The Worm Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Hi Intern, Coming from Euro land I'm keen to know what your issues with the racing ralphs was and if you used proper UST RR's or the standard tubeless ready RR. Ta So far I'm leaning towards Maxxis LUST Monrails or crossmax, but seeing I've been using Schwable Ralphs and Rons for the last 7 years its hard to suddenly try new rubber.... Before the 2009 Epic I did Sabie Classic using Racing Ralphs (UST). I got a few punctures. They just seemed a bit softer than the Conti's.
Stevief Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 I have not done epic but i ride hectic western cape terrain and have done many races including w2w, eselfontein,slanghoek,grape escape etc . I find the Kenda Nevgals to be bulletproof. They just heavy, but i have never had a puncture in 3 years of riding
rckhpr29er Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 My two cents towards the epic tyre debate (LOL) Having only ridden in one stage race I have limited experience, however, on day one of the grape escape loads of riders blew out with punctures. I had none and I was riding on Maxxis Crossmark (29er) tyres. If I were you I would go with the most bullet proof set of rubber I can find. Don't be a ****, think reliability, not speed!
Headshot Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 The terrain and flora are different from place to place. In the E cape and further north thorn trees are a problem - nothing stops those big white babies. Kzn has a few of them too but overall, its smooth almost rock free riding compared to CT. You couild ride the Sani on any tyres you liked. Those who have survived the Epic on RK's have done well. If you are a heavier rider and like to push the d/h stuff at speed they will be found wanting eventually. If you are more careful and protect them a bit they are great tyres from a grip and rolling resistance point of view. If you do flat and have to pump one on the trail even on a UST rim, they do not inflate that easily. On a long stage race you want reliability and ease of maintennace if things do go wrong - that means a heavier tighter fitting UST tyre IMO.
Goodbadugly Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 Any good UST tire. Think twice if the tire weighs less than 650 grams (26").Race king 2.2, Monotail LUST 2.1, Crossmark LUST 2.1. I prefer the Maxxis tires, although heavier.
Wyatt Earp Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Any good UST tire. Think twice if the tire weighs less than 650 grams (26").Race king 2.2, Monotail LUST 2.1, Crossmark LUST 2.1. I prefer the Maxxis tires, although heavier.Just a question, why do you say that ?
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 yeah, 'cos extra weight does not necessarily mean extra durability... different rubber compounds, sidewall widths and potential kevlar plating throw that argument out the window...
Goodbadugly Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I hate punctures. In both the Sabie Ex 2010 and the Epic 2010 we were held up by punctures due to crappy tube tires converted to tubeless. More weight=more rubber=less punctures.
Goodbadugly Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 And I am not referring to heavy wire bead tires.
Wyatt Earp Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I hate punctures. In both the Sabie Ex 2010 and the Epic 2010 we were held up by punctures due to crappy tube tires converted to tubeless. More weight=more rubber=less punctures.With all honesty, there is your problem right there.I am actually very against not using tubeless tyres for tubeless wheels or conversions*, so I now understand your logic behind the weight, saying that there are some really nice tubeless tyres coming in at under 600 grams.*Around 8 years back I did this, tubed Michelin on my brand spanking new Mavic Crossrides, it was a 6 hour race and I had a rather comfortable lead, on one of the faster corners on the day, the tyre climbed off the rim, myself and the bike looked worse for wear, so since that day, it's against my principles
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 funny thing is, pressure of the tires has more to do with puncture resistance than the tyres themselves. For the hardpack conditions they should be much harder (or so I believe) than the average rider pumps them. The sidewall also helps, but the type of rubber rather than the amount used will determine how easily a thorn or stone pierces the flesh of the tire. In addition, you can have a perfectly inflated tire, with helluva thick walls and all the puncture protection you can get, but if you hit something the wrong way it'll puncture no matter what.
timM Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Kenda Nevegal (UST) 2.1 on the front, Maxxis Crossmark (UST)2.1 on the rear. Nothing sexy but the combination delivers great control (in most circumstances) and reliability - Almost 4000km without issue so far. I ride at 3 bar 90% of the time - 4 if it is mainly hardpack.
Goodbadugly Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 With all honesty, there is your problem right there.I am actually very against not using tubeless tyres for tubeless wheels or conversions*, so I now understand your logic behind the weight, saying that there are some really nice tubeless tyres coming in at under 600 grams.*Around 8 years back I did this, tubed Michelin on my brand spanking new Mavic Crossrides, it was a 6 hour race and I had a rather comfortable lead, on one of the faster corners on the day, the tyre climbed off the rim, myself and the bike looked worse for wear, so since that day, it's against my principles Ja I know about all the new TNT's and Hutches etc. Even Conti's in tubeless ready configurations. It is just that I have had my fill with Joe's on my hands, face, legs while the pack rides away(And me with my over 40 +1.5 eyes trying to get a tube into the mess). That extra 100 gram on the tire won't slow me down. The extra butter covering my six pack will.
WesselvdWalt Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I can vouch for the Maxxis UST. Cross-mark back / monorail front, should last you almost a year! I did two epics with these without any issues. Weight should not be a concern for the epic.
WesselvdWalt Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 ...I am actually very against not using tubeless tyres for tubeless wheels or conversions......tubed Michelin on my brand spanking new Mavic Crossrides... Your problem was rim & tire combination. Michelin & Mavic rims don't seat properly and is not a good choice at all for making non-ust tires tubeless. I find american classic's / stans rims with maxxis to be a very good combination and is very trust worthy.One should note that the tires tend to bend around corners at certain low pressures and can cause "burbping" of air... can also lead to grip loss. (depends on riding style and tire pressure preference) -> you will have to run with about 100g stans in each tires 25g more than normal to make up for airloss escaping through the side walls. -> should be race only / thorns etc make for lots of airloss on these.
YUMEYA Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I only did the Grape EscapeI weigh 73kgBack Tire : Maxxis Cross Mark UST - 2.2 barFront Tire : Maxxis Mono Rail UST - 2.0 bar (It does tend to wash but it is controlled and predictable, hope this makes sense)I rode some crap lines and thought my side walls were slashed coming out of it but they held up just fine, pitty I cant say the same for the rims. It was also amazing on the soft sandy bits. Good Luck and enjoy your Epic.
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