Mountain Biking - MTB Tires

I will like to start a thread on MTB tires. I will like to get opinions on models and wehre you have tried them on. Please specify the tire on the subject for easier refferal.

MTB tires have always been a great topic for many and as long as those posting remain truthful and informative this can be of much service to others.

Let's begin

My current fav tire is the WTB Motoraptor 2.4. It's big and meaty, without too much weight. Among the lightest of it's size (731g for the kevlar model), but durability has been good so far. I ride in varied conditions (rocky, rooted, sandy, loose, hardpack, gravel, etc) and it holds pretty well in all of these conditions. The bigger size allows running lower pressure which helps traction too.

I tried the 2.1 Motoraptor (same tread as the 2.4 but smaller), but found it to be too lightweight (not durable enough) for my purposes. My wife loves it, though. Pretty light at 528g (544 for the steel 'DNA' compound one), and they roll very easily.

Before those I primarially rode the Panaracer Smoke/Dart combo for years (about 7-8 years, before they were called Smoke/Dart Classics). They were pretty good for most conditions, but didn't do very well when the trail became loose or sandy. The Smoke is loud on the pavement, and has plenty of rolling resistance. Weights are decent at 542g and 547g for the 2.1 kevlar models.

Mr. Smith,

I too love WTB tyres and items. The company is small and really cool (thus far).

One question? How is the front MotoRaptor? Predictable? Does it wash out often?

To me finding a right front tire is hard. I ride in all conditions and have been riding MTBs a long time. Let's say toe clips and non suspension was not even thought off back then. So I've tried all kinds.

I will defiently try the smaller MotoRaptor as you are not the only one that likes these in all conditions.

Just moving this thread to the Mountain Bike forum.

yeah hi there;

well all i can say is don't ever buy Tioga Psycho K tyres i ran them for like a month. I mean they sorta grip alright, they're cheap and they're real light but you get so many damn punctures, like i had blunt sticks puncturing my tires and probably ended up patching my tube or buying another one every week, i'm not even exagerating they're that bad. Now i'm running 2.1 Continental Explorer Pro on the front and some Innova 2.1 thing on the back, chunky cheap beef. I ride i little bit of trails but i'm getting into trials so i guess the fatter the better.

I've been running a pair of 1.7" competition tires on my bike which are pretty old, but for my style of riding *cross county, street* they're pretty cool.

Does anyone remember the old Onza Porkies...they were heavy but wicked tires...out of production now unfortunately...still reckon they should have done a 1.5" version....:)

Take it easy of Christmas, and good luck in the New Year

Rich

Good topic,
Here is my reply, I have ridden old stock Gary fisher 1.9 they were ok. I rode on Specialized Ground Control the original ones they were great heavy but real good, semmed to last for ever. Then there was Onza both the Aggro and Honch. Loved them both like the other poster said here I too wish they were still around. I also rode Panaracer Smoke and Dart I liked the Smoke but the Dart was crap (imho). I rode on Tioga Psycho's they are good, average, predictable. I have also ridden WTB Velociraptor's by far the best yet. I am now riding on IRC Mythos and like these just fine although the WTB grip better, the IRC's feel faster.

Xavier: On the front, the Motoraptor tracks very well. Even in loose gravel/sand it is predictable. I find very little washout with this tire. I've been in the sport quite a while as well. The first thing I upgraded on my first mountain bike was a set of Farmer John tires. They rode like tractor if my memory serves me correctly.

Cooldude: I did run a set of Tioga Psycho tires for about a month. That's all I got out of them. The wore much too quickly for my taste (torn knobs, etc), and I didn't really like they worked on the rear. I can't remember if they were the K version or not, though.

Rich: My best friend Rich's all time favorite front tire is the Onza Porkie! Funny coincidence.

Over the years, that have been many, well to many,no i guess not. Anyway i have ridden a lot of tires all the above mentioned. I am now running a set of bontrager st.2.team tires, larger front than rear, for dirt controll. These i rate as close to no. 1 as any i have ever ridden.!!

For the last few years i've been using Panaracer Fire XC Pro's front and rear, they given me good cofidence in all conditions even the odd bit of road work. they wear well unless used on rocky terrain and i never punctured them (wish i hadn't said that).

Recently i've swaped to a Conti vertical ProTection Folding 2.3 incher since i put sus forks on my old bike, it's a fantastic tyre and very comfy to hammer into rock's n' roots. just wish i could fit one into the frame.

While we've had foot and mouth i've using Tioga factory XC slicks which are quick and not to shabby on hardpack surfaces or the shallow sand on the sea front near town. good durability

The Pana/Conti combo have gone back on now cause some of the trails have opened up now and i get my Hope Enduro 4 disk this week. (which is nice).

Just wanted to give my opinion, I'm a big fan of WTB Velociraptors. For the type of riding I do and the terrain I ride, they seem to be the best all-around tire. I've never had a sidewall blow out and the treads last a long time.

I've used a pair of IRC Notos XC 1.9 and those were too squirrely for me. I felt like everytime I would go hard into a turn, they just let go. I was washing out all over the place. I've used some IRC Psyko's and didn't like the way they rode and didn't last very long. I also tried out a pair of IRC Mythos that came on my wife's bike and she didn't like the sidewall color. I ripped off 4 of the side knobs in one relatively "normal" ride. They gripped pretty well, but I was dissapointed in the durability. I just I just haven't had any positive comments to make on any IRC tire I've tried.

I've had a pair of Continental Altanta and Control tires, they didn't work for the type of terrain around here so I got rid of them on a bike I sold.

What else, I've ridden my father-in-laws bike with Tioga XC and they hooked up pretty well. Similar knob size and spacing to a Velociraptor. He had a pair of Panaracer (I think) Mosquito's, (the one's with the bright yellow outside tread that are stock on some Cannondale's), these were nearly identical to the IRC Notos I had, and he had the same problem with his.

I'm running some Specialized Ground Control's on my single-speed and they're a really nice tire. They hook-up well, and I'm happy (so far) with their durability.

With all that, I just have one question. Why do the tires on my bike cost nearly the same (or more) than those for my car? Definitely not due to the amount of rubber you get. Definitely not due to the cost of materials. I'm sure the steel in steel belted tires ain't cheap. It can't be the amount the companies spend on R&D and sponsorship. I just saw the Coca-Cola 600 and Goodyear is THE ONLY tire used and they're constantly changing designs and compounds. The Indy 500 was a Firestone stronghold. The only thing I can think of, is production quantities and we're all a bunch of suckers to spend $50-60 on a bike tire. Any comments or insight into this would be helpful.

Later Gator
Boomer:D

I would like to know what tire people like for desert XC riding. I ride mostly in Phoenix and Tucson areas. I have run Specialized Master and Control (?)1.9'' comp tires for a long time but seem to washout more than some on the turns. I am thinking I will try something wider like 2.1.
Any advice? Thanks.

I ride mostly urban, dry or wet, and occasionally (about once a week), some dirt. the dirt isn't from real mountain trails though. i ride near a river in boston, (charles river), and their are sections of dirt road.

my style of riding is not technical trail riding. i just mess around on the street (urban assault) and i enjoy biking through the dirt looking for jumps and drop offs onto flat.

can somebody suggest a tire for me? should i be looking at something like the maxxis holy rollers?

thanks in advanced. i'm glad this thread is here because i know nothing about tires.

I've been thru a few pairs of kevlar IRC Mythos XC 2.1. I do mostly XC riding on hardpack, pocked clay, lime rock, and mud.

They are a front and rear pair and are available for $15 per tire.

I've found they are a good, but not great all around tire. They work well aired up hard or just a bit soft. Too soft and they get sketchy cornering. They have excellent, excellent treadlife. Lightweight as well and I have had no pinches, although I never get pinches, anyways. They pack up with mud easily.

I've just mounted a pair of Kevlar Panaracer Cinder 2.25. These tires are much pricier at $45 per tire. They are softer compound than the IRCs and the sharp, widely spaced knobs seem to show wear whenever they touch pavement. The tires are a fair weight for the size. They shed mud very well and so far give outstanding traction and shock absorbtion when run at ver low pressure. I weigh 140 + 26 bike + 10 gear and I use 20psi in the rear and 17 in the front. The sidewalls seem to offer great protection and the tires work great at this pressure, but I think they'd work better just a little harder. They shed mud well.

Nothing like a 5 year old thread to spark up some conversation.....

I favor the Panaracer Fore series....

They've NEVER failed me.

Ok, please stop bumping up old threads.