Tires

[axel99]

X2 on the knobby knife. Do some siping on the rear. I find it gives you a lot more grip on the slimy roots and logs. I prefer a narrower rear tire, just don't think the tiny little bit of additional rubber on the ground is worth all extra unsprung weight and rotating mass on tight twisty single track. The front tire , its where all the control and stopping power is on single track. Pay attention to your tire pressures, lower pressures make a big difference in how the tire grabs the terrain and the suspensions behaves. 5-8lbs in the rear and 12lbs in the front seems to work best for me. If you get to low in the front the tire has a tendency to roll over and feel awkward.

A big part of getting and keeping traction is smooth clutch and throttle control, as a side benefit your tires will last longer.

[okotok]

I've heard a lot of good things about the Mitas Stone Eater from friends of mine who race and ride in Vernon in similar conditions to Maclean. I just put one on, but haven't tried it out yet.

[Dakota_c69]

After spending some time with the tire, here is a review of my GT216 rear tire. I really like the way this tire grips. This, like RJH mentions, is a grip tire, it just grabs roots and rocks and obstacles (especially when wet). I have lowered my tire pressure to 6 - 6.5 pounds since using this tire and not only does it help the grip, but also the softer carcass absorbs the hits that little bit extra. I have noticed no negative effects in handling, but I did notice the lack of traction when it comes to softer terrain (deep mud and sand). The tire is not totally helpless in these environments, but you do notice the lack of drive and more tire spin.

I rode this tire in Kooc over the Thanksgiving weekend and found the sandy hill climbs were definitely a little harder, but anytime there was something besides mud or sand to grab on those hills the 450 would transition from wheel spin to lifting the front wheel! Any moisture in the terrain at all turned the sand into traction though. The soft carcass still absorbed the rough stuff and in the higher speed conditions of Kooc (like someone there said, we all become a Kooc Rock Stars) I noticed no negative handling. Of course, this may all be related to how slow I am!

The GT216 is pricier than any tire I’ve bought before (Thanks to the ‘RMDRA Member Only Sale’ at GW Cycle), but I will definitely buy another. The caveat to that is that I will still be hitting up GW Cycle for a traditional soft terrain tire for Kooc and early spring riding in Mclean. I may also try the Golden Tire 230 rear tire for the softer terrain.

I bought my Golden Tire from Blackfoot Direct for a very good price and recommend you check them out if you want to try the Golden Tire. I’ll be back for a GT216 when this one is gone and for a GT230 to try out!

[brentg]

I thought I might throw in my review of the Golden Tyre GT355 Gecko tire. I know not many guys run trials tires and I know some of you faster guys might need a stiffer carcass so I guess this review is aimed more for us recreational and "B class" riders. I have to say, for 85% of what we ride on at McLean and at Fallen Timber, this thing is like magic! For about 10% of what we ride it is a bit of a compromise and for the remaining 5% it is bad. For me, that's pretty good odds and totally worth it. I was always told that a trials tire is garbage in sand and mud and that it is dangerous on wet grass. I rode this one at Kook, and I did not find it that much worse than a knobby tire. The only place I really noticed a difference was on higher speed cornering. On that, you can feel it roll a bit. Fortunately, I rarely go that fast. As for mud, nothing is good in mud. You just have be sure to give the trials tire a good spin to clean it after a mud hole, then you are right back in business. The thing is, mud holes are usually followed by wet roots and wet roots are where this thing really shines! the soft carcass just bends and forms around them. Nothing will give you better grip on wet wood. I have found that as long as I can keep my front wheel light, the back end will just track. It doesn't slip along angled logs, it doesn't slide down sloping roots and it doesn't spin on uphill roots. I have also not found anything better for rocky ledges. Again, I'm not hitting them 3rd gear wide open, I'm doing some chugging. When you do hit them though, the tire soaks up some of the impact, it stays in contact with the ground and it grips! I have been stopped in some nasty spots by following too close, or by trying to pass and even from a dead stop on a steep climb I can get things moving again. I could never do that with a knobby. I have actually had to change the way I climb because where I used to plan for wheel spin I now have to think about tire lift. Last point, I put 4 races and close to 65 hours on this tire and it still grabs like the first time I rode it. I may try the GT257 hybrid next, just for the improved cleaning, but I would definitely recommend the GT355.

[WRocks]

Tire pressure is critical...the best tire in the world doesn't work well in a place like McLean if it is over inflated.

I run the Bridgestone Ultra heavy wall tubes.
Depending on how stiff the tire carcass is I run 3-5 psi in the rear and 10 psi front and haven't had a flat in a years (knock on wood).
The rear may look flat, but hooks up on roots and rocks awesome.
I wouldn't recommend these low pressures in stock tubes they are junk anyway.

[cerealkiller]

Interesting. I’ve experimented quite a bit with tire pressure this season. I’ve settled close to you and Alex for the front, but never tried going so low on the rear. I’ll give it a try next time. You feel safe running 5 psi when it’s dry?

I usually run 9.5-12 on the front, depending on how wet it is. Below 11 I start to feel the tire rolling over in hard cornering and more impact from rocks when I’m pushing it. If it’s wet out, I’m moving slower anyway and I think the lower pressure helps me feel when I’m about to slide.

In the rear though, I’ve only gone as low as 7.5 in the mud and usually 8.5-9.5 when it’s dry.

[Bark]

Slightly off topic. I had a front flat on Sunday with Tubliss. I rode out via Swany's and Elbow Lookout gingerly which isn't that much slower than my usual pace. Noticed the flat at the top of Swany's going down the unclimbable hill. While I haven't inspected the rim in detail, I'd be surprised if its damaged. It didn't feel too bad but this is my second front flat with Tubliss. I'm changing back to ultra heavy duty tubes or Mousse in the front from this point forward.

[axel99]

I had a flat with the tubliss and rode 20km. I also slowed down and took time to picked smoother lines, no damage to tubliss, rim or tire.

[trailguy]

Sliced my rear tire open with tubliss two weeks ago. Hole was to be big for the Stan's sealant to work. Rode most of the day with it flat, backed off on the cutlines but not on the singletrack. Rim and tubliss system had no damage. The tire already had alot of miles on it and it was toast - sidewalls destroyed.
Bark , do you have Gen 1 or Gen 2 tubliss system ? 1 is black on the inside of the red tire, 2 is orange.

[erniebearskin]

I was thinking of trying Tubliss this spring, how do you gents find changing tires with a Tubliss system verus changing with HD tubes (which do make tire changes more of a Pain in the rear IMO).

[trailguy]

I was thinking of trying Tubliss this spring, how do you gents find changing tires with a Tubliss system verus changing with HD tubes (which do make tire changes more of a Pain in the rear IMO).

I find tire changes with the tubliss system much easier, but you do have the extra step of adding sealant, although quick and easy.

[Bark]

Bark , do you have Gen 1 or Gen 2 tubliss system ? 1 is black on the inside of the red tire, 2 is orange.

I believe Gen 1. The high pressure bladder casing is red but I cannot recall looking at the inside of it. The high pressure tube is black. The anodized pinch clamp is the same width as the rear Tubliss. I torque it down until I can start to see the tire buldge, then stop.

Maybe I should try different front tires? Both of my front flats were with Michelin, a S12XC and an M12XC.

[RJHenry]

I have had my first "flat" with Tubliss after a full season of racing and some casual riding on that tire.

I had a Dunlop AT81 most of the time and and an S12 front for two races in July and I never had a noticiable drop in tire pressure or "internal" tire pressure between races. I credit this to the Slime sealant that I use; I added two ounces of sealant after every tire change.

At kooc I did notice that outer air pressure was down the second day out, but I did no damage for the day I rode with the tire nearly flat. I aired it up to 12 psi for the Sunday ride as I had Hendrix13 chasing me, and it held all day.

Last night I noticed a puddle of green goop on the floor when I rolled the bike back, I thought it was antifreeze at first... but this is what I found:

The side knobs have started to crack out of the tire - allowing air/slime leakage! I am quite surprised that the slime didn't "cure" and seal the cracks.

I am also disappointed that the AT81 knobs are cracking off - this also happened on the MX51 front after a season (but before the knobs were "completely worn" in my opinion).

Thoughts?
RJH

[trailguy]

This is way I prefer a latex sealant like Stan's Notubes over the Slime sealant, as it hardens when sealing small holes/cracks. I've seen alot of favorable reviews of "Slime Pro" but I think its pricey.
Bark, you should be using a torque wrench when tightening the rimlock, as it has a soft rubber portion that compresses when tightened. Gen 1 was 20 ft. lbs., Gen 2 is 15 ft. lbs.
I replace the rubber part of the rimlock every year as I end up splitting them into 3 or 4 pieces.

[cerealkiller]

Robert, your front tire with the torn side knobs was an AT81? I noticed my AT81 front did the same thing. Not that many hours on it either - twenty at most. I wondered if mine had been sitting for awhile, but a second case makes it sound like it could be an issue with that particular tire.