Tires: what do you use?

(lots of old threads that I linked to)

Edit: Apologies. I keep forgetting questions that were answered 900 times last year are no longer available.

 

continental der kaiser rear, 2.2 mountain king front. we have lots in stock (coz i love these tires). pm me if interested

 

I'm the opposite side of the spectrum on weight as Kevin. I weigh 210, he is light. I also like the Der Kaiser. I won't say its the best because I haven't tried a lot of tires but I can't find any flaws other then the steep price tag.

 

Since most of the threads quoted were 2+ years old, it's worth mentioning new tires.

Continental's have become quite popular as a rear tire: either the Der Kaiser or Rain King. They're kinda mediocre front tires, light weight but not really that sticky.

Maxxis Minions in Super Tacky are always a safe bet. Run a 2 ply rear and 1 ply front.

Michelin was out of the game for a while. They're finally coming back with new tires, but no one is talking about them.

Tryall tires are great up front, but not so great in the rear. New super lights are on the way, but no reviews yet.

Kenda, Schwalbe, Specialized and others make good tires, but they're a little more hit and miss depending on your preferences.

 

there are reviews of the super lite try alls, but ill write a long one once i get some

 

Continental Der Kaiser rear
Schwalbe Big Betty front

It would be very difficult to convince me to run anything else.

 

I have seen the pics and abit of info on these, and they look pretty good, I want to know what the michelin super soft compound they mention is like, I have my eye on the 2.4 Rock'R for a rear tyre and the 2.1 Rock'R to try on the front!



Adam

 

Der Kaiser rear :love:
Kenda Nevegal 2.1 up front from Mountain King <- prone to pinch flats, Nevegal is like 100g heavier and feels more stable. Also the Nevegal is stickier and has a better profile.

 

I like Kevin's specialized on the front.

I use try all front and try all rear, but i would like to try a DK rear.

 

I just mounted a Big Betty from Aki on my rear tonight it seams super solid but it's the 2 ply version. Is that what you run up front?

 

The DK is great on the rear. I put my Rubber Queen back on for a few weeks, but after one pinch flat, I put the DK back on. The extra weight is well worth the grip and trust I have with that tire. Rush, you need a DK... you saw me hopping up that slanted rock at Rock Port all on my rear wheel... it didn't fold or slip once.

 

Just switched my front to Nevegal also (Peter said you use 'em). Had the Conti Speed King but was too light and the camber grip wasn't good (even though the compound is the same as the DK).

DK love for the rear. Running 20 psi right now for my 200 lb frame.

 

I will 14th the DK. I havent tried a lot of tires (for trials) but I cant imagine how they could get much better than that. Soooooooo worth the money.

 

The DK is so different from any other tire it's absurd. The sidewalls. oh. oh. oh.

 

I have a Wildgripper lying around if you're interested. I'm pretty sure it's a 2.5. The only caveat is that it is red. PM me if you're interested.

I definitely want to check out the DK though. I switched from an old Tioga "White Tiger" DH tire to Maxxis, and shit, I didn't realize tires made THAT big of a difference...

 

The speed king isn't the same compound as the DK, sure its got black chilli compound, but its a much harder race version rather than the super soft dh version on the DK.

The DK is still my fave rear tyre, best grip (just pure fact) most stable sidewalls I have ever seen (can ride on off-camber surfaces without the tyre folding) and not a bad weight.

For the front, I am still running a try-all tyre. They have very good grip and a trade-off in weight...I found a too light front tyre bounces too much when you place it on pointy rocks, the Try-all is really controlable.

 

Anyone tried Nokian Gazzaloddi 2.3?

I tried Maxxis mobster 2.5 rear. Tryall sticky 2.0 up front.

I use to run IRC KUJO 2.35 rear and IRC Serac XC 2.1 up front

 

DK makes Maxxis feel like cheese in terms of sidewall. I think it's nuke proof!

 

I used to run a Richey Motovader 2.6 rear. I loved this tyre more than life itself, I have no idea why!

On the new complete I puchased tonight came a WTB tyre. I'll be trying it tomrrow as long as I am not too hungover. :squint: