AM tyres... what you running?

[NicoBoshoff]

I immediately noticed the weight difference on the front wheel with the Minion in DD casing, but I am running a very light bike with light carbon hoops so I reckon the 250g penalty, whilst sucky, is ok given that I noticed a massive difference in grip and control when landing big hucks or hitting a corner hard.  The Butchers were giving me heart attacks at times, folding too easily, so I had to ride impractical pressures.

 

Climb wise, the rear tire is still a sane XC option (Ground Control Grid) so it's not that bad.

 

Ideally I want a 800g tire that has strong sidewalls and good grip.  You have to unfortunately pick two of the three.

[NicoBoshoff]

Here's a wacky stat for you though.

 

Accepting that I had to AT LEAST go up to a stronger sidewall combo for my bike and opted for the Slaughter Grid out back and Butcher Grid out front the net result is zero.

 

Ground Control Grid (810g) is 145g lighter than the Slaughter Grid (955g)

 

And the Butcher Grid (1000g) is, yup you guessed it, 145g lighter than the Minion DD (1145g).  

 

So worst case I sacrificed 145g  (Butcher Grid vs Minion) since I would say the Ground Control and Slaughter sidewalls are the same so ignore that gain for honesty's sake.

[Odinson]

Spot the reverse mullet:

 

[NicoBoshoff]

Spot the reverse mullet:

 

Sea Otter though.  Cambers and Jeffsies competing for the podium in the DH.

[Headshot]

I still recon the best overall combo is Business in the front and Part out back.......which grippy tyre our front and good rolling tyre out back is your call to make.

With the added proviso that a tougher casing is probably going to be necessary out back..

[Hairy]

Here's a wacky stat for you though.

 

Accepting that I had to AT LEAST go up to a stronger sidewall combo for my bike and opted for the Slaughter Grid out back and Butcher Grid out front the net result is zero.

 

Ground Control Grid (810g) is 145g lighter than the Slaughter Grid (955g)

 

And the Butcher Grid (1000g) is, yup you guessed it, 145g lighter than the Minion DD (1145g).  

 

So worst case I sacrificed 145g  (Butcher Grid vs Minion) since I would say the Ground Control and Slaughter sidewalls are the same so ignore that gain for honesty's sake.

you could also argue the tyre compound having a dramatic impact on rolling resistance too.

 

spaz is generally a harder compound (At least those I have used before) and something like the minion I used a while ago was rather tacky ... that tackyness certainly plays a roll in .... wait for it .... drummmmm rooolllllll ..... rolling resistance.

 

Good grippy in front, faster ok grip out back (And decent sidewalls for all, although I have never pinch flatted a tyre yet, casing roll issues yes on lighter sidewall tyres)

[NicoBoshoff]

you could also argue the tyre compound having a dramatic impact on rolling resistance too.

 

spaz is generally a harder compound (At least those I have used before) and something like the minion I used a while ago was rather tacky ... that tackyness certainly plays a roll in .... wait for it .... drummmmm rooolllllll ..... rolling resistance.

 

Good grippy in front, faster ok grip out back (And decent sidewalls for all, although I have never pinch flatted a tyre yet, casing roll issues yes on lighter sidewall tyres)

Yup.  Which is why I don't mind the tack of the minion up front.  The Spez rubber out back isn't holding me back on the climbs.

[Hairy]

Yup.  Which is why I don't mind the tack of the minion up front.  The Spez rubber out back isn't holding me back on the climbs.

Agreed .... and it all does not really matter to me, as long as I am still faster than Myles M on the DH sections

[Eric Bierbaum]

I'm running the Schwalbe Magic Mary trailstar snakeskin 2.35 up front with the Maxxis Aggressor 3C/EXO/TR 2.3 on the back now and it has been my best back tyre to date.

Edited April 23, 2017 by Eric Bierbaum

[Bizkit031]

Anyone here run the ethirteen tires at all,the reviews are all the same with them saying that it has a hell of a lot of grip.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Capricorn is, as are a couple of people I ride with on occasion.

 

Apparently they do well on mid-wide rims, but not so well on super wide rims (31mm plus)

 

And yeah. Grip like stink is the word on the street, though with that 40a durometer rubber (almost the same as Schwalbe VertStar and the same as Maxxis Super Tacky) I'm not surprised. 

 

Not so sure on longevity though.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Myles Mayhew

[Hairy]

Anyone here run the ethirteen tires at all,the reviews are all the same with them saying that it has a hell of a lot of grip.

Have a Tchjommie running e-thirteen TRS (If I recall the model correctly) and he is exceptionally happy .... he is also not the slowest of riders on the descent either!

Edited April 24, 2017 by Hairy

[Bizkit031]

Only want to fit one on the front and it must be the triple compound.

[Capricorn]

Only want to fit one on the front and it must be the triple compound.

 

Myles is correct: I have a TRS Race up front, and had a TRS plus at the back. The latter developed a cut, so took the opportunity to try a Schwalbe HD at the back. I have a neutral/hate relationship with the schwalbe HD as I think its very pressure sensitive. But since I have new rims with wider internal sizing, i thought i'd cut the HD some slack and try again.

 

Anyway, the TRS race compound is very similar to the schwalbe vertstar compound. It's very soft and thus has loads of grip, and very clearly affects rolling. Initially thought i was dragging a brake. It's that noticable.

 

Tread pattern doesn't offer up any clear advantages or disadvantages compared to maxxis Minions or schwalbe muddy and magic marys. Its as good in my book. There's good grip support from the side knobs with no noticable folding under hard cornering. There's an MTBR review that says the contrary. Best see for yourself.

 

Side wall protection seems to be as good as Schwalbe's snakesin and Maxxis' EXO: no cuts so far, or visible damage due to confrontations with jutting rocks and roots.

 

They seat well, seal well, hold air very well without sealant when new and not punctured by devil thorns. Devil thorns puncture them as equally easy as they do schwalbe's super gravity casing, so one would do very well to avoid those thorns.

 

I'm using these tyres in conjunction with E13 LG1 race carbon rims (27mm internal width, beadless), so been messing around with which pressures work the best according to the way I ride. I'm not sure if its the tyre or the tyre+wider rim, but there seems to be a smaller sweetspot for tyre pressure.

Surprisingly, I'm running them a smidge higher pressure than I did with my previous 650b tyre + rim combo (schwalbe magic mary SG + mavic crossmax XL ).

 

Slightly higher, and the tyre starts feeling squirrelly. Note: this could just be the terrain I'm mostly riding on (hard under loose pack and lots of marbles) Slightly lower, and it the sidewall starts folding nder hard cornering and the rim takes quite a few knocks in rock gardens. Some may not mind the feeling of the sidewall give, but I prefer to not have it at all on the front tyre.

I think its a testament to the rims that there's been no rim damage thus far. These E13 LG1 Race carbon rims seem as bombproof as my Mavics.

 

Coming back to the tyres, they were damn pricey at the time. What's the latest pricing for the TRS Race and Plus tyres?

 

In summary, as per my experiences:

Pros:

• Excellent grip due to very soft compound
• Sidewall protection up there with the best
• Good support from side knobs when leaned over
• fits rim (beadless) easily enough
• holds pressure well indicating carcass is overtly porous (no stan's sweating)

Cons:

• TRS Race probably not ideal as a rear tyre due to very soft compound and anticipated high wear rate
• possibly pressure sensitive when mounted to wide rims
• high rolling resistance. very noticable drag
• local availability?
• Price

Edited May 1, 2017 by Capricorn

[Bizkit031]

Myles is correct: I have a TRS Race up front, and had a TRS plus at the back. The latter developed a cut, so took the opportunity to try a Schwalbe HD at the back. I have a neutral/hate relationship with the schwalbe HD as I think its very pressure sensitive. But since I have new rims with wider internal sizing, i thought i'd cut the HD some slack and try again.

 

Anyway, the TRS race compound is very similar to the schwalbe vertstar compound. It's very soft and thus has loads of grip, and very clearly affects rolling. Initially thought i was dragging a brake. It's that noticable.

 

Tread pattern doesn't offer up any clear advantages or disadvantages compared to maxxis Minions or schwalbe muddy and magic marys. Its as good in my book. There's good grip support from the side knobs with no noticable folding under hard cornering. There's an MTBR review that says the contrary. Best see for yourself.

 

Side wall protection seems to be as good as Schwalbe's snakesin and Maxxis' EXO: no cuts so far, or visible damage due to confrontations with jutting rocks and roots.

 

They seat well, seal well, hold air very well without sealant when new and not punctured by devil thorns. Devil thorns puncture them as equally easy as they do schwalbe's super gravity casing, so one would do very well to avoid those thorns.

 

I'm using these tyres in conjunction with E13 LG1 race carbon rims (27mm internal width, beadless), so been messing around with which pressures work the best according to the way I ride. I'm not sure if its the tyre or the tyre+wider rim, but there seems to be a smaller sweetspot for tyre pressure.

Surprisingly, I'm running them a smidge higher pressure than I did with my previous 650b tyre + rim combo (schwalbe magic mary SG + mavic crossmax XL ).

 

Slightly higher, and the tyre starts feeling squirrelly. Note: this could just be the terrain I'm mostly riding on (hard under loose pack and lots of marbles) Slightly lower, and it the sidewall starts folding nder hard cornering and the rim takes quite a few knocks in rock gardens. Some may not mind the feeling of the sidewall give, but I prefer to not have it at all on the front tyre.

I think its a testament to the rims that there's been no rim damage thus far. These E13 LG1 Race carbon rims seem as bombproof as my Mavics.

 

Coming back to the tyres, they were damn pricey at the time. What's the latest pricing for the TRS Race and Plus tyres?

 

In summary, as per my experiences:

Pros:

 

• Excellent grip due to very soft compound
• Sidewall protection up there with the best
• Good support from side knobs when leaned over
• fits rim (beadless) easily enough
• holds pressure well indicating carcass is overtly porous (no stan's sweating)

Cons:

• TRS Race probably not ideal as a rear tyre due to very soft compound and anticipated high wear rate
• possibly pressure sensitive when mounted to wide rims
• high rolling resistance. very noticable drag
• local availability?
• Price

So did my second ride on the Ethirteen RS race yesterday and it happened to be the KZN Enduro at Cascades,and all I can say is it has a load of grip.Did not find it too draggy on the front but then at Cascades you tend to walk up the hills more then ride because it's too steep to ride.I did the first ride on them the day before at Giba to get a feel for them and it's quite hard pack there and found the rolling fine and again insane grip.I decided to run it on 24psi and that seems to be pretty good for my weight (100kg)could go lower depending on the course but found it to be right for Cascades/Giba. The sidewall is thicker then Maxxis Exo but not as heavy duty as the DD casing,so from the reviews and forums I looked at I realized that they don't like to be too hard and started at 24psi which has worked for me.I also decided to throw a new rear on and went with a Minion DHR and I must say I'm impressed as well. To me I would rather have more grip and know that if I rail that corner of have to brake suddenly or later then I don't have to stress. Don't know how quickly I will go back to my Ibex because it does not match this combo.PS. The TRS race does not let wet roots, off camber sections or wet rocks scare it.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

 

Myles is correct: I have a TRS Race up front, and had a TRS plus at the back. The latter developed a cut, so took the opportunity to try a Schwalbe HD at the back. I have a neutral/hate relationship with the schwalbe HD as I think its very pressure sensitive. But since I have new rims with wider internal sizing, i thought i'd cut the HD some slack and try again.

 

Anyway, the TRS race compound is very similar to the schwalbe vertstar compound. It's very soft and thus has loads of grip, and very clearly affects rolling. Initially thought i was dragging a brake. It's that noticable.

 

Tread pattern doesn't offer up any clear advantages or disadvantages compared to maxxis Minions or schwalbe muddy and magic marys. Its as good in my book. There's good grip support from the side knobs with no noticable folding under hard cornering. There's an MTBR review that says the contrary. Best see for yourself.

 

Side wall protection seems to be as good as Schwalbe's snakesin and Maxxis' EXO: no cuts so far, or visible damage due to confrontations with jutting rocks and roots.

 

They seat well, seal well, hold air very well without sealant when new and not punctured by devil thorns. Devil thorns puncture them as equally easy as they do schwalbe's super gravity casing, so one would do very well to avoid those thorns.

 

I'm using these tyres in conjunction with E13 LG1 race carbon rims (27mm internal width, beadless), so been messing around with which pressures work the best according to the way I ride. I'm not sure if its the tyre or the tyre+wider rim, but there seems to be a smaller sweetspot for tyre pressure.

Surprisingly, I'm running them a smidge higher pressure than I did with my previous 650b tyre + rim combo (schwalbe magic mary SG + mavic crossmax XL ).

 

Slightly higher, and the tyre starts feeling squirrelly. Note: this could just be the terrain I'm mostly riding on (hard under loose pack and lots of marbles) Slightly lower, and it the sidewall starts folding nder hard cornering and the rim takes quite a few knocks in rock gardens. Some may not mind the feeling of the sidewall give, but I prefer to not have it at all on the front tyre.

I think its a testament to the rims that there's been no rim damage thus far. These E13 LG1 Race carbon rims seem as bombproof as my Mavics.

 

Coming back to the tyres, they were damn pricey at the time. What's the latest pricing for the TRS Race and Plus tyres?

 

In summary, as per my experiences:

Pros:

• Excellent grip due to very soft compound
• Sidewall protection up there with the best
• Good support from side knobs when leaned over
• fits rim (beadless) easily enough
• holds pressure well indicating carcass is overtly porous (no stan's sweating)

Cons:

• TRS Race probably not ideal as a rear tyre due to very soft compound and anticipated high wear rate
• possibly pressure sensitive when mounted to wide rims
• high rolling resistance. very noticable drag
• local availability? 

 

suppose the question is : will you be replacing it with Magic , or another trsr?