I am hoping the casing for the Rick comes out to the rest of Schwalbe’s XC line.
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Hey just wanted to thank you for the NotebookLM tip. It does work and has the advantage of being more of research tool than Gemini. I was able to link BRR and some other resources on tires and have the AI build a consensus view on the best options for my riding scenario.
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How is the Dubnital vs the Rick for cornering traction?
The Dub is better(er) at cornering.
Dub has a concerning amount of grip. You dont think it should be gripping as much as it does
Based on others’ comments, I may be in the minority, but I’ve found the Conti Trinotal to have very poor grip. I have 2.4” Ricks mounted to my “race wheels” and previously had 2.35 Ground Controls mounted to my main wheels. I’ve found the 2.4” Trinotals with trail casing and grip compounds to have far worse grip than both the Ricks and GC front and rear.
I ride in MN (prior to the freezing temperatures) and NW AR and found them to have good grip on firm dirt but very poor grip over anything loose or dry rocks. Something with that compound just seems to lack grip. With the Ricks you really have to lean the bike to get good grip in the front but I’ve struggled with the Trinotals on anything other than hero dirt. In the rear they seem to spin out very easily on any rocky surface. They also measure quite a bit narrower than 2.4”, and both the Ricks and GC, so I’m not sure how much that is contributing. I dropped 2-3 PSI, which helped, but now I worry about rim strikes. That has been my experience with the new Continental tires, which has been poor enough that I’m switching out for next season.
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I think the magnotal is a direct comparison to the GC. Trins seems closer to fast tracks.
That may be a more direct comparison, but I’ve ridden the Fast Tracks too and did not experience the lack of grip I’ve had with the Trinotals. And again, I think the Ricks have much better grip front and rear than the Trinotals.
I did the direct switch from fast trak to trins and first thing I noticed is I didn’t need to brake into several corners I’d usually brake with fast traks.
I think for a lot of people tire girp is pretty personal.
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Yes, for sure. Rider skills, terrain, bike, setup, system weight, etc. are all going to affect perceived grip.
If ridden the Trinotal Race Grips, and they’re great. No complaints with the Dub Race Rapid, and these grip better for me and make a better every day tire.
Or it’s a slower rolling tire.
I know it might sound like a joke or being a smart-*s but I did notice I was braking less and being slower overall with slower rolling tires.
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That actually is a good thought. Conti tires do need a break in period before they go faster. I can say my DH times have been faster since I put on trins.
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I suppose it could be true on the flip side. The Tri is a faster rolling tire than the GC, so I could be perceiving less grip because I’m going faster. I still feel the Ricks have better grip, but I am also riding those in a different environment than normal trail riding, so it may not be a good comparison.
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Fast Trak is my favorite tire for the front but unfortunately they don’t have the old model in stock anymore. I feel like I have endless grip with the FT. I did a race a few months back with the Rick in front and didn’t quite have the same confidence I’m used to. I’m trying to decide if I want to try the new version of FT or try out the Dubs.
My only disappointment with the 2.4 Dubs is their size. They are much smaller than 2.4 Rekon Race which was my prior preferred XC tire. But they make up for it in grip and weight. I spin up much faster with the Dubs and they provide as much, or more, cornering grip than the Rekon Race.
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Yes, the Dubs and Tris are much narrower than their marked width when measured with a caliper. Even the width of the tread when the tire is not mounted is significantly narrower than other tires with the same or similar marked width.
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Curious if anyone has some thoughts on this.
I race a lot in super rocky areas (Colorado/Arizona), I used to be all about volume and found that I liked the Rekon Race a lot for this reason. Then for Breck Epic I had an urge to pick a ‘faster’ tire.. So I went with the racing ricks.. They are notably smaller in the 2.4 compared to the Rekon Race.
I noticed with the narrower tires, I could avoid more rocks and get my tires between the rocks better and it ended up feeling BETTER than the big tires.
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Two most recent tire setups I’ve run were Maxxis Aspen 2.4 F/R. Felt like the hooked up very well on turns, but getting the tire over to the edge to hook up could be very sketchy especially if wet or muddy. Braking traction was alright but back would lock up quite a bit, especially at speed.
Mezcal F/Peyote R both 2.4 XC Race- much better braking traction and can feel that traction as you are turning the tire over. Seems a hair faster than the Aspen combo, but not quite as confident on the edge of the tire when turning. Don’t know if it’s the offset lugs kind of messing with me but I feel like I’ve felt traction break a bit there when really leaning the bike.
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I just really don’t care for the Mezcal as a front tire for MTB. It’s okay if I’m riding my MTB for gravel, but for XC I prefer the Barzo front if I’m running Vittoria.
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