Complete Guide to Downhill Rubber

[Verskis]

I guess. But why do it at all? Throwing that kind of angle on a tire is certainly never going to HELP you. Know what I mean?

Yes, you are right, but if the tire is otherwise really good, I'm ready to compromise angled braking for other qualities. Especially if there are worse designs out there (Highroller) that are still not that bad.

Me too.

Which is exactly what I said in that blabby review I wrote

I know you wrote that, but I didn't believe they were that much more flexy until I fiddled with them myself


To a different subject, have you ridden both the 2.5" and 2.7" DHF's? Do you feel any difference in them when cornering hard? I have ridden only 2.7" in Supertacky and DH casing and 2.5" in 60a and single ply casing, so the tires are not exactly comparable, but the smaller tire feels more precise and maybe more supporting in corners. Have you noticed this? I'm not sure if that is because of the harder rubber compound or because the sideknobs in 2.5" DHF stick less to the sides, which make them better supported.
Also, is there much difference in cornering with Supertacky and 3C tires? I've never ridden 3C, but if the sideknobs are that much stouter in 3C that it feels better in corners, I may have to shell out the cash for them over the Supertackys in the future.

[Capricorn]

oh look, the new DIrty Mary won a world cup and rocked the podium thrice :P

[kidwoo]

To a different subject, have you ridden both the 2.5" and 2.7" DHF's? Do you feel any difference in them when cornering hard? I have ridden only 2.7" in Supertacky and DH casing and 2.5" in 60a and single ply casing, so the tires are not exactly comparable, but the smaller tire feels more precise and maybe more supporting in corners. Have you noticed this? I'm not sure if that is because of the harder rubber compound or because the sideknobs in 2.5" DHF stick less to the sides, which make them better supported.
Also, is there much difference in cornering with Supertacky and 3C tires? I've never ridden 3C, but if the sideknobs are that much stouter in 3C that it feels better in corners, I may have to shell out the cash for them over the Supertackys in the future.

I've ridden 2.5 and 2.7 DHF tires consistently ever since they came out, on all kinds of bikes. It kind of depends on what you mean by 'hard cornering'. Is that berms/banks/ruts, big flat tracker turns, wet dirt/hard pack/moondust/all rock?

In relatively moist dirt, I know exactly what you mean. I just think a thinner stiffer knobbed tire bites into that stuff better than a fatter softer one a lot of the time. That supertacky compound when it's the only thing on the tire is pretty squishy (to use a technical term).

Where I live, where there's very little lasting packed dirt, and very rarely any moisture at all in it, I do prefer the bigger 2.7 in softer rubber (for the front only). The knobs on a 2.5 and 2.7 are the same size......but they're spread out more on the 2.7. So you get a bigger channel, and wider spacing to grab all the dust. Even when a tire penetrates, it's still not supported that well because there's just nothing holding the dirt together...so having that bigger area just grabs better.

The 3Cs are noticeably stiffer than the supertackys. So on a tire like an HR2, it's going to usually be worlds better than a supertacky because those pinner little knobs will have some girth. You should try one out. They really are kind of a middle ground between a 60a and a supertacky in terms of the knobs keeping a level of support.

oh look, the new DIrty Mary won a world cup and rocked the podium thrice :P

Mary? I thought his name was Steve

[klunky]

I know its not DH but....
Does anyone have any time on a maxxis swampthing? I want a single ply tyre for winter for my XC hardtail. Its a slackish bike that I still ride some DH on but do a fair bit of climbing with. I want a 2.35 I think.
Any other recomendations? I dont think maxxis still do the swampthing do they?

[Verskis]

I've ridden 2.5 and 2.7 DHF tires consistently ever since they came out, on all kinds of bikes. It kind of depends on what you mean by 'hard cornering'. Is that berms/banks/ruts, big flat tracker turns, wet dirt/hard pack/moondust/all rock?

I was speaking about cornering on flat, hardpackish turn with some moisture on the soil. One where you are putting real pressure on the sideknobs.
Maybe I should try the DHF in 2.5" 3C, or the DHR2 in 3C with your front specific cut, I was a bit put off by the flexibility of the HR2 knobs.
That being said, this season I've ridden a Continental Baron on the front, where the rubber compound is really soft and malleable. The sideknobs are not the stiffest as a result, but it was pretty good and really predictable in corners when new. Now that it has developed some cracks at the base of the knobs it has lost some of the predictability, the front has washed out a few times without much warning recently.

[kidwoo]

omigod! omigod! omigod!


Looks like continental might be making a real tire soon!

http://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=5014&l=1

page 6-7


Funny. Maxxis years ago and now bontrager and continental are kind of converging on some very central and obvious shared design elements.

It must seriously be because they read all my posts on ridemonkey and not because the design elements actually work worth a damn. I AM that awesome so it doesn't surprise me.

Looks like they may have done some dumb siping on those sideknobs but it also looks like the first even remotely intelligently done tire continental has ever come up with.

Good progress guys!

Take the guy who did this one out back and shoot him


......then fire ritchey schley if you haven't already and you guys will be killing it soon!



edit: guess that's the new derp kaiser™

http://www.alibabike.com/en/tires/72...0-folding.html

New for 2010!

[vikingboy]

hey its not all bad - its black and its round - they got that bit right! I'll go out on a ledge and say that its even possible that at some random nano second of time, on a random piece of dirt that the random cluster****tard tread arrangement might just actually provide a bit of actual grip - for a brief nano second of time...... Tyres like these favour the lucky.

[boylagz]

Very Muddy Mary-ish...

[kidwoo]

I have neither enough faces, nor enough palms anymore.

[Sandwich]

I can spare you one...what's wrong with this one though?

[weedkilla]

What a cool new game - "pick the things wrong with this tyre", with woo as judge.
I go first - ramping of centre knobs opposite to orientation of cornering knobs.
Add reversible direction for front and rear, woo just hates that ****. Rear tyres dont need to steer, fronts dont roll or brake.

[Verskis]

What a cool new game - "pick the things wrong with this tyre", with woo as judge.
I go first - ramping of centre knobs opposite to orientation of cornering knobs.
Add reversible direction for front and rear, woo just hates that ****. Rear tyres dont need to steer, fronts dont roll or brake.

Woo also hates intermediate knobs, especially ones that are so close to the side knobs.

The front direction printed on the sidewall seems truly stupid like you said, the ramps are facing backwards. At least the sideknobs won't be Schwalbed out on that direction

[Verskis]

Even more new tires for woo to hate:
http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/ar...t-tires-36777/

The wetscream copy looks decent though, because it is a wetscream copy, just lighter casing.

[Verskis]

Yesterday I got the Continental Kaiser Projekt 2.4" (they have dropped the Rammstein from the name for some reason) tires and while I can't give riding impressions yet, I noticed the sideknobs are really well supported, and the rubber compound seems somewhat stiffer (but still sticky and slow rebound feeling with the fingers) than in the Continental Der Baron tires or Maxxis Supertacky compound.
I would expect these sideknobs not to fold over in corners. Even the center tread angles do not seem that bad, definitely way better than Highroller, even if it could be smarter still. Can't wait to test these.