Tyre choices.. Going tubeless and new to MTB

[413x]

I have a hard tail ebike and to date just used the tyres that came with bike.

29in rims

I main do red type trails but take my bike on most stuff. However I'm not super quick.

Conditions are variable. Rocks, mud, tree roots, loose rocks etc. So probably looking at all round.

Going tubeless as I've had 3 punctures in 4 rides recently and fed up of it.

I also have no idea what I need from tyres and as expected reviews etc are mixed.

I think I'm going for DHR 2 on rear and DHF or DHR 2 on front.

Not really sure about compounds/sizes either.
I've heard rear is better narrower?


Any help would be appreciated!

 

[robj20]

Im running a Hans Damp on the rear and a Magic Mary on the front at the minute. Great so far.
It being an ebike just stick some really aggressive tyres on isn't that the whole point of them, thicker walls as well, probably a cushcore in the rest at least as well.

 

[fez]

As Rob says, get some heavier sidewall tyres and perhaps a cushcore in the rear. Its an ebike so the rolling resistance isn't such a big deal. I am running DHF and DHR at the moment with a maxxterra exo+ on the front and dual compound exo+ on the rear but mines a full suspension and its a regular bike so not as heavy. Front is a 2.6 and rear is a 2.4.

The other thing to have a play around with is tyre pressure which makes a massive difference to grip. You can probably get away with 26ish at the rear and low 20s on the front depending on your weight and riding style/ability.

 

[413x]

I was looking at maxxis as it just seems more popular.

Was thinking aggesai (spelling?) and dhr ii at rear.
That dhf has a float zone and from sound of it I wouldn't like it as I'm not super confident yet and probably spend. Too much time in that float zone,

Damn. Tyres are expensive by the way!

How long do they last? And how do you know when to replace?

 

[413x]

As Rob says, get some heavier sidewall tyres and perhaps a cushcore in the rear. Its an ebike so the rolling resistance isn't such a big deal. I am running DHF and DHR at the moment with a maxxterra exo+ on the front and dual compound exo+ on the rear but mines a full suspension and its a regular bike so not as heavy. Front is a 2.6 and rear is a 2.4.

The other thing to have a play around with is tyre pressure which makes a massive difference to grip. You can probably get away with 26ish at the rear and low 20s on the front depending on your weight and riding style/ability.

Been reading/watching lots of reviews

This is basically what I settled on.
I was hoping to get away with exo not exo+ simply due to cost.
But was also on for terra front dc rear.

As above not the dhf at the front due to me being a noob. I do go on red trails and did the Tony tiger in snowdonia last year on my stock tyres.

Was going to ask about size to but was looking at 2.4 rear and 2.5 front simply due to trying to find tyres in that spec!


I've been riding my stock tyres for 2 years over everything! Am I going to really feel A big difference? In my old s2k car I used to have tyres made so much difference.

 

[fez]

Tyres make a huuuuuge difference as they are you sole contact with the trail. I had plus tyres on a hardtail last year and it was awful when it was sloppy because they just floated and slipped around. Great in the dry though.

The assegai is uber agressive and a lot of people seem to say its too much. Heavy and unnecessary. Others love it but its more of a downhill style tyre.

For the rear tyre you want something a little faster rolling so the DHR2, minion or dissector are good shouts. 2.4 in the rear is fine. You want your rear to break away sometimes and less rolling resistance is nice. It doesn't need a super soft compound either as that just slows you down and isn't necessary. Dual compound has been good on the rear for me.

Tyres are a complete minefield though. I have just about got my head around Maxxis tyres but every brand does different things and has different names. There are probably about 200+ combinations just in the Maxxis MTB tyres range when you consider pattern, rubber compound and casing.

If you aren't getting the grip you want, play with pressure. Makes a huge difference.

 

[413x]

Sorry for another post.

My tyres that came stock are 2.3. I'm guessing there is no issue going up to 2.5?

This stuff Is more complex than choosing for your car!


It's hard as this is my first MTB bike
My first ebike and my first time taking a bike off tarmac. So I have no baseline.
I was doing everything on these stock schwalbe smart Sam which schwalbe smart sam feel are stock and probably cheap.

But I've done light black and many red trails and random off road non trail stuff on them.
Main issue.. Can't stop sometimes!


Edit.
Just found this review snip on smart sam

"The tyre straightline/upright traction isn’t great, particularly on hard roots and rocks where it can spin and slip very easily if there’s any hint of moisture about. The more open shoulder tread means it will bite in the corners if you get it over fast enough, but even then it’s more of a slider than a sticker and it clogs easily in mucky terrain. "

This is exactly what I have found. Absolutely identical.
On some wet. Smooth stuff my bike just went from under me. On roots it really loses traction.
Add in ebike and that traction loss is bad.

 

[fez]

Okay, so the chances are good that if its a relatively new bike with 29" wheels it has 30mm ID rims which you can happily go up to 2.5 or 2.6" tyres. There just isn't that much benefit going to beyond a 2.4 on the rear IMO. Tyres are also a complete crapshoot when it comes to how they measure diameter. Depends on tyre size, pressure, rim width.

Tyre compound, tread pattern and pressure are the 3 biggest things. Pressure is potentially the most important.

Get a pump with a good pressure gauge and play around. If you are running tubeless you can go at much lower pressures.

 

[413x]

Okay, so the chances are good that if its a relatively new bike with 29" wheels it has 30mm ID rims which you can happily go up to 2.5 or 2.6" tyres. There just isn't that much benefit going to beyond a 2.4 on the rear IMO. Tyres are also a complete crapshoot when it comes to how they measure diameter. Depends on tyre size, pressure, rim width.

Tyre compound, tread pattern and pressure are the 3 biggest things. Pressure is potentially the most important.

Get a pump with a good pressure gauge and play around. If you are running tubeless you can go at much lower pressures.

Thanks I'm buying tonight.
Think I'm going to try

Front:
assegai
2.5 depending on what I can find online
Exo
Max terra

Rear
dhr ii
2.4 (found this)
Exo
Dc

I'd go exo-t but cost goes up considerably and much much harder to find.
Looks like more art than science anyway. Reasonable for a first try?

Rims are tubeless ready. So should be OK there.

Probably keep my old tyres for just cycling on road etc. Seems a waste to use proper MTB tyres for general use.

 

[fez]

Thanks I'm buying tonight.
Think I'm going to try

Front:
assegai
2.5 depending on what I can find online
Exo
Max terra

Rear
dhr ii
2.4 (found this)
Exo
Dc

I'd go exo-t but cost goes up considerably and much much harder to find.
Looks like more art than science anyway. Reasonable for a first try?

Rims are tubeless ready. So should be OK there.

Probably keep my old tyres for just cycling on road etc. Seems a waste to use proper MTB tyres for general use.

All sounds good to me. As you say, riding on roads will kill those tyres quite quickly. Compound seems good and you will soon find out if the casing strength is enough. I think it will be fine on the front and probably OK on the rear unless you are hitting serious serious stuff of particularly unlucky. By all accounts there isn't a huge difference between exo and exo+. I would recommend keeping an eye on second hand marketplaces for tyres as well as people change quite often, sometimes purely because they don't like a tyre or its too heavy/light for their use case.

 

[Hedge]

I run tubeless dhr and dhf combo but I'm actually tempted to go tannus armor and tubes next time. Ive had a few punctures that were too big for my sealant to recover on trail. Not saying tubeless is bad or anything though. I just fancy trying something new.

I'm also pretty big at 6ft plus and fifteen stone.

 

[fez]

I run tubeless dhr and dhf combo but I'm actually tempted to go tannus armor and tubes next time. Ive had a few punctures that were too big for my sealant to recover on trail. Not saying tubeless is bad or anything though. I just fancy trying something new.

I'm also pretty big at 6ft plus and fifteen stone.

What casings have you been running and what pressures? I don't think I could go back to tubes honestly.

 

[Hedge]

What casings have you been running and what pressures? I don't think I could go back to tubes honestly.

I think my rear is an exo tr. Not a dh casing so probably not their strongest. Can't remember what's on front. I tend to run about 25psi up front and 27 rear iirc.

I'd seen few reviews and video of deakin talking about tannus armour and megavalanche and it seems like quite an interesting alternative.

Means you can also "run flat" so to speak.

 

[413x]

Need some more help.
Not sure on what rim width my rims can take.

They are. 622x23
All I want to know is will the maxxis WT (assegai only Comes in 2.5) fit on this rim? Apparently WT are slightly different?
And why is it so hard to understand will This tyre fit?

Honestly. This is ridiculous how complex It is. There seem to be few standards!

Also, can't find DD casing with DC construction.
I don't really want a soft compound on the back as I expect my ebike will shred it.

 

[fez]

I think my rear is an exo tr. Not a dh casing so probably not their strongest. Can't remember what's on front. I tend to run about 25psi up front and 27 rear iirc.

I'd seen few reviews and video of deakin talking about tannus armour and megavalanche and it seems like quite an interesting alternative.

Means you can also "run flat" so to speak.

Deaks is a bit of a unit and the megavalanche is crazy. Are you riding in scree fields?

Think Blake off GMBN did the megavalanche a few years ago so maybe worth watching to see what he used.

I believe there is a big big difference between the double down casing and the exo so maybe worth going to that before you try tubes again. I'm sure someone here will have actual experience with both DD and tannis

 

[fez]

They are. 622x23

Hmm, that might be a bit thin for 2.5WT. WT just means that they are slightly tweaked for todays wider rims so that the tread sits in a better place on them.

What exactly is the year and model of bike you have an I should be able to google it for you.

 

[413x]

Hmm, that might be a bit thin for 2.5WT. WT just means that they are slightly tweaked for todays wider rims so that the tread sits in a better place on them.

What exactly is the year and model of bike you have an I should be able to google it for you.

23 is 23mm?
Ive even struggled to find if this is the width?
If so I think WT are out.

Believe WT are 30mm by design


It's a cube acid one 500. Year 2020.

Ive looked at specs. Rim specs are.. Lacking.
Rims are. Alexrims ex23

This bike is not designed for the punishment I give it! When I bought it I didn't think I'd end up doing what I'm doing.

 

[Hedge]

Deaks is a bit of a unit and the megavalanche is crazy. Are you riding in scree fields?

Think Blake off GMBN did the megavalanche a few years ago so maybe worth watching to see what he used.

I believe there is a big big difference between the double down casing and the exo so maybe worth going to that before you try tubes again. I'm sure someone here will have actual experience with both DD and tannis

Frequent visits to Innerleithen this year chewed a couple of tyres up lol.

 

[fez]

23 is 23mm?
Ive even struggled to find if this is the width?
If so I think WT are out.

Believe WT are 30mm by design


It's a cube acid one 500. Year 2020.

Ive looked at specs. Rim specs are.. Lacking.
Rims are. Alexrims ex23

This bike is not designed for the punishment I give it! When I bought it I didn't think I'd end up doing what I'm doing.

Yeah, 23mm ID rims probably won't appreciate a 2.5WT. I wouldn't go above a 2.4 with those rims. On the plus side, people have been rolling around on 2.4 tyres for a long time and they are still fantastically grippy at the right pressure and compound. A lot of WC downhill racers still use 2.4 on the front and thinner on the rear. Honestly a good tyre is a good tyre. A bad tyre will still be a bad tyre in whatever width it is.

Frequent visits to Innerleithen this year chewed a couple of tyres up lol.

That would do it.

 

[413x]

Yeah, 23mm ID rims probably won't appreciate a 2.5WT. I wouldn't go above a 2.4 with those rims. On the plus side, people have been rolling around on 2.4 tyres for a long time and they are still fantastically grippy at the right pressure and compound. A lot of WC downhill racers still use 2.4 on the front and thinner on the rear. Honestly a good tyre is a good tyre. A bad tyre will still be a bad tyre in whatever width it is.




That would do it.

Thanks for your help.
I think I'll. Probably go for dhr ii front and rear in that case.
2.3 came on stock.

Looks like 2.4 is also WT.
Probably settled on 2.3 front and rear.
Dhr 2 front and rear
Exo on both front and back (dd is hard to find, and some have said with a heavy bum (me, bike,motor, hard tail) you don't want the rigidity of DD.

So after all this basically same tyre front and rear!