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Do you guys ride whire or kevlar tires?

797 Views 9 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  SHIVER ME TIMBERS
I do freeride and once a week ride Deer Valley,I do not know if I should go for the Nevegal wire or the kevlar.The wires are almost 1lb heavier.
What are the advantages of the wire? Does it justify the xtra weight?
Thank you for your help.
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i use wire, no real reason though, it just happens that Michelins have wire beads...

(not sure, but i think kevlar beads stretch and wires do not)
I ride wire, again, no real reason.

Kevlar will be lighter. I think wire beads are a bit tougher.
On pretty much any tire, the difference between having a wire bead vs. kevlar bead only amounts to around a 50-100g (less than a 1/4 lb) weight difference.

If there's a pound weight difference between those tires, it's because the wire bead version has a thicker casing 2-ply casing, and is intended for downhill, while the kevlar version has a 1-ply casing and is for XC/Trail/light freeride use. Check out the Kenda website, it says that specifically.

Pretty much all Downhill tires come in steel bead only, the only exception I know of is the newer Maxxis UST DH minion and highroller which are kevlar bead. Many freeride tires are available in kevlar and/or wire. Having DH tires is the way to go if the majority of your riding is lift served, but they are a ***** to ride up hill. They are much more resistant to flatting and can be run at lower pressures for better grip. If to do more trail riding, get 1-ply kevlar tires. A good compromise is to take a ~1200g DH tire with a harder compound (like 60a) and run it tubeless - it will stand up to a beating, but be lighter because you're not using a tube, and the rubber compound will roll better than a soft tire (like 42a).

I just picked up some Maxxis High-Roller 2.35" L-UST tires, they're as light as any other compareable 1-ply kevlar freeride tire, but are tubeless and have a fairly stiff sidewall. They air up super easy, roll well, and grip well.
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XSL_WiLL said:
I ride wire, again, no real reason.

Kevlar will be lighter. I think wire beads are a bit tougher.
wordd
i just picked up some azonic vigilante kevlar bead tires. i was going the lightest but wide tire i could find. like mentioned above however, i believe they are single ply.

haven't tried them yet so cannot report.
now i ride wire because i have found that it will work with ghetto tubeless...but the real reason is that i just kept burping air and blowing the bead off when landing occasionally...the wire bead is a little harder to put on, so harder to pop off


another bonus, shops want to get rid of wire
now i ride wire because i have found that it will work with ghetto tubeless...but the real reason is that i just kept burping air and blowing the bead off when landing occasionally with kevlar...the wire bead is a little harder to put on, so harder to pop off


another bonus, shops want to get rid of wire
I ride wire, it came on my bike and the tire works well for my needs (WTB Motoraptor 2.4) I figure I'll ride it till their worn and then replace it with another wire due to their ability to stay beaded better since weight isnt really an issue on my FR bike.
Become a live wire
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