[Stan Man]

Did an off road triathlon this past sept (paddle, mtb, trail run) and planning on doing it next year. The mtb section was 12 miles with the first 2 miles being on a fairly level paved highway before heading off onto fire roads with a few miles of singletrack. What tire would be the best combo esp considering that two miles are on pavement and a lot of time could be cut here? The off road part was not too demanding. I rode on Intense System 2's which are farely shallow lugged and they hooked up fine on the mostly hardpack. Cornering hook up would be important as there were several high speed turns. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[shiggy]

High speed corners on which surface?

 

[Stan Man]

High speed turns on hardpack. Except for a short sandy section most of the trails were hard and dry due to the lack of rain in the Midwest this summer. I thought a tire like the Maxxis Oriflamme or some other semislick with side knobs would be a possible choice.
What do you think?

 

[shiggy]

Python. Be sure to ride them enough in training to know where their cornering limits are.

 

[Stan Man]

Thanks for the reply. I raced on pythons before switching over to the system 2's. As far as I can tell the System 2's are just as fast as the pythons but corner better due to their more pronounced side lugs. For the road part of it, I liked how the 2's had more consistent tread in the center when compared to the pythons. Just thought I'd ask to see if there was something better out there for this unique situation. Maybe I'll give the Maxxis Oriflammes a try.

 

[grawbass]

Thanks for the reply. I raced on pythons before switching over to the system 2's. As far as I can tell the System 2's are just as fast as the pythons but corner better due to their more pronounced side lugs. For the road part of it, I liked how the 2's had more consistent tread in the center when compared to the pythons. Just thought I'd ask to see if there was something better out there for this unique situation. Maybe I'll give the Maxxis Oriflammes a try.

Kabush seems to like the Oriflammes. If that means anything.

I also have a System 2 (only one) and I've only used it on the rear. I like it alot. Its a very fast tire and has enough grip, especially on hardpack.

I've heard that a worn out Nokian NBX Lite is very fast on the road, although I've never used one.

Bontrager Revolts are fast on roads and hardpack.

If you can get by with a narrow tire, Continental Cross Country 1.5s are about the fastest I've ever used for that combination.

If there aren't any steep loose climbs, you might even be able to get away with a pure slick in the rear, like a Schwalbe Super Moto. In the past I've ridden Panaracer High Road 1.5 slicks on hardpack singletrack, front and rear. They gripped surprisingly well and were obviously fast. Probably the least rolling resistance that I've used off road, but they gave up some speed in turns and climbing compared to the Conti XC 1.5.

Kenda Karmas are fast too, but I've never used one. Thats about all I can think of at the moment.

 

[shiggy]

Thanks for the reply. I raced on pythons before switching over to the system 2's. As far as I can tell the System 2's are just as fast as the pythons but corner better due to their more pronounced side lugs. For the road part of it, I liked how the 2's had more consistent tread in the center when compared to the pythons. Just thought I'd ask to see if there was something better out there for this unique situation. Maybe I'll give the Maxxis Oriflammes a try.

The Python would still be my choice. Rolls very well and I much prefer the cornering manners compared to the Intense. The Oriflammes may be faster in places but I would need to brake sooner and slow more for the turns.

 

[Mike B.]

Kabush seems to like the Oriflammes. If that means anything.
.

Keep in mind that Geoff runs his tires set up tubeless at about 24-26 psi

 

[OnTheMoment]

How about the Conti Leader or Ritchey Speedmax?