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Tyres
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Hi.
I am planning to put on some new tires before the Scott 24hr as my old Rocket Ron's are worn out (only at back). I am riding a scott scale 60 and would anyone be able to recommend some brands of tires that work well for speed and grip and dont tend to cause flats. Does it matter if the 2 tires are different and have different tread patterns on them as well.
Thanks
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hi,
running a rocket ron at the front and a racing ralph at the back on an up specced scale 30.
after trying lots of different tyres i found that this is the combination that works best for me and for most of the trails that i ride. (mostly sydney area)
in regards to flats, there are many different versions of these tyres (tubeless evo, tubeless ready evo, performance line). guess it's about how much of a weight weenie you want to be and also if you're running tubeless or not.
i'm running the tubeless ready evos with conti supersonics (don't have tubeless rims) and that works for me.
however if you're not keen on checking your tyre pressure before every ride you might want to go for a slightly heavier tube.
hope this helps
tYres not tIres. Hard to ignore when it is your title.
don't forget where you are riding ? Stromlo is known for flats sidewall cuts & even the elite get flats I saw Gordo come back twice on a few laps with a spare flung over his shoulder thas was punctured .. maybe a few spares wouldn't go astray tyres & tubes of course & chain lube as the track is nasty for this as well . Have a fun weekend
While Schwalbe tyres are nice and light, that comes at the price of the sidewalls not really being built to take punishment on courses with sharp rocks. I run tubeless, which usually carries more rubber in the sidewalls. Despite that I had a sidewall gash lead to a puncture on my 6-month-old (and admittedly very tired-looking) Racing Ralph last Saturday.
It had been there awhile and I hadn't bothered preventively patching it on the inside of the casing ("I'll do it when I get back"
), but it did confirm comments others had made previously. I wouldn't run their non-UST tyres at my local haunts (Manly Dam, Cascades, Terrey Hills).
If Stromlo is like I've been told, something a bit more solid in the sidewalls like a Maxxis (UST if running tubeless) might be heavier but you'll lose less time in the race overall.
I've been through two sets of Racing ralphs front and rear in about 18 months, initially I ran the UST specific ones, but have now moved to the Performance version (mainly for price and weight, NBC sell them for 60 or 65 dollars iirc) and still run tubeless no probs, I run the Schwalbe goop as well now. I've ridden quite a few enduro events at stromlo on these tyres and they absolutely ROCK!!! The grip on the Stromlo surface with RR's is so good. Never had a sidewall tear or anything there.
In the end i deiced to have a nobby nic at the front and racing ralph at the back. I'll be riding on friday to test out the psi.
NN front (2.25) and RR rear is what I run too.
I found the NN to be quite sensitive to pressure. First ride around Manly Dam with them at my usual pressures (30F, 34R) was quite sketchy especially the front. I was thinking "WTF? I thought these were supposed to be good!"
Following advice from here I dropped the pressure, and after a few iterations of dropping 2psi and trying it out, my anxiety levels were much better.
I currently run about 24-25psi in the front and and quite like the tyre. I vary between 30 and 34 on the rear depending on how rough or loose it is. Oh, and tubeless as already mentioned.
I'm roughly 80kg and on a 5" travel enduro bike. YMMV.
for hawkeye's comments on the NN, depending on where you ride and pressure they can wash out. Led to me planting my forehead on a rock around the dam. Start off with a fairy low pressure. I swapped it out after the 3 ring circus for Maxxis Rendez which worked well for the muddy Husky. Next up is the Larsen TT.
What tyre pressures would you suggest for riding at Stromlo in the wet? weighing 85kg? Hawkeye, did you find having the pressure at 25 slow you down at all and what pressure did you run in your rr's?
... on whether you're running tubeless or not. Remember I am running UST tubeless tyres on UST rims, which is supposedly the gold standard for tubeless tyre security.
If you are not UST tyre on UST rim, I would not risk going below 25PSI on the front (2.25" NN) or it may burp off, or pinchflat if you have tubes. If running a 2.1" (you haven't said) you might need to go higher to avoid bottoming out/pinch flatting.
Like you I'm running the RR on the rear (2.1) and the pressure depends on the track surface. If it is chattery or loose I'll run it between 30 and 32. If it is smooth and groomed and grippy I'll head up towards 34psi for better rolling resistance. If it is rocky with square-edged hits I'll also head up towards 34psi so I don't bash my rims about, but that's a tough one as you don't want to be pinging off the rocks either.
Hope this helps. My racing experience is relatively limited compared to others on here and so is my exposure to different types of track surface... if others have better info please share, I could do with the learning too.
Edit: if it's wet, you might want to consider going to NN's at both ends, the Racing Ralph goes a bit useless in mud. Make sure you wear eye protection, the NN throws off the mud in big gobbets!
Im planning on running the NN on the front on my trail bike. I was going to Rr, but I want something a bit more aggressive for all weather conditions and trail types. I've run Big Bettys in 2.4 and around the Northern beaches they are awesome! But they are heavy and don't roll as good as RR, but they arent far off. Acceleration is where you notice the difference turning all that mass. The NN is meant to be in between the RR and NN so Ive got some high expectations of it. Lol can't wait to try it out.
Totally agree Hawkeye, they are similar pressures that I run with the RRs, and it works really well for me. I found rolling resistance on the front with mid 20 pressures almost negligable, compared to mid 30s. I personally think that RRs roll better at mid 20s than crossmarks at 50 odd. I also adjust my rear pending track. The only thing I can say is the none UST (performance range) on UST rims 2011 SLRs, is sweet. Never had a prob, even on my last Enduro at Stromlo came unstuck on Western Wedgetail after losing my front brake earlier, popped a spoke out of the hub and all. The tyre was still perfectly inflated. I know it's just one circumstance, but the Schwalbe range of tyres are awesome! I love em.