ideal tires for schaeffer trails on a hardtail

[menmytrek]

i will be shopping for some tires soon and wonder if anybody can give me some advice. thanks

[tuba_transport]

http://www.schwalbetires.com/nobby_nic

[silly_yak]

Love my Nevegal and High Roller. Both give great traction with plenty of space to shed mud if need be.

[akern2]

For a while, i was riding Schaeffer on dirt jumping tires, the Holy Rollers. Besides having limited front tire traction, i really felt like i was going a lot faster. You might want to look into a some of those.

[TrailVictim]

I'm with Tuba on the Nobby Nics. The new generation Racing Ralphs are sweet but good luck finding a pair.

[thelankymanx2]

For a while, i was riding Schaeffer on dirt jumping tires, the Holy Rollers. Besides having limited front tire traction, i really felt like i was going a lot faster. You might want to look into a some of those.

The prob with DJ tyres is that they are super tacky at the expense of being durable.

When deciding what tyres you want think about the terrain.
Schaffer is pretty smooth and generally hardpacked - So you want something which does not have alot of grip but is fast rolling but is not very wide.

[DKEG]

Kenda Small Block Eight's are a fast rolling tire. Very nice for Scheaffer. But not a great all conditions at all places tire.

If you ride mainly in Montgomery County you cannot go wrong with Kenda Nevegals or Maxxis Ignitors.

If you add rocks into the mix I do not recommend the Nevegals or any Schwalbe product.

Nevegals have weak sidewallls and tend to get torn.

Schwalbes compounds are to soft and the lugs like to tear off. Their side walls like to tear also.

Maxxis Ignitors, the jury is still out on those. I have had mixed luck so far.

The best all condition, any place tires I have used are WTB Mutanoraptor's and Wierwolves. I don't think either hook up as nice as the Nevegals. But they have lasted a lot longer with no cuts in the side walls.

I am running a WTB Exiwolf (rear) and a Weirwolf (front) on my 29er now and I have had good luck so far.
I hope this helps

[atlantis]

I've run Nobby Nic's there for about a half a season and greatly enjoyed em. Prior to that I ran a nano raptor and thought it did pretty well but I don't know if WTB is making them in anything but 29'r these days. The ignitors (UST) did fairly well out there for me.

I do love the Weirwolf 2.55 LT for rolling over almost anything in the world. The damn thing is near unstopable and rolls nice. But the LT having smaller knobs doesn't hookup as well.

Right now I'm thinking the Bontrager XDX would make a good rear tire also at schaeffer, bit loose I'm finding for up front fully. The crossmark 2.25 is nice and beefy on my rear wheel but the damn thing rubs a bit and tends to burp a bit I think, I may try it in a 2.10. we'll see.

[mjbrox]

I might as well throw another tire in the mix.

I really like my specialized captain controls on my 29er.

Now, I tried running a non 2bliss tires tubeless on my rear wheel and that was clearly a mistake. City Bikes should have my new Captain in the 2bliss version right now.

The Captain controls have a very low rolling resistance but still plenty of traction in the turns. They also seem to do very well in the mud as well. I remember pre riding the Leesburg bakers dozen course when it was very muddy. Everyone was sliding around me due to the mud pack on their tires, but mine seemed to shed the mud very quickly.


All that being said, I have not experimented with many tires. I would have tried another XC type tire if there was one out there I could run tubeless, but the Captain was the best tubeless tire I could find for the 29er

[hophead]

I ride Nevagals everywhere. The 2.1's especially do have weak sidewalls. The
2.35's are a little better. In the 2+ years that I have been runnin' 'em, I've noticed that by the time the sidewalls start to fail, the tread is pretty worn out. The sidewall issue really hasn't been a problem for me on Monkey Co. trails. You just can't ride 'em until the knobbies wear off. You can also get the UST version and just use a tube. They are heavier, but have much sturdier sidewalls.

Pros vs. cons: Nevagals hook up great on anything which is the most important factor for me. They do not last as long as some other tires, especially the stick-e version. The grippiness also makes them a little slower.

[jabberwocky]

The prob with DJ tyres is that they are super tacky at the expense of being durable.I run the Holy Rollers on my DJ bike and they are definitely not super tacky. They are more like a semi-slick. I don't know that they would make a very good trail tire though; they are fast, but in anything loose its drift-a-rama time.

[riderx]

Nevegals have weak sidewallls and tend to get torn.

Only for you DK. I swear you must ride through fields full of razor blades ;)
I spend most of my time at the Shed and most of my time on Nevegals the last few years and I haven't cut a single sidewall. YMMV. However, I wouldn't recommend them as the ideal Schaeffer tire, they are too slow rolling and overkill if that is where you'll spend all of your time.

For Schaeffer I'd look at the following:
Karma
Short Tracker
Small Block Eight
Exiwolf

[hophead]

Only for you DK. I swear you must ride through fields full of razor blades ;)
I spend most of my time at the Shed and most of my time on Nevegals the last few years and I haven't cut a single sidewall. YMMV. However, I wouldn't recommend them as the ideal Schaeffer tire, they are too slow rolling and overkill if that is where you'll spend all of your time.

For Schaeffer I'd look at the following:
Karma
Short Tracker
Small Block Eight
Exiwolf
Yup me too. I tore a bunch of knobs off a pair of old Nevagals on Salamander, but never tore a sidewall. Overkill at Schaeffer? Yeah maybe, but they sure stick to damp roots and logs well and there are plenty of those at Schaeffer.

[silly_yak]

Plus, you can pretty much use Nevegals anywhere, so you don't have to hold onto a bunch of different types.

[DKEG]

One thing more I must add. The Mutanoraptors do not perform as well as the Nevegals. But they have better side walls. I have been accused of riding threw a field of razor blades. I just don't pick as good of lines as someone who can actually pick a good line:D

The Ignitors, I have found have ok sidewalls but do not hook up as nice as Nevegals.I have heard but not experienced the ignitors are not a good front tire. People I ride with say they tend to wash out easy.

The 26" 2.5 Weirwolf has so far been a great front tire. The 2.3 seems a little small for a 2.3. the knobs seems to small on the 2.55 Weirwolf lt 29er

[ozmaan]

This is not necessarily an ideal tire for Schaeffer, so much as a tire that I really like. I ride in lots of places with varied terrain, including Schaeffer, Gambrill/Watershed and Micheaux State Forest in PA, and I love my Continental Mountain King tires. They look like they oughtta be pretty slow, but they ride fast on smooth surfaces and grip great on the not smooth surfaces. Plus, they look wicked bad, and that is all that really matters.

[BikerMiker]

Schaeffer ain't exactly demanding when it comes to tires, methinks. Anything bigger than a 2.1 out there is overkill. Small, low knobs, wide or close together are fine for out there. There's nothing too scary or high-consequence out there and the sight lines are really good.

Exiwolfs work really well everywhere...

mike

[silly_yak]

Lets not forget the Kenda Tomac King of Traction. Very appropriate tire.

[CRAIG2]

i will be shopping for some tires soon and wonder if anybody can give me some advice. thanks


Just wondering - if you're only ever going to ride Schaeffer, then buy tires for riding Schaeffer. If you plan to branch out a bit, go for any good all-around XC tire. Personally, I've had good luck with the Panaracer Fire XC Pro, Weirwolve 2.1's, Conti Vertical Pro 2.3, and recently the Conti Speed King 2.3. Overall, my favorite all around is probably the Vertical Pro.

Best of luck in your search!

[jabberwocky]

Another vote for the Exiwolf. Good all-rounder for this area.

The Kendas are good if you value grip above all else. They grip like nothing else but wear quickly and roll kinda slow. They are a great Shed/EF tire, but (as riderx noted) overkill for places like Schaeffer and Wakefield.

[atlantis]

Hey I have a new idea for the website. A tire rating DB for members.

Maybe I'll play around with some rough version when I have a free minute or three...hahahaha.

[silly_yak]

Hey I have a new idea for the website. A tire rating DB for members.

Maybe I'll play around with some rough version when I have a free minute or three...hahahaha.

Kinda like what mtbr.com has? I would be nice if it had a size and coniditions filter.

[tuba_transport]

Plus, you can pretty much use Nevegals anywhere, so you don't have to hold onto a bunch of different types.

You could, but they are SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW tires on relatively smooth hardpack.

Shaeffer = lightweight w/short knobbies and 2.1" wide or so with 70 durameter rubber.

[FIX_BKS]

http://www.schwalbetires.com/nobby_nic

Ironic...I just bought these tires two weeks ago to test 'em out and have been very pleased so far! Very light, great grip.

The week before that I discovered a tear in the sidewall of my previous tires and was lent a semi-slick. That worked great until we hit the sand along the creek trail! :(

[silly_yak]

You could, but they are SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW tires on relatively smooth hardpack.

Shaeffer = lightweight w/short knobbies and 2.1" wide or so with 70 durameter rubber.

I don't think the tires are my problem. I am a leisure rider so speed takes a backseat to convenience. Point taken though.

[FIX_BKS]

...If you plan to branch out a bit, go for any good all-around XC tire. Personally, I've had good luck with the Panaracer Fire XC Pro...


Finally somebody mentioned Fire XC Pros! They've been the best all around XC tire I think I've had.

[jabberwocky]

Finally somebody mentioned Fire XC Pros! They've been the best all around XC tire I think I've had.They are good, but they are really skinny (not even 2.1 like they say, more like a 1.9). I wish Panaracer would make a true 2.3-2.4 version.

I think the 2.3 Exifwolf is a better all-rounder for this area, but it is generally more expensive.

[riderx]

They are good, but they are really skinny (not even 2.1 like they say, more like a 1.9). I wish Panaracer would make a true 2.3-2.4 version.Agreed on the 2.1 being ridiculously skinny. The Fire FR 2.4 (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/TI707A32-Panaracer+Fire+Fr+Pro+Kevlar+Tire.a spx?sc=FRGL) is pretty large though. I think I have one hanging in the garage if you want to try it. Looks like a moto tire.

[CRAIG2]

Finally somebody mentioned Fire XC Pros! They've been the best all around XC tire I think I've had.

They are also black and RED, making them a faster tire to begin with. :D

[jabberwocky]

Agreed on the 2.1 being ridiculously skinny. The Fire FR 2.4 (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/TI707A32-Panaracer+Fire+Fr+Pro+Kevlar+Tire.a spx?sc=FRGL) is pretty large though. I think I have one hanging in the garage if you want to try it. Looks like a moto tire.I thought about getting a pair of those a long time ago. From what I saw while researching, most people said they are actually bigger than their rated size (unlike every other tire Panaracer makes) and have a heavier casing than the FireXC which makes them pretty heavy. Thanks for the offer though, I might try it on the front of my trail bike to see how it does. I could always run it as a DH tire.

I just wish Panaracer would take the FireXC and just upsize it to like 2.3 without changing anything else. I think I'd like that tire a lot.

My only complaint about the FireXC back when ran them was that they sucked at clearing mud. Ride through a soft spot and you had a semi-slick for a few hundred yards.

[silly_yak]

I thought about getting a pair of those a long time ago. From what I saw while researching, most people said they are actually bigger than their rated size (unlike every other tire Panaracer makes) and have a heavier casing than the FireXC which makes them pretty heavy. Thanks for the offer though, I might try it on the front of my trail bike to see how it does. I could always run it as a DH tire.

I just wish Panaracer would take the FireXC and just upsize it to like 2.3 without changing anything else. I think I'd like that tire a lot.

My only complaint about the FireXC back when ran them was that they sucked at clearing mud. Ride through a soft spot and you had a semi-slick for a few hundred yards.

Had the same problem with my Specialized Team Controls, blocks were too tall and too close together. Picked up a ton of mud.

Good for flinging mudd at people in front of you though.

[allencb]

They are good, but they are really skinny (not even 2.1 like they say, more like a 1.9). I wish Panaracer would make a true 2.3-2.4 version.

It's a 1.8. I had a set.

Panaracer made a Fire AM Pro 2.3 that is very similar to the XC Pro. I'm running those now.

My only complaint about the FireXC back when ran them was that they sucked at clearing mud. Ride through a soft spot and you had a semi-slick for a few hundred yards

They always cleared well for me.

Chris