[SinglePivot]

comparable tires. I'm looking for opinions on how those two tires compare and also any others that may fall into the same type. riding will be in downieville (dusty, loose, rocky, and hardpack) and northern california on mostly hardpack and some loose terrain.

thanks,

-Sp

 

[RedDwarf]

I can't say about the Timberwolf, but . . .

I put a Panaracer FR 2.4 on one of my rigs and it's huge! bigger than my 2.5 Kenda Nevigal and much heaver than most tires I've tried.

Stick is good, cornering is nice, just the "big-ness" makes short work of rocks and sandy stuff

 

[AL29er]

Yep those freeride 2.4s are huge. Mine measured out at 2.65" across the knobs on a 521 rim. Rubbed the inside of my 2003 Z1, so I stopped running it. For the size the weight is actually quite nice. I think they weighed in at about 950g on my scale. Traction was excellent as well. No issues with pinch flats in the 2 weeks I ran it. If it hadn't been taking material off my arch in the corners I would probably still be riding them.

I haven't tried the timberwolf.

Another panaracer option is the cinder. These are around 750g and 2.3". I found them to be a good all around tire. I have had several pinch flats though.

Both of the panaracer tires I mentioned ride well in the conditions you described. I have also logged rides on both in Downieville. I liked the freeride better since it had a bit more volume and less pinch flats.

 

[RED5]

Timberwolf + hardpack = bad news. Knobs can have a tendency to fold. Great tire for East Coast riding or anyplace that the terrain is soft where the knobs can sink in for grip.

The Pan FR is an OK tire at best. I say get it if your not so concerned with tire quality and performance, but more with size and price. It after all a huge tire and fairly cheap when compared to better quality tires that offer far more exceptional performance.

If you want an awesome tire for the conditions you describe then I suggest you take a look at the Kenda Blue Groove Stick-E. This is an exceptional hardpack, rocky, loose terrain tire. I've been using them for @ 2 yrs now everywhere in California and also at Bootleg Canyon, NV. Low profile, wide knobs that stick to the terrain like glue and roll extremely fast. Give it a look here Kenda Tires or click on pic for more details.

 

[SinglePivot]

thanks for the heads-up. I was looking at the blue groove also, but it looks and feels like it would die an early death from punctures and/or a sharp rock to the sidewall. and it feels paper thin, ie, lots of sidewall flex/roll.

what have your experiences been with the stick-E rubber as far as longevity/durability goes?

thanks,

-Sp

Timberwolf + hardpack = bad news. Knobs can have a tendency to fold. Great tire for East Coast riding or anyplace that the terrain is soft where the knobs can sink in for grip.

The Pan FR is an OK tire at best. I say get it if your not so concerned with tire quality and performance, but more with size and price. It after all a huge tire and fairly cheap when compared to better quality tires that offer far more exceptional performance.

If you want an awesome tire for the conditions you describe then I suggest you take a look at the Kenda Blue Groove Stick-E. This is an exceptional hardpack, rocky, loose terrain tire. I've been using them for @ 2 yrs now everywhere in California and also at Bootleg Canyon, NV. Low profile, wide knobs that stick to the terrain like glue and roll extremely fast. Give it a look here Kenda Tires or click on pic for more details.

 

[RED5]

thanks for the heads-up. I was looking at the blue groove also, but it looks and feels like it would die an early death from punctures and/or a sharp rock to the sidewall. and it feels paper thin, ie, lots of sidewall flex/roll.

what have your experiences been with the stick-E rubber as far as longevity/durability goes?

thanks,

-Sp

I've been using the XC versions on my XC/Jump bike for a year now with no problems with tearing or punctures. As for the durability of the Stick-E rubber, I've been using the same 2.7 Blue Groove DH on my DH rig for a little over a year and it's just now getting time to swap it. The rears wear a little faster, but still last about 4-6 months depending on design. FYI, I ride my DH bike at least 1 day every week sometimes 2-3, putting in several runs and logging many hours pers session on them.

 

[RedDwarf]

I have a new setup . . .

I put a Kenda Nevigal 2.35 with Stick-E on the back of my enduro and a 2.5 of the same tire on the front, they are a bit heaver than most XC tires, but I noticed that the tread design looks somewhat like my Maxxis Highroller and that seems to stick well to dry rocky conditions.

I haven't run the setup yet to see how it handles the places I ride but I'll keep you updated.

oh, I got the tires at SuperGo for like $17 bucks each, so cheap and good. (but I think that's in store only) Sale through Sun. the 25 I think.

 

[npm1964]

i ride tahoe/downieville/mammoth areas, and the blue groove stick E is my favorite (so far...only have a month on them). the 2.5 is fairly big, bigger than some other brands of 2.5 inch tires. actual weight was only 820 grams which helps when you're climbing 3,500 vertical feet in a couple of hours. i like how the knobs don't squirm. i may get some nevegals for more powdery / dusty conditions.

i tend to like tires w/ moto style knobs. intense tires for example. never really liked any WTB tires very much.

 

[rockcrusher]

FWIW, on a short rough downhill I pinched a fire2.4FR so bad that I almost pinched my rim together. These had 45 psi in them and are run on a bullit. The trail was not super tech just rocky arizona style. They just do not have enough sidewall to be useful against pinches. After that pinch they also thorn/cactus flatted twice. I am not sold on these as a DH style tire. It is now my single speed front tire and I have gone back to a DH tire again. If you are light they may work, but watch that tire pressure.

The stick-e formula on the kenda's lasts about 2-3 weeks here in arizona with 10hrs of riding per week. This is tough to justify when the hard compound tires will last about 6 months on average.
I know some people using the timberwolf in Southern AZ here and they love it, stiff, knobby and hard. There is a couple using on their full suspension tandem and they just love it, even more than the ol' tioga DH2.3 they used before.

 

[RED5]

The stick-e formula on the kenda's lasts about 2-3 weeks here in arizona with 10hrs of riding per week.

Are you talking front, rear or both?? I'm a bit unclear. Because I personally find that hard to believe, reason being is that I've been on the same 2.7 Blue Groove front for almost a year now and it's just beginning to show signs of needing replacement. Granted my rear wears faster but not 2-3 weeks, usually take me 4-6 months. And that is also with anywhere from 10-20 hrs a week of riding, everywhere from Bootleg Canyon to all over California. Now I know from riding Bootleg that rocky terrain has an overall larger impact on tread wear, but 2-3 weeks is not right and I'd say there is definitely something wrong with your time frame.

 

[rockcrusher]

rear mostly, southern AZ earth is very abrasive and wears 'em out fast. Lot'sa rocks, and very hardpack trails. Sticky compounds just wear too fast. In soft or wet conditions out here tires wear much slower

 

[singletrack]

Now I know from riding Bootleg that rocky terrain has an overall larger impact on tread wear, but 2-3 weeks is not right and I'd say there is definitely something wrong with your time frame.

Yeah that sounds a little quick, but desert riding eats soft tires like you wouldn't believe; a vacation to Bootleg isn't enough time to witness this phenomena.

A month of hard riding here [in west co/east ut] is generally enough time to destroy say, a Minion slow-reezay... Still, I think the Nevegal sticky (in back) will last longer just cause it's knobs are spaced tighter.