Fast tires and tubes
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Well then, start buying tires. I like a low tread narrow and light tire (2.1 - 2.2") on back that spins up fast. It makes the bike feel fast. The front is much more important when it comes to grip. For that, I use a 2.4 or 2.5 with fairly aggressive shoulder knobs. The lack of tread on the rear tire doesn't affect climbing as much as rider skill and tire pressure.
A couple of all purpose tires that have worked well for me in the past are Continental Vertical Pro's 2.3 and WTB MutanoRaptor 2.4. Both tires are about 2.2" wide and work very well for front or rear and have low rolling resistance, but the Muntano is faster. Like any tire,you need to get the air pressure adjusted to your weight in order for it to perform well.
There's lots of other good choices out there too - you just have to try them all. LOL
Also note too, that terrain and even the actual weight of the rider can affect tire performance. A heavy rider can make the tread squirm and the tire will feel slow. The same tire under a light rider, could feel very fast.
As you can see, it's not easy to pick the right tire. You need to try many. For the most part, tire reviews mean nothing unless the rider states the type of terrain he rides,his weight and the different air pressures he's tried. The "wrong" air pressure can turn an excellent tire into A POS.
Also, you can save a lot of money by not buying pairs of tires.
A couple of all purpose tires that have worked well for me in the past are Continental Vertical Pro's 2.3 and WTB MutanoRaptor 2.4. Both tires are about 2.2" wide and work very well for front or rear and have low rolling resistance, but the Muntano is faster. Like any tire,you need to get the air pressure adjusted to your weight in order for it to perform well.
There's lots of other good choices out there too - you just have to try them all. LOL
Also note too, that terrain and even the actual weight of the rider can affect tire performance. A heavy rider can make the tread squirm and the tire will feel slow. The same tire under a light rider, could feel very fast.
As you can see, it's not easy to pick the right tire. You need to try many. For the most part, tire reviews mean nothing unless the rider states the type of terrain he rides,his weight and the different air pressures he's tried. The "wrong" air pressure can turn an excellent tire into A POS.
Also, you can save a lot of money by not buying pairs of tires.
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Go to the wheels and tires forum. I personally have different sets of tires. Currently running "plush" Smoke and Dart classic 2.1 combo. 570g dart front 599g smoke rear :thumbsup:jpeters said:
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I just put on some panaracer 2.1 fire xc pro tires and have really enjoyed the ligther weight and have not noticed any traction loss. They weigh in at 585g per. So far so good for me.
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It's a pain in the ass. Popping in a tube takes less than 5 minutes and costs 3-8 per tube. Going tubeless is more expensive and takes far longer to do correctly (30 minutes to do both wheels for me)--it also doesn't have a reliable success rate if you're converting non-tubeless tires and rims. If you get a lot of flats and you have settled for a certain tire, then it's likely worth it.jpeters said:
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Single ply Maxxis Aspens (not great in the wet though). I did a review on this forum regarding these already. NOTE: The newer Maxxis tires are generally true to size unlike the older Minion models.
Any lighter inner tube that is not DH specific should suffice.
Any lighter inner tube that is not DH specific should suffice.
That looks like a tire that I would choose for the front - nice shoulder knobs for cornering and the lowish closely spaced center knobs for low rolling resistance. Although looks can sometimes fool you, I may just have to try that tire.shiggy said:
Have you been riding it awhile? Maybe a lighter 2.1 version for the rear? I'm getting weak in my old age.
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That is exactly what it does, plus very good intermediate knobs, and use them front and rear. The drive and braking traction is reasonable, too.bigbeck said:That looks like a tire that I would choose for the front - nice shoulder knobs for cornering and the lowish closely spaced center knobs for low rolling resistance. Although looks can sometimes fool you, I may just have to try that tire.
Have you been riding it awhile? Maybe a lighter 2.1 version for the rear? I'm getting weak in my old age.
I was able to use them for a couple of weeks last fall before the snows hit. Hard pack and gravel to soft to rocks. Liked them a lot. They instantly felt good and I could corner hard with confidence. Not always the case for the first few rides on a new tire.
The 2.10 should work well. Was not yet available and still may not be.
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if you take your time with it its not so bad. but dont think its a plug and play thing. usually saving some weight is a secondary benifit of going tubeless cuz you can get crazy light tubes. between a stans rim strip and lunar tube you save maybe 40 grams a wheel.jpeters said:
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Converting to tubeless takes a few tries to master the learning curve, then it's just routine. Some tires are more stubborn than another but it worth the effort. I converted because I was using UST set up and putting stans anyways. It comes in handy when there are small thorny junks on the trail at certain time of the year.
It's not so much about the weight saving though, and to me it's not even about running low psi because I run high enough psi to eliminate the sidewall squirming, though it different from tire to tire.
It's not so much about the weight saving though, and to me it's not even about running low psi because I run high enough psi to eliminate the sidewall squirming, though it different from tire to tire.
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