which Mezal casing/compound were you on? I have loved my Mezcals in the past and felt they were super fast. But was switching to Dubs this year because of BRR!
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Mezcal XC G2 Race and I don’t miss the dubs!
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I thought GMBN guys did a pretty good job with their tests. Better than a lot of what’s on offer on YouTube. The results were very interesting, especially the rolling resistance rig results showing the Mezcal having a ~5W advantage over the Terrano and the Peyote. I wasn’t expecting that, and I’m not sure what to make of it. If I was doing that testing, I think I would have gone back at the end of the test and done a couple of tyre repeats to make sure it wasn’t a measurement or equipment problem for the Mezcal, to check it was repeatable.
If the Mezcal has a genuine advantage over the others though, it’s a fascinating result. The Silverstone rolling resistance rig seems like a good bit of testing equipment, because typical bumps are simulated and also the impedance losses, with the rider being on the bike. In principle, the results should be much more representative of MTB riding than the BRR testing. The GMBN outdoor testing was interesting too, but as the presenter rightly pointed out, there were a lot of confounding factors that might have affected results.
We really need @jkarrasch to re-test the Mezcal on the Cat 3 surface! So far there are only Mezcal results for smooth and Cat 1 surfaces at the moment.
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I concur! I was literally scratching my head after the first ride with the Vittorias and seeing how many PR’s I just set when I noticed the video on YouTube and it totally confirmed my sensations. That’s why also ordered another Mezcal to try front and rear and a barzo to test on the front.
But I can’t stress enough that whats fast for me at these trails might not be good for anyone else on a different setup and different type of course.
Later next month I’m startijg a series out of state in the mountains that I raced last year. So I’m curious if I see similar results on a much different terrain and surface.
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All rolling resistance should be taken just as that - rolling resistance tests. The fastest tire will be the one with the lowest rolling resistance on a straight line, while giving you the most cornering confidence and keeping the air in.
A good example of this for me are the Aspens 2.4 170 (Team Spec). They never test very fast, but many of my segments PRs to this day, up or down and in a variety of terrains, are with those. The rolling resistance is nothing to write about, but their smoothness, grip and predictability allow me to go comfortably and confidently fast. Also extremely reliable for me, never had puncture issues even on rough, remote alpine terrain
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Still got the Mezcals and they will get their full chance soon! I’ve mostly been testing 32” Aspens over the last week or two.
So with the silver stone results… the surface is bumpy but still hard and I could see the Mezcal having an advantage there in some ways.
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Another tire haul. Going to set one wheelset up with the barzo front and Mezcal rear so I can also try a Mezcal front and rear. The other wheelset will have a XC RC rear and XC M front. The RH will go in the garbage lol
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Tested the Barzo front / Mezcal Rear and Mezcal F/R today on a slightly damp in some portions course.
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Which setup netted crowns? I am going to guess Barzo/Mezcal
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Yes. On the previous segment I didn’t hit a PR with the Barzo but over the 40 min + lap they proved to be fast. These are trails I’ve been riding for years so PR’s and Crowns shouldn’t happen often. Keep in mind the trail crew altered a section of the full lap recently so you need to add 15-20 seconds to the Ricks total lap time.
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Is there going to be a big difference between Conti Dubnitals Race Rapid vs Race Grip? I’m looking for a tire for my first Leadville, and not sure how sketchy the Rapids would be vs the Grip?
Leadville generally isn’t a course where you need a lot of grip. Other than on the really fast descent sections of Powerline and Columbine - and even then, it’s a lot of loose over hard where no tire really does well. Better on those sections to dial it back a few notches. And - be looking far ahead down the trail and begin braking early when you need to slow down.
I’ll be riding the Conti Dubs trail rapid. I traded speed for better puncture protection (vs trading speed for better grip).
That said - I have not ridden any of the Dubs variants (my trail rapids are still in the box), so I don’t know how they compare.
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Trail rapid in the rear and Race grip up front.
I’ve had success at Leadville with the Race King, and Dub Race Rapid F&R. Traction hasn’t been an issue for me anywhere on that course.
I do run inserts and a little extra sealant for peace of mind.
Which casing? The Flex Lite looks appealing at <600g for a 2.35 but I’m curious how durable that casing is.
We were on the Grid Lite.
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Try the Ray/Rick combo against the Vittoria’s. I’d wager the results would be closer than Rick/Rick against the Mezcal/Peyote.
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I’ve gone from the ray/ray, ray/rick, dubs, rick/rick and now what I’m using now. The rays are quick, but for me they had other issues and at the time the other combos were quicker.
Also, I went to some trails a few hours away today and did some recon for race next week. I can’t recall the exact route we did in the race but if what I was doing today is similar, I’m rolling really good. Ultimately, I could care less about KOM’s and segments, the real test will be when the whistle blows. I know how fast and consistent some of these guys are.
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Always a good watch and appreciate Guy’s review (from a wet UK perspective) and glad his Fast Track comments validate my feedback on them. There is a rapid tyre test to come so will also be worth a watch, figured I’d share this though if people haven’t seen it.
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I couldn’t make up my mind on new tires this season and I am out of time. I could not fault anything on the Ray/Ralph combo outside I thought they were a little narrow.
What I ended up doing is just reusing my Ray as it seems to have life left and ordered a 2.4 Rick for the rear as the Ralph is in fact dead after a season.
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