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Tires for Kettles

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
What tires do you all run at the Muir trails. This is where I do most of my riding. I currently run WTB MotoRaptors and my only complaint is they are heavy, over 700 grams per tire. I am looking for something a little lighter. I was thinking about the Kenda small block 8's. Any other suggestions for a tire that is not overly heavy and works well in the conditions?
Thanks
 
knl2stl

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#2 ·
I have done the Muir trails on a number of tires over the years. I ride Kettles at a fast pace on a hard tail. I really liked Racing Ralphs but they were not suited to other locals. I ran Nevengal 2.1s at high pressure for about three years and they performed well at Kettles. Last year I did the Stickie on the rear and I liked the way it handled on the baby heads and larger rocks. They did not toss as much sand in my face as the RRs on the connector trail.
 
I

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#4 ·
altazo said:
750 grams is light for a tire if you ask me.
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Yeah on a 29er. 750 is kinda heavyish for a 26" XC tire though.

People run all sorts of tires, from big volume with low tread to narrow knobbies. It all depends on what you like underneath you. I love my SB8's at Greenbush but South Kettles is much sandier isn't it? SB8's aren't that great in loose sand at least up front. I'm trying a SB8 in the rear with an Exiwolf 2.1 in the front for this year for most of my "local" riding, which is a mix of a bunch of different soil types.
 
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#6 ·
whiterp199 said:
I run a 26er. I never thought about the mix and match on tires that is a good idea. I am going to give that a try.
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None of my trail bikes have the same tire front and rear.
The Kettles are a mixed bag (hardpack, rocks, roots, sand, loose), but nothing too extreme (except maybe a few of the sand pits after a long dry spell). So you really just want some nice lightweight all purpose tires. I've moved towards fatter tires in recent years so typically run 2.35 - 2.4 front and 2.1-2.35 rear tires. Just about everything I've used seems to do well at the kettles, though I usually only go out there when things are nice and dry/firm.
 
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#8 ·
inteq9 said:
Yeah on a 29er. 750 is kinda heavyish for a 26" XC tire though.

People run all sorts of tires, from big volume with low tread to narrow knobbies. It all depends on what you like underneath you. I love my SB8's at Greenbush but South Kettles is much sandier isn't it? SB8's aren't that great in loose sand at least up front. I'm trying a SB8 in the rear with an Exiwolf 2.1 in the front for this year for most of my "local" riding, which is a mix of a bunch of different soil types.
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My front tire is 1350 grams and my rear is 900. Guess I'd really be screwed at Kettles...
 
I

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#11 ·
altazo said:
Some pretty crazy climbs, eh?
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Not really. Its just pretty silly to think anyone would be "screwed" because of the weight of their tires. I never implied that. I just said there are lighter options in 26er tires.

To whiterp199, the Wheels and Tires forum and the XC Racing forum may be a better place to go to look for ideas and recommendations. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide because there are like a zillion tires to choose from.
 
A

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#14 ·
whiterp199 said:
What tires do you all run at the Muir trails. This is where I do most of my riding. I currently run WTB MotoRaptors and my only complaint is they are heavy, over 700 grams per tire. I am looking for something a little lighter. I was thinking about the Kenda small block 8's. Any other suggestions for a tire that is not overly heavy and works well in the conditions?
Thanks
Click to expand...
The Kenda Small Block 8, or something similar (Bontrager XR1 is a very close copy of the SB8), would be a great tire for the rear. For the front I would recomend something with a bit more bite, like Kenda's Slant 6 or Continental's new X King. The X King Supersonic only weighs 440 grams (or so Continental claims), but you are losing some durability/longevity when you get tires that light. Those would be great tires for a light weight XC setup.

If you aren't racing and are looking for a bit more stability, the Kenda Nevegal on the front and Slant 6 or SB8 in the rear wouldn't be a bad setup, but the lightest Nevegal you will find is 610 grams, still nearly a 100 grams lighter than your WTB's though.
 
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#15 ·
inteq9 said:
I agree. I'm also pretty sure if you ran white tires heavier than 750 grams your bike would supernova.
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I did run these yellowish tires at the Kettles for a while in the mid nineties. They worked OK, but they are under 750 grams. Ugly as hell. I agree with the others though, get some black ones.
 
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#16 ·
Not sure if I could find any pics of me on them, but I was running a set of blue and then a set of yellow Kenda Karmas for a while there. Hey they could go up to 80 psi, try that on a hardtail when you don't know any better. I could go in a straight line really fast, but that was about it.
 
Shayne

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#20 ·
For Real?

altazo said:
My front tire is 1350 grams and my rear is 900. Guess I'd really be screwed at Kettles...
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I don't own any WHEELS that weigh 1350g let alone tires.
750g is a brick of a tire
I generally run tires in the 500-550g range and have had no durability issues riding in WI/MN
 
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