[millman]

Hi all,

I'm new to the sport and have a question about the tires that came with the bike. I ride a 08 Kona Caldera with Maxxis Ignitor tires. I have been riding mostly dry single track and cross country. I feel the ignitors aren't gripping very well and it's effecting my confidence. I'm not doing any really technical stuff and keeping it simple for now. Any suggestions for some better dry trail traction tires out there? Ive looked at the Kenda Karma DT XC, the Coni's XC and Maxxis Crossmark. Otherwise love the sport, much better than golf and cheaper too. Plus my 2 boys are hard core riders and they keep me going. Thanks in advance!!

~Millman :thumbsup:

 

[JimC.]

what are they doing?

slipping? skid under braking? what pressure are you running? Can't corner well?

There are a few factors to check 1st. Jim

 

[simian23]

Hi all,

I'm new to the sport and have a question about the tires that came with the bike. I ride a 08 Kona Caldera with Maxxis Ignitor tires. I have been riding mostly dry single track and cross country. I feel the ignitors aren't gripping very well and it's effecting my confidence. I'm not doing any really technical stuff and keeping it simple for now. Any suggestions for some better dry trail traction tires out there? Ive looked at the Kenda Karma DT XC, the Coni's XC and Maxxis Crossmark. Otherwise love the sport, much better than golf and cheaper too. Plus my 2 boys are hard core riders and they keep me going. Thanks in advance!!

~Millman :thumbsup:

The Ignitor is a flippin' fantastic tire, but it is VERY sensitive to pressure. I've had big problems slipping out, reduced pressure by 5psi, and problems gone! I also think the Ignitor works better as a rear tire - fast rolling and lots of forward traction. Try a Panaracer Rampage 2.3 on the front.

Also keep in mind, technique has a huge effect on traction.

 

[rydog9991]

Ignitors are one of the top all around tires out there. They should be good to go in dry conditions. Im thinking that you need to adjust your tire pressure. Depending on how much you weigh you can go pretty low.

 

[KevinB]

I don't have experience with the tire in question, but I will echo the others' comments about tire pressure. Before ditching the tires, try experimenting with pressures in the 28-35 psi range. Go a bit softer on the front and a bit harder on the rear. If you pinch flat, you'll need to bump the pressure up a bit though.

 

[Strauss95]

I had the Ignitors which came stock on my 08 Kona Dawg as well. I thought they were great tires, they worked much better than any other tire I had used in the past! They hooked up in nearly all conditions, and rolled pretty fast while doing so. Like the others have already said, try lowering your pressure a bit. With me at 200lbs, they seemed to hook the best around 36psi with no pinch flat problems.

 

[millman]

Pressure

Well I took a look at the pressure and it was at 46psi!:madman: I plan on lowering the pressure to around 35-37 and give it a try in the morning. They were not holding the corners too well and were slipping. I hoping by dropping the pressure as you all suggested it will make a difference. Thank you all for your help. I'll let you know how it works out.

Millman

 

[JimC.]

Yep!

for a comparison, on wet roots and rocks, Norshore riders drop pressure as low as possible (~20-25#), without causing the tire to hit the rim on impact. I'm not suggesting you do this, but the softer the tire, the better the grip, but the higher the rolling resistance.

Jim

 

[millman]

Well I dropped the pressure to 35 and it made a big difference. It's just harder now to get to the trails from the house. Thanks for all your advice.

Millman

 

[Strauss95]

Well I dropped the pressure to 35 and it made a big difference. It's just harder now to get to the trails from the house. Thanks for all your advice.

Millman

Air them up to 45-50psi before you leave for the trail. Do your road riding with the higher pressure, than let some air out when you get to the trail head and get them back down around 35psi. And for the ride home, if you don't carry an air pump with you(which I highly suggest you do along with a spare tube) just deal with it