Might be worth a watch:
Personally I like a fast tire (I run Thunder Burts a lot of the summer) so I’d go for the Dub Race. But given the first goal is completion, there’s no harm in going with the trail tire. RR is pretty similar.
The video series that @DaveWh shared is obviously pretty good at showing the route.
I got the feeling the route was purposely built to have smoother, non-technical uphills (no hike-a-bike in 6 days of riding for me). And then most of the descending was on decently technical, rocky singletrack. Nothing super crazy, but yes, I would describe the descends as pretty technical, but obviously that’s personal opinion aswell.
I just threw the Tri/Dub Trail casings on for Oz Stage Race next week. They weighed 690g so not giving much up in terms of weight. Did one ride on them and they feel fast so no qualms. Hopefully they’ll stay inflated for the 3.5 days.
Been out of xc for a few years, are Aspen and rekon race still the go to’s?
O_o … here it comes …
I can handle this quick.
If you race at the front of races:
Hard pack and dry - Peyote/Peyote
Loose over hard or any amount of water - Barzo/Barzo
General intermediate - Dub/Dub
If you aren’t super confident at bike handling - Barzo/Barzo
Generally agree except that I didn’t find the Barzo to be as good in loose over hard as I would have liked. The deeper/more agressive tread also has a lot of space between blocks which makes it great for soft soils but I felt like having more edges was more of a benefit, especially in loose over hard.
There is no real answer for loose over hard. I would say it is the hardest trail condition to pick a tire for.
I’ve been pleased with my Dubs for all trail conditions I ride in.
I never felt fear before I felt the fear of Barzo/Mezcal in wet roots/mud. Maybe they improved the compounds since 2021 but that has stuck with me. Love my Ray/Ralph in the rain.
Hi, Just re-reading this, when you say tri/dub, what tyre are you referring to at the front?
Thanks
I just tested the Ray/Rick recently. The Ray is semi-wore out but not out of life and the Rick is new, I am seeing improvements with the Rick over the Ralph in almost every category.
Only gripe, as I have had said before is the size and now the mismatched Gumwall colors (they are slight different shades). I would probably recommend the Ray/Rick over the Ray/Ralph at this point but again only have a handful of rides on it but its on trails I ride almost daily.
I have the Trinotal on the front. Digging in pretty well, enjoying the combo.
I ride in the area all the time and loved how the Tri/Dub combo rides. Only that after about 100 miles the sidewall of the Dub Trail unexpectedly blew out on Tunnel Vision. I hope I just got unlucky and it goes better for you. I’ve continued to use the Tri without issues for about 400 miles since
Loving the Ray/Ralph combo for racing this year (UK style conditions).
I just need 100 miles or so on the Dubs! Ha I’ve spiraled trying to pick tires for Little Sugar last year and now this stage race a couple times. Vittoria Trail tires seem too beefy, Schwalbe doesn’t really have a comparable casing so this felt like a good middle ground. Weight is great too.
I feel pretty confident in this choice, whatever happens happens.
I’m racing Little Sugar this year and appreciate the Arkansas feedback. I am a big fan of Vittoria’s XC offerings and did fine with the older Barzo/Mezcal 2.35 trail casings in Bentonville a few years ago, but their new trail casing on the 2.4s is really heavy. The weight of the Tri/Dub trail tires is enticing, but I’ve also heard locals recommend riding the heaviest tire you can get along with as good insurance.
I need a new rear tire as my Ralph is about done. Was thinking of just getting another Ralph or go with the Rick or even Dub. My Ray on the other hand probably has a few more weeks left. A friend had f/r Ricks and was wanting something else that lasted longer/better flat protection.
The Ralph has been pretty good overall.
I cant speak on the flat protection yet of the Ray but so far I am very happy with the change from the ralph outside of what I outlined above.
I did Little Sugar last year and also preroad the course several times leading up to it. I used 2.4 Dubs in the Trail/Grip combination. I didn’t flat once during preriding and race day. Flatting can be bad luck but line choice does matter. Nothing is going to be bullet proof in Bentonville, but thought these struck a pretty good balance between performance and durability.
Happy to report the Trail Tri/Dub combo held up for all 100 miles of the Oz Stage Race. Had plenty of not so ideal lines and Friday was very wet. Performed incredible all weekend.