ChrisF Posted September 24, 2020 Share A search shows a number of very old threads on this topic ... Maritz had a scary moment on the Traverse today, on one of those steep decents with the nice loose layer of pebbles .... Too much rear brake, and sliding along with a locked rear wheel .... back stepping out left, then right, then left .... Not sure to what extent this was a lack of experience, and how much of it relates to the fast rolling small block tires the bike comes with .... Yes ... we had a chat about feathering the brake, and keeping the tire turning ... next downhill did go better. Still am wondering if a more aggresive tire would have helped a bit ... dry conditions, loose surface ... Would love to hear your thoughts ... what tires would you recommend, for the typical Tygerberg trails ? A friend has recommended Spez Ground Control. Edited September 24, 2020 by ChrisF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 24, 2020 Share This is the tires the bike comes with - vittoria mezcal : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyTrailRider Posted September 24, 2020 Share On the loose pebbled surface you describe, not many tyres will be confidence-inspiring, especially not if the underlying surface is hard (which is what prevents knobs of any size from digging in). Ground Controls are great (I run a 29x2.6 on the rear), but being subtle with braking and cornering inputs is what counts more on these kinds of surfaces... Investing in continuing to coach him on that will be your best bet! Edited September 24, 2020 by LazyTrailRider ChrisF and Mtree 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertWhitehead Posted September 24, 2020 Share Hey Chris, I have the exact same tire on my bike. Currently sitting on just over or possibly under 4000km on my current set. I run a 2.35 Mezcal in the rear with a Barzo of the same size in the front. The rims I use them on are Crank Brothers (Cobalt 2s - 22 spoke) so they feel jittery to begin with ????. Now yes I know my set up is 29er vs the 26er you're talking about but carry on reading ????. I also know you don't want to hear everything I have to say about my bike. But, Here's what I found about them, and I've asked a friend who runs the exact same combo to confirm my findings: if you are used to around 2 bar of tire pressure on let's say Maxxis or any other brand with the Mezcal / Barzo combo the tires will feel very loose under you at that higher pressure. I now run my front closer to 1.6 and the rear around 1.8. You can not believe the difference in grip a slightly lower pressure makes on those bad boys. Even with the miles I already have on them I still feel that they have better grip than some of the other brands I have tried in the past.Good luck and I hope this helps ???? Edited September 24, 2020 by RobertWhitehead Wet Ears 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 24, 2020 Share Thank you Robert and LTR. You are confirming what a friend told me tonight .... back onto the steep grass slope and hone the skills .... Robert for the last two months we have been running his tires at very low pressures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipV Posted September 25, 2020 Share Thank you Robert and LTR. You are confirming what a friend told me tonight .... back onto the steep grass slope and hone the skills .... Robert for the last two months we have been running his tires at very low pressures.The fact that he bought a fish tailing back wheel back is a testament to his cool under fire. He is still very young if I remember correctly. He most probably can get away with 1 bar in his back wheel? But ja, technique will always trump gear on loose over hard.l surfaces. And we have a lot of that in the Cape, But maybe have him do practice drills where he is meant to slide his back wheel. Do it around cones and do ilthe drills with him. I've coached too many boys where the parents sit in the car while the kids have fun. They are missing out. ChrisF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyTrailRider Posted September 25, 2020 Share He most probably can get away with 1 bar in his back wheel? How much does he weigh Chris? I'm 68kg and run my rear (the 29x2.6 GC) at 1.4bar for general trail riding, 1.5 if I'm hitting bigger stuff on the day. I run my 38c gravel bike at 40/36psi rear/front for mostly tar riding, just as an illustration of how most people run unnecessarily high pressures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 25, 2020 Share The fact that he bought a fish tailing back wheel back is a testament to his cool under fire. He is still very young if I remember correctly. He most probably can get away with 1 bar in his back wheel? But ja, technique will always trump gear on loose over hard.l surfaces. And we have a lot of that in the Cape, But maybe have him do practice drills where he is meant to slide his back wheel. Do it around cones and do ilthe drills with him. I've coached too many boys where the parents sit in the car while the kids have fun. They are missing out. Jip, he just turned 9. VERY glad we invested in training when he started out. As his school buddies join the SPUR series I am the one to help the kids with basic skills training. Always ask that the parents be in attendance, as the "training" only works if it is practiced again and again .... Planning to take Maritz to steep grass slope, to practice:1) slow controlled decents (which is what he was taught initially)2) locking the rear wheel, then feathering the brakes to get control back .... PhilipV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted September 25, 2020 Share How much does he weigh Chris? I'm 68kg and run my rear (the 29x2.6 GC) at 1.4bar for general trail riding, 1.5 if I'm hitting bigger stuff on the day. I run my 38c gravel bike at 40/36psi rear/front for mostly tar riding, just as an illustration of how most people run unnecessarily high pressures.Think he is about 35kg .... need to check .... Edit - checked he is 33kg Just checked the tire pressures, been checking it by the flex when pressing on the sides. Been running 0,8 bar front and 0,9 bar rear. Visually the bike seems less "bouncy" at these pressures when I ride behind him. Edited September 25, 2020 by ChrisF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted October 31, 2020 Share Feedback time .... During the last 5 weeks we did a fair bit of skills training. Practicing existing skills ... and then also practicing modulating the rear brake on steep grass slopes. Also experimenting with locking the brake, dragging the rear, then deliberately modulating the brake to regain control .... Today we had another ride of the Traverse. Maritz was not comfortable with the slope where he struggled last time ... so he walked it .... I was riding next to him ... and then he says: "Ek gaan die res ry. Jy kan nie al die pret hê nie." .... He rode down the rest, in perfect control THANKS to all the original input that the answer lies in skills, not other tires. Mtree and Patensie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSYCHOsmurfZA Posted November 5, 2020 Share Feedback time .... During the last 5 weeks we did a fair bit of skills training. Practicing existing skills ... and then also practicing modulating the rear brake on steep grass slopes. Also experimenting with locking the brake, dragging the rear, then deliberately modulating the brake to regain control .... Today we had another ride of the Traverse. Maritz was not comfortable with the slope where he struggled last time ... so he walked it .... I was riding next to him ... and then he says: "Ek gaan die res ry. Jy kan nie al die pret hê nie." .... He rode down the rest, in perfect control THANKS to all the original input that the answer lies in skills, not other tires.This is awesome news and respect to you for sticking with him and encouraging him to better himself, thats what good humans do for others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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