|   Opinions on tires... | arch
Apr 3, 2002 4:40 AM | | I ride technical xc with the ocasional drop/jump and some screwing around on stairs/urban stuff. The conditions usually vary from extremely dry to very muddy, so I need something good all around. I'm currently running a 26x2.3 Conti Vert Protection up front and a Panaracer trailblaster 2.1 in the back on my hardtail. I definitely like these tires, but I'm getting my new Specialized Enduro soon so I need to order some new tires. Weight is a concern because my rides can tend to be long at times and I will be doing a 24 hour race on the bike. I was thinking I should mix it up a little, since I have an extra trailblaster and I could always grab the conti if I needed it.
I was thinking about the following tires, opinions and alternatives would be awesome. And yes I have checked out the product reviews : )
WTB Motoraptor 2.4
Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1
Nokian Gaz Dual 2.3
I'm leaning towards getting a Motoraptor 2.4 for up front and putting the conti 2.3 on the back for everyday riding. When I do the race I could go with the trailblaster 2.1 in the back and front, or if I need the added traction the conti or wtb up front. Opinions on this?
Thanks in advance!
-arch |
| re: Opinions on tires... | El Jester
Apr 3, 2002 7:16 AM | | I have had an incredable experience with the Tioga Factory DH Tires. They come in 2.1 - 2.3 -2.5 sizes. I've been using the 2.3 (this is a true 2.3 and is as wide or wider than most manufactures 2.5)on the front and 2.1 on the rear for over a year now and have not had a single flat. I have found the traction to be good in all conditions. I know you said weight was an issue, but these things handle well and no flats!!
I ride mostly technical, hardcore XC with some small drops (6' max) and alot of climbing with these tires on both my bikes and only slightly notice the weight. You should try one out (especially on the front) they are only $19 at most mail order places. I usaully get the Kevlar beaded ones which are slightly more expensive. |
| My 2 cents | Kel
Apr 3, 2002 9:01 AM | | Sounds like your riding is a lot like mine, technical xc, dry/wet. I have an enduro as well and had to replace tires this spring. Several guys I ride with run the Fire XC and are very happy. The only knock I've heard is that they are a little fast wearing. But I suppose wear vs traction is a bit of a trade off. Anyway I have them on but can't ride yet but I think I've made a good choice. |
| I just went through this.... | makalu
Apr 3, 2002 9:33 AM | | And its a daunting decision. So many offerings to choose from.
I was previously running Hutchinson Mosquito's. These are good for mud, and thats it. I do not recommend these at all.
Yesterday, I received a brand new set of Panaracer Fire XC 2.1 tires. I put them on the rig last night. These are pretty true to the 2.1 size, but are more flat than round. I wanted a flatter tire to add grip and ground contact.
My plan is to use the Panaracer's for trail use only. This will prolong their life. For road and local use, I will swap the Hutchinsons back on.
Before I purchased, I considered the following:
- Panaracer fire xc pro 2.1
- Tioga factory DH 2.1
- WTB velociraptor 2.1
- WTB nanoraptor 2.1
- WTB mutanoraptor 2.1
- IRC mythos 2.1
After much deliberation and research, I narrowed my final two down to the Panaracer and Tioga.
The reason I ruled out the Tioga's is because they are too heavy, and offer too much rolling resistence for the type of riding I do (XC with jsut as many uphills as downhills).
Be VERY careful if you decide on the Panaracers though. There is an OEM model being sold online, that has a 60 TPI count instead of 127, its made in Taiwan instead of Japan, and it is made of different rubber. Basically, the OEM model sucks. To tell the difference, go to the beginners forum page 2, scroll down for a main post by me entitled "Beads on Tires", click on the post by tink'r, and you will see the difference. I spoke with the rep from Panaracer before I bought, and the difference in the sidewall typed words is the best way to determine if its the real deal or the OEM. ALso, the real one has made in Japan written ont he sidewall.
I bought my tires from Nashbar. I got the true Japan made Fire XC Pro's with a kevlar bead for $19.95 on sale. They are back up to their normal $29.99 now. The wire beaded are still $19.99.
Sorry the post was so long, but with tires, there is a lot to say.
Enjoy |
| Gazz Core 2.3 | FoolCyclist
Apr 3, 2002 9:46 AM | | I ride about the same stuff you mentioned and I have been trying differnt tires and have not been all that impressed by most of them. I got the Gazzaloddi Core 2.3 and have been very impressed. They ride well in every thing. They are a little lighter than the Dual because of the bead, but otherwise are almost identical to the Dual. I have no trouble trusting these tires in all conditions and I can lean them over farther than any other tire I have ridden. The side knobs just bite like crazy. They have super strong sidewalls and I run low pressure sometimes and have had no snake bite flats. I think that they are the best tire in 2.3 for all around riding, but you do have to pay a little more for them.
I have also been hearing good things about the Specialized Enduro tire that should come on that bike so you may want to just try that for a while. |
| hehe, I built my bike up so it doesn't have any tires : ) | arch
Apr 3, 2002 10:11 AM | | Thanks a lot though, I'll check out the core.
-arch |
| re: Opinions on tires... | longboarder
Apr 3, 2002 9:47 AM | | I'm riding the WTB Motoraptor 2.4 in front with the Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 in back on my Superlight. For Northern California riding it's a great setup. I've been riding this setup for about a year.
I had heard that the Motoraptor ran very slow, but I haven't found that to be the case. It grips well on loose terrain and on switchbacks, I can put a lot of weight on the turn and the Motoraptor will track cleanly.
The Fire XC Pro 2.1 is a great back tire, some of my friends ride it too. It climbs well. I've read that this is not a great tire in the mud, and although we don't do get much mud riding around here, I did find that it caked up during wet rides. |
| Fire XC Pro | makalu
Apr 3, 2002 9:55 AM | | Hey Longboarder,
Do you or any of your buds use the Fire Xc as a front tire as well??? |
| Fire XC Pro | longboarder
Apr 3, 2002 10:12 AM | | not that I know of... some ride WTB Velociraptor (2.1), Mich WildGripper, I'm not sure what else.
The Fire is more of a flat surface tire... I prefer a rounded tire up front for cornering. |
| I am jsut the opposite | makalu
Apr 3, 2002 11:07 AM | | I prefer a flat tire for both wheelsets
Just personal preferance i guess |
| A friend of mine uses them front and back and loves them... | arch
Apr 3, 2002 11:08 AM | | they do seem to wear fairly quickly, although I'm sure the softer compound helps their grip.
-arch |
| Fire XC Pro | sc-rider
Apr 3, 2002 4:05 PM | | I've found the Fire XC does ok on the rear, but on the front it can sometimes lose traction (slide out) suddenly, which is disconcerting if you're not used to it. Currently I have a Hutchinson Scorpion on front which is a little wider and has a more rounded profile - the knobs aren't as deep, but it's much more predictable and it has large side knobs. For the rear, the Scorpion didn't quite have enough tread for climbing wet slippery stuff - the Fire xc does a little better, but both tires seem to wear quickly. One of the best all around rear tires I've used is the IRC Mythos, but the front Mythos is a little too narrow for me (but it works good in mud). I've had good results with the Specialized Team Master/Control (for traction and wear) but you can't get them from mail order and they're overpriced. I'm thinking of trying Continental Explorer/Vertical Pro next... |
| 2.1 WTB Motoraptor | mountainbiker2
Apr 3, 2002 4:29 PM | | This is the best front tire that I have tried in a long time. Only ridden on hardpack. Wears fast, but I don't care. About 800 miles. Light weight too. They have them at pricepoint for 16.95 I have tried the following. 2.1 Irc mythos, 2.1 tioga DH, 2.3 Vert. pro Continental, 2.4 WTB motoraptor, and Panaracer fire xc 2.1. I ride technical xc also. |
| Thanks a lot everyone!! | arch
Apr 4, 2002 6:31 AM | | |
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