Fast rolling tyres

[Jbr]

32 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

The thing is, if you had rubbish tires now and were upgrading to good tires, I would be all for it, but changing good tires for other similar good tires isn't going to change much.

100%, like I said in my first answer, your current combo is pretty much as good as it gets it terms of fast rolling tyres and downhill abilites, you won't find anything that will make a noticeable improvement. But once your tyres are finished I would definitely advise that you give the rekon race a try.

I wouldn't recommend the forecaster for most of the year, I used them and since I moved to recon race I'm never going back to forekaster

Edited June 17, 2021 by Jbr

[Spafsack]

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-loana-lecomtes-winning-massi-aire-sl.html 

Sup peeps, i found this article such a nice read. This girl is going to go far for sure, amazing talent, however, what caught my eye is the tyres she rides: 2.20 width ???? So now we ask ourselves the question, why? Are the narrower tyres slightly faster, lighter, there must be a reason she prefers this. You have the likes of Nino running 2.4 and upwards. I still have this picture in my head that the wider you go the more rolling resistance you get, but i know google tells me i am mad ???? Its all in the head. I do know one thing for sure, the ride quality on 2.35 versus 2.25 is chalk and cheese, it feels as if you are floating over rough terrain. When my current 2.25's are done i will most probably up size to 2.35.

But getting back to her bike, so minimal, so slick, and see what she says as well, she prefers old school cables, very cool article, thought i would share  ????

 

[_David_]

On 6/17/2021 at 1:16 PM, Mark James said:

Hey Nico 

I had ardent/aspen front/rear on my Scott RC900 WC, and switched a few weeks ago to Recon Race 2.35 front/rear. Finding them equally fast (maybe faster uphill - possibly because they are new).

On flats and downhill they feel less grippy at times than a more aggressive tyre, but had zero issues with them, even on fast downhill cornering. Hope this helps ????

 

I'm mostly a Dirt Roadie and I think that the Recon Race is well suited for most of the mtb trails we ride here in Gauteng. I run the Recon Race 2.25 front and back on my HardTail but I'm going to replace them 2.4's when it is time for new tires. I find them fast rolling with decent handling.

[MORNE]

rekon race is a nice fast rolling tire for sure. They roll faster than some of the semi slicks available that I have tried on the rear. 

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, Spafsack said:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-loana-lecomtes-winning-massi-aire-sl.html 

Sup peeps, i found this article such a nice read. This girl is going to go far for sure, amazing talent, however, what caught my eye is the tyres she rides: 2.20 width ???? So now we ask ourselves the question, why? Are the narrower tyres slightly faster, lighter, there must be a reason she prefers this. You have the likes of Nino running 2.4 and upwards. I still have this picture in my head that the wider you go the more rolling resistance you get, but i know google tells me i am mad ???? Its all in the head. I do know one thing for sure, the ride quality on 2.35 versus 2.25 is chalk and cheese, it feels as if you are floating over rough terrain. When my current 2.25's are done i will most probably up size to 2.35.

But getting back to her bike, so minimal, so slick, and see what she says as well, she prefers old school cables, very cool article, thought i would share  ????

 

wider tyres don't necessarily roll faster. That's bike industry marketing hogwash. Its dependant on other facters as well that include tyre pressure, casing design and construction. A more compliant tyre does deflect (hysteresis) less and by default we have been sold the idea that wider achieves this. To achieve this improved hysteresis he tyre needs more bendy material (plies aka >TPI and less bouncy material (rubber). A wider tyre with high TPI can be faster rolling at the right pressure (lowest is not equal to fastest).

I imagine that with Loana weighing in the region of 50kg, the weight of her bike is more important than to someone 10kg heavier so she will look at the equipment to minimise the burden she has to pedal. Traction also isn't as big a factor to her and too much of it would obviously be a hindrance to her progress up and down the course..

Personally I think weekend warriors are too obsessed with the marketing gobble-dee-gook that's out there and then being right on forums (e.g. PinkBike) and not spending enough time experimenting with different parts to find what works for themselves and why.

I find a wider tyre is great for training because it provides me a slightly bigger margin for error but it definitely does not roll faster

[Yyyy]

3 hours ago, Spafsack said:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-loana-lecomtes-winning-massi-aire-sl.html 

Sup peeps, i found this article such a nice read. This girl is going to go far for sure, amazing talent, however, what caught my eye is the tyres she rides: 2.20 width ???? So now we ask ourselves the question, why? Are the narrower tyres slightly faster, lighter, there must be a reason she prefers this. You have the likes of Nino running 2.4 and upwards. I still have this picture in my head that the wider you go the more rolling resistance you get, but i know google tells me i am mad ???? Its all in the head. I do know one thing for sure, the ride quality on 2.35 versus 2.25 is chalk and cheese, it feels as if you are floating over rough terrain. When my current 2.25's are done i will most probably up size to 2.35.

But getting back to her bike, so minimal, so slick, and see what she says as well, she prefers old school cables, very cool article, thought i would share  ????

 

her alloy post lighter than the carbon option........

[Spafsack]

Hi Diesel, shot for your comments. I actually typed a thread about this last year, when i moved to wider tyres. In a nutshell [think austen powers] ???? the wider tyres felt slower on long gradual climbs, but they were faster and more comfortable on long downhills. That was my experience. Then again, they had more grip in almost every other scenario, but each to his own.

[Christian van Zyl]

For the Tyre Geeks out there, check out this link on Rolling Resistance:

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com

They cover the topic in deep detail. 

[bullet77]

Conti Race King is one of the lightest with low rolling resistance BUT they don't last very long if you do a bit of road riding.

[Me rida my bicycle]

Had a Rekon Race on the rear and was surprised not only by the grip but how long they lasted. Used on tar and trail I got around 1500km's out of it. But I would only consider them as a front tyre on gravel rides. 

[DieselnDust]

4 hours ago, Spafsack said:

Hi Diesel, shot for your comments. I actually typed a thread about this last year, when i moved to wider tyres. In a nutshell [think austen powers] ???? the wider tyres felt slower on long gradual climbs, but they were faster and more comfortable on long downhills. That was my experience. Then again, they had more grip in almost every other scenario, but each to his own.

May I ask what is your weight with the bike?

[BigToe]

Maxxis Ikon 2.1 at the back or Race King 2.1 at  the back. Run Ardent, Ground Control, Nobby Nic 2.3 upfront and you will have the best of everything. Tyre pressure is critical as well and skill.

[Jan Myburgh]

I have used the following combos:

Ikon 2.2 front and rear

Rekon Race 2.25 front and rear

Ardent Race 2.35 front with Ikon 2.2 rear / Rekon Race 2.25 rear

The AR + Ikon combo is the bomb for me. I can hammer corners much harder, and the rolling resistance penalty is small. Also this setup is pretty durable in terms of mileage. 

 

[Spafsack]

18 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

May I ask what is your weight with the bike?

I am 85kg, 1.87m tall, bike is 11.5kg

[dasilvarsa]

Ardent Race Front and Back (2.35 3C EXO TR Max Speed) That's how I Roll.

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by dasilvarsa

[MudLark]

It really is application specific. But if you are riding XC in pretty much only dry conditions, its hard to beat the Black Chilli Race King 2.2s. But they're not so great for serious trail riding or slippery conditions. For general all round use some of the other options here are a much better suggestion. 

You really can't escape the question of application.

A Mud Terrain tyre on a 4wd sucks on the freeway (it's noisier, your fuel consumption goes up and it gives long braking distances on wet tar) but a Highway Terrain tyre sucks off-road, especially when traction is an issue. The principles are no different with a bicycle.