I put a Ray/Rick speed rubber 2.4 set on my bike for the first time, and have about 120mi on them in the Lake Tahoe region with its abrasive decomposed granite over hardpack. The climbs are long and steep, the downhills are fast and rough, and it’s common to drift in corners and really load up the side knobs.
I’m finding they are much faster and lighter, but softer than the Maxxis 3C and dual compound Rekon Race tires I had. I think the sidewalls are stiffer than Maxxis too. The side knobs are starting to cup and tear a bit, and I don’t expect the Rick to last more than 250mi., maybe a bit more on the front ray tire. For racing or ultra long rides, they are awesome but I won’t be using them for training.
Does anyone have recommendations for a good training tire with similar performance but in a longer lasting rubber or tread?
I had a training ride with on the Barzos today, this time quite dry, no issues to report on roots. Climbing traction is quite remarkable, I manage to sprint uphill on places where it was impossible before
Quick update on the Barzos 2.4 XC Race. I’ve now 200km on them, with a bit of everything thrown at then (we went from rain and slop to an Indian summer here) . I’m liking them more and more and starting to suspect these might be the ultimate fit and forget XC tire for year round. I PRed quite a few tarmac sections this week, so it’s starting to be obvious that these are not a liability over, say Aspens, on tarmac. Elsewhere they behave very well, be it slimy clay, leaves, Liam, gravel, etc.
Next week weather turns again, so I’m curious to test them once more on wet roots. The tires came with a thick layer of “lacquer”, so maybe they’re different once this came off. A friend of mine, using the XC Race Mezcals, reported just that.
For anyone wondering about how big they are, they’re big enough to get consistent tire hair rub/buzz on a SID SL with a mudguard
I’m riding Vittoria Agarros, the next tire up from the Barzos. The bigger size of these tires (same as the Barzos) is really noticeable on the trail. Better grip. Less prone to rim strikes. Absorbs rock and root impacts better. Most noticeable on descents. PRd some chunky downhill segments yesterday. Hard to tell rolling resistance - but if they are any slower uphill, the impact is a lot harder to measure than the benefit downhill.
Plus it’s fall in Colorado. Best time of year to ride. Gratuitous pics below
4 weeks out from Little Sugar, starting to consider my tire choice since a normal XC tire combo seems like a great way to ensure I get to practice my flat changing ability. I have a few 1 tire options hanging around:
Specialized Ground Control 29x2.35 T7 Casing
Wicked Will 29x2.4 Super Trail
Rekon 29x2.4 Exo
Anyone done the race or from Bentonville with some insight?
That lacquer is actually tire mold release. It’s put in the mold before the casing, and keeps the injected rubber from sticking to the mold. it should wear off pretty quickly, but depending on any given manufacturer’s formula, can be slick as baby poo.
I’ve ridden the trails there a bunch and I would go with the Rekon. the Wicked Will will work also but I’m 175 and an aggressive (reasonably fast) rider and the Rekon would 100% be the tire I would ride at Little Sugar. Maybe a Rekon Race out back if you could, but even a Rekon front and rear would work great. It’s so rocky and sharp there that the extra protection and confidence that tire will give you will far outweigh any slightly better rolling resistance. Just my 2 cents…
Did the same trails today as on my first ride with the Barzos, even wetter today (borderline flooded). The tires are now okay on wet roots. So, with the release agent wearing off, they went from comically bad to reasonable, which is pretty good in my book. Only bad thing I can point out is how noisy they are on asphalt, even if the rolling resistance seems to be low enough.
Best time of year to ride. Gratuitous pics below
