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Posts
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Its time to give my bike a new pair of shoes. Rather than sticking to my guns (Kenda Navigal) I am considering trying something new. I’m interested to hear what your cross country\all mountain tire of choice is for Colorado riding.
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Good question dude,I just replaced the specialized adrenaline’s that came on my 2007 stumpjumper elite with wtb moto raptor’s.I was seriously thinking of going with the kenda small block 8’s when I found the wtb’s 2 for 1 at performance.I only have 2 or 3 rides on them so far,but I like em as of now.I dont like to say anything till I get settled in with em,but my riding buddy said that the wtb’s are throwing alot more dust and dirt back at him than the stock specialized tires.I kinda like to hear that,means the knobbys are getting a bite and not just rolling over the dirt.Also,these tire’s are 2.5’s unlike the stock tires that were 2.0,so they feel and are alot more meaty.I also tried the specialized captain tire,I liked it as far as I can tell,although I had to get rid of it early on the account I had 3 or 4 side wall tears.I will post back with a more indepth reply when I reallly get some good use out of them.
If anyone uses the kenda small block 8’s here on the front range,could ya,would ya post a report on them for us?Thanks -
Right now on my AM rig I am running WTB Velocoraptors and they are the best tire I have ever ridden on. The terrain in Reno consists of sand, poor quality dirt, shale, and sharp volcanic rock. They never miss a beat. I have climbed 30-35% loose, rocky, windy grades without breaking traction once. They powerslide with incredible control, and when they do break traction, you know before hand and they stay in control (Like driving on ice with traction control). Anyways, they aren’t the fattest of tires, but for XC/AM they dont need to be. I got them $25 per side at pricepoint. Btw, they have directional tread in front and knobby motocross style tires in the back that can be flipped for muddy condition or for dry. WELL worth the money.
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There is a VelociRaptor on the back of my Astrix Styke. So far its been the only tire I have been happy with for the Jefferson County Riding. It worked well in Pueblo also. It sticks okay to the rocks and lumber when pedaling. Like the Tomato said, it seems to give up traction in predictable way.
I have a Specialized Pinnit on the back of my Gravity Sled. It’s seen a bit of time on Dakota Ridge and on the upper portion of Golden Gate Canyon. It works swimmingly on the descents. It’s super tacky, so it’s sorta like pedaling in tar.
I have run a slew Maxxis tires. I couldn’t find a bad one when riding in the mid-Atlantic. Since relocating to the Denver area, I haven’t been happy with anything Maxxis. Regardless which tire compound I use, they seem to slide quite a bit. They slip under heavey pedal leverage, braking and like to slide at random when running wide open.
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Kenda Small Block 8. My favorite tire since the Smoke-Dart days
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I’ve got the wtb raptor’s on right now and bought a wtb velocoraptor that is still in the package,I was up riding Dakota Ridge this weekend and they are doing very well so far.What I would like to know is,does anyone have a tire that works well on the wood stairs up there at Dakota Ridge,or any kind of wood for that matter.I can deal with slippery stuff,except I really thought I could get up that first set of wood stair’s and being a clydesdale rider and the really dry dirt that lays all over those stairs makes for a slippery time trying to power my way up those stairs,and at $50 a tire it would be nice to hear from somone that might know what might help in my situation.
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I have two tires that work on the wooden steps @ Dakota Ridge; First tire…..hit the weight room!!!!!, Second tire……..stop being a girl and ride it like a MAN you woosie!!!!!! Cmon…… 😼
In all seriousness, I have never seen anyone clean that trail from start to finish, so if there is a tire that would help someone clean it I would convert from the Kenda Dread Tread..but until then Tinkers tire’s are my main rubbers I throw down on the trail! Boo-YA!!!!!
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Thanks mancoffee,I like your advice dude.I’ll just have to man handle my own body weight and kill those stairs.
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I’ve ridden the Kenda Nevegal and loved them…great tire and you’d do OK just staying status quo.
Otherwise try the Maxxis line.. I’ve ridden the Ignitor and found them to hook up every bit as good (maybe even a little better) as the Nevegal. Don’t get to scared off by the width as theuy are measured a bit different and there 2.35 isn’t as wide as other 2.35 tires.
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Second tire……..stop being a girl and ride it like a MAN you woosie!!!!!! Cmon……
Well coffeeman,I dont know if it was your drill sargent like advice or the WTB raptor’s or both,but I cleared the first set of stair’s at Dakota Ridge this weekend. 😎 😼 DAMN THAT FELT GOOD.Gonna have to get it on video next time I do it.
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I’m rocking panaracer xc’s. They are cheap (29$ for two at pricepoint) and seem to grip as well as anything on the gravely trails in the springs. I think the best tire I ever had were michelin’s that I ran on my trials bike but 50 dollars a tire is more than I want to spend these days. Maxxis are great too but once again cost a little more. Panaracer’s work well in loose and wet but may slow you down a bit on hard packed trails compared with a lower profile tread tire.
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Michelin XTR A/T. I’ve only spun out a few times on sandy spots (mostly due to inexperience). I bought them back in VA for the muddy season but they do a great job out here in dry Colorado Springs.
Gooch
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I will also have to say for Front Range: Kenda Small Block Eight, but back country, I’d run something with a little more "toothiness"
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I rode velociraptors up and down the Front Range for several years and loved them – they were, imo, like the old smoke/dart but better in every way. Last year I switched to the WTB weirwolfs since they’re tubeless. I’m finding that I miss the velociraptors. Could be that I’m just used to them.
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Gotta go with the velociraptor, at least in the rear, avoid anything not rear front specific. The interchangeable tires are ok in all conditions but don’t excel in any conditions. I switched to the raptor due to it’s striking similarity to the smoke classic and wasn’t disappointed.
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Gotta go with the velociraptor, at least in the rear, avoid anything not rear front specific. The interchangeable tires are ok in all conditions but don’t excel in any conditions. I switched to the raptor due to it’s striking similarity to the smoke classic and wasn’t disappointed.
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This post is old, but timeless…
+1 for Velociraptor. I’ve run them up and down the front range and in Moab…no issues.
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One thing that worried me about the USTs was the inevitability of goat’s heads around here. I put Stan’s sealant in these the Weirwolves when I mounted them but I was pretty nervous about it – after all my every experience with Slime has convinced me that it’s absolutely worthless gunk. It has never once saved me from a goat’s head. The Stan’s, on the other hand, has worked like a charm through no fewer than ten full-on, big, hissing punctures. It’s really amazing stuff. That being said, I know that WTB is now making a kevlar velociraptor. Likely that’ll be my next set of tires.
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I don’t run tubeless, so my sealant of choice is True-Goo tubes. Just pull out the goathead, spin the wheel a couple of times, and it seals right up.
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My wife has the true-goo on her townie and so far no flats. Here in Erie, I think we must be the goat’s head capital of the world so that’s quite an endorsement. My townie has kevlar Bontrager Comforts on it and I have pulled literally dozens of thorns out of those things without a single puncture. Bear in mind that these are cross tires – smooth in the middle so there’s no tread to speak of. If the thorns don’t puncture that, then the kevlar must be working.
I can list three things that do not work; Slime, Mr. Tuffy’s and puncture resistant tubes. All three are disappointing insofar as preventing flats caused by goat’s heads. They sometimes work some of the time but imo, that’s nearly worthless.
My first pick is kevlar because it doesn’t require that you have liquid rolling around in your wheels. Now that WTB makes a kevlar Velociraptor, I’m pretty sure I know what my next tires will be. -
I have the Bontrager kevlar ones on my work commuter bike and they are excellent, they seem impervious to goatheads and broken glass.
This spring I grabbed puncture resistant tubes for my mountain bike by accident, and had to swap them out after a couple of rides, they were so stiff that even at low pressure they had awful traction.
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I went to the store to check out the kevlar velociraptors and had a big DUH moment. They do not have a full kevlar belt. When they say "kevlar", they’re only talking about the bead – of course – those have been around for years & I’ve had at least two pairs.
So with ample egg on my face, allow me to backpedal to my original assertion; If they ever come out with a velociraptor with a kevlar belt, I’ll be the first in line to buy them.
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