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Complete Guide to Downhill Rubber

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
They definitely feel burlier than the specialized SX tires. I think they weigh less than 'normal' dh tires because they're kind of small and they don't have a wire bead.
They also don't have butyl sidewall reinforcement the way a dh tire does.

A schwalbe super gravity has the full dh sidewall, but thin xc single ply under the knobs. The michelin has full 2ply thickness, but without sidewall reinforcement. It's like a continental baron tire, just with a Kevlar bead instead of a steel bead.

They are for sure less sidewall than a schwalbe or maxxis dh tire. Weather that matters to you is something else.
 

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
SideKnobs

Put some 2.35 MagicMary's on the big bike this spring. TrailStar in rear and VertStar in front
I have about 8 days on them this year and after the last ride I noticed the side knobs on the rear are starting to rip at the base - just like the smaller MuddyMary's did. Fronts not ripped, but you can see a discoloured crease at the base.

Kind of surprised because they are not a small knob, as well, due to multiple concussions due to car accidents - I'm riding at maybe 70% of normal - can't process the speed - get warp drive tunnel vision...

So the ripping is quite surprising.

Riding is on packed clay with some rock and alot of roots - natural DH and machine make jump/flow trails.
Yep, I put the G5 on the front of my DH bike for Whistler. It works as Woo-advertised. What I'll add is that it seems to prefer a rim that's wider than the 25mm internal width rims that I have. It made the profile a little rounder than I would have preferred, and a couple times had it slide weirdly. I think the weird slides were from the rim/tire width mismatch.

On the Schwalbe knob tearing, they have been replacing tires under warranty that had abnormally short life before side knobs start tearing. Other than some tires that seem to have come from a bad batch that they are replacing under warranty, the Magic Mary and especially the Rock Razor have had much improved side knob strength vs the Muddy Mary, ime.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Hmm.....I've only ridden them on mavic 729s but that's not THAT different. You mean start sliding and not catch? I think they slide really controlled IMO. And it takes a good bit before they even initiate it in a lot of cases.



Marsha: But the wildrockr2s has 'reinforced' :D

• The " REINFORCED " casing allows to bear severe conditions of rolling
It offers a compromise between mass and robustness, ideal for the practice of Enduro
It allows to bear severe conditions of rolling. Do you do much rolling?
 

mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,067
3,778
sw ontario canada
A DH version of the WildRockr2 would be nice. Getting tired of Schwalbe ripping - like the tires but damn.
Being the trails are clay, they close the hill when it rains, and do not open until they are dry. I have been caught mid hill by a cloudburst and they turn into peanut butter in seconds, pretty much unridable, and it totally nukes the trails.
So being I don't really have to deal with wet performance, from what Woo has said performance wise the Michi looks the ticket - IF they make a DH version in appropriate widths.... Otherwise probably go G5 as the steeps braking sounds like the ticket, 'specially with the tunnel vision on the narrow natural trails - speed control becomes paramount.
 

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
Hmm.....I've only ridden them on mavic 729s but that's not THAT different. You mean start sliding and not catch? I think they slide really controlled IMO. And it takes a good bit before they even initiate it in a lot of cases.
I never crashed from it/ it always caught after sliding. Maybe I'm just used to riding something with a little more square of a profile. 4mm of rim width could be the difference. Don't get me wrong, they work well, that was just something I noticed happen a couple times.
 

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
FWIW, sliding wildly into 'turns' and relying on tires to catch is like 90% of why I ride mountain bikes. :D


But it's also why I'm such a picky bltch about them. Slidin is ridin.
Let me introduce you to my friend, Rock Razor.
 

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
Not really.

I just want to express annoyance to those who work at specialized for not making a 26" slaughter. You know.....like a rock razor but the knobs stay on.
in all fairness, that slaughter tire is f'ing rad. i would strongly suggest getting a new frame, wheels, and fork so you can enjoy it.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
Demo'd a bike on Bontrager G5s yesterday. I felt like they gripped really well until they didn't, at which point they cut loose very abruptly. They did tend to slide pretty predictably/controllably once I knew they were sliding, there were just a couple "Oh shit" moments when they started to slide when I wasn't expecting it, but I was always able to pull them back.

In other news, the 951 Evo is kind of a POS.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Littler one with the tough guy wheelset (crossmax sx with heavy tires)

Fast section straight into some chunky rox (imported from plattekill). But I've never split a dh tire on this trail. There might be something to your earlier bit about the butyl stuff, which is why I quoted it.
 

SCARY

Not long enough
E="kidwoo, post: 4010152, member: 4947"]You hear that specialized!!???

I'm about to buy a schwalbe tire because you can't make new shlt in the right size!! I hope you're happy!!![/QUOTE]
Youre gonna rip knobs off left and right. I friggin love that magic mary, but i can kill it in a day on a rugged dh trail.
 

SCARY

Not long enough
E="HAB, post: 4013058, member: 20982"]Demo'd a bike on Bontrager G5s yesterday. I felt like they gripped really well until they didn't, at which point they cut loose very abruptly. They did tend to slide pretty predictably/controllably once I knew they were sliding, there were just a couple "Oh shit" moments when they started to slide when I wasn't expecting it, but I was always able to pull them back.

In other news, the 951 Evo is kind of a POS.[/QUOTE]
Whats the word on the 951?
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
Creaky, rattly (not sure if this one was just clapped out or if they're all like that), harsh in choppy stuff, weird ass leverage curve, not very stiff.
 

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
Hole in the center, hole on the bead.......you know the drill. The 'tubeless tire pinch flat'
Actual question: what's your method for setting tire pressure?

I basically stopped getting flats* when I started setting my tire pressures accurately and precisely** every time I ride. My experience has been that if you're using a regular pump, your pressures are probably ±2psi if you're squinting at the gauge, and even worse for the way I've seen most people set pressure. And, ±2psi easily can be the difference between a hole in the tire, and no problem. I never make changes in tire pressure more than 1 psi at a time with my setup.

* I still get flats, but rarely
** Similar to shock pumps, tire pressure gauges also suck. I replaced the gauge on my pump with one that reads from 0-60 psi in 1 psi increments.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
* I still get flats, but rarely
I don't. Unless I use shltty tires :D

Seriously though I've gotten two flats in a year. And one of them was on a very beat and flimsy tire that should have been tossed.

Horses for courses. I change my tire pressures a lot depending on what I'm riding. The back I got the flat on was I think 32psi, set with a really good pump with a huge readout. 32 on these tires still leaves them pretty stiff.

More realistically/honestly, I rammed into something sharp going about 20-25mph that had rolled into the line I usually ride (pretty loose and rocks move). But it's a section of trail I've ridden 100+ times and never flatted there. Since it pinched on the rim, yeah I'm sure it would have been fine at a higher pressure, whatever that number might be. But I would have also been on my face about 20 turns up the trail already.

I was just starting to think they were magic. They're not. That's all :(
 
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marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
Since it pinched on the rim, yeah I'm sure it would have been fine at a higher pressure, whatever that number might be. But I would have also been on my face about 20 turns up the trail already.
yeah man, stiffer sidewall!

i just think specialized and maxxis have their sidewalls dialed. the schwalbe ones are super tall and super stiff, so the tire does not flex, and you cut along the tread if you run adult PSI. these michelin ones, and the conti tires i have sued don't have butyl sidewalls, so you just cut them at the bead when the sidewall folds.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Well what I did to this tire, I've done to plenty of specialized and maxxis treads (given they were like half a pound lighter tires however.....).

I just think I hit a bad combo of rock shape and tire pressure. That and they're not magic. I mean I did ride them for a full day at mammoth on dh trails and they were fine. That place is all about the high speed smooth sections into rocks.

slyfink: wildrock'r 2
 

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
I mean 1000g+ tires obviously, but indeed un-reinforced 850g tires do that too.

That said, my experience this season with big wheels is that I do not get flats with 900g tires on the same trails that I had to run 1250g tires because I cut 1000g tires every other day.

10% bigger wheel but 25% lighter is much mo better.

Ps- in Tahoe tomorrow
 
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mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,067
3,778
sw ontario canada
If one were to be interested in procuring a set of these Michelin tyres, where would one look online for the lowest price.

yours truly a broke-assed mtn biker.
 

mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,067
3,778
sw ontario canada
Thanks Woo

Problem is I'm in Canukistan, so my local lbs prices are Fvcking Insane + $20.00.
Which is why I import almost everything - ie I get my Schwalbe's from Bike24 in Germany - saving about 50.00 a tire over local prices.


Edit:
Just looked at Probike.fr - a 26x2.35 set consisting of magic and gum compounds, shipped to me in teh great white north is 123.50 US / 138.00 Cdn. Figured Michelin = French, so a French site was consulted.

Just checked Universal's price for the same as above - Shipped 192.00 US / 213.00 Cdn

How were your local prices in comparison?
 
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Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,143
El Lay
anyone got a width measurement of "WILDROCK'R2" in mtb size (26")? EDIT: NM - woo said they are same as 2.5 DHF.

how bout a photograph? the rendering on the miche site makes my eyes hurt.

seems like the center knobs are kinda low... a semi-semi-slick? Sounds like a fun back tire.
Does it roll "faster" than a DHF, center knob-wise?
 
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djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,001
1,693
Northern California
How are the Super Gravitys and the Maxxis TR tires mounting tubeless on UST rims? Any issues with being too loose? I'm ordering new wheels and trying to figure out if I should go UST on the rims or do Stans BST again.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
The maxxis TR tires work great on mavic UST rims (talking trail bikes here). I don't think I've ever burped an EXO tire on 3 different mavic rim types. I haven't burped one on a set of enves I've been running most of this summer either.

They seems to suck donkey dick on anything stans though......like dangerously flying off the rim.
 

djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,001
1,693
Northern California
The maxxis TR tires work great on mavic UST rims (talking trail bikes here). I don't think I've ever burped an EXO tire on 3 different mavic rim types. I haven't burped one on a set of enves I've been running most of this summer either.
Cool, I think I'm going to try some UST spec WTB i25s; just wasn't sure if the new Maxxis/Schwalbe beads were designed to play nice with UST rims. It seems the majority of tubeless rims don't adhere to any of the UST standard so it wouldn't surprise me if tire manufacturers designed their tubeless ready beads to some other spec.

They seems to suck donkey dick on anything stans though......like dangerously flying off the rim.
I've been using Maxxis and Michelin tubeless ready tires on the original Flows for a year with no problems, but the new Flow EX bead seat diameter and bead hook shape (or lack thereof) look really considerably different.