All Mountain Tire for MN

[Yammer]

The IRC Backcountry tires that came on my bike are not cutting it. They suck for climbing and slip on roots and leaves easily. I am scared to corner hard on them around here.

The tires I used to have were Continental Explorer Pro on the front and Traction Pro on the rear. Those were great. I could hook up in any kind of trail conditions.

Anyway I wanted to try out something different now. I have been eyeing Maxxis and WTB tires. Any experience with the Weirwolf or Motoraptor tires for local metro area trail use?

The tire needs to be rugged enough to handle the rock gardens and roots, and then hook up for technical climbs over varying terrain.

Patrick

[tedsti]

I have been running the WeirWolfs all season. I love them because they hold a turn like nobody's business. This really helps you maintain your speed on our very twisty trails (Leb, Farm). Climbing - I've ridden better, but they are not bad. Wet/Mud - They don't shed mud the best, but I don't like riding in the wet anyhow. They even roll fast for a knobby. Overall they are my favorite tire so far, and I have a collection in the basement.

Ted

[syntaxjunkie]

the two tires i've had the best luck with here are the continental explorer pros (which you mentioned) and hutchinson pythons. i use the pythons for the majority of the year, and switch to the explorer pros in the spring and fall, when things are a bit more squirrelly. i've heard good things from a number of people here about hutchinson scorpions, which are also on my list of things to try.

i have a set of motoraptors, and they've always felt like overkill. too big and too heavy for the riding i do, anyway (maybe THAT'S my problem). i'm going to try them in snow this year, as the extra traction and flotation will probably help. if others have had more positive experiences with them, i'd like to hear about it.

[Yammer]

Are the Motoraptors more work to push around? I don't mind over kill in the traction department because I like to try to climb over stuff on and off trail. Plus damp roots are my nemesis. I want to conquer them and never have to think about them as I approach.

Patrick

[jjrsds]

Been extremly happy with my specialized Roll X tires. Only the Comp model the pro and s-works uses a different compound.

[syntaxjunkie]

Are the Motoraptors more work to push around? I don't mind over kill in the traction department because I like to try to climb over stuff on and off trail. Plus damp roots are my nemesis. I want to conquer them and never have to think about them as I approach.
i've found the effort/reward ratio to be less than satisfactory, at least on the trails around here. admittedly, the trails that i ride (lebanon hills, terrace oaks, theo wirth, battle creek) don't throw much in the way of damp roots at you, so my assessment doesn't account for those. come to think of it, i'm not sure if any of the trails in the metro area have much in the way of roots.

traction-wise, i've had no problem with either the explorer pros or the pythons. i'm always amazed that a low-profile tire like the python can give me such great climbing traction, but it does. they're spec'd as one-direction tires, but i turn the rear around for extra bite. keep the pressure under 40psi and they corner nicely as well.

[mtnbykr]

on the duluth trails, i've been using kenda kenetics in 2.3 and now 2.6 on my 26ss they do work well on the rocks, roots, mud and logs. i run lower psi to get a better grip. on the 29ss, i'm using the irc mythos. wasn't impressed w/ the kenda 29 tire...

kl

[Yammer]

Well I ended up making a purchase after much consideration last night, and neither tire are one's that I asked or talked about! :D
I will end up with

Nokian NBX 2.3 Kevlar Front
http://www.nokiantyres.com/bike/images/nbx23.jpg (http://www.nokiantyres.com/bike/images/nbx23.jpg)

Maxxis Mobster eXCeption 2.1 Kevlar Rear
http://www.maxxis.com/products/bicycle/product_detail.asp?id=75 (http://www.maxxis.com/products/bicycle/product_detail.asp?id=75)

I consider it to be an "All-Mountain" choice since it's a combination of Freeride and XC. We'll see if I made a good decision.

Thanks, Patrick

[soupboy]

...even the 2.4 is a small 2.4 and it is a high volume lower tread height tire. They are great SS tires.

I just picked up some IRC Trailbears 2.25 that seem to be ok but I've only got one ride on them due to the wet weather. $19/each on pricepoint.

The Conti Vert Explorer Protection last more than 2 seasons on three different bikes...still have one of them. Greal all around tire.

The new Kendas are really grippy but also soft. If you do much tarmac to get to your rides they may wear pretty quickly.

I've got a lot of 26" tires that may need a new home when I make the jump to full time 29erism. PM if you want to score some cheap.

Sean

Are the Motoraptors more work to push around? I don't mind over kill in the traction department because I like to try to climb over stuff on and off trail. Plus damp roots are my nemesis. I want to conquer them and never have to think about them as I approach.

Patrick

[Thewavebb]

I really like panaracer fire xc pros and IRC mythos XC's. Never had much a problem with either of them. The Mythos are cheap too.

[Buck]

From a DHers point of view, the nokians suck, if you want stuff that hooks up on roots the nokain is probably the last tire you want, they are way to hard of a compound, and super burly, which equates to heavy. I ran the Gazzi JRs for a year and hated them they were terrible for cornering and hooked up like sh!t on most other stuff. Super unstable tire in my opinion. I was rollin on the Specilzed FR tire that comes in 2.5 can;t recall the name, like the roller pro or somthing, nice tire hooked up well and was super stable, but uber weak sidewall, lots of pinch pops with that tire. I am now on the Kenda Blue Groove, in 2.5 with the Stick-E tread. Unbelievable tire. I rode in CO, Park, dirt, Urban, anything and that tire hooks on it all. Super durable and with the softer compound the tread has been holding up really well. But faster then a tire with out the soft compound tread. And the weight isn't overkill I was actually surprised at how well they rode. I would go with Kenda, great overall tire, and they have a huge selection of tires, even 24s for people like me!
L8R

Buck

[Yammer]

Well the tires I ordered have the following specs:

Nokian NBX 2.3"
Kevlar, dual compound 55/61 a
650 grams

Maxxis Mobster eXCeption 2.1"
Kevlar, 62a
640 grams

Pretty light. But I just noticed on the Maxxis website that eXCeption is for Race Use Only, and so it may not be durable enough for my purposes. I cancelled the order to research a bit more.

But to me, riding a combination of XC and Freeride, the 55/61a durometer seems fine.

Is Kevlar something to stay away from if I'm looking for a rugged tire?

Patrick

[Yammer]

Ok. I just committed on tires. Mostly because they were a pretty good deal, got good reviews and suited my riding style (accdoring to stuff I read).

I got the WTB Motoraptor 2.4" Kevlars for my all around tire, F&R.

I also scooped up a set of Maxxis Lopes Bling Bling 2.35 for some snow riding.
They were only $18 each at Jenson.

I read some bad things about the Nokian NBX's, that they pinch flatted alot and seemed thinner than they were rated at. Lots of reviews like this. I hate flats so no thanks.

If anyone wants to buy my IRC Backcountry tires 2.25" used for 3 rides, let me know. I lowered the pressure to 37 psi and rode TWirth the other day and they actually weren't bad.

Patrick