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Tires or the rider?

2K views 34 replies 25 participants last post by  trailof 
#1 ·
I love in northern Michigan and ride single track consisting of hard sand, Loose sand, and flat out soft sand.

I just bought a Cannondale Trail 29er with stock Kendal small block 8 tires.

I am finding that either I am riding differently or these tires suck on anything but hard pack. I laid down my bike twice today because the back end slipped out from under me on a turn in loose sand going maybe 10-12mph. I used to ride a 26" with wtb tires and never slipped.

So... Is this a result of me needing to learn to ride a 29er or should I think about different tires?

Tia,
Bill
 
#2 ·
I would say both. It depends on what your used to, and how much your able to finesse your bike around the corner.

Some riders really like a super burly tire. They have learned to ride on these and know when and where to push them. Others can do just as well on a tire with very little tread.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I had the same problem, my bike came with SB8, front and back. I kept them on for awhile to see if I could adjust to them but I had no confidence with the front tire. I wanted to keep them on because they are light, and fast rolling, but I just didn't like them. I went with the Ignitor (exo version) up front and the Ikon (exo) on the rear. Both light, durable and fast rolling tires. I'm very happy with the set up. If you're just concerned with grip, there are cheaper solutions, like Rampage(or Nevegals), front and rear but that may be more than you need. Ardents would work too, but they aren't cheap either.
 
#18 ·
That's a good suggestion. I would try experimenting with your pressure before throwing out the money to buy a new tire. I have found that SB8's work on hardpack at 28 - 30 psi, but work even better, and for a wider variety of conditions at 22 - 25 psi. I would try that first.
 
#14 ·
Yes, they fit the Crests fine. You may want to get some more aggressive tread than the Small Block 8's while you adjust to the 29"er. An Ikon rear with an Ardent front is a nice combination and should provide more control than SB8's.

You haven't mentioned what psi you were running with the SB8's. You can bounce around and lose a lot of traction if your air pressure is too high. You might want to experiment with lower pressures to see if that settles things down a bit.
 
#15 ·
Bunger,
I think almost any wider tire will improve your traction in sand, but I'm just impressed that you're losing the rear tire and not the front. If I lose anything in sand it's always the front tire and there's no recovering from that. If you can learn how to drift, you can keep your current tires and probably be the fastest rider on those sandy trails.
Then explain how you do it! :thumbsup:

-F
 
#16 ·
I lost confidence in my Renegades when the front tire slid out in a slight slow turn in some stuff that was barely "loose " and really caught me by surprise. My psi was around 60 that day for a paved ride so that probably had a lot to do with it although I had been running that high on similar or looser rides before.


bob
 
#19 ·
I lost confidence in my Renegades when the front tire slid out in a slight slow turn in some stuff that was barely "loose " and really caught me by surprise. My psi was around 60 that day for a paved ride so that probably had a lot to do with it although I had been running that high on similar or looser rides before.

bob
60?!!!! :nono:

And you wonder why you slid out? Drop it down to the mid 20's for sure footed slow cornering. Even on pavement, there's no need to go that high with a mountain bike tire. Get some road or hybrid tires for pavement riding...
 
#24 ·
I guess I'll play devil's advocate here and say it's you.

SB8s do kinda suck in loose terrain but they're not completely unmanageable. Good as a rear tire.

I ran a Nevegal front/ SB8 rear on my *gasp* 26er cross country bike for a long time and that bike was my sand bike/mud bike/commuter. I honestly thought the tire was great, it was very predictable in loose terrain, just dont count on much rear grip. With a grippy front tire, my bike would stay pointed where I'd want it and the rear end would follow suit, just slightly out of control.

Wet leaves were sketchy, muddy climbs sucked but I still cleared most of my riding and couldnt blame the tires for any of my wrecks.

I'd go for something more serious up front, Nevegal, Telonix, even a Slant Six.
 
#25 ·
Same bike, same situation. They are a very fast tire on hardpack, no arguing there. I played around with my pressures at 28f and 30r on the SB8s. After getting more confident in the bikes abilities I started pushing the pace a little more. Having the front end wash out on you in not fun at all. The very next ride I put a nevegal up front and I havent looked back. I point and shoot with the front end now. Very confident in it. I ride it about 26-28 psi. The SB8 in the rear is OK for now. They are going to get replaced with something a little more knobby in the future.
Last week I wanted to get some miles in and did a bunch of moderate fire road trails, easy stuff I figured. I crested this one hill, had some speed, and at the bottom of the banked hill was what was perceived as dusty hardpack but ended up being sandy washout mix, and my ass end drifted sideways about 6 feet!!! I was almost completely sideways and unclipped my right foot, and pushed off flat track racer style and righted myself.......I got off the bike, walked back to my skid, said damn that was a close call, and then checked my short for skid marks too....:eek:
Your trails and riding style dictates your tire sometimes
 
#27 ·
I have a CD trail 29er and have similar track conditions as you. I'm running the small block 8 in the rear at 35psi, but up front I have a 2.3 "The Capitan" at 30psi for that needed bite when cornering. So far, I love the combo...
 
#31 ·
Bunger, I ride and race in the Traverse City area a few times a year and the Maxxis Ikon EXO's work great for me. I have them mounted to Crest rims and they have been easy to setup without a tube. The tires that worked best for me in sandy conditions are those with a relatively wide casing and a PSI of 25-32 (I weigh 180 +/- 5lbs when geared up).
 
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