Wash out

[Swany05]

Good Morrow 

 

Not sure if this is the correct section for this post, Mods please move if not. 

 

So between mid december and beginning of Jan i have done about 400 odd kms of mixed riding, single track, jeep track, a couple longer rides ie 70km, a few shorter rides, in the heat, early morning and late afternoon. 

 

something that was becoming evident was that my front tire was not holding out so great any more, so i started experimenting with higher/lower pressures and came to the conclusion that a slightly higher pressure helps with traction in the areas that i ride (Thaba, rietvlei and the rand water areas next to the R59)

 

This was until Thursday last week, i was on a seemingly boring ride until i found a lekker piece of flowing single track, and natural instinct kicked in. Needless to say i was doing a fairly decent pace until that sinking feeling kicked in of the front washing out through a slight corner causing me to hit the hardpack at a rate of knots, removing most of the skin on my left hip and back. 

 

I got up and couldn't understand what just happened, i went back to check the terrain and found it was slightly dusty, a bit too dusty for the 26" 1.8 - 2.0 bar Maxxis monorail . I have had washouts before but this one takes the cake. I almost ready to ride again but not sure if i feel like giving it another chance. Previous front tires used was WTB Exiwolf (?) and a Conti of some sort neither of which had amazing grip but neither washed out as much. 

 

Now questions i have to ask, is it just this Monorail? are they known for lack of grip? Anyone else using the 26" Maxxis Monorail LUST? if so, do you feel  it inspires confidence through corners? or does it make you feel like you are watching your ice cream fall to the ground? i will try and post a pic of the tire in order to indicate wear, but its probably at about 60% left. 

 

Sorry for the lengthy post 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Monorail, much like the Crossmark, is only good for hardpack or tar. IE: They have fookall grip. 

 

Good front tire for up there - Ardent / WTB Weirwolf / Nobby Nic (new one) / Onza Canis or Ibex and so on... Also may be not putting enough pressure on the front wheel in the corners though, but then with the Mono if you put too much it will wash out. It's just a kaaaaak front tire. 

[Odinson]

Less pressure = more grip. The tyre deforms to the trail surface and offers more grip. 

 

I had a set of Monorails on an old 26er and they are rubbish as a front tyre.

 

Technique could also be a factor, as you may not have been sufficiently weighting the front tyre. 

[s14phoenix]

Maybe a wider tyre and lower pressure. I thought the monorail was fairly ok on the back but in no means a great gripper once you start ripping through corners.

 

see tyres listed above...

 

lets not forget the WTB Trailboss and WTB Vigilante - not sure if they are around in 26er.

[Swany05]

Thanks for the responses, WTB seems to be next on my list to try. 

 

I have the monorail in front and Crossmark at the back, the crossmark also slides out every now and then. 

 

Any one know what the widest tire ill be able to fit in a RS reba team on a ZTR olympic rim?

 

 

[Swany05]

On a deep corner with the correct speed i naturally put weight on the outside foot and lean the bike under me. this corner was nothing to write home about and was more like a fast chicane, so i was not really worried about hitting the deck 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Interesting topic

 

Just some thoughts

 

There are a lot of things you are talking about here that would impact it that you maybe need to check.

 

i assume you are tubeless.

 

Was the track drier than previous? I got dumped at Northern Farm on a corner i normally rail as soft sand had built up there. Not the tires fault - rider error in my case. Things had changed and i didn't change my line. I had a day of front wheel washouts that day cause the soft sand had accumulated on the outside of the corners where I was going, and previously when it was slightly damp it was great.

 

So dont throw your tire under the bus when its the rider. IN a given set of circumstances most tires will perform within a tight window - all of them giving a similar set if results (of course some specialist tyres are totally different).

 

But its the way they do it that allows you to ride it out.

 

I like Schwalbe as they start making scrabbling noises long before they wash out so i know the tyre is struggling or that I am riding it too hard and likely to face plant and that I need to change something.

 

I also found that Maxxis had bad habits in this area - they were like a switch - gripped a little bit and then gave way with no warning. Sitting on your arse like you describe. So you had to have reactions of a cat to catch them when they went. 

 

But what you are saying around pressure is counter intuitive in that if you are going harder i.e. higher pressure you will lose grip so it may have felt better as you liked the way it rode and it suited your style. Soft tyres also feel very freaky when you are riding them as they squirm all over the place. So I would say there are other factors you need to look at like mentioned i.e. how were you pushing the tyres in to the corner and where your weight was.

 

 

BTW - love my Scwalbe's - wouldn't change them for the world, but its because I have stuck with them for so long that i now know how they ride and they suit my style.

[Odinson]

Paul, to insinuate that ALL Maxxis tyres behave exactly the same way is just plain wrong. Maxxis makes fantastic tyres. There's a reason why they are one of the top tyre brands.

[Pete the Pirate]

I have the monorail in front and Crossmark at the back, the crossmark also slides out every now and then. 

 

Any one know what the widest tire ill be able to fit in a RS reba team on a ZTR olympic rim?

 

I had an Intense 5.5 EVP 26er on ZTR Olympics with Crossmark 2.3 front and 2.1 rear - Lekka combination. Never washed out unless I was an utter hooligan or stupid (or both). Rode a monorail for a short while and never had confidence in the tyre - swapped them out quickly.

 

Maybe rotate your tyres first before buying replacements.

[BDF]

Small hi-jack - sorry!

 

Why do the tyres say for example Min 2.5 bar, max 4.5 bar and then the people who know stuff say we should pump to 1.8 or at the most 2 bar?

 

Hi-Jack off

[Swany05]

 

I have the monorail in front and Crossmark at the back, the crossmark also slides out every now and then. 

 

Any one know what the widest tire ill be able to fit in a RS reba team on a ZTR olympic rim?

 

I had an Intense 5.5 EVP 26er on ZTR Olympics with Crossmark 2.3 front and 2.1 rear - Lekka combination. Never washed out unless I was an utter hooligan or stupid (or both). Rode a monorail for a short while and never had confidence in the tyre - swapped them out quickly.

 

Maybe rotate your tyres first before buying replacements.

 

 

I will try that, seems the Monorail has more of an aggressive tread pattern so it made sense having that up front. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I will try that, seems the Monorail has more of an aggressive tread pattern so it made sense having that up front. 

No. DO NOT put the crossmark on the front. DO NOT. Whatever you do. 

[Swany05]

No. DO NOT put the crossmark on the front. DO NOT. Whatever you do. 

 

Stern warning, ok, ill be taking suggestions on affordable tubeless tires, 

 

One thing i must say about the maxxis, the sidewall strength is awesome, the amount of time i have pinched both front and back on technical sections without cutting them is amazing. 

 

 

 

 

I also found that Maxxis had bad habits in this area - they were like a switch - gripped a little bit and then gave way with no warning. Sitting on your arse like you describe. So you had to have reactions of a cat to catch them when they went. 

 

My Monorail has this problem, harder softer, wetter or drier conditions it will have grip, tons of it, then bam i'm sitting on the track with my glasses skew on my face

 

 

But what you are saying around pressure is counter intuitive in that if you are going harder i.e. higher pressure you will lose grip so it may have felt better as you liked the way it rode and it suited your style. 

 

Yes harder tire will reduce grip in softer conditions, ie: thick sand etc, but for the areas i ride in the harder seemed to hold up better.

[MaxUmis]

Swany05, what do you weigh?

[Swany05]

Swany05, what do you weigh?

 

92kgs no kit 

[nonky]

Monorail, much like the Crossmark, is only good for hardpack or tar. IE: They have fookall grip. 

 

Good front tire for up there - Ardent / WTB Weirwolf / Nobby Nic (new one) / Onza Canis or Ibex and so on... Also may be not putting enough pressure on the front wheel in the corners though, but then with the Mono if you put too much it will wash out. It's just a kaaaaak front tire. 

 

Another vote for the WTB Weirwolf - perfect for Gauteng conditions but ######## hard to get on the rim