I live in central TX and race the rattler most years. Last 2 times, I ran a forecaster front with an Ikon rear. The forecaster is definitely a bit overkill for rattler, but I started running it after losing my front tire on several pre-rides when pushing hard out there. The course has gotten a lot more ridden in and firmer the last couple years and I’ll probably go back to a more XC-centric tire like an aspen/aspen combo
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I agree with everyone else, that’s on the low end. If it’s working for you that’s awesome.
I found that I could run pressures as low as 14psi when I had my 2012 Anthem, then moving onto the 2021 Spark as the speeds and hits increased that tyre pressure really wasn’t cutting it.
These days I’m back up in the 20psi range unless it’s a cold/slippery day.
You may find as your riding changes on the new bike you have to gradually increase.
(The biggest and most noticeable thing for me was the tyre trying to roll in corners, not a pleasant feeling)
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“loose over hard”…I think I’d be inclined to use 2.3 Continental Cross King Protection tires. They roll pretty good for the grip they provide.
I was able to get a set of the new Aspen 2.4s made with MaxxSpeed compound. I’m in the process of getting them mounted. I had briefly run a 2.35 Ikon in MaxxSpeed on the rear to replace the Kenda Rush SCT 2.4 that got the bad sidewall hole in it. I haven’t used Ikon’s in years, but it seemed to roll fine and had a lot of traction in the rear.
I’ll report back on the Aspens once I get a few rides in. They are weighing in about 190 gm more than a 2.2 Race King, so the Race King may be better on days with a lot of climbing.
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Anyone done Breck epic? I have Mezcal front and rear right now with tubolight inserts and thinking that’s definitely not the right tire for this event but not sure what to go.
I could go Barzo up front and keep the Mezcal rear at a minimum, I don’t have any particular tire brand loyalty though.
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I don’t think they’ve got any plans to release the 170tpi version. At least the Maxxis guy on the podcast (can’t remember which one) said as much. Basically they’re too fragile for consumer use.
In regards the weight, the Aspen 2.4 is a big 2.4. Especially compared a Kenda which seem to run small.
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It’s super underrated, the size of the Aspen 2.4 is awesome and I haven’t found any other tire that matches the feel. I also had really good results with the exo casing on those, so the weight was always worth it in my opinion. If anything an Aspen center tread with a little bit more aggressive side knobs would be the perfect tire IMO.
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Yeah, I’ve still got one in the garage. I had it on the rear but actually found it didn’t provide enough grip for some of the steeper descents. I’m not skilled/confident enough to run it on the front, but it’s a super fast and nice feeling tyre with that volume.
Aspen guys: I still have limited experience with my race kings, but I did gash a sidewall pretty quickly on my home trails on one. Do the Aspens / Rekon Race have more durability as compared to the RK - tread and/or sidewall? I’m guessing yes with the EXO sidewalls, but the BRR test seems to say no?
I think I’m leaving Race Kings on my 25mm wheelset for now, great for local gravel too. But considering setting up my 30mm wheels with Aspens or Rekon Race (or RR Front, Aspen Rear). Rekon Race might be the better all around choice…
I’d be interested to hear opinions on the Aspen/RR combos people run? At face value it would seem like RR Front and Aspen Rear would make sense but I tried Aspen Front/Rekon Race Rear last year after seeing it on Finstys bike. He had mentioned he felt like the Aspen cornered better in the front and that he appreciated the extra tread in the rear for a bit of added protection.
grwoolf: I wanted to get your opinion on my set up for my fall season / Austin Rattler. Did you switch to Aspens? What are you opinion on Aspen versus Ikon in the rear? I was thinking about going with your set up that you have been using on at the Rattler with Forekaster (versus Rekon) in the front and Ikon (versus Aspen) in the rear. I had been running Ardent Race F/R but besides the puncture protection they heavier / slower. I will be running the Airliner inserts. Thank you for your thoughts!
Looking at the BicycleRollingResistance data, they have the Conti RK Protection rated higher than (or equal to) either the Aspen or Rekon Race on both sidewall and tread puncture scores too, and it’s faster rolling and lighter.
I think I do need to find something bigger / burlier for general and faster trail riding and when conditions warrant.
I guess that’s the advantage of two wheelsets. RaceKings are on 25mm ID We Are One Revive with Berd Spokes, have a set of 30mm ID XRC1200’s as the “all around” wheel.
I’ve run aspens f/r for quite a few events going back to 2019 and I like them. I’ve never run them at Rattler, but may consider it this year. The course at Reveille Peak has been pretty loose historically, but it’s gotten firmer/faster with age. The Forecaster in front was my response to several incidents with my front tire washing out during pre-rides at race speeds (on ardent race’s at the time), which just made me tentative (this was 2020). I still ran the forecaster/ikon combo last year, but the course was running firmer/faster than it ever has and I probably would have been fine with less front tire. I’ll try out some options in pre-ride. I find the Ikon’s to be a little better in that loose/sandy stuff vs. the aspens, but I’ll pre-ride both options and see how they do. Depending on rain leading into the event, that course can be very different. It slows down quite a bit and gets looser as it dries out. It takes rain very well and will be fastest immediately following heavy rains.
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@grwoolf @wfenwick Anything that pushes y’all towards Maxxis for Rattler/other TX XC courses vs Vittoria Mezcal or Barzo?
Not really a Texas thing, I’ve just had good luck with Maxxis from a wear/reliability standpoint. Maybe a bit of “group think” dynamic since they kind of dominate the market. Haven’t ventured out too much trying other brands. That said, I am getting adventurous in my old age and plan to run Conti race kings at leadville this year. I’ve been riding them for a while on local trails and they certainly feel fast (at least in a straight line). Plan to do some pre-riding in leadville and I’ll run them unless I have issues. Not crazy about the 2.2 size, but I’m thinking leadville is a course where they might save some time.
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It’s been years since I ran Barzos and that was in Georgia so I don’t have apples to apples comparisons. Maxxis for me is just a known quantity. That said I am running ground controls on a second set of wheels for my Evo right now and don’t love them, maybe I’ll switch them out to a Vitoria and see how I get along with it.
For me, at least, at rattler, the performance of any tire is going to suffer quite a bit in that super loose over hard stuff to the point that I think volume and pressure is more important than the type/tread. Whatever it is you want it tough because depending on how fast you’re going the descents can be rough on tires.
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We Are One Revive with Berd Spokes
Somewhat off topic, but how do you like the Berd spokes? I have the same rims and have been considering getting them relaced with the Berd spokes. I’ve been really happy with the wheels as is, but I’m just curious about trying out the Berds.
I went out last year to race but caught Covid on the plane. Rode around a little as I recovered and watched my buddy race. I Had the 2.6” mezcal up front and it was fine. Two caveats though. First I’m 200#’s, from Florida, and have an ftp of 290. So I was walking a lot and not exactly shredding the descents either. And second, most people were running a bit more tire than the mezcals. I did see some aspens front and rear though. Barzo + Mezcal seems like a nice combo.
Joe
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I just spent a weekend in Breck preriding a lot of the course as well as the firecracker 50 on aspens and thought they were solid for it. I was only running an insert in the rear and will likely add one to the front before Breck epic but I’d have to believe a Mezcal would be a decent choice for the race.
@DMC would also be a good reference for this
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Thanks for the advice. Good luck at Leadville!