Some tyre feedback

[Scallops]

Folks,

The tyres my MTB came with (Bonty XRO's) are great in some ways (light, rolling resistance) but not so great in others (cornering grip, puncture resistance), so I went back to an old favourite from my former MTB days and bought some Maxxis tyres.

I used to run Larsen TT's, which I found great for most stuff....but this time I went for something new....a pair of CrossMark EXO Series tyres WOW - these tyres rock!

They are light, have good (little) rolling resistance, seem to hold out better against flats, and stick through corners (in the dry) like **** to a blanket. ....But I also bought a Maxxix Advantage EXO Series tyre to throw on the front in the wet or for more aggressive tracks....haven't tried the Advantage yet but it looks like it'll provide even greater cornering grip, perhaps at the expense of rolling resistance but horses for courses, right? ....

Anyhow, I thought a thread where we might compare notes on particular tyre choices might be the go....

I'll put it on the record that I'm a huge fan of the CrossMarks - they gave me extra confidence at Mt Joyce last weekend, and it might just have been the first time ever I haven't fallen off riding singletrack!

[Psimpson7]

I am still running IRC KUJO DH 2.25" front and rear and love them.

Heavy, but I counteract that with decent wheels!

Best tyre I have ever used on my bikes. Not available anymore tho

[Scallops]

What sort of trails you riding on them, Pete? Actual DH stuff?

[isuzurover]

Maxxis tyres are great! Come to think of it - every tyre I have bought in the last ~5 years (bikes/cars/landies) has been maxxis!

I quite like the high rollers. Especially the 40/42 durometer ones! Huge amounts of grip, however they wear fast...

[rainman]

For the past five or more years I've been running Maxxis also. Bear in mind when reading the below I am a fairly aggressive rider, so I lean towards grip over rolling resistance.

Cross Country - Maxxis Minion DHF 2.35 42a front @ 25psi, and then something like Larsen TT around 2.0/2.1 in 60-70a on the rear @40psi.

All Mountain/Freeride - This is my exception to Maxxis at the moment. I happened upon a pair of WTB Prowler 2.35, XT for the front @ 20psi, MX for the rear @32psi. These are Kevlar beaded so lighter than something like a Minion and WTB's 2.35 is more like Maxxis' 2.5 size so you have a lot more tyre. I run these ghetto tubeless'd. This whole setup is absolutely awesome and I will be doing exactly the same when my current set wears out. It is so predictable that steering in and out of two wheel drifts mid corner is no problem.

Downhill - At the moment Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 UST 42a (again ghetto tubeless), 20 psi front, 28 psi rear. Next time I may try for a Minion DHR for the rear if available in UST just for a bit more power under brakes.

Since going tubeless for AM/FR/DH I have not had one single flat. I'd do it for my XC bike too if it didn't regularly have tyres swapped to slicks. Tubeless will also give you less rolling resistance because you don't have the tube and the tyre flexing against each other. Some may say this difference would be negligible, but I did actually notice the difference.


James.

[Scallops]

Good info here. Seems that a different tyre combo front to rear is not something I invented! It's kind of unheard of in track/road circles, I guess 'cos it's unnecessary in those environments, but I take it it is maybe quite common to not only run different front/rear rubber but to also maybe choose various tyre combos for different terrains?

[PSI250]

....But I also bought a Maxxix Advantage EXO Series tyre to throw on the front in the wet or for more aggressive tracks....haven't tried the Advantage yet but it looks like it'll provide even greater cornering grip, perhaps at the expense of rolling resistance but horses for courses, right? ....

i run the maxxis advantange in 26x2.4 all year round. Excellent tyre, has transformed the way the bike handles and can throw it in fast with so much confidence.
Do flick a fair bit of mud up but thats to be expected!

[rainman]

Good info here. Seems that a different tyre combo front to rear is not something I invented! It's kind of unheard of in track/road circles, I guess 'cos it's unnecessary in those environments, but I take it it is maybe quite common to not only run different front/rear rubber but to also maybe choose various tyre combos for different terrains?

Hehehe . I actually run a soft compound on the front of my road bike for extra grip and a harder compound of the same tyre on the rear for longevity and less likelihood of collecting small stones and pieces of glass. I guess that's the mountain biker in me.

Running different tyres for different terrain really comes down to how @n@lly retentive you are (me=lots ) and if you don't a have a different bike for each occasion it's a pain to have to change them over before each ride.


James.

[Scallops]

Took another drive out to Mt Joyce last weekend, and put the Maxxis Advantage EXception on the front (kept CrossMark on rear) - this is a fantastic tyre combo...I've now ridden (albeit slowly and with a healthy mix of pure fear and adrenalin) all the trails there at least once bar the black downhill ones....the Advantage has noticeably, even to a beginner, heaps more grip and traction, especially through loose corners....so happy with these tyres.

I was going to take the Advantage off and put the other CrossMark on for daily riding to work, but even the Advantage's tyre apparent disadvantage of worse rolling resistance is hard to pick on a 9.9 SSL....glad to be back on a bike again.

[rainman]

I think you have a good matching pair there for XC now Dan . Be a little careful with the eXCeption series tyres though. They are really designed for professionally prepared race circuits without nasty rocks and sticks littering the trail. The sidewalls are thinner and tend to tear very easily. I wrecked one (alone, somewhere between Mt Nebo and Camp Mountain ) when it was 20km old. They are also a slightly softer compound so you might find they will square off quite quickly with road use.


James.