6hour V win.
Racing ray at 16.5psi and thunderburt 18. Perfect!!
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Congratulations ! 9th for me, would have been around 5/6 but something went wrong and I had to stop and puke in a bush on laps 5 and 6 - curses!
Right now I’m running a renegade rear and it gets a bit sliddy. Any other recommendations for a fast rolling rear tire with a bit more grip?
I have a set of the Conti RK coming to use for LT100 this year, also switching from Mezcal’s. Guessing there’s less margin from grip to sliding overall. Notice in rolling was pretty good?
I am above average, and I haven’t seen a real “Pro” who isn’t better than I am.
I think their handling skills are way underrated since we are only comparing them to each other on TV. Thinking any of them are just average is like thinking most NFL players are above average ball handlers because some of them seem to fumble more than others.
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Some might not be too ahead on technical riding comfort in the enduro sense, but in maximizing lap time over a cross country race that technical ability is so far advanced. The biggest thing I notice is the consistently high speeds, not peak speeds through different sections. Looking at premier marathon races the racers will take the Strava KOMs of long trail segments by large margins, but the really short segment times aren’t out of reach for fast amateurs. They will be “cautious” and lose a few seconds on the “hardest” section of DH or rock garden because they run semi-slicks that make the rest of the course significantly faster.
Plus the Pro will have multiple options that optimize each track and weekend conditions, where some of us regulars might have a second wheelset. I hate changing tires, so unless I destroy one putting it on the bike commits me to it for the next 3 months of racing.
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Completely agree.
(Yeesh. Sorry, I completely misread your post on first pass at stupid o’clock this morning)
They are. 
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The Race Kings certainly feel like they roll faster but I don’t have hard data. Overall knob height is lower, but especially the shoulder knobs. They are far from confidence inspiring if you are leaning enough to rely on shoulder grip, but the LT course doesn’t have many turns where you would anyway.
Can you lean a slick tire on a road bike and maintain traction? Knob height doesn’t matter, unless its loose (dry or wet), but no so deep the knobs don’t penetrate to the firmer ground. I’ve wiped out several times on Race Kings, and every time it was my fault (excessive speed), and would have happened on any tire. Deep sand in corners I didn’t know was there. Race Kings are fast though, had them coasting over 40MPH a bunch.
Now where is that guy who was making posters 
it’s refreshing to see strengths inked down. @JSTootell do you have the same visibility of your limiters?
I think you’re missing the double negative in their statement…
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This is correct
Funny example of this is watching high school kids challenge NBA bench warmers
Guys on the bench make average people look like clowns
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Same with women’s sports NBA and MTB in particular.
Dudes watching on the couch think they could beat these ladies, they’re on another level.
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I may have missed that! I do expect more than half of us believe we’re above average though 
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Just think about how much faster the fastest person who know is. Remember even the last place rider in a WC is significantly faster
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The fastest rolling tires I’ve tested so far are the kenda booster pros 29x2.6. I’ve also found they roll faster with 100ml of sealant vs a 250g tube.
I have mezcals in the 29x2,6” size and they are 900g each fwiw. The casing feels pretty substantial vs the booster pros super thin sidewall. I haven’t tested them tubeless yet vs the booster pros unfortunately.
I have read the linked article on tire width and I believe it. Problem is….fast rolling tires in 2.6 or larger sizes are pretty rare and none in 29x2.8” size.
If 110# women are on 2.4’s these days (are they?) then I think the plus size seems like where heavier guys should be (I’m 195#s)
Joe
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Hmm interesting thought to connect rider weight to tire size. But I think you should compare it to tire weight. The amount of force needed to accelerate a wheel feels rather important. For the same reason everyone wants light wheels.
With the current courses XC/XCM I’m really happy with 2.4 Recon Race front and back. They roll much like a Racing Ralf and cornering is very predictive with sufficient grip if you lean them over. Have not tested back to back with Schwalbe 2.35 Racing Ray + Racing Ralf, but maybe somebody has?
Those Kenda Booster Pro 2.6’s according to most internet sleuthing only measure about 2.4" on a typical 25-30mm XC rim. Kind of explains the weight etc.
As Joe mentions, the 2.6 Vittoria’s are heavy and feel it. I tried the 2.6 thing with Barzo/Mezcal and Mezcal/Mezcal but they felt hideous in terms of acceleration.
I’m a big advocate for volume for speed and grip for most of us but I think if you’re riding tight and somewhat technical single track that 2.6 is beyond the point of diminishing returns. 2.35-2.4" really does seem the sweet spot. I’m trying some Maxxis tyres to see if the added volume of the WT is worthwhile. The Rekon/Rekon Race are relatively heavy for what they are as it is so we’ll see how they perform.
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I think (pretty sure) I measured the boosters at 64 or 65mm, I just checked my mezcals and they are 66mm on a 30mm internal rim. Both tires have a “small knob” pattern but the mezcals knobs are just a hair taller.
I have a previous gen nobby nic 2.3 on a 21mm internal that measures 60mm. I don’t think I’d want to go any more narrow but somewhere around 66 is probably as wide as I’d want so….somewhere in there at this time feels right for me.
I kinda pine for the days of 400g tires when I lift my bike but modern tires are better in every other way.
Joe