How important are tires

[bkyatty]

On my ss I usually ride the streets to the theo or bring it in my car to other locations. I have realized that while on the street the tires, which are some really knobby kendas, seem to make the bike drag. Considering most of the trails in Mn are only ridden when it is dry and packed, would it make sense to go with an almost slick-like tire. Would those work on the locals trails (the farm excluded) without losing much performance. I dont want to waste the tires without getting some input.

[manual63]

On my ss I usually ride the streets to the theo or bring it in my car to other locations. I have realized that while on the street the tires, which are some really knobby kendas, seem to make the bike drag. Considering most of the trails in Mn are only ridden when it is dry and packed, would it make sense to go with an almost slick-like tire. Would those work on the locals trails (the farm excluded) without losing much performance. I dont want to waste the tires without getting some input.

This is why I am going to get the Larson TTs soon. They have good and aggresive knobs, but also have them closer together. The more spaced the knobs are, the less road worthy the tires will be. The low profile tires are okay, but only on hardpack. Larson TTs will give you an all around great tire for both street riding and off-road trails.

I plan to put some Maxxis Larson TTs on my P.2 for riding both street (uban assult), skateparks, and dirt. If they can do those three quite well, they can do almost anything.

[thebionicman]

I ride to Theo on the paved trails as well. I have a set of Hutchison Python's on my bike. They have a continous beed down the center of the tire. I find this to be great on the road since you are not running over knobs.

As far as using tires with thick knobs the only time that I can forsee that being good is on trails with a lot of roots.

Those Larson TTs look pretty good too, I just like having the conitinous beed.l

[Trevize1138]

For riding in Minnesota, for sure, I've always run low-profile tires or even semi-slick tires on the rear. You're right: the hardpack conditions make big knobs a bit of overkill.

Then again, you do have to keep in mind the whole personal preference thing with tires. Many would never dare ride semi slick in the back or even low profile because it wouldn't fit their riding style. But, for me, it works just dandy! I'd consider myself a cross-country rider first who's picked up some good technical skills due to having no life and therefore hanging out with Shad too much, and I've never felt the need for big knobs.

[el gueche]

what about semi-slicks and steep sandy climbs? i seem to have enuff trouble w/knobbies - hike-a-bike? i'm running kenda kinetics at 2.35 - good deal thru jensonusa - nice cushion/suspension grippy thingie happenin' - jenson has those maxxis larson's for $12.00

[manual63]

what about semi-slicks and steep sandy climbs? i seem to have enuff trouble w/knobbies - hike-a-bike? i'm running kenda kinetics at 2.35 - good deal thru jensonusa - nice cushion/suspension grippy thingie happenin' - jenson has those maxxis larson's for $12.00

$12.00......weird. Probably with 2.0's.

Maxxis just came out with 2.3 versions of the Larson TT's but the Maxxis site is the only place I have seen them so far. I might have to order direct through them to get some......like for $37.00 or so. I want the single ply for me.

[Trevize1138]

what about semi-slicks and steep sandy climbs? i seem to have enuff trouble w/knobbies - hike-a-bike? i'm running kenda kinetics at 2.35 - good deal thru jensonusa - nice cushion/suspension grippy thingie happenin' - jenson has those maxxis larson's for $12.00
My experience is bad conditions like sand and mud suck to ride in no matter what your tread. I'd rather have semi-slicks for the other 99% of the trail that's in better condition :).

As for steep climbs on hardpack, if you're balanced right on your bike you shouldn't have any trouble climbing it on semi-slicks, either unless you're moving way too slow in the first place.

[el gueche]

the larson is a 2" closeout - they also have the high roller dh semi-slick 2.35 for cheap - do you think that would grip?

[rowland]

larson tt is a current tire, i have them and they are great! in the 2.0 size they come in a 62 and 70 compound. (62=soft and 70=harder, but not super hard) if you spend considerable time on the street get the 70s, you'll be happy;)

[mtnbykr]

... and I've never felt the need for big knobs.ummm ok [shrug]...

kl

ps:

i should add that this is sarcasm.

[Kevin Leis]

I've been riding Kenda Blue Groove lights all season. I really like the way they hook-up in almost all conditions. Mud is the only exception. They do well on the pavement too. I have 1000 miles on them and there is still plenty of tread. They have low profile knobs and dual compound construction, harder in the center and soft on they shoulders.

[el gueche]

i ride w/kenda nevegal lites on my fs and they rock - that larson tt i was talking about go good w/fondue - some kinda "oriflamme" - sorry if i confused things but thats my normal state of mind

[FSSS]

I'd worry about puncture flats with a semi-slick tire, I think I'd opt for a knobby with closely-spaced center knobs.

I have a pair of these showing up tomorrow:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=14811&subcategory_ID=5430#

Cheap, but should do the trick for the road and Wirth.

[manual63]

the larson is a 2" closeout - they also have the high roller dh semi-slick 2.35 for cheap - do you think that would grip?
Yeah, those ought to be real smooth on the road.....:confused:

[GearDaddy]

There are always going to be trade-offs, considering terrain, weather conditions, and what kind of riding you want to do. The original post talked about what would be best for most Minnesota trails, which are mostly hard pack dirt, in dry conditions. I think semi-slicks are on the right track for this, especially if your goal is speed. If the trail lacks lots of loose, eroded soil, and there are few roots and rocks to deal with, then semi-slicks are going to hook up just fine and they will roll faster. They also have the added benefit of being more lightweight. The only real downside to running semi-slicks around here is when the trail is wet, as they will tend to skate in the mud.

I've been using Panaracer Fire XC 1.8s as a good all around tire. They have evenly spaced square knobs, which perform really well when there are roots and small rocks. I really got to liking these tires when I rode out in Seattle, where you're going over tree roots about every 10 feet, and you encounter wet and dry conditions all the time. I like the thinner version as well. At first it seemed strange to have a thinner tire, but now 2.1+ seems like balloons to me.

Now if you don't care about speed on an XC trail, but want to make sure you'll always stick, then get a fat knobby tire. But there are downsides - they are heavy. For hard-packed dirt you don't need the fatties. I've found that big fat knobbies make the most sense for riding sandy, gravely, dry conditions like you get a lot out west in Colorado and California for instance. Unless your'e doing DH where you're sliding all over the place, these tires are overkill. Also, a knobby tire is not good on wet pavement, as they have less contact area. Ever have a knobby tire cut loose on you on smooth wet street? It's not pretty.

Lately I've been exploring Cyclocross and getting used to riding off-road conditions with real thin tires. As it turns out you can ride places like river bottoms no problem with 32 mm tires. Even doing an occasional flying dismount/remount over "obstacles", I can cruise the trail faster than on my mountain bike. Heck, lebanon is so smooth most of the way, you could practically ride it with a road bike or hybrid cruiser.

[Trevize1138]

I'm serious! I do think for most people the only benefit of taller knobs is psychological.

Mind you, I only run semi-slick on the rear. On the front tire I do run full knobby, but still relatively low-profile. You *do* need that extra traction for cornering with the front wheel, but the benefit of the better rolling resistance by having a semi-slick or "bumpy textured" tire with knobs on the side on the rear wheel for me far outweigh any loss of traction, which typically seems to only happen at very slow speeds anyway.

ummm ok [shrug]...

kl

ps:

i should add that this is sarcasm.

[SickBoy]

I'm with chris... I run semislicks on the rear almost exclusively other than a couple of courses. Spirit mountain and Mont du Lac, namely. If you're going to be riding somewhere with a lot of loose, loamy type conditions, it's worth having the knobs.

Mud tires, true focused mud tires, are the only thing thats good in mud. I have a Specialized Extreme and a Panaracer Fire Mud Pro that I use... and they suck to ride on anything other than soft, wet mud. At Maplelag I ran them and was gaining lots of time in singletrack but losing a lot on gravel or other firm open sections. It's like riding square wheels to a degree.

As far as longevity... I generally use tires for racing for one season and for general riding for one more season if they're not too worn out. After that I toss them, particularly if the rubber is getting too hard and cracked or the tread is too worn.

[bkyatty]

All right I have decided to hang up my knobbies for some slicks. THese are the 3 I have decided on. (unless any of you ahve any liek new tires lying around for sale, price is a concern , if you can tell). Also these ads all say for front and back wheel capability. Would you put them on both

Maxxis High Roller Semi Slick
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=TI606A01
MAxxis ORiFlame
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=TI606A02
Ritchy Speedmax
http://www.rei.com/product/83736.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC

[transplant]

I had some Ritchey Speedmaxes (I think they were Speedmax) that had more of a center knob than the ones you're looking at. Hated 'em. Even for a semi, they wore down way too fast for my taste. I think I had them for about 2 months when they started to go south on me. Maybe I got a hold of a bad run. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Who knows? But if you want a tire that will be around for a while, I'd try the Maxxis. I've not had good luck with longevity on Ritchey tires.

[Trevize1138]

Of those three I'd go with the ORiFlame.

And, I would only put one of these tires on the rear wheel! For the front I do like knobs down the middle for cornering. But, for your power wheel a semi-slick works great. It'll slide a little bit on corners, of course, which is actually somewhat desireable. ;)

Also, when I mean semi-slick I guess I am thinking of something with just a *little* more tread down the middle. I've got a Panaracer semi-slick on the rear of my singlespeed that's just got a pattern of very tightly-packed little knobs down the middle. Sorta the same pattern as you see in the bumpy Ritchey tire but the knobs are more substantial, not just bumps.