Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Sigh. No testosterone. I just get fed up when people give BAD advice founded on improper "facts" and make sweeping statements when there are so many different variables at work, and don't apply their common sense when recommending something. But here you go: Crossmarks in a 29er are only available in the hardest tire compound you get for bike tires (MTB tires, knobbly) which is 70a. This is, generally, the same hardness rating that passenger motor vehicle tyres have on your normal Goodyear / Conti / Yokohama tires that come specced with the cars off the showroom floor. Ardents: They come in a 60a compound ONLY Wolverines: 60a middle & 50a on the edges. Rollerblade wheels start at 74a compound. On my wolverines, when I still had them, they were worn out on the centre knobs within 100km of road riding (200km total riding, dirt & road combined) Worn out to the extent that they would not grip when riding up technical singletrack (roots, rocks, that sort of thing) and would spin out if the trail got either too dusty or there was an absence of anything but gravel and hardpack. The next set, which I treated better, lasted a full year of riding solely on dirt, with far more mileage. They have now been replaced with my Weirwolf, which is on the back and my HAns Dampf is on the front. I make an effort to miss as much tar as possible, as they will be ripped to shreds. One has to note that this principally applies to REAR tires though, due to the extra weight on that side of the bike (through the saddle) and the rear being the tire that receives the driving force through the chain etc. So - again. It is BAD advice to recommend that the OP uses his Ardents, because they WILL wear out prematurely and he will most probably have to buy at least one new tire at the end of the ride, or very shortly thereafter, to replace the rear.

oooooh, there'll be climbing! Probably like your average day out at Tokai, but more fun cos of the atmosphere and the thrill of racing. Climbing to the trail heads, riding, chatting, etc...

WE> WANT> PITCHERS!!!!!

Don't worry about the travel! If it's anything like the last ones, you could do it on a hardtail with NO travel!

Legend...

Montecasino?

BAHAHAHAHA!!! Tim, you crack me up... Awesome use of strafing gunfire, BTW..

As PorS said - no law except when parks or local authorities say you cannot take dogs to those sections. Nothing to do with the baboons, and I never said it was. The majority of baboon / dog encounters would end badly for the dog, that is a fact. The only real dog species that will be able to take on a baboon and have a chance to survive the incident would be the likes of your ridgebacks, boerbuls, staffies, pitbulls, bull terriers and so on. And then it is directly related to the size of the baboon as well. Very few will be able to take on a fully grown alpha male and be expected to survive the encounter.

no, they just kill them...

in other words, total BS.

That's fine... they won't thank you for the road rash, but it'll be better than running them at 1.5bar.

Subrosa has a DAMN difficult time of getting the tire on. Only tire that willingly went on was an old WTB wolverine... And I use the term "willingly" very loosely. Granted, they are probably due to the beads being very new, but still. I've broken 2 of those green tire levers trying to get my Schwalbes on there.

LOL. Cool. It just came across as a fact...

Seems you're not listening to your signature there, bud... How is that common sense, telling someone that his tires won't wear 'cos your tires don't, even though it's a completely different tire to what you're using, with a completely different intended application?

Yep. Passed many a roadie till my knee pulled a shitfit at the bottom of chappies this year. Come to think of it - I should have taken that as a warning sign of things to come.

Is that a fact, or an opinion based on assumption and pre-conceived ideas?

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How does VDV feel about you spraying your bike in their corridors?

Sigh. So much of fail in this post. You have every use for a tire that is designed to grip under any conditions. I also never said that MTB is only reserved for bikes with more than 150mm travel. I have a 26" hardtail sitting at home, which is principally a 100mm travel machine, but is currently in pieces (needed a few to bolt onto my DS). That assertion would be dumb. WHat my point was, and something you seem to fail to grasp, is that one cannot make sweeping statements like those which have been put across here, and expect everyone to gobble them up at a fact when they're anything but. Fact is, only a percentage of the MTB tire market worldwide is aimed at the Marathon market, of which the Crossmark / SB8 / Ikon etc form a part. The rest are aimed at eking every bit of grip out of the tire as possible, whilst remaining relatively light weight. That extra grip comes in the form of either tread pattern, casing type, rubber compound or a combination of the 3. IOW - a Crossmark will be hard compound, generally tough tire and thick-ish casing, but not as thick as on a Minion, for example. It will last well ont eh tar. However - for the OP, who has Ardents, which are a soft compound tire, wide profile and thick sidewalls, it is NOT adviseable to use them on tar as they will be ripped to shreds. Lastly - I have nothing against 100mm or even zero travel MTB machines - they all have their admirers, and they all have their desired uses. What I do have something against is the likes of you saying that MTB tires will be okay on tar, because I have a 29er with crossmarks and that's my experience, and therefore it applies to everyone...

Again - those are hard, hard tires. One cannot use the crossmark & SB8 & Ikon's performance on tar as an indication on how PROPER mountain bike tyres, like the rocket ron, muddy mary, hans dampf, maxxis ardent, Minion, High Roller and so on perform on tar. The SB8 & Crossmark are DESIGNED to work on hard surfaces - hardpack and rock / stone. They will, therefore, be as hard wearing as a set of slicks, or very close to a set of slicks. As soon as you gravitate away from those hardpack only tires, the wear on tar increases exponentially. So no. You're wrong. It is NOT a myth. It does happen. And riding on a set of soft, grippy MTB tires on the tar will rip them to shreds within 100km. Because they're made to be used on DIRT. Not tar. Same as if you take a scrambler and put it on the road. Tires FINISHED in 100km. Kaput. Blown. Tread ripped apart. Can't compare that to a set of on/off road tires that come on a BMW F1200...

Correct on the second bit, incorrect on the first - that green stuff is masking tape and pinstripe tape...

Different wheels. Check the cutout on the disc, and then the section of the front is too big...

I don't even know if Hayley carries one!

yeah but hayley's like, shorter than Iwan, and I doubt she has a spare 40mm stem she carries in her purse!

Nope. It's an application on top of the existing paintwork, and does not affect the paintwork in any way. Yep. It's not like he's sanding it down or anything!

Nope. Guys also use them on the enduro circuit. Only penalty is the weight.