gonna be racing and riding out in the front range area in school and i was wondering what kind of tires you guys are running for mostly racing purposes. UST and regular suggestions welcome. I'm kind of lost coming from new england. i'm guessing i could get away with a little less agressive tread?
I'm currently running Panaracer Fire XC pro's and I really like them. They hook up well in most conditions. Before that I had IRC Mythos XCs and they worked pretty well too.
none of them come even close to the balance of speed and traction you get from specialized fastrak. i run the pros. the sworks save like 10 grams/wheel but cost twice as much. they hook up great in the corners. very predictable. climbing traction is awesome.
Maxxis Larsen TT/Crossmark
Hutchinson Pythons
Continental Explorer
Kenda Karmas
Anything with tightly spaced small knobs will work well for the race courses out here. There's a lot of sand-over-hardpack, so you don't need big aggressive knobs to dig down into the dirt like back east.
That being said, there are also a few courses that can get a bit loose. It's not unusual to see sombody run something like a Larsen in the back to reduce rolling resistance and run a ramped-knob tire like the Highroller up front for cornering grip. It really kinda depends on the course and time of year you're racing.
I'm a big Schwalbe fan. When I raced XC I had great luck with Racing Ralphs. 2.1s are plenty big for the local racing circuit. They do suck when the ground is wet, though, Nobby Nics would work better in that situation. On a hardpack, shorttrack course, the Fast Freds really shine, however, their grip is pitiful, so if it is loose, or worse, loose over hardpack, you'll be all over the place.
I'm a big Schwalbe fan. When I raced XC I had great luck with Racing Ralphs. 2.1s are plenty big for the local racing circuit. They do suck when the ground is wet, though, Nobby Nics would work better in that situation. On a hardpack, shorttrack course, the Fast Freds really shine, however, their grip is pitiful, so if it is loose, or worse, loose over hardpack, you'll be all over the place.
On couses with few sharp rocks I run standard Nobby Nic frontand Racing Ralph rear tubeless with Stans. On the rest of the courses I run the Michelin XCR Mud front and an XCR Dry2 in the back. With that combo I have never had a cut or flat, as the sidewalls hold up a little better. Again std tires with Stans.
I find that there are few courses/trails here that require nobbys in the back, but I like good cornering traction up front. The NN and XCR Mud are excellent for that.
WTB MutanoRaptor Race 2.4" (longest tire name ever?) Done and done. Light, high volume, great center tread, nice stickiness while new. Doesn't wear terribly well... but you said racing tire didn't you?
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