Best Tires

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Best Tires
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flag bbarlow
O+
Posted: Apr 10, 2012 at 9:37 Quote
What are the best tires? A LOT of people run Minion Front tires on both front and rear. Is this really the best combo? I used these tires when I rode a few years ago. Nothing has come out that is better than this?

Also, if you're going to make claims that a certain tire combo is better, be prepared to back it up with statistical evidence; i.e., faster lap times.
flag kizzapalooza
Posted: Apr 11, 2012 at 2:43 Quote
bbarlow wrote:
What are the best tires? A LOT of people run Minion Front tires on both front and rear. Is this really the best combo? I used these tires when I rode a few years ago. Nothing has come out that is better than this?

Also, if you're going to make claims that a certain tire combo is better, be prepared to back it up with statistical evidence; i.e., faster lap times.

It doesnt work like that. My preferred tyre is the Ardent but that doesnt mean itd work for you. My bike is setup light and stiff suspension so the grip of the front Ardent is enough to stay in control. that doesnt mean itd work for you, because my friend doesnt like Ardents; see what I mean? Its personal preference for a lot of the time.

Reason why the Minion works? because a lot of people like it, and its reliable for a lot of conditions.
flag Scythe888
Posted: Apr 11, 2012 at 4:00 Quote
There is no best tire. Find a tire that works for you and your style of riding. I don't like the minion fr up front and back. The minion is like one of the best tires made, but not for me. I like the schwalbe muddy mary. I feel they outperformed the minions for me. But I think the muddy mary just fits my riding style better. I know there is people that won't like them. A lot of people don't like Ardent's, but the above poster likes them.
flag sewer-rat
FL
Posted: Apr 11, 2012 at 6:14 Quote
I have fell into the minion category and get on well with them, they just seem to hold lines better to me than the high rollers or swamp things I used to ride. The high rollers used to slide then catch grip and the swampies didn't roll that well so the minions were what I ended up with. Saying that though I did also used to love my Michelin comp 16s
flag antscott
Posted: Apr 11, 2012 at 10:29 Quote
I've just orderd minion front and high roller rear. Il let you know how it works out. Still experimenting myself. I think it's all about what works best for your style of riding.
flag ACHTUNG
Posted: Apr 11, 2012 at 10:45 Quote
I'm running Wicked Wills front and back. They roll fast, corner well and are predictable when they begin to lose grip in corners. Manageable in the wet but not awesome.

Once the wicked wills wear out I'm going to try a set of Minion DHF 3c on both front and rear. From all the research I've done it seems like DHF is the most versatile tire for most conditions. I'm going with the 3c compound to cover me in wet conditions.

Here's a good current thread that covers a lot:

http://forums.mtbr.com/downhill-freeride/what-kinda-tires-yall-riding-these-days-768887.html
flag bigburd
Posted: Apr 11, 2012 at 11:07 Quote
ACHTUNG wrote:
I'm running Wicked Wills front and back. They roll fast, corner well and are predictable when they begin to loose grip in corners. Manageable in the wet but not awesome.

Once the wicked wills wear out I'm going to try a set of Minion DHF 3c on both front and rear. From all the research I've done it seems like DHF is the most versatile tire for most conditions. I'm going with the 3c compound to cover me in wet conditions.

Here's a good current thread that covers a lot:

http://forums.mtbr.com/downhill-freeride/what-kinda-tires-yall-riding-these-days-768887.html

If you want versatile stick with schwalbe and get some muddy marys , the best tire I have ever used and I have tried a fair few Razz
You can leave it on all year round and it will cope with every thing very well , dry/dusty/loose/hardpack/wet/loamy/rocky it's got i covered .
The only time I would change it was on wet race day where the track has that uniquely sloppy crap peanut butter texture , then put some Dirty Dans on ( which are actually quite good in dryer conditions too Razz )
flag bbarlow
O+
Posted: Apr 12, 2012 at 11:41 Quote
What kind of widths do you guys run? The Muddy Marys 2.5s are about 50 grams lighter than the Minions per tire.

I live in Kamloops, so all the trails here are very soft, fine dirt.

I used to have front and rear set of Minions, and they felt amazing. Now I have Minion Fs on both front and rear and I find I don't have much grip in the rear. Could be a number of things. Tire wear. Brake balance. Tire pressure. Gonna bump up my pressure to about 30-32psi (I'm only 125 pounds). Running about 28psi right now and I see a lot of sidewall flex.
flag bbarlow
O+
Posted: Apr 12, 2012 at 11:42 Quote
Better question: what width do the pros generally ride?
flag toad321
O+
Posted: Apr 12, 2012 at 12:03 Quote
bbarlow wrote:
Better question: what width do the pros generally ride?

That would depend on what track there at, what the weathers like etc etc

Since pros get them for free I wouldn't really look at them for advice Wink
flag ACHTUNG
Posted: Apr 12, 2012 at 12:25 Quote
Most people run a 2.5" tire.
flag Craiglers
Posted: Apr 12, 2012 at 14:19 Quote
Don't forget to order 2.35" Schwalbe tyres as they would be similar to the rest of the 2.5" tyres out there.
flag bbarlow
O+
Posted: Apr 13, 2012 at 11:44 Quote
Did some research, and apparently a lot of people run High Rollers. Then other people run Minions, with some people like Sam Hill running Minion Fs on both front and rear. So idk.

Might stick with the Minion Fs for a while. Could just be losing grip due to wear (down to about 60%) and/or tire pressure.
flag bigburd
Posted: Apr 13, 2012 at 11:48 Quote
Get some muddy marys in 2.35 vertstar and be blown away the grip , versatility , braking power and strangely good rolling speed at the same time Smile
flag wbwade88
Posted: Apr 14, 2012 at 4:04 Quote
Honestly its personal preference (as many others have said). Its taken me a long time to determine what i like, and that varies on where im riding, the weather, what bike im using. Im still learning to this day what i like to ride. On my DH bike in mud i like to run a WTB Dissent 2.5 upfront and a Maxxis High Roller 2.35 in the back if its dry, ill swap out the high roller for a Maxxis Ardent 2.4. On my XC/AM bike i usually run UST unless im huckin off some big stuff in which case i usually just use the DH bike. But for my XC/AM i run a UST WTB 2.3 dissent or a UST Maxxis High Roller up front. I then run a UST Maxxis Advantage or WTB Weirwolf 2.1 in the back.
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