Anybody have some recent feedback to raceking protection 2.2 and 2.25 thunder burts? How do they stack to the modern 2.4 tyres nowadays. Contemplating to switching from 2.4 to one of these, and only using 2.4s when it’s muddy or with lots of singletracks. I’m 63kg and have 26mm ID wheels so they somewhat make sense, hell Flueckiger used 2.25 burts on Tokyo olympics.
From the picture it looks like Burt should roll faster and looks to have bigger side knobs, so more grip also?
How do they cope on rough stuff, roots etc?
The Race King’s are a better all around tire than the Thunder Burts. The Burts are fine on hard pack, but the really small knobs are not great on roots, especially if there is any moisture. Here they will struggle for traction and I’ve had the rear spin out on my numberous times.
The Race Kings knobs are enough to get bite on a lot of surfaces. However the 2.2 RK has a lot less volume compared to many 2.4s. I mentioned above, I currently have RKs mounted on a set of Enve M525s and a set of Aspen 2.4 Maxxspeeds mounted on another set of M525s, and just looking at the two of them there is a really big difference in volume. For everyday trail riding, definitely the Aspen (or some other 2.4 would be my choice). However, for a fast race with non-technical terrain, such as Leadville, then the 2.2 RK would be my preferred option.
One has to think a 2.4 RK is in the works. It would be a big seller for Conti, so maybe next season we’ll have that as an option.
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I’m not sure if I would go for a RK front and rear but maybe a 2.4 CK front and 2.4 RK rear. vs 2.35 Ray front and 2.35 Ralph rear.
It’ll be super interesting to see if the Continental CK and RK in a 2.4" measure up well to the current crop.
They’re both currently very light and I very much want to try them at some stage, but they’re quite small.
I’m also really hoping we see a slightly enlarged Ray and Ralph. They still seem like the best overall XC tyres to me, though are a bit heavier than Vittoria or 2.2/2.3 Conti.
Also, the Wolfpack Speed is crazy fast.
Do you have any more shots of that trail/drop line? That’s cool.
I’m not that much a fan of riding in the mud, but the feature looks like a very cool addition to an XC course.
Somebody has 2.35 thunder burts in stated 700g or lower weight? Everybody seems to get way heavier than stated.
I’m currently riding 2.4 wolfpack speeds and they came at 640g
The 2.35" TB I had last year was a substantially smaller tyre than the 2.4" Wolfpack. I use the weights on R2 where possible to steer my thinking.
They haven’t done Wolfpack tyres, but I have weighed mine so at least can compare.
Despite the fact we are having a late summer, I’ve just put Mk1 Maxxis ForeKasters on my XC bike. My next and final season race is 31st October which is likely to be autumnal hence a preference for a mixed conditions tire.
I’d be interested to know what the current equivalent - light, fast and grippy in damp/wet UK racing - is, as I need something for Junior’s bike. Both of us favour a confident front wheel. We have a Barzo for him if that remains the best choice.
I’d also like to see BRR do the Wolfpack Speed. I’ve been running them on my wider 30mm wheels as my “Everyday” tire with Tubolight inserts and they’ve held up well, but I’m a bad judge of how fast they are.
Mine Measure 2.38" and feel much bigger than the Race King. Generally I’m not out riding when it’s sloppy and wet. Mostly dry, rocky, roots around here mixed with smoother stuff.
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Question on how “old” if a tire is ok?
Regardless of usage, how old would you consider to be too old? I have a set of tires that have maybe 60 miles on them and they have been hanging for 4 years. Any concerns about drying out? These are XR3 Team issue, but the old legacy tread they don’t make anymore.
If they’ve been in direct sunlight the UV can make them go hard.
I’ve used tyres much older than that but only stored our of direct sunlight, and usually I’d replace them.
Within the last few days I’ve bought a 2.35” Schwalbe Thunder Burt with Super Race casing (tan sidewall). That weights 729g on my kitchen scales. Actually, when I look at the Schwalbe website, it quotes 730g for that tyre, so the one I bought is pretty much spot on against what Schwalbe say.
I also have an older 2.35” Super Race TB, bought last year in February 2022. That one weighed 792g when I checked last month, albeit with a bit of old Stans sealant residue on the inside.
Incidentally, a couple of 2023 Schwalbe tyres I bought this year, a 2.25” TB and a 2.35” Racing Ray measure narrower than tyres bought in previous years. For example, my 2023 2.35” Racing Ray measures 2.22” on 30mm internal dia rims, whereas my 2.35” Burt measures exactly 2.35” on the same rim. Similarly, my 2023 2.25” Burt measures 2.10” (on other rims), whereas previous 2.35” Burts were spot on 2.35”.
That said, I love Thunder Burts for dry conditions. As long as it’s dry, the grip is great and they feel very fast, but they slip quite easily under power in damp/softer condition. I agree with with comments from @Kuttermax a few days ago, that the Conti RaceKing is better in that respect. That’s my experience with Race Kings too. However, in dry conditions, I think Thunder Burts are faster, and I’ve done some roller testing which suggests that the TB is faster than the Race King.
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What did you end up running and how did it work? Thanks 
Joe
I went with the 2.35 Barzo and kept the inserts. Mostly because they were cheaper than Maxxis and I could mix and match with the Mezcals I already had.
I think those were fine for the race, I didn’t have any problems and I never washed out but I also didn’t push the downhills hard, I’m not a great descender relative to many in that field.
Looking around, the majority were on Maxxis 2.4s or above. Looked like a lot of Rekons and Ardent varieties, but some were riding full trail or even enduro tires.
Given the variety of terrain over the week I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer, more a matter of what you want to optimize for.
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Did you use the xc/trail casing?
I used XC casing. I’ve never had Mezcal or Barzo in the trail casing so I don’t have much to compare it to.
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No crazy insight here, but I just finished a race in peak New England wet-n-greasy-roots-and-rocks conditions on the Maxxis Aspen 2.4s with the new MaxxSpeed compound. They’re supposedly better in the wet than the standard compound, and maybe they were… but wow that was a slippery experience. I don’t think there are any tires that would have felt comfortable today, but these really didn’t. I’ve really liked 'em in the dry though 
15/16 psi on 30mm internal rims with inserts, rider + bike + gear ~= 178lbs
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If that greasy New England race was Landmine, I was on the old 2.35 Forekasters, 15/17 psi on 28mm id and 175# all in, and I was sliding all over the place. I was actually thinking I would have done just as well on my 2.4 Aspen MaxxSpeeds…
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Yup, that’s the one! Everything was going to slide, so might as well be fast on the straights 
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I had a couple washouts on my ardent 2.4. Mostly in anything remotely moist. Reckon race on the back have been great. Getting tired of not trusting my tires,though. Also not interested in changing tires all the time so thinking something that does better all around(on the front). I was racing with a guy who had aspens and did fine. Some of its technique In sure but man there’s got to be better
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