Mountain Biking - Best tire for...

My last ride I noticed that my tire doesn't really grip as well as I would like.
Running the stock Bontrager connections I think it is.

I need a tired that can handle roots, sandy areas, mud, rock, and that dang Georgia clay, both hard packed and soft and wet. Pine straw is also annoying but I don't think you can do much about that.
Inclines, declines and straights.
I was looking at the Velociraptor's or the weirwolfs, but I play on racing and people have said they have a high rolling resistance.


at 20.00 a pair, I think its a good deal, but I need something that would be worth it.
My current tires are a 2.0... would my 3900 have clearance for a 2.1?
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=58321&page=WTB+VELOCIRAPTOR+COMP+MOUNTAIN+BIKE+TIRE

Sure. Go for it. Why the hell not? A good all around tire is said to be the Kenda Nevegal.

irc mythos are cheap, grip good, and fairly light and IMO are way better than the raptors.. get the 2.1 size as IRC are a little narrow. I run trailbears at 2.25 width they should fit at least the front.. My current setup is a trailbear in the front and a mythos front on the rear. Not sure if they still make the mythos, but they are still available.

the conection trails are almost a semislick. so any knobby would give better grip.

edit
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/10981-320_IRCXC0_SET-3-Parts-73-Tires/Mountain/IRC-Mythos-XC-Racing-Tire----Buy-2-%26-Save!.htm
just buy them

Sure. Go for it. Why the hell not? A good all around tire is said to be the Kenda Nevegal.

Negatory. I have a set, and they're heavy, way to much rolling resistance and the only time when they grip really well (comparitively) is in mud.

those tires you linked (velociraptors) are wire bead and heavy as lead don't buy those .. 20 bucks a iece there are way better deals get the kevlar beads as well.

Thanks for that tip, I don't want a heavy tire, lol.
Yea, those connections dont have a lot of grip.

Maxxis is a local company out of Ga. They do a lot of testing in the Ga. dirt and hook up well in this area as too. Take a look at the Highroller.

High rollers look pretty grippy,
whats the difference between the two models though?

Never thought picking out tires could be........ hard.
need a budget XC racing tire that grips roots, sand, rocks, mud, dirt, hardpack and GA clay.
also need to be able to climb and all that.
So far my list is the mytho's or the High rollers.
both have great reviews also..
AGH!

nothing is good in mud except mud tires, which suck at everything else..

Well, there is very little hard core mud on these trails, its mostly just little areas that are lower, or by the creek. It just sucks with these connections as soon as the tires wet, I have no grip at all, lol.
Need something that cleans its self a bit better.

I'll probably be giving my Connections to a friend who just rides light trails, if his bike is fixable.... He had a bad wreck, jacked the derails, broke the front brakes off, and he was in the hospital for stitches, had cuts down to the bone =/

He has semi slicks on now... lol

Negatory. I have a set, and they're heavy,

A relative statement. Heavy relative to which tire?


way to[sic] much rolling resistance

A relative statement. Too much rolling resistance compared to relative to which tire?

How do you define too much rolling resistance?


and the only time when they grip really well (comparitively[sic]) is in mud.

False.

Negatory. I have a set, and they're heavy, way to much rolling resistance and the only time when they grip really well (comparitively) is in mud.

You're the one of the few people I have heard bad mouthing the Nevegal. I have a pair and they hook up like a scared cat on carpet.

ahhh so much controversy over tires also lol

A relative statement. Heavy relative to which tire?



A relative statement. Too much rolling resistance compared to relative to which tire?

How do you define too much rolling resistance?



False.

Heavy relative to all tires I've ever owned. It's a noticable difference. I've had Holy Rollers, Bonty Jones, and I couple other I don't remember sitting that are on my bike shelf. All of them roll faster and are much lighter than the Nevegals. The only good thing about hte Nevegals is that they shed mud well.

To much rolling resistance as in, the tires roll to slow to make up for the lack of grip.

False? You can't tell me what is false and what's not. If it doesn't perfrom well for me, it doesn't.

The Nevagals are good tires until you ride a good tire.

The Nevagals are good tires until you ride a good tire.

Care to elaborate? How good a tire is is relative to terrain, soil type, wet vs dry among other things. What is a good tire?

What is a good tire?

A tire that has the best weight vs rolling resistance vs cornering traction vs climbing traction, depending on terrain conditions. If you have some kinds of terrain, you may not be able to get a good result in any of those categories. I can't find many tires that corner well but maintain other desirable attributes on the terrain that I ride on.

Based on Cheeto's description, he rides trails that are similar to the ones in my area.

He should just try a few tires out over time and figure out what works best. Also, he might want to try different front/rear tire combos.


I personally run Bontrager Jones tires, the ones that came on my bike. After switching tires around, I found that, while it may not be super-light, it's not heavy either and rolls well.

Note- I've never run a MTB Michelin tire, you may want to check them out.

i ride specalized tires. no one on here ever says anything about them. i think they're pretty nice but i don't really know much about tires. cheeto, take 66's advice and support a local company. if they test their tires in GA and you ride in GA, it sounds like a match made in heaven. and that geoff guy rides them right? he's real fast.

Heavy relative to all tires I've ever owned.

That doesn't mean they are heavy, just that your experience is pretty limited.


All of them roll faster and are much lighter than the Nevegals.

That doesn't mean that they have "way to[sic] much rolling resistance," just that your experience is limited.


The only good thing about hte Nevegals is that they shed mud well.

False.


To much rolling resistance as in, the tires roll to[sic] slow to make up for the lack of grip.

That illustrates your abject lack of understanding quite nicely.

False? You can't tell me what is false and what's not. If it doesn't perfrom well for me, it doesn't.


The Nevagals are good tires until you ride a good tire.

False.

I've ridden plenty of "good tires," since way, way before your parents decided to bump uglies and spawn you.

You simply don't know what you are typing about.

I personally run Bontrager Jones tires, the ones that came on my bike.

I have a fuel and hated these tires.. the front washed out something aweful .. for a rear they are just ok.. all my opinion..

I demo'd a bike with nevengals they seemed pretty good, very fat/ high volume for a 2.0. i'd say they'd be good for very rugged terrain, but I ride smooth flowy stuff.

[snip]

You really like putting in [sic] to point out slight grammatical errors.

I can't be bothered to argue with you right now. You'll just assume I've never ridden any "good tires" and write my opinion off with a horrible cliché.

I don't like Nevegals.

Maxxis Larsen TT or Maxxis crossmark

You really like putting in [sic] to point out slight grammatical errors.

False.


You'll just assume I've never ridden any "good tires" and write my opinion off with a horrible cliché.

I am not assuming anything. I am just commenting on the unsupportable claims that you have been making.


I don't like Nevegals.

No kidding. That doesn't mean that folks should lend any credibility to your opinions about tires though.

You really like putting in [sic] to point out slight grammatical errors.

I can't be bothered to argue with you right now. You'll just assume I've never ridden any "good tires" and write my opinion off with a horrible cliché.

I don't like Nevegals.

I don't like Nevegals either, I think their heavy and slow. I used to ride Kenda Kinetics 2.35 and I think their faster than the 2.1 Nevegals.

I like the Nevegals, I just like the 26x2.35 Kenda ExCavators more at the moment.

The Nevegal makes a good rear tire and mates up really well with a Kenda Blue Groove on the front.

i ride specalized tires. no one on here ever says anything about them. i think they're pretty nice but i don't really know much about tires. cheeto, take 66's advice and support a local company. if they test their tires in GA and you ride in GA, it sounds like a match made in heaven. and that geoff guy rides them right? he's real fast.

I ride Specialized Adrenaline on my XC Comp. IMHO, little rolling resistance, fair when climbing, but taking a sweeper with any speed is a new adventure each time.....and I have the scars to prove it.
I ran a Panaracer XC Pro on the rear of my Rockhopper, sort of wore it out. Climbed better than the Specialized,and better at cornering, I'm told they have greater rolling resistance, but I didn't think so.
I also tried a set of Hutchinson Scorpions briefly. They seemed superior to the Specialized, but I didn't put enough miles on them to reach a solid conclusion.
The Maxxis recommended by mtnbiker66 look interesting and I'm certainly shopping for replacements.

you should hit up the lbs and ask those folks what they run. sure, people can recommend tires on here, but i'd go with recommendations from people that actually ride the same trails. what i run out here in montana, might not work for your location.

Negatory. I have a set, and they're heavy, way to much rolling resistance and the only time when they grip really well (comparitively) is in mud.

My old set were great on all most every surface and I didn't feel them to be overweight. So, negatory right back at your differing opinion. :)

False? You can't tell me what is false and what's not. If it doesn't perfrom well for me, it doesn't.

Yet you can negatory my view of the tires?

I also use the Specialized Roll X. So far they've been a good all around tire as well. Due to nazi-esque trail closures I have not had them in super gooey mud conditions yet. All other conditions have been good. They are lighter than the Nevagals but they are one size smaller........

I also use the Specialized Roll X. So far they've been a good all around tire as well. Due to nazi-esque trail closures I have not had them in super gooey mud conditions yet. All other conditions have been good. They are lighter than the Nevagals but they are one size smaller........

are the trails closed right now due to spring conditions?

Maxxis Larsen TT or Maxxis crossmark

The Larson is a great tire.It doesn't hook up in mud as well as some others but it's a good all around tire. My son runs a Larson rear/Minion front set up.

I found Maxxis Ignitors to be a good "compromise" tire at a decent price.

Ride your current tires until they're worn out before replacing them. IIRC you're fairly new to mountain biking and your Mom has been complaining about all of her money that you're spending on the bike, right? Perhaps it would be good to give ol' Mom a break and not spend the cash when you already have two perfectly serviceable tires on the bike right now.

are the trails closed right now due to spring conditions?

Yes, they are closed if rain is spotted in the continental United States. I understand the logic but I believe the park service personel responsible for closing and opening the trails is a little to eager to shut 'em down. Since the local trails have been revamped I am only able to ride half of what I used to ride. I suppose three monthes of riding on designer trails is better than ten/eleven monthes on non designer trails... no, wait, that is not a good trade at all. I may take up knitting.

Particularly if you're interested in racing you might want to talk to an LBS or other racers and figure out what most of them ride. That'll give you a good idea as to what the "good tire" for your area is. I have used Kenda Karma's for XC racing with good results as a lighter tire that rolls well did okay in the mud. I know people who are extreme weight weenies and run Stan's Crow tire. It seems to be roughly based on the Karma with smaller knobs and is designed to run at about 20 psi to get the proper grip.

This year a couple of people are going with a new tire the Furious Fred which is very light (lightest?) and seems to have just enough tread. The juries out on that one still though as it's new and we're just now getting into outdoor training season.

I am riding in Georgia and my rush has maxxis crossmarks on it and I now love them. One of the biggest things that I have done is take advantage of my tubeless rims. I only run 30-35 lbs in them unless it is totally dry and clean where I am riding. I have found that they hold much better this way. I used to run 45-50 lbs thinking that I would have less rolling resistance. Now I can run in red dust, perfect damp conditions where the ground sticks to you and also in the good old red mud. Hard red clay, just shiny wet is the slipperiest surface out there I ride on. I would rather ride on leaves. One day I got caught in a slight drizzle for 20 minutes, the trail was perfect, sticky. The hardpacked clay was like ice and made me pay.

I had a pair of Mythos IRC and they are the absolute best. hands down. Iv tried a few others and non handle all around as well as the IRC, and at the price they sell for they are more than worth a try. You could go with the nevegal and spend a few bucks more but I still think the IRC's have them beat as an all around tire. Everything up here in MD is greasy clay plus we have the leaves which hold water for a week or 2 after it rains.

Yet you can negatory my view of the tires?

Did I? If I did, you can call me a gigantic hyprocrite (sp?).

I don't think I did though, I just suck Nevagals suck for my riding and conditions. Of course, Bearacuda wants me to back up my claims that they're slow rolling.

Totally possible and not my opinion at ALL.

Actually, although I never ran the Nevagals, I have also heard they were somewhat slow rolling and heavy when compared to some of the other tires. However, if you want great grip, they are the ones to get. I also heard they were pretty good in the mud, but it's all hearsay.

Going with the theme of different tires front and rear, I know several people who will run a Karma with a Kenda Small Block 8 on the rear. The Small Blocks are known for being a fast rolling tire but not necessarily very grippy, which is why it's on the rear. These (Small Blocks) are also about the heaviest tires I'd put on for racing.

I have also ridden the Crossmarks and liked them alot. However, I should run Kenda or Geax as that's what my LBS sells.

As have been written above though, it depends on your trails. I ride mostly well worn single track trails without many thorns. As such, I still run tubes and will run the 26-32 psi (sometimes higher in the rain) and I'm about 185ish.

Going to research the Mytho's and the Maxxis models more. I rode today with some of the SORBA people, and I was slipping and sliding on almost all turns. My front tire slid out on me, almost made me eat a tree.

Just to help, I'd prefer tube tires. Not a fan of tubeless yet.

Going to research the Mytho's and the Maxxis models more. I rode today with some of the SORBA people, and I was slipping and sliding on almost all turns. My front tire slid out on me, almost made me eat a tree.

Just to help, I'd prefer tube tires. Not a fan of tubeless yet.

If elf says it's good it's got to be true.:rolleyes:

I like the Ignitors as a good all purpose southeastern tire. They roll and stick pretty well in the wet or dry. Side knobs get good bite in corners. They don't work well in red clay mud but nothing else does either. Last year I mostly ran Ignitor front, Larsen rear.

Of course, Bearacuda wants me to back up my claims that they're slow rolling.


You are incapable of backing up your claims, due to lack of experience.

"the only time when they grip really well (comparitively[sic]) is in mud."

False.

They grip well on hard pack, solid rock, solid rock that is wet, sloppy mud, rooty goodliness, dry gravel, wet gravel, loam, etc.

Ride more, postulate less.

You are incapable of backing up your claims, due to lack of experience.

"the only time when they grip really well (comparitively[sic]) is in mud."

False.

They grip well on hard pack, solid rock, solid rock that is wet, sloppy mud, rooty goodliness, dry gravel, wet gravel, loam, etc.

Ride more, postulate less.

neh

Going to research the Mytho's and the Maxxis models more. I rode today with some of the SORBA people, and I was slipping and sliding on almost all turns. My front tire slid out on me, almost made me eat a tree.

Just to help, I'd prefer tube tires. Not a fan of tubeless yet.

the slipping and sliding could be related to lack of skill as well. Not trying to be harsh, but as you ride more, your skills will hopefully improve. There is no magic tire that will have you making flawless turns.

Pete, you need to try an excavator up front with a nevegal on the back.

The Nevagals are good tires until you ride a good tire.

You stole that from this (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=389503&highlight=nevegals) thread.

Anyways, the Nevegal is a great tire. I run them on my big wheel and it sticks to the SC soil like glue.

Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1. It's a decent all around tire. I used them for a long time, before discovering the joys of fatter tires. They aren't the "best" at any one thing, but are a decent do it all tire that can be found fairly cheaply if you look around. The tend to last well, depending on your terrain and riding.

You stole that from this (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=389503&highlight=nevegals) thread.


Affirmative.