Hi guys,
Looking for favorite all around tire choice and size for your endurance racing? I realize that course conditions are going to be the primary factor in tire choice but just would like to hear some opinions.
Right now I'm riding Specialized Captain 2.0's on my Carve.
thanks,
Zach
Totally depends on the course. That being said, I like tires that are mid-weight and have some volume. Of course, I ride a singlespeed and mostly ride rigid.
I'm a fan of schwalbe Racing Ralphs on both my 26er and 29er.
I'd like to try the 2.25 NN for muddy days to see how it clears, RR seem to hold the mud more than I want.
I've ran mountain kings 2.4's they are heavy but grip and ability to shed mud are great.
Racing Ralph Snakeskin in back, Bontrager 29-3 in front, both set up tubelesss.
I always like a bit more bite in front, and don't think a little more aggressive tire up there matters as much for rolling resistance as it does out back.
I've got Captains on my hardtail and RR's on my fully - RRs, hands down. Bigger tire, great on the corners, and light. The Captains are nice too, but I much prefer the feel of the RRs in the corners. I might try a Captain on the rear tire and a RR on the front next summer as I think that the Captains have more traction on the straights than the RRs.
All year long on a set of 29'er Ikon EXO's until I finally wore them out in Oct. Mounted up on my singlespeed hardtail they saw 3 x 24 Solo's and 1 x 100km, plus a whole pile of trg and fun riding.
That's not been my experience, I think they are a great all-rounder tire. I've raced them in mud, rocks, dust, roots, hardpack, gravel, sand, loam, etc. Guaranteed they aren't a dedicated mud tire but they do surprisingly well in the mud.
You want something bigger than a 2.0. 2.2 is good, for traction, comfort and lower OFF ROAD rolling resistance (narrow is faster on tarmac).
Also a shallow tread, again for less rolling resistance, you're not going to be exploring the boundaries of traction, drifting round in every corner in a solo24 but you do want too pedal efficiently for an awful long time
Both of these requirements make the maxxis ikon a great tyre for 24solo, but there are several similar, like the schwalbe racing ralph or kenda karma
I've been running a WTB Weirwolf 2.55 LT up front and a Geax Suagaro 2.2 in the rear all year. I have been very pleased with their performance in all conditions (even in the mud) and the only weakness with the Suagaro seems to be hooking up on wet slippery rock while climbing (riding SS doesn't help with that either). Tire wear has been decent on both and I haven't torn a sidewall even with all of the rocky, baby head infested trails around here. Rolling resistance is spectacular on both tires!
BTW, I can't believe how expensive tires are these days! It blows my mind how you can buy decent car tire for about the same price!
My Maxxis Icon tires bubbled in the rear due to the use of Stan's gunk. I like them a lot but don't need a bubble in a race. I wonder if Maxxis makes a Stan's friendly tire outside of a full on UST 29er tire?
I have run everything from Conti Race king F/R, Race king rear MTN king fnt, Race king rear, X king front, etc... but for all around i have really been liking my snake skin Racing Ralphs. 2.25 f/r with squish and 2.4 rigid.
I used a Ikon/Aspen combo this past season. Nice set-up for most conditions, sketchy as hell in fast loose corners or mud though ( I never got to ride them in deep mud but doubt they would be good for that).
I rode Ikon/Ikon in the SM100 this year. Not the best choice given that the trails were all mud. That's a polite way of saying they sucked and I shouldn't have shelled out the $90/. But if the trails would have been hardpack they would have been fast and predictable.
I LOVE my Racing Ralphs. Running the EVO 2.25 tubeless. Low rolling resistance and gives me confidence when cornering. Schwalbe rocks!! I use them on all my builds.
Another vote for Schwalbe racing ralphs. great weight, durable (in the snakeskin), mounts well tubeless (floor pump for me on Crests), (relatively) long lasting tread, good pattern for most spring thru fall conditions. No issues with traction for ss.
I've also had great luck with the Aspen in the rear for drier fast conditions.
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