It is that time of season when I have trouble thinking of anything else but mountain biking and more specifically XC racing. In the off season I have had a chance to make some upgrades to my two race bikes and they are mostly the way that I want them. One area that I haven't thought much about until now is tire choice. In the past I have run Continental Explorer Pro in the front and a Twister in the rear with good results. This combination works quite well in a variety of conditions from hardpack, sand, loose over hardpack, and even mud. The twister in the back rolls really well, but if the climbs get steep or there is a hint of mud it becomes difficult to hook up on the climbs. As my fitness has increased I have switched to the more aggressive Explorer in the back as well especially if the conditions are the least bit slick. Last year I purchased a pair of Kenda Nevegals (2.1 front 1.95 rear) and used them for a couple of races. The have decent traction, but the tread pattern is a bit too aggressive for most of the conditions. Although they are said to be a quick rolling tire, I found them to feel slow in comparison to the Explorers. I think this year I will try a few new tires to determine what fits my riding style and conditions well. Listed below are a few of the options.
Hutchinson Python NG Airlight (I have these set-up on my SS)
Update: May 5th, 2007:
Recently I put on the Hutchinson Pythons on the FS and have ridden a couple of laps out at Stahl's Lake. I was pleasently surprised at how well they hooked up on the tacky trail. The bite nicely through the corners and roll extremely well despite the rather sticky trail conditions. My general feeling is that they will work very well when the trail conditions are on the "slow" side because they roll really well. Another added benefit is the relatively large volume for a 2.0 giving a very compliant ride running at 28 psi (front) and 32 psi (rear). There is a race this weekend at Mt. Kato and if the weather is not too raining I might give them a try. If it gets too wet, however, I will stick with the explorers (front and rear) because they handle mud very well and have a more aggressive knob to hook up on the short climbs.
Kenda Karma
Kenda Small Block 8
Maxxis Larson TT
As stated earlier I am also running Stan's tubeless this year as well and will experiment with running lower tire pressures as well. I have heard that many of the pros are running very low tire pressures with larger volume tires.
Great Overall Tire Site:
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