Maxxis ikon tyres
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I race In wet clay which is my least favorite terrain, it slides everywhere. If I have learned anything about tires it that their performance is all relative. What I mean by that is I think the tires are great In alot of conditions and I am able to ride to my limit with them. Riders weight and skill are also going to come into play. Im 5'9 140 lbs. I think the more you ride the tires the better you will be in a variety of terrains and conditions.
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Look Promising
I actually just mounted a pair of Ikons today and they look promising. I'm sure Bruce Brown and some of the guys that rode the prototypes will be weighing in shortly but there are plenty of references to the Ikon in other posts. Maxxis claims they should be a solid race tire for almost all conditions (probably wet clay is the exception). People apparently love the ramped pattern and some have referred to it as the lower profile Ardent that they have been waiting for. It won't be the new Maxxis Beaver but I'll be taking the Ikons out to a wet race this weekend. I'll report back my initial thoughts though I like what I see. Not looking for it to perform like something with beefy nobs but I'm thinkin' it'll be solid.
I actually just mounted a pair of Ikons today and they look promising. I'm sure Bruce Brown and some of the guys that rode the prototypes will be weighing in shortly but there are plenty of references to the Ikon in other posts. Maxxis claims they should be a solid race tire for almost all conditions (probably wet clay is the exception). People apparently love the ramped pattern and some have referred to it as the lower profile Ardent that they have been waiting for. It won't be the new Maxxis Beaver but I'll be taking the Ikons out to a wet race this weekend. I'll report back my initial thoughts though I like what I see. Not looking for it to perform like something with beefy nobs but I'm thinkin' it'll be solid.
G
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·Interested to get a "real world" test in the wet. Good luck and godspeed!
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It doesn't matter which tires you're on really if you're just going straight through mud. Just carry a lot of speed and let the 29er wheels plow through.
Ikons are leagues ahead of Small Block 8s, at least. The only time I figure that a true mud tire comes in handy is when you need to steer well through it. I personally have never found any situation that I desired true mud tires, but then again, I never tried true mud tires before. Haven't noticed anyone else running them either... singlespeedapalooza was pretty wet and muddy in NY and saw mostly standard tires there and didn't see many crashes at all. Oddly, more crashes happened on the pavement portion.
Just be careful in the turns and the Ikons will serve ya well.
Ikons are leagues ahead of Small Block 8s, at least. The only time I figure that a true mud tire comes in handy is when you need to steer well through it. I personally have never found any situation that I desired true mud tires, but then again, I never tried true mud tires before. Haven't noticed anyone else running them either... singlespeedapalooza was pretty wet and muddy in NY and saw mostly standard tires there and didn't see many crashes at all. Oddly, more crashes happened on the pavement portion.
Just be careful in the turns and the Ikons will serve ya well.
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Depends on the mud, type of course and your comfort level. I would not reach for the Ikon as my go to choice for a race that I knew was going to be muddy before the event even started. I would reach for other tires.stevo78 said:
Ikons pictured post race from some greasy clay mud:
The rain hit in the middle of the race and the final lap was sketchy no matter what tire one was running. Number plates fell off from the amount of rain, and everyone struggled to stay upright. I throttled way back, puckered my cheeks together and finished the final lap.
Ardent 2.25 front, Crossmark rear got me through some real mud bog racing last season....
The only actual mud specific tires I own are the old Kenda Klaws. I haven't raced them since 2007 or 2008, but they did fine in the slop.
Fire XC Pros are the single best tire I own for handling mud. Pretty good monster grip and would be my go to choice of the tires I own if I wanted to stay upright. They aren't light, but racing in mud isn't exactly the time to be a weight weenie and worry about rolling resistance.
If it's really muddy and the stuff sticks to your fork and frame and builds up, just DNF and live to fight another day. Or ride single speed.
I'm hoping it is a lot drier this season than last year's monsoon of a summer.
If it is just tacky mud, Ikon in the rear will be fine. Any other, more serious type of mud, I'd want some paddle wheel knobs or deep biting knobs with pretty open tread on the rear for the climbs, braking on descents and help to stay upright.
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Here's my short term report as promised. Ran them in my first race of the season today and was very impressed. Agree that you've gotta find the sweet spot in terms of pressure. Definitely appreciate the volume and how it translates to the ride. Have run The Captains and Hutch Pythons. Ikons will be the go to from here on out.
Race course was 90% wet but well drained granitic sand with ample granite rock gardens, goat heads, and ledges with about 10% nasty black anoxic mud. Ikons were absolutely dialed on the 90% hard packed damp sand, maintained grip on the granite, and did well on the 10% mud. Sidewalls look new after the abuse. Very confidence inspiring and love the smooth transition from the ramping. Didn't loose tracking on steep climbs or any part of the swooping single track. That's my 2 cents.
Race course was 90% wet but well drained granitic sand with ample granite rock gardens, goat heads, and ledges with about 10% nasty black anoxic mud. Ikons were absolutely dialed on the 90% hard packed damp sand, maintained grip on the granite, and did well on the 10% mud. Sidewalls look new after the abuse. Very confidence inspiring and love the smooth transition from the ramping. Didn't loose tracking on steep climbs or any part of the swooping single track. That's my 2 cents.
G
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·What is your riding weight and what pressure range to they seem to work best tubeless?
I ran Captains last year and was impressed with them. I ran them around 25 front and 28 rear at most places. Sidewalls took a good amount of abuse but were shot at the end of the season.
I'm really looking forward to the Ikons!
I ran Captains last year and was impressed with them. I ran them around 25 front and 28 rear at most places. Sidewalls took a good amount of abuse but were shot at the end of the season.
I'm really looking forward to the Ikons!
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I'm not completely sure that I've got them dialed in perfectly. I'm about 170-175 depending on whether I'm racing or have the hydro pack on. I ran 26 front and 28 rear today in the XC race. They didn't feel squirrely so I think I might be able to go lower but things felt good. I'll probably drop them a few PSI when riding conditions are more predictable. At the moment, just trying to get the most out of dry conditions and free time. I was lookin' at the Crossmark USTs for my tubeless setup but picked up these given some of the banter on MTBR. They mounted pretty easily. Bruce Brown talks about the height of the tire and it' associated volume (see reference to previous threads). The Ikon volume is a differentiator for me. Got mine from Treefort with the price match. 120 TPI and 3C compound is also something to note.
Have an Ikon and a Crossmark for a new XC build and I'm going back and forth trying to decide which one to put on the front, and which on the rear? I've found the Crossmarks seem to lose traction in the rear for loose climbs (Tucson) after what seems like minimal wear, and I've definitely seem people using crossmarks front and rear, it looks as if they'd have good traction once you lean them over. Thoughts?
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I think in your case I'd put the Ikon on the back and the Crossmark up front.DLd said:
That said, it it easy to improves the crossmarks performance. For better climbing traction cut out the two perpendicular, parallel bars in the center tread line all the way around the tire.
For better cornering I cut out every other round tread block on the outer most tread row.
I use a pair of end cutting pliers to do the job.
I could see that working, do you happen to have a pic?SSINGA said:
I may just have to run it with tubes for a few rides to decide which way I like it, so it's easy to switch. I'll be putting these on some Sun Black Flag Pros. These will be my first wheels with the Stan's BST rim profile, so I'm looking forward to trying them tubeless once I decide which one I want where.
Just an FYI.
I tried to mount an Ikon EXO today on a UST rim. It was basically impossible even with a compressor. The bead just would just seat. I then put in a stans rim strip, it mounted but blew off the rim somewhere between 30 and 40psi (I usually over inflate just a bit to make sure the bead seals). It felt like a cherry bomb when off in my hand and left my ear ringing for an hour. I'd beware of trying to run these tubeless.
I tried to mount an Ikon EXO today on a UST rim. It was basically impossible even with a compressor. The bead just would just seat. I then put in a stans rim strip, it mounted but blew off the rim somewhere between 30 and 40psi (I usually over inflate just a bit to make sure the bead seals). It felt like a cherry bomb when off in my hand and left my ear ringing for an hour. I'd beware of trying to run these tubeless.
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Maybe after finding out some more information, we should alter that statement to read: "I'd beware of trying to run these tubeless on rim model _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _".rixsurfer said:
What UST rim do you use? Many of us will report that there are no problems running them tubeless on NoTubes Flow rims and NoTubes Crest rims. I would assume the same for Arch rims from NoTubes.
Did you soap sud the beads, use sealant and follow typical directions?
Have you had success with other tires being run tubeless on your UST rims?
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