[fatmike14]

Anybody try out the new Bontrager XR3 tires yet? I rode all last season on their XR2 and I'm looking for just a little bit more bite in cornering and climbing.

I am one of the few that actually liked the xr2 for the low rolling resistance and the round profile. But suspension setup and preloading in the turns had to be spot on to get the most out of them, so I guess I'm looking for something a little less touchy and more predictable.

A few I've considered
-Bontrager XR3
- Schwalbe Racing Ralphs
-Kenda slant six
-Michelin Wild Race'r

Any thoughts? I'm riding mostly hard pack with a little bit of the loose stuff here and there. the local guys ride everything form pythons and small block 8s to negvals and nobby nics

 

[Pedro S]

Been thinking of trying one of these up front myself. The XR2 was a disaster for me on the front but has been pretty good on the rear.

 

[fatmike14]

I know a few guys are running the xr4 up front with good results but I don't think I need that much bite. I'm going to check the lbs for a set of xr3s and once the trails dry out here I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Pedro S]

Cool! Let us know what you think.

 

[a114808]

XR3's are way to aggressive for Hardpack or Loose over Hardpack conditions. The new Kenda Slant 6, or older small block 8's are perfect for those conditions. The Schwalbe Racing Ralph is great too, but usually, are more expensive.

I'd shop around a bit....the only reason Bontrager tires are around is just because Trek owns the name, puts them in their stores and on their bikes.....largely just a profit center for the company. They are hack amateurs at this business. If you can afford it, swith to Geax, Kenda, Maxxis, or utimately......Schwalbe. You get what you pay for with Schwalbe....highest price.....highest quality......they mean business when it comes to tires.......tough to argue.

 

[Turveyd]

Just got an XR2 on the rear it's fast rolling, silent on roads ran the forward direction for more speed and looks interesting, need to get some proper riding on it though.

29er 29-3 is my fav 29er tire for the front so far ( FR3 sucked ), the old ACX's where good in muddy conditions for me to.

XR3 looks kinda nasty to me though, I'd skip the XR3 and go straight to the XR4 personally, trying to find reviews of them though, hence finding this thread.

 

[jparman]

or utimately......Schwalbe. You get what you pay for with Schwalbe....highest price.....highest quality......they mean business when it comes to tires.......tough to argue.

hmmm... had to comment here. Quality is a funny word which I'd like to qualify.
I associate a quality product with something that has value and at the same time something which can be relied upon. An example could be a Thomson seat post. Simple, elegant, excellent materials, craftsmanship, finish, reliability. While I've never had another seatpost fail, the expectation is that a Thompson under normal conditions would not. That said...

2 schwalbe rara's came stock on my HiFi pro. the first(front) lasted less than 20 miles before failure (sidewall). The second(rear) didn't make it to 40 miles before the failure (sidewall). The tires were set up stan's tubeless and ran @ 30psi.

I understand that these are lightweight racing tires - but this is also Wisconsin and here, tires should last more than 4 hours worth of ride time. $30/hr is far too expensive, regardless of "quality". My average speed... 8 mph.

I don't discount Bontrager tires... for any reason. I've been riding them since 1999/2000 beginning with Super X's for quite some time - and then Jones XR's.
None of which I have ever had a problem with - great ability to seal up, durable, no sidewall failures, etc. No issues with 'quality'.
I've got a couple more Bontrager tires on order to replace the Schwalbe's... They (Bontrager) own my business. To be fair, it sounds like from what I've read, the Tubeless ready Schwalbe's RaRa's aren't really meant to be set up tubeless... If I were to try them again, they would definitely be the 'snakeskin' variety. Odds are though, after $168 (retail) in failures, Schwalbe will not be earning any more of my business. A 'quality' tubeless tire can be run @ 30 psi and endure/deflect/mitigate damage to it's sidewall well into it's usefull tread life.

Racers may beg to differ and can/will/do sacrifice durability for 'go fast'.

 

[jparman]

To be fair, it sounds like from what I've read, the Tubeless ready Schwalbe's RaRa's aren't really meant to be set up tubeless... If I were to try them again, they would definitely be the 'snakeskin' variety. Odds are though, after $168 (retail) in failures, Schwalbe will not be earning any more of my business. A 'quality' tubeless tire can be run @ 30 psi and endure/deflect/mitigate damage to it's sidewall well into it's usefull tread life.

Yeah, I pretty much knew I would regret posting this when I did. I engaged schwalbe to provide feedback and they were pretty much amazing. I was sure to communicate that (and I hesitate to call it a failure because it wasn't) the tires "failed" due not because of a manufacturing defect but rather because of outside influence. I provided photos and a description of what happened. Well long story short, they came up with something for me that made me a pretty darned happy camper.
The economy is not great right now and customer service doesn't offer a lot of immediate ROI, but I can say that I am loyal to a fault and have definitely changed my tune... I've learned a lot... most valuable would be to not spout off about something until the issue has had time to be addressed/resolved. Kudos to schwalbe and any other company that works hard for their customers. We do appreciate it even though at times might be a little frustrated.

 

[David_315]

I love the XR2!! Amazing tire for dry. But this year i am running the XR4. I like them alot too.