

Thanks for the info. I hope Kenda expands their UST line. I would love to have a Nevegal 2.1 and BG 2.5 in UST. I am also looking into the Fat Alberts and Big Jims. Would you recommned BJ front and rear, what about the Fat Alberts, are they better front or rear, also , which is a larger volume/wider tire, the Big Jim, or the Fat Albert?

It is time to get rid of the Vertical Pros. I need bigger tires. I am tempted to just buy a BG, a Nevegal, and use the Stans to seal them both to my 819 tubless rims or run tubes, you mentioned you did this on your rear tire, how is that working? How much sealant did you use?

Thanks again,
B

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I'm running a tube with my BG 2.35 in the front since I don't worry about pinching the front. For the rear Nev 2.1 I used a 2.5 scoops of Stan's since it's a big volume tire. I initially had a hard time getting the sidewall/rim interface to seal but it's held now over 4 rides with minimal air loss. I finally got them to seal by dropping the pressure to about 15 then circumfrentially pushing the sidewall away from the rim. The small amount of resultant air loss pushed the latex to the wall and sealed everything off. I could stick a Stan's strip in there but so far things are A-OK with just the UST rim.
Kenda told me that they will only be doing UST versions of BG & Nev in 2.1, non Stick-E rubber, which is a bummer. Still, I'll likely stick with the tubed BG 2.35 up front and a UST Nev in the rear.
I haven't seen a 2.5 BG but it must be huge since the 2.35 is bigger than anything else I've seen in its class.
The Big Jim is smaller than the Fat Albert. The King Jim is roughly the same size as Fat Albert. But only the Big Jim, and not King, is available in UST although both Fat albert & little albert have UST versions.
The Fat Albert is my second fav tire for front range conditions and the tread is similar to the BG. I didn't weigh a UST Fat Albert but claimed weight is just under 1 kg.

 

[Bortis Yelltzen]

I'm running a tube with my BG 2.35 in the front since I don't worry about pinching the front. For the rear Nev 2.1 I used a 2.5 scoops of Stan's since it's a big volume tire. I initially had a hard time getting the sidewall/rim interface to seal but it's held now over 4 rides with minimal air loss. I finally got them to seal by dropping the pressure to about 15 then circumfrentially pushing the sidewall away from the rim. The small amount of resultant air loss pushed the latex to the wall and sealed everything off. I could stick a Stan's strip in there but so far things are A-OK with just the UST rim.
Kenda told me that they will only be doing UST versions of BG & Nev in 2.1, non Stick-E rubber, which is a bummer. Still, I'll likely stick with the tubed BG 2.35 up front and a UST Nev in the rear.
I haven't seen a 2.5 BG but it must be huge since the 2.35 is bigger than anything else I've seen in its class.
The Big Jim is smaller than the Fat Albert. The King Jim is roughly the same size as Fat Albert. But only the Big Jim, and not King, is available in UST although both Fat albert & little albert have UST versions.
The Fat Albert is my second fav tire for front range conditions and the tread is similar to the BG. I didn't weigh a UST Fat Albert but claimed weight is just under 1 kg.

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll probably get 2 UST Fat Alberts, maybe a 2.35 BG and a 2.1 Nevegal with tubes to try out for now. I just sent Kenda an email requesting info on their plan for making the Tomac signature line UST. I'll pass on any new info I get. The nice thing about buying a bunch of different tires is that you have to go out and ride them all !

Thanks again,
B

 

[Scabby Elbowz]

Blue Groove it is...

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Anybody know who has the best deals on Kenda BG?

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

Mtn High in Loveland. Somewhere around $25 if I'm not mistaken.

mtnhighcyclery.com. Email Larry.

 

[Evel Knievel]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Anybody know who has the best deals on Kenda BG?

SuperGo had all tires 40% off. Got a BG and Nevegal 2.35 kevlar bead ,stick-E rubber for $25 each.

 

[Scabby Elbowz]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll probably get 2 UST Fat Alberts, maybe a 2.35 BG and a 2.1 Nevegal with tubes to try out for now. I just sent Kenda an email requesting info on their plan for making the Tomac signature line UST. I'll pass on any new info I get. The nice thing about buying a bunch of different tires is that you have to go out and ride them all !

Thanks again,
B

Throw a Cinder 2.25 in your grab bag too! Try it on the rear. It has an insane amount of tread and a sticky rubber compound. It seems to do very well on the gnarly stuff, and I'm curious to see how it stacks up against the Nev 2.1, but I'm a little tight on cash, so maybe you could test pilot for us.

 

[Bortis Yelltzen]

Throw a Cinder 2.25 in your grab bag too! Try it on the rear. It has an insane amount of tread and a sticky rubber compound. It seems to do very well on the gnarly stuff, and I'm curious to see how it stacks up against the Nev 2.1, but I'm a little tight on cash, so maybe you could test pilot for us.

I'll see what I can do. Is the Cinder available in UST? I like UST a lot. I'll shop around and see what I can find.

Thanks for the tip.

B

 

[shiggy]

I'll see what I can do. Is the Cinder available in UST? I like UST a lot. I'll shop around and see what I can find.

Thanks for the tip.

B

No UST Cinder [nm]

 

[Earthpig]

$25 from Larry at Mtn High

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Anybody know who has the best deals on Kenda BG?

I second Squeaky Wheel's recommendation - Larry just sent me 2 Nevegals and 1 Blue Groove for $25 a tire and a $7 total for shipping. Larry is also very knowledgeable and great to work with and doesn't rip you off on shipping. I got my tires in 3 business days!!!

 

[DeeEight]

My experience (with owning 15 of them) is that Schwalbe tires are always at least 0.15" narrower in tread width than claimed size of the tire. My Fast Fred 2.0s are 1.85", the Blackjack, Little Albert, and Jimmy 2.1s are all 1.95s and the Racing Ralph and Big Jim 2.25s are 2.1s at best.

If you want a REAL 2.25 tread width, Ritchey Motovader WCS 2.25 would be my suggestion. For a real 2.2" tread width, Hutchinson Scorpion 2.0s (I prefer the elite gold version with the dual-compound tread), and for a real 2.4" tread width, the Scorpion 2.3s. My Ritchey Motovader WCS's were about 600g each and the Scorpion 2.3s were about 640g each.