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E-Bike MTB Tyre Question


JJDT

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How much of a difference is there between a normal (Trail/XCO) tyre and a downhill purpose tyre?

My wife bought herself an E-Bike and I saw that the tyres fitted is Maxiss Minion DH tyres. I'm not sure about the purpose of DH tyres on a normal albeit heavier bike.

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Is it a Maxxis Minion DHR or DHF that you are referring to? Because that does not automatically make it a DH tyre…. 
 

Look at the casing, is it EXO, EXO+, or DH? Only a DH casing makes it a DH tyre. 
 

A Minion DHR or DHF just refers to the tread pattern, and that makes for a really nice general trail riding tyre. On an ebike I would not use anything less than an Exo+ casing, but I would also not use a DH casing - that is a bit excessive and heavy.

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Thanks for the replies...forgot about this question posted.

Had a look at the tyres again and the front is listed as Maxxis DHF with EXO, the rear is listed as Maxxis DHR II also EXO.

Reason for the question although it is an e-bike she does not use full power and at a slower speeds in some coners she mentioned that it feels as if there is no grip. 

 

 

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31 minutes ago, JJDT said:

Thanks for the replies...forgot about this question posted.

Had a look at the tyres again and the front is listed as Maxxis DHF with EXO, the rear is listed as Maxxis DHR II also EXO.

Reason for the question although it is an e-bike she does not use full power and at a slower speeds in some coners she mentioned that it feels as if there is no grip. 

 

 

Those are some of the grippiest tyres you can get. The problem lies with either incorrect pressure, or the obvious; cornering technique.

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2 hours ago, JJDT said:

Thanks for the replies...forgot about this question posted.

Had a look at the tyres again and the front is listed as Maxxis DHF with EXO, the rear is listed as Maxxis DHR II also EXO.

Reason for the question although it is an e-bike she does not use full power and at a slower speeds in some coners she mentioned that it feels as if there is no grip. 

 

 

Ja, if you don't have grip with those tyres, you are not going to have grip with anything. Like mentioned, check pressure, suspension setup, etc etc. 

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What pressures are you using ?

 

e-bike tires are typically larger volume tires, which allows the use of lower pressures.  I use 0,2 to 0,3 bar LESS pressure than what I did with my MTB.  And the grip levels are GOOD !! :clap:

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Thanks for the replies, will look into the aspect of cornering. What I have noticed is that the front shock is very hard, althought it is set at 100psi.

Tyres are 200 KPA front and rear. The pressures were indicated by the bikeshop that we should run when the bike was collected. I'm new to the e-bike environment hence all these questions.

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Hi

 

Not sure what tyre size she is running, but I suspect pressure is too high. 

As a reference, I am 80kg's running 2.6 tyres and I run 1.6 bar front and 1.8 rear.  

Also look at the recommended pressures for that shock for her weight. Again, as reference, I am running 85 psi in the front shock at 80kg's. The pressure may be too high.

Edited by Mike Mac
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Drop the Front pressure Gradually until you are happy with It. Try to not go below 1.5 Bar.

Which Fork ?

Which Bike ?

 

Edited by dasilvarsa
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Take it to a competent bike shop or knowledgeable friend to set the bike up properly.

The fork ( and shock) is probably way too firm for a lighter woman rider and the tyres may be too hard too. 

PS - DHFs and DHRs are bread and butter trail riding tyres in the rest of the world. Only in SA do people think an Ardent Race is an aggressive trail tyre ???? 

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I used DHF on my Canyon strive a while ago, and they blew my mind, the amount of front brake they can take is unbelievable.

Confidence will come with time, she needs to learn and build up confidence, then she'll slowly starting to push the bike and the tyres and then grip will come from there.

Edited by Jbr
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3 hours ago, Mike Mac said:

Hi

 

Not sure what tyre size she is running, but I suspect pressure is too high. 

As a reference, I am 80kg's running 2.6 tyres and I run 1.6 bar front and 1.8 rear.  

Also look at the recommended pressures for that shock for her weight. Again, as reference, I am running 85 psi in the front shock at 80kg's. The pressure may be too high.

 

Now consider her weight, and then reduce her bikes tire pressures accordingly.

 

Your post on the fork pressure is WAY too high. 

 

Considering the over pressure on the tires, and the fork one can only wonder if the fork rebound is set correctly .....

 

Well worth your time to get the bike AND your wife to somebody that can assist with a proper setup :thumbup:  Once setup is correct her riding experience will improve drastically !!

 

 

 

Silly question .... are you sure the fork is set to "Open" and not on the "Firm" setting?  (though the open setting would still feel wrong with the fork pumped that hard ....)

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I had the Ardent on my new Giant E Stance. And I fell my gat off at Bloemendal. the front tire just washed out on the dam wall.

Julian from Giant Durbanville then sorted me out with Maxxis DHF with EXO and rear Maxxis DHR II also EXO and wow what a difference. Any terrain, even wet tar is superior grip.

 I now weigh 97 kg and use 2 bar in the rear and 1.8 front.

I will stick to these tires when these are no longer working.

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Getting the correct pressure setup for your weight and riding style is one of *the* most important things to get right.

There are many threads about this, but as a quick reference, with trail tyres (meaning, similar to what’s on the bike in question) at 2.4 rear and 2.5 front widths, my 67kg weight corners optimally running 18psi rear and 16psi front (1.2bar and 1.1bar).

Way too many people run their tyres way too hard…

 

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