Tire Poll

[rpwterp]

With warm weather upon us, it's time to get a new set of tires in time for the season. Just wondering what everyone will be riding this season?

[eloach]

Specialized Roll-X Armadillos, 2.0 (All MTN, dirt)
Kenda Stick-E Dual compound 2.35 (ALL MTN, rock garden)
Specialized FastTrak Low Knob "2.0" (race)
Maxxis Ignitor LUST 2.1 rear, 2.3 front (rigid SS)
Specialized Burrough CX Armadillo Elite (CX smooth)
Vittoria Cross XG Pro (CX rough)
Specialized All-Condition Armadillo Reflective 700x25mm (road training)
Specialized Crossroads Pro Armadillo (Commuter bike)

and

Still looking for a road race tire.

Do I get that many votes?

[saxman]

Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 - tube
Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 - tubeless
Maxxis pure slick 1.5

[brian_brox]

Panaracer Cinder 2.35

[crashmore]

In seasons past I was a big fan of the Mutano Raptors. Lately I've been trying a set of Exiwolfs which seem to offer just about everything I liked with the Raptors with less of a weight penalty and less rolling resistance..


With warm weather upon us, it's time to get a new set of tires in time for the season. Just wondering what everyone will be riding this season?

[BikerMiker]

ExiWolf 1.9 rear, 2.1 front. Love 'em. No problems, light, fast, but not tubeless...

Weirwolf LT 2.55 for fun.

Fastrack LK 2.0 for superfast, superfun race stuff.

mike

[gsmolin]

full squish: 2.4 mutanoraptors

HT: 1.8 panaracer fire XC's

[Buddylee]

Kenda Kinetics 2.2 Tubless
Hutchison Air Light 2.3s on the SS (this might change)

[walsh]

Dual susp.: Velociraptor 2.1 F&R
F/R-specific tires; I've ridden primarily Velociraptors for eight years . . . maybe I should branch out.

SS: Mutanoraptor 2.4 F/2.24 R
No experience with this combination yet. They will go on during a frame-up rebuild.

J

[werace424]

Another vote for the Panaracer Cinder 2.35 front 2.1 or 2.25 on rear. A great over all tire. Good in everything but not great at any one thing.

[punga]

2.35 Maxxis High Rollers during the winter months. Very grippy, but on the slow side

Not sure what I'll switch to, I have a 2.35 WeirWolf for the front, but I'm looking at the Spech. Resolution for the rear or maybe a Nevgel. I want something with less rolling resistance than the Maxxis Minon and Weirwolves I've run in the rear the past 2 years. I like something with a big volume and decent pinch flat protection because of the way I ride.

Set up: Stumpy 120 FSR.

punga!

[DMarchy1]

Kenda Nevagal 2.10 Front and Rear UST DTC on My Titus Motolite. Dave M.

[allencb]

I'm sticking with the Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 on my HT. When I finish my SS/Fixie, I'm going to use the Fire XC Pro 1.8s I have on hand just because I have no other use for them.

Chris

[beerMe]

Jones ACX by Bontager get my vote, light, 29er and great knobs...

[mscard]

Ah, one of my favorite topics - Tires: Here's my break down:

Full Suspension Rig:
Early season & damp race courses: Panaracer Fire XC Pro UST (R) / WTB Weirwolf UST (F)
Rest of the time: Maxxis Crossmark UST

Hardtail:
Preseason: IRC Mythos XC (R) / Geax Blade (F)
Racing: Ritchey Innovators converted to tubless with Stans

SS:
Nokian NBX UST (R) / Weirwolf UST (F)

Roadbike:
Training: Hutchinson Quartz (for now, not my favorite tire)
Racing: WTB Camino Alta

Commuter:
Panaracer TServ Messenger

'Cross:
TBD closer to cross season.

[gsansing]

I have found that I thinner tire, does not mean less traction as long as it is an aggressive tire. If you are an XC rider, you do not want to go too fat. Save the fat stuff for the full mountain, Free Rides, and DH. Try and stay within 1.9-2.5 range. VelociRaptor is a great tire set, Hutchinson on the Rocks is a great back tire, and IRC makes a great back tire that is also very aggressive. I have always been disappointed with Panracer because they do not last very long. And anybody who is riding Continentals....well, they paid way too much!

[pirate]

XC FS bike - Kenda Nevegals - 2.1

FR/DH hardtail - Maxxis High Rollers - 2.7 front and 2.5 rear
- Maxxis Hookworms - 2.3

[walsh]

VelociRaptor is a great tire set . . . I have always been disappointed with Panracer because they do not last very long.

This is exactly my experience. The Panaracer Smoke/Dart set performs the same as the Velociraptor out of the box (and may be slightly lighter), but are far more vulnerable to pinch flats and wear out extremely quickly.

No one has mentioned them yet, but a few folks I know who are also inclined to go for F/R-specific treads have loved the IRC Mythos XC.

[Dirt]

Maxxis Ignitor 29x2.1 for pretty much everything. They stick really well and are quite light. The only problem is that they wear out quickly too.

I've always got a set of WTB Exiwolf 29x2.3" Kevlar. They're heavy, but great.

Pete

[tomn]

No one has mentioned them yet, but a few folks I know who are also inclined to go for F/R-specific treads have loved the IRC Mythos XC.
I love the Mythos. I get excellent traction with them and they're dirt cheap. Plus they last forever in my experience. I have heard some folks complain about poor cornering traction with the front tread, but I haven't had that experience. (of course, there have been occasions when I have put the front tire on backwards after a trailside flat repair, and that can and will affect the cornering traction...)

[drewdane]

Panaracer Fire XC Pros are my favorite all-around general use MTB tire for 26" wheels. I've got Maxxis Ignitors on the 29er.

[drewdane]

I love the Mythos. I get excellent traction with them and they're dirt cheap. Plus they last forever in my experience. I have heard some folks complain about poor cornering traction with the front tread, but I haven't had that experience. (of course, there have been occasions when I have put the front tire on backwards after a trailside flat repair, and that can and will affect the cornering traction...)
Mythos XC are a good choice, but I found they have a very slight tendency to slip on roots when climbing unless I'm paying more attention to my body english than I prefer.

[tsunayoshi]

Currently : Conti Traffic 2.1 F/R (mainly for asphalt and tame fire roads)

Off-road: Panaracer XC Pro 2.1 F/R. I love them, my old set of Kendas (forgot what, they were stock) the rear would slip off of every root I hit. Haven't had that problem at all with the Panaracers except in ice/snow. I'll echo someone else, a good all around tire.

[blacknell]

FS: Michelin Hot S's. Having only the old Velociraptors to compare them to, they seem to do the job. But now this thread makes me wonder if I'm missing something.

Commuter/around town HT: Conti Town & Country. Love love love this tire. Hard to find, because it always seems the police have bought the last shipment, wherever I go.

Road: Conti Grand Prix 4000. No understanding of why anyone using clinchers would ride anything else.

[langer]

Mythos XC are a good choice, but I found they have a very slight tendency to slip on roots when climbing unless I'm paying more attention to my body english than I prefer.
The 29er Mythos were a great tire when new. After just a little wear I found them to be a little lacking in the traction department. But keep in mind that's during standing climbs on the singlespeed. I don't think it would be an issue if I had a gearie and could stay seated most of the time.

At the moment:
Mountain - 29er Rampage up front and Kenda Klaw in the rear. Klaw was thrown on there for the dicey winter conditions. I'm itching to try the new Small Blocks 8s once the trails dry out.
Cross/Grocery getter - Maxxis 25s, forgot the exact name
Roadie - Michelin GP3000s I don't like the wear of these tires though, will be switching to something with a more durable tread. I don't race road, so weight isn't an issue.

[CRAIG2]

Road: Conti Grand Prix 4000. No understanding of why anyone using clinchers would ride anything else.

Because the Conti 4 Seasons are great tires, too, and I still like my Michelen Axial Comp Pro's...

[allencb]

Hey Craig, I'm considering the 4Seasons as my next set of road tires (to replace the beat and worn Gatorskins I have now), hows the durability of the 4Seasons? Anything else on the market worth recommending that cost the same or less (preferably less ;) ).

Chris

[Brizn]

mtb: Specialized Enduro Pro 26x2.2s, (just ordered a set of Enduro Sports for the lower thread count and slightly higher durometer).

Non-off-road-specific: Conti T&Cs, 26x1.9s



Commuter/around town HT: Conti Town & Country. Love love love this tire. Hard to find, because it always seems the police have bought the last shipment, wherever I go.
Absolutely! Nashbar has 'em for 20 a piece, btw. I've heard the Traffics are succeeding the T&Cs for Police bikes, tho. I almost went with a set, but they have the exact same side knobs as the Verticals- which wore too quickly for me.

[august]

HT - Bontrager Jones XR 2.25 front, 2.2 rear
FS - Bontrager Jones ACX 2.25 front, 2.2 rear

[luvdatrails]

I've really liked my Panaracer Fire XC Pro's on the HT, and now am looking for some UST tires (squishy-for speed not big hits)- should I expect the same performance from the UST version as the regular version?

[saxman]

I've really liked my Panaracer Fire XC Pro's on the HT, and now am looking for some UST tires (squishy-for speed not big hits)- should I expect the same performance from the UST version as the regular version?

I haven't had a chance to try mine out on the trails yet, but when you compare them side by side, the UST XC Pro 2.1s have a wider footprint than the tubed versions. Can't wait to give them a whirl, though.

[Fitz]

29er Maxxis Ignitors are my current tires. They wear pretty fast, but they are light, fast and grippy. And I'm always itching to try a new tire every year or so anyway, right?

[DaveG]

I haven't had a chance to try mine out on the trails yet, but when you compare them side by side, the UST XC Pro 2.1s have a wider footprint than the tubed versions. Can't wait to give them a whirl, though.

I think the normal Fire XC's are really solid all around tires, but I didn't like the UST versions. They are slightly larger as you noted though.

My favorite all around tires are Nevegal 2.1 DTC's.

Dave

[ride_clyde]

Spec Resolution 2.? on my FSR. Love them, but i do give up some rear traction when it's stciky.

SS - Some sort of larg raptor in the fron and a SOMA whitewall in the rear. Bling