How the hell do you run a tube with an insert?

 

I checked and it has one of these:

Tannus Armour Tire Liners

Prevent 90% of bike flats with Tannus Armour. 15mm of advanced multi-cell foam protects against punctures, pinch flats, and sidewall damage. Ride with confidence and go farther, flat-free!

tannusamerica.com

 

How the hell do you run a tube with an insert?

My head was spinning pondering that one as well 🤣

Edit: Wait, isn't there a Tannus insert that uses a tube?

 

No idea, I bought it that way.

 

I also ride in SoCal, and would be hesitant to run anything less aggressive than an Assegai in front with how loose our trails get when dry. We only have a short season of hero dirt when it rains and then it is back to cat litter and moon dust. I personally don't notice much rolling resistance on the front tire when on steep climbs.

 

In Socal Santa Barbara, Ojai, Simi, Thousand Oaks, Big Bear. I always run Ass Guy Exo+ Maxx Grippers up front. Rear I choose between 2.3 Aggressor TR/DD for most riding and 2.4 DHR II 3CT/TR/DD when going steeper or more less climbing/bike park. No inserts for me...yet.

 

I am trying out the E13 Grappler, which looks to be an Assegai clone. Compared to a EXO+ Maxxterra and a DD MAxxgrip Assegai I've ridden, I am liking this Grappler better than both. Maxterra didn't quite have top-tier grip. DD+Maxxgrip was far too draggy.

Really digging the Grappler so far...

 

I'm 99% sure you can get the Assegai and/or DHF in Exo casing and Maxxgrip, if you're looking to keep things 'light'.

 

You haven't said where in SoCal you're located... IMO it makes a difference to some extent. If you're riding winch/plummet, you definitely shouldn't worry so much about front tire drag and get the stickiest dirt claws that suit your locale/preferences.

Personally, I would NOT be moving the DHR2 to the front because you'll lose casing volume (slightly higher PSI assumed), also it likely has harder compound, and the vagueness is still there like a DHF but the knobs are oriented to stop in a straight line as opposed to corner (center knobs that push out into the channel make it roll faster but remove purchase from the side knobs).

Just my .01

 

You haven't said where in SoCal you're located... IMO it makes a difference to some extent. If you're riding winch/plummet, you definitely shouldn't worry so much about front tire drag and get the stickiest dirt claws that suit your locale/preferences.

Personally, I would NOT be moving the DHR2 to the front because you'll lose casing volume (slightly higher PSI assumed), also it likely has harder compound, and the vagueness is still there like a DHF but the knobs are oriented to stop in a straight line as opposed to corner (center knobs that push out into the channel make it roll faster but remove purchase from the side knobs).

Just my .01

I am in the SF Valley and ride the local trails including JPL.

According to Maxxis the Assegai 60 TPI in an EXO+ is the ideal tire for the front and is 2x stronger than the DHF 120 TPI tire I used on my old trance, which never had a failure at a place like Snow Summit. That old bike eventually got an e-mazza in front and it was great. Thinking maybe treating myself to another Mazza.

 

Specialized cannibal is a good tire to try. The DH casing really smoothes out the braking bumps. Lower cost than Maxxis/Schwalbe tires.

 

I wouldn’t hesitate to run an EXO on the front. I only run DD because I like the extra damping on rocks and roots.

Anything you fit which is faster rolling than an Assegai will feel sketchy in comparison now, and you probably won’t notice much difference in rolling resistance on the front anyway, at least not off-road.

 

Tioga edge 22 SOFT has amazing traction, is lighter and rolls faster than any competitor in that range that I've found.

 

Before I even finished reading your post, I was thinking DHR2. I am running the Assegai on two of my bikes but on my trail bike I am on DHR2 on the front and rear. I personally feel that in loose over conditions, the narrower width and tread pattern of the DHR2 corners more precisely than the Assegai. It's just a bit more confidence inspiring as I find the Assegai to wide, with too many knobs which eventually leaves a very vague "wandering" feeling in loose over conditions where it tends to float on top instead of cut through. I am sure someone will flame me for this but we've been in a drought where I live for almost 6 months so I have had time to test this theory, and for me this is what works. I would go DHR2 - lighter slightly, faster rolling, maybe better for ya.

 

Before I even finished reading your post, I was thinking DHR2. I am running the Assegai on two of my bikes but on my trail bike I am on DHR2 on the front and rear. I personally feel that in loose over conditions, the narrower width and tread pattern of the DHR2 corners more precisely than the Assegai. It's just a bit more confidence inspiring as I find the Assegai to wide, with too many knobs which eventually leaves a very vague "wandering" feeling in loose over conditions where it tends to float on top instead of cut through.

I also found the assegai bad in these conditions. You want a staggered, large block design like dhr, wild enduro, e22, martello, etc...

I also like a 2.6 on the front, and this has been poopood over the years by opinionated riders, but I also notice that the popular tire widths have gone from 2.3 to 2.4 to 2.5 and now the maxxis 2.5 is maybe the most popular with an inner knob width the same as the 2.6 Martello I like. So it appears I was not a complete idiot.

 

I run the Assegai as my front and live in the Bay Area with similar trail conditions. I won't run anything else because its improved my cornering. My

 

In the Bay Area too and love the assegai on the front. What are you running on the rear? I go back and forth between a dissector and a mazza .

 

If you're looking at the Assegai, you should also be considering the Continental Kryptotal Front.

 

Assegai DHR is a decent SoCal option. Most of SoCal the casing isn’t that important. We dont have sharp rocks that rip sidewalls. If you are staying with Maxxis and don’t like DHF then Assegai is the only other option.

 

Magic Mary in the ultrasoft compound, trail casing (about the same as a Maxxis DD casing).

The knobs are further apart than on the Assegai, and will penetrate through the loose material and grab something better.

I really like the Assegai in our dry summer conditions, but it doesn’t stay dry for too long, and it doesn’t get terribly loose/deep.

 

I've been picturing the MM ideal for much softer and looser conditions, but you like the MM better than Assegai for lose over hard? I'll be visiting lose over hard conditions this coming weekend, and I thought Grappler would be best. I do also have the MM super trail ultrasoft. Hmmmm