AM tyres... what you running?

[Cruz Addict]

Which one:

Schwalbe Hans Dampf Evo Snakeskin 26 x 2.35'' (either PaceStar or Trailstar)

vs

Continental Mountain King II Protection 2.4 with Black Chilli

 

I'm leaning towards the MK, any Continental with the Black Chilli compound people seem to rave about and the tread is a bit faster rolling that the Hans Dampf.

Both are R500 a piece so no competition there.

 

a word of warning about the Mk2 protection, they have particularly soft sidewalls, not soft as in will puncture but soft as in they move laterally on the rim( not sure how else to describe them) i ran them tubeless and couldnt corner hard at all as i had sever creeping. they are not tubeless or tubeless ready so need the added stability gained form a tube to handle correctly, i managed burp one right off the rim and had to fit a tube, thereafter it was a different ride and i felt confident again. sold shortly after fitting and bought a set of bronsens which gave me confidence on the bike again.

 

Those that use HD's, how fast have you found they wear/real world longevity and is the side lug ripping off issue really that bad, is it from hard braking through corners or just generally from hitting corners fast and hard?

 

They are such highly rated tyres, some people have no issues others chew them up pronto and/or have the lugs ripping off and those reports arent limited to the softer trailstar as may be expected but also the harder pacestar.

 

Anyone ever seen the HD performance line in SA, which seem to last better?

i love mine(HD pacestar compound front and back), have done several months of hard fast riding including Mankele avalanche and this weekends Hakahana enduro, i can drop the pressure to about 1.5 bar and have no issues at all. best money i have ever spent on a tire( i may just be lucky in that i have experienced none of the issues people talk about though.

[Skylark]

^ How much wear does your set of HD's have at this point?

 

Lucky I didn't buy the MK's because the main reason I want new tyres is the burp protection and ability to run lower press, that would have been an expensive flop!

 

Are these bad experiences with HD's due to a bad batch of tyres, people that ride in ridiculously dry/jagged/rocky trails or what?

Seems the pacestar Nobby Nic also has a susceptibility to lugs tearing off, is it just par for the course for a supa grippy tyre, ie less grippy tyres don't have the problem because the forces they are subjected to are a lot less and their lugs are never subjected to the amount of leverage that would rip one off?

[Cruz Addict]

^ How much wear does your set of HD's have at this point?

 

Lucky I didn't buy the MK's because the main reason I want new tyres is the burp protection and ability to run lower press, that would have been an expensive flop!

 

Are these bad experiences with HD's due to a bad batch of tyres, people that ride in ridiculously dry/jagged/rocky trails or what?

Seems the pacestar Nobby Nic also has a susceptibility to lugs tearing off, is it just par for the course for a supa grippy tyre, ie less grippy tyres don't have the problem because the forces they are subjected to are a lot less and their lugs are never subjected to the amount of leverage that would rip one off?

honestly to me they look almost brand new, i can see a little wear but nothing like the Bronsens i had before, have had them on the bike for close on 7 moths with 80-120 km a week between trails, tar, grass etc etc. will take a snapshot of them when  i am home so you can see what the wear looks like.

[EVOBIKES ONLINE STORE]

Who has them in 26" in sa?

We will have some in stock in about 10 days time...

[Skylark]

honestly to me they look almost brand new, i can see a little wear but nothing like the Bronsens i had before, have had them on the bike for close on 7 moths with 80-120 km a week between trails, tar, grass etc etc. will take a snapshot of them when i am home so you can see what the wear looks like.

That's just what I want to hear!

 

And the pacestar is grippy enough, no need to go trailstar in the front? Trailstar will have more tendency lose lugs I'm assuming due to the softer compound, but some people mentioned shredding the pacestar on the rear but the trailstar on the front still perfect. Did you get your HD's from Easybike?

[Cruz Addict]

That's just what I want to hear!

 

And the pacestar is grippy enough, no need to go trailstar in the front? Trailstar will have more tendency lose lugs I'm assuming due to the softer compound, but some people mentioned shredding the pacestar on the rear but the trailstar on the front still perfect. Did you get your HD's from Easybike?

 

honesty i think they grip like **** on Velcro, better than any other tire i have used, if the trailstar grips more i would possible be scared 

i managed to pick them up from cycle lab at R450 a tire, think it was just my lucky day and at that price i couldnt say no.

[JXV]

Seems the pacestar Nobby Nic also has a susceptibility to lugs tearing off, is it just par for the course for a supa grippy tyre, ie less grippy tyres don't have the problem because the forces they are subjected to are a lot less and their lugs are never subjected to the amount of leverage that would rip one off?

If you use a sticky tire to corner harder because it makes you feel more confident then yes, the lugs will receive bigger shear forces. Sticky rubber also tends to be softer and more prone to tearing...so I could see lugs tearing off more frequently. It is a consequence of the design and not necessarily a production fault. Expensive!

Edited December 1, 2014 by JXV

[Skylark]

After some lamenting on the possibility of tearing lugs I pulled the trigger on 2 HD Pacestars with snakeskin, R500 special each at easybike.co.za and R85 courier delivery, can't see me getting much better value for money than that no matter the make/model of tyre. Had enough of compromising my life riding with budget tyres, one solid washout/burp could cost me a whole lot more than the price of 2 tyres in medical bills. The 2.4 MK I I'm running are pretty kif but dodgy side walls, had a super sketchy burp recently, made me realize compromising on tyres is not so sharp, been running them pumped up like balloons since because I don't want to chance a burp.

 

HD pricing in SA is quite competitive with most online websites in the Us/Uk, most of the sites sell the Evo HD for R600-R900 a tyre, Crc sells the HD Evo for just on R500 excl shipping.

[Skylark]

Just occurred to me, will there be enough clearance at the back on a Morewood Shova? The 2.35 HD pump up to around 60mm wide incl lugs? Going to be cutting it fine

[Capricorn]

Just occurred to me, will there be enough clearance at the back on a Morewood Shova? The 2.35 HD pump up to around 60mm wide incl lugs? Going to be cutting it fine

 

rail some berms hard, and your knob clearance issues will sort themselves out

[Skylark]

Am I being dof not getting a trailstar for the front, can still change it, looks like the wear difference on the front is only marginal with a trailstar vs pacestar and the extra grip is worth it?

[Capricorn]

Am I being dof not getting a trailstar for the front, can still change it, looks like the wear difference on the front is only marginal with a trailstar vs pacestar and the extra grip is worth it?

 

dont worry about it. I had a pacestar nobby nic up front a while back. That thing had really damn good grip considering it was the 'hardest' compound. Since you going super gravity, just drop the pressure ever so slightly off your preferred pressure to compensate for the harder compound. Remember, its harder, but its not like you going from velvet to granite, or gecko feet to iceskates.  I promise you, you'll rail those corners just as hard.

[Skylark]

They not SG are they, the ones from easybike, just normal Evo snakeskin?

These ones here: www.easybike.co.za/schwalbe-hans-dampf-evo-snakeskin-pacestar-26-x-2-35-tl-ready.html

[Maniac Merv]

I've ridden / ride :

 

Trail King upfront with X King on the back - good for long ish rides as rolls well with nice grip upfront

 

Hans Dampf on front and rear - good for the technical rides and bombing downhills  but def doesn't like to roll well

 

and best combo for me Maxxis  High Roller II upfront and Ardent on the rear - cant go wrong . rolls well with excellent grip

 

All just tried a Onza Canis on the rear - nice rolling , same tread pattern as a racing ralph I think but way stronger and tougher -

[Jan_K]

Running a Schwalbe Rock Razor (Pacestar) on the rear, Magic Mary (Trailstar) front. Great Combo when new, but the Mary started tearing knobs very soon, and they're now halfway off. Rock Razor is still in very good condition, by comparison.

Looking at replacing the Mary with either a WTB Vigilante, or an Onza Ibex.

Anyone know where (in Pretoria or online) I could get hold of a 27.5 x 2.4 Onza Ibex? 

[Capricorn]

Running a Schwalbe Rock Razor (Pacestar) on the rear, Magic Mary (Trailstar) front. Great Combo when new, but the Mary started tearing knobs very soon, and they're now halfway off. Rock Razor is still in very good condition, by comparison.

 

Looking at replacing the Mary with either a WTB Vigilante, or an Onza Ibex.

 

Anyone know where (in Pretoria or online) I could get hold of a 27.5 x 2.4 Onza Ibex? 

 

how long you been running them? can you show a pic of your front tyre? I'm curious to see how your wear patterns differ from mine. I've ridden mine now for many many months, and no side knobs are tearing off.

Did the Magic do any rearwheel duty during that time?