I’ll say to start that tire pressure would be an absolutely terrible way to try to adjust your wheels stiffness/compliance. But I would imagine that a higher tire pressure would make a wheel more compliant because it would place an inward pressure on the spokes and essentially give them less tension. HOWEVER, raising tire pressure will make the whole system be more stiff because the tire/air is a much softer spring than the wheel is and is the first in the system, thus will have a much greater impact on the overall system stiffness. So though raising tire pressure might cause the wheel to be more compliant the loss of compliance from an over pressurized tire will more than cancel that out and you will end up with a stiffer system overall.
Take a look at Berd. I had the wheels on my rigid bike relaced with their spokes, and I really liked the change along with the weight loss. I also just had another set of enve m635 relaced and I dropped over 100g going from cxray to berd. I mostly notice an increase in corner traction and a little more control on choppy downhills.
I ended up getting the crest cb7s with aerolite spokes and torch hubs. Very quick set of wheels and surprisingly they ride really comfortably.
I’ve got two sets of wheels for my xc bike. one is all berd with i9 hubs. Really wanted the enve rims, but couldn’t hack the price tag. The Berd rims come with a 3 year warranty and I had to make a claim before i ever even got them on the road. No questions asked replacement. very pleased so far. but, only have 100-150 miles of dirt on them so far.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the PTNs.
Specifically I have some questions (for background I’m running them on a single speed hardtail):
- How much less pressure do you typically run with the PTNs installed. I have the S/M R-Evolution’s installed on my Enve 635’s which I typically run 20psi on, and I’m wondering how low I can go. I’m 6’ and about 195lbs.
- What happens if you gash the sidewall on the trail. I live in Phoenix, so this is a pretty regular occurrence. With normal tubeless I just patch it with a dollar bill and put a tube in, but what do you do in this case?
- Do you re-tune your fork (tokens, pressure, etc) if you’re running much lower pressures?
- Do you use less sealant?
- Any tips for new users that I haven’t asked?
BTW - I bought the R-Evolutions’s here and they ship to the US. https://www.bike24.com/p2362971.html?q=PTN
Please feel free to answer any that you have time for. Thanks! Great product and great podcast.
I have been running a vittoria mezcal 2.25 front and back for the past 6 months. At first I really like that setup on my 2020 Trek Top Fuel. Dialed my pressures at 19 front 20 back. It changed the way I rode, braking, lines, cornering speed. It makes you ride with proper technique The mezcal as a front tire is predictable when you initiate it braking loose. I found it washes out a little but its something you learn to anticipate. I believe this is because of the center tread pattern. I recently switched to a 2.25 Barzo up front and the difference in traction is crazy. I dont know if I feel the rolling resistance difference at all but the traction and confidence it gives up front is inspiring. Lots of PRs recently on my local trails and currently my fitness is on a downward trend. Remember flow is fast.
Did you ever test and compare multiple brands of tire inserts? What brand do you use for XC racing!
Panaracer Dart and Smoke were the first front and rear specific mtb tyres. That was during the early 1990’s, so it is not a new thing.
Just completed first ride on PTN R-Evolutions, all there is to say is - wow. It’s like adding 20mm of travel to your front and rear suspension. Startling amounts of traction going up and down as well as in turns. Bike just feels more planted. I noticed it most in rocky technical climbs with lots of protruding edges, the kind where you nearly come to a standstill. Normally this stuff would bounce me all over the place with tires sliding down those edges, but with the PTN I could just run right over them.
Setup:
2019 Canyon Lux
Reynolds TR249 wheels
Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph 2.35 with snakeskin
PTN R-Evolution
6 ft tall, 168 lbs
- Before inserts, I would run this setup with 20/21 front/rear pressure. With the PTN, I am running 17/17 front and rear. Experimented with lower pressures, didn’t have any burps or structural issues, but it felt weird in faster turns.
- I carry tubeless tire plugs and CO2. Here in Arkansas, crazy amounts of rock in the trail is the norm. My experience thus far is that lower pressures put less stress on your tires, less likely to puncture, but that’s just anecdotal. I’d be curious to have some scientifically answer that question.
- I haven’t retuned fork
- I use same amount of sealant. I figure the interior area of tire needing sealant is the same regardless if you have inserts or not
- Difficulty in getting them in is exaggerated. Took me 15 mins to do 2 wheels with new, sticky, tight tires.
I’ll never ride a MTB again without them (if I can help it 
)
I cannot find any PTN’s in the states
What size of R-Evolutions did you run with the Schwalbe 2.35?
Had to get them from Europe.
Using the S/M size I think
Thanks for the update. I just ordered a set from r2-bike.com in Europe.
Thanks for the info! How much did they charge for shipping and how quick did you receive them?
They charged a lot :-/
I think it was at least $60, maybe more. It took 4 weeks to get them in.
I’m enjoying them tremendously, but I think the same (maybe more) benefits can be had from a domestically-available product like Cushcore or Vittoria air liners. Hopefully someone in the US will start carrying them soon, inserts seem to be getting more traction here 
sorry couldn’t help the pun
Continuing the discussion from 2020 XC Race Tire Thread:
Thanks so much for your feedback, much appreciated. I agree, the setup wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected with new tires. I just popped the bead to check and top up sealant this weekend and they went back on pretty easily (marginally harder than without the insert).
Definitely agree that riding with them in rocky conditions (I’m in Phoenix, AZ) is a game changer.
I ordered them from https://www.bike24.com/p2362971.html?q=PTN and they charged 20 EUR for shipping 2 pairs of R-Evolution inserts.
I think I got them in a couple weeks, it was faster than expected.
Do you have sufficient tire clearance with 2.35 and Lux frame?
How do you rate Rays and Ralphs with respect to corner stability without tire insert?
I currently run the Rocket Ron LiteSkin tubeless and they’re very unstable. The side walls is simply too thin so I cannot predict how they perform when cornering. I don’t loose traction but they ‘blurp’. It is very frustrating as I can’t find any tire with same versatility and same low rolling resistance.
I’m almost your size and on a 2020 Canyon Lux. It came with a Maxxis aspen/reckon combo. They were pretty stable and predictable on technical sections but the rolling resistance was pretty high, thus switching to rocket ron front and rear almost cut a minute off on a local 25 minute trail section.
I really enjoy the low rolling resistance and grip of the Rocket Ron LiteSkins but the occational and unpredictable blurps during corners freaks me out.
I tested this summer some tires.
First to myself 6.5ft and around 195pounds (1.96/90is).
Got also the Canyon Lux this year but really disliked the tires right away.
Ran than Mezcal, Barzo (mez/mez & bar/mez & bar/bar) in pretty much all CET conditions. Really liked the vittoria tires for their self damping ( if there is such a therm). Best I ever expirenced.
Got also some Schwalbe Ray/Ralph /Burt & Ron
Ray Ralph is the perfect combo if you need one combo that just works. Ron is just to much and outtaken by the barzo. Burt I kinda liked but as soon as it gets bit wet i am just to unskilled for this one. Manuel Fumic is right out of my home town and he does them front and rear … and hits the trails damn well with it.
Than i found on a german forum the hype about wolfpack tires. And honestly. They are Pretty sick.
Mostly we shoud speak about the Race and Speed (maybe the Cross when your from upper UK) both are in 2.2 and 2.4 nowadays. Best tires i had so far. Fair priced and give you all the options you need.
Race/Speed for normal terrain or everyday use. Speed speed for superdry races. Cross / Race when its Muddy all day.
It looks tight but there is at least 1 cm all the way around. Here in Arkansas, we get mostly sandy/watery mud that doesn’t stick too hard, so it hasn’t been a concern. For me, tire clearance is definitely sufficient.
I haven’t ridden them without inserts - put them in when I switched over from the stock Aspens
I am no tire expert by any means, but my understanding is that lower rolling resistance, lower weight, and increased traction you get with soft sidewalls (like the LiteSkin) is a trade-off for lower resistance to burping, increased risk for punctures, and lower general durability. Choosing a thin sidewall will increase your risk of burping. The holy grail of tires (for both road and MTB) would be a set that offer both benefits without the trade-off, but I’m not aware of anyone claiming that right now. The inserts will likely help, but I have not run that combination. You are also likely at higher risk for sidewall punctures with the LiteSkin