What tires are best for New England riding?

[steveeldr]

Just curious what people are riding? I have a nevegal 2.35 up front and a tioga 2.1 rear and they hook up really well. I have read a lot of good things about neve's and agree they are a great all around tire however the rolling resistance is like riding through glue!:mad:

I was thinking of trying the Panaracer fire xc pro's but was wondering if anyone had experience with them or other tires?

Thanks,
Steve

[leebo]

I like the nevegals 2.35 DTC's. I mainly use 2.3 and 2.5's. Think bigger tread and tough casings. I'm a large guy, not light on my feet and do not race. I also like the continentals diesel 2.5. When I'm clawing over rocks and roots, weight and rolling resistance don't concern me.I like good traction and no pinch flats. Your results may vary.

[dabedob]

What about 29er's. All I've ridden are the ones that come with the G.F. Rig which are the ACX

[Mongoose]

I ride 2.1 Nevegal dual treads on my XC bike and regular 2.5 Neves on my bullit. They do have more rolling resistance, but I feel the increased ability to pedal over roots and rocks and take corners faster makes up for it. I used to have continental explorers on my XC bike. They had little rolling resistance but the grip was terrible. I feel faster on the nevegals than the contis.

[boudy]

I dig my 29er WTB Stouts, Panaracer Rampages are good too.

[nirtiger]

I use Captain on my 29er very happy.

[Curtis Chase]

I use the Fire XC's (UST) on my trail bike and love them, the only thing they aren't great at is shedding mud but the traction is excellent. I have a Nevegal 2.1 that I installed to see what it was like but as you said, the rolling resistance is pretty high. I haven't found the Fire XC's (mine are 2.1) to be particularly bad for a knobby.

I run the triple compound Maxxis Minions on my DH bike and I can't vouch for rolling resistance as I'm unconcerned in that application but the traction is excellent.

[hogboy]

fire XC's work everywhere awesomely

[dirtrider2]

Depends on the type of riding you like to do and where you do it. There's no perfect tire and especially no one tire that'll do it all.

Sorry, but the Fire XC ain't gonna cut it on the trails I ride, though they might be great for you and yours.

Dave

[1adam12]

Kenda SmallBlock8's...fast rolling and when you get down to it, most of our riding is hardpack and rock. They do pretty well in loose but if you ride a lot of gravel/sand/mud then they're not the tire for you.

[skunkty14]

People have covered all the bases here; typical nevy responses (I do these from time to time) to semi tread (SM8). It's a personal preference decision more than anything; I ride 2.5 DH nevys on the the same trail on the same ride as guys who are running SM8s and Larsen Ts. I think you have to decide based on your typical ride and terrain of choice and how smooth you are or are not. Rocky nonesense, something big, heavy and sticky. More XC and you're smooth, 550gr tires which you'll never catch me on.

Just to confuse stuff, I'm pretty happy with Ardents in everything but the sloppiest of conditions. And Fire XC/FR Pros might have been sweet 8 - 10 years ago, but there are much better options out there now IMO.

Where're the folks recommending 3.0 Gazzaloddis?

[Curtis Chase]

And Fire XC/FR Pros might have been sweet 8 - 10 years ago, but there are much better options out there now IMO.

Yes, this is true, I'm pretty much stuck about 7 years in the past with bike equipment.

[steveeldr]

Thanks for all the input:)

I agree that it is a personal preference and makes sense tat it depends on my type of riding I should have stated that I do XC riding, like technical stuff, rock gardens hopping logs etc. and small hucks usually 2.5 feet or less and here in CT we have a lot of bedrock!!

Been out a few times on the neve' and tioga and I do like the way the neve' grips in all conditions, the Tioga does okay on most stuff but doesn't like wet rock.

Think for now gonna keep the neve' 2.35 up front and run a 2.1 or even 1.95 rear.

For those running the 2.5's you must have legs and lungs like nobody's business or mainly run down hill lol :D

[redridercr250r]

kenda nev 2.35 up front and a kenda smallblock8 2.1 in the rear

[jamishead]

Depends on the kind of riding done. I'm a XC guy, and race. For general riding around, I use Michelin All Mountain 2.2s but mostly ride in some pretty gnarly rocky technical stuff. They are wider and bigger than several 2.3 tires I've seen. They clear mud and hook up on everything: rocks, logs, and so on. The only drawback is they are >700 grams and rolling resistance is significant when on rides with other racers. For racing I usually use 2.1 Maxxis High Roller Exceptions(light and ramped)and occasionally a Fire XC pro on the front but never in mud.
Several new high volume tires seem to be great, esp Conti Mountain Kings. I'm typically allergic to heavy weight since fast is fun in my book, unless my as* is on the line in severe rockiness.

[cjjenkins]

irc mythos xc 2.1 front and 2.1 - 2.2 rear. Work well in hardpack and loose stuff. Very light with not much rolling resistence. At $12 - $14 bucks you can't go wrong. How many times have we all put 35-40 dollar tires on and on the first ride sliced the sidewall? At this price and doesn't hurt too bad. Besides cornering and traction issues are mostly related to the weight distribution of the rider, not the tires. The bottom line is find a tread pattern you like and gives you confidence and hit the trails.

[allezkmiec]

I'm amazed I'm the first person to vote for Schwalbe Nobby Nics. I've been running them for almost 2 years now, in their tubeless incarnation. 2.25 up front, 2.1 in the rear. They roll as fast as Michelin Dry2's that I've run in the past, but for my money, hook up as well as anything I've ridden. They have a soft, sticky rubber, and while the durability isn't the very best, they're fast as heck and grip like crazy. They're not great in deep mud, but what the heck is? All in all, they're far and away the best tires I've ridden.

[Jisch]

$55 for Nobby Nics, ouch. I'd love to swap out my Neve's for something, but I guess I stick to the weight saving knob shedding tires :-D

John

[steve_b]

irc mythos xc 2.1 front and 2.1 - 2.2 rear. Work well in hardpack and loose stuff. Very light with not much rolling resistence. At $12 - $14 bucks you can't go wrong. How many times have we all put 35-40 dollar tires on and on the first ride sliced the sidewall? At this price and doesn't hurt too bad. Besides cornering and traction issues are mostly related to the weight distribution of the rider, not the tires. The bottom line is find a tread pattern you like and gives you confidence and hit the trails.


A irc mythos provides the same traction as and reacts the same in a high-speed corner as a Stick-e Kenda, Maxis Minion, Michy DH, or other softer compound tire? :confused:

Hell, all this time I've been wasting my $$$ on expensive, heavy tires when I could just be purchasing fire xc's and mytho's on closeout.
:D

[Jisch]

I've had Mythos XCs before, not saying they are bad, but really you can't compare them to a Nevegal... I will say that they work great as an "all around" tire on my HT, I can ride it on the road, dirt road or trail and they work.

John

[CFM]

I ran Specialized Cannibal tires on my ancient Univega for years; wish they still made those, they were really good. I converted them to studded tires for winter use. I currently run a pair of Specialized Fast Tracks on it for the rest of the year, but the tread pattern is too fine for some of the terrain I get into.

[cjjenkins]

Steve,
I know you can get better traction from a softer compound tire, wider tire, one with better side knobs. But the point I was trying to make was that it's not always the equipment, but how it is used. There are a vast array of tires out there and everybody has a personal favorite and a rider can easily get overloaded trying to sift through endless options. I went years trying all kinds of tires, from old farmer johns to the latest nevegals, but found for most xc riding rider input seemed to matter more than what tire was being run.

[Superbman]

Steve,
I know you can get better traction from a softer compound tire, wider tire, one with better side knobs. But the point I was trying to make was that it's not always the equipment, but how it is used. There are a vast array of tires out there and everybody has a personal favorite and a rider can easily get overloaded trying to sift through endless options. I went years trying all kinds of tires, from old farmer johns to the latest nevegals, but found for most xc riding rider input seemed to matter more than what tire was being run.


Mr. Jenkins,

When did you start running such garishly fat tires as 2.1 irc's?:)

Time was you cleaned 45 miles of slimey, slippery post rain Petersham trails on little more than 1.8 semi-slick and slyly mocked us fat-tire suckas.:)

I know you're right that rider input matters more than any piece of product, and that it's hard to argue with a 14 dollar tire set-up that works...but I kind of suck at riding, and I slavishly seek out the help of pricey tires.

Oh, and the NEW answer to the OP's question (old answer was Schwalbe Albert Snakeskin 2.25 FRONT ONLY compound designed tires-which are discontinued though another schwalbe tire now masquerades under the same name!) is the GEAX LOBO LOCO 2.3 TnT version, run tubeless on Stan's flow rims (how's that for running with the popular internet forum know-it-all trends!). Seriously, the Lobo Loco has a great tread, pretty sticky, and they're a tubeless ready tire that sells for around 30 bucks (with a sidewall that shames any Nevegal!).

I could talk tires all day....

[danodrum]

I have been using the IRC Mythos for several years now mainly because the price is great and I believe it is a great overall tire. I have also had good luck with running some various combinations of specialized tires on my hard tail. The Roll X on the back and Chunder up front, the captains are good too. But for the money can't beat a $14 tire with good overall performance. I am a cross country guy so what works for me and my style of riding may not work for you.

[cjjenkins]

superbman,

I got old and lazy and had to move up to 2.1's! Speaking of petersham, I'm hosting a fun ride on june 13th. Check out the post on genral discussion. Anyway I could banter about tires all day, pro's con's and such. But the bottom line is get out and ride, have fun, and enjoy the trails. Besides if you run a crappy tire you can blame IT when you crash!!

[Jisch]

Ugh. I wanted so badly to get away from Nevegals, but my current rubber is wearing out rapidly, I panicked and ordered two more Nevegals. I wish I knew that the lugs were going to stay in place... oh well.

John

[subaru311]

IRC Mythos great grip up steep technical. Front tire is very nice for tracking through poop.

[xxxcore]

IRC Kujo DH 2.3 - they don't make them any longer - I bought five on close out - the damn things never NEVER pinch flat! Long wearing super grip - not a front tire. Nevs are cool - great grip , but wear quick.

The best tire is the one you wear out!

[Evil Chocula]

IRC Kujo DH 2.3 - they don't make them any longer -

LOL, not particularly helpful to the OP.

[Doomrider]

Try Panaracer Cinder 2.3's. You can froogle these and track them down for $20-25 a tire. Best ones I've ever used, especially for the terrain around here!