XC Race Tire Thread

Bicycle Rolling Resistance - go read all of the discussions above in this thread, including the recent ones. It is probably currently the most objective testing out there, even if imperfect (And there are plenty of discussions on the drum vs. gravel / real world terrain, pressures, etc. and why it’s still relevant)

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I remember hearing that Josh poertner said that those tests get the order of rolling resistance pretty good, even off-road, but the magnitude of difference isn’t the same. Whether it’s more or less in the real world I couldn’t say though

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This is my thoughts. There’s probably a difference but far less, just like waxing chains or using ceramic bearings on dirt vs road.

Nope.

Why would the ground you‘re riding on matter whether your drivetrain is efficient or not? What about an MTB with waxed chain and ceramic bearings on the road?

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Same reason there is wet lube and dry lube. Terrain. If you ride strictly dry it’s fine, if you ever ride your mtb in wet/muddy trails it’ll strip the wax mid ride.

I used to think that waxed chains didn’t work as well off road based on my chain getting super squeaky at the end of every long (5+ hour) MTB event. Part of it for me was I didn’t realize that I had actually damaged my wax (Silca) by always melting it on the high setting of my crockpot that was way over the recommended max temperature. I didn’t even know there was a max temperature for the wax.

YMMV, but I threw out my old batch and started over making sure I always keep it at proper temperature and I’m getting better longevity now between reapplications.

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I’ll agree with @tgarson - not across the board true. I did the Lutsen 99’er last year, 86(ish) miles, 6+ hours of a complete utter mudfest with BB Submersions all day long. Literally, I was finding mud in places it just shouldn’t be. My entire bike was a disaster, needed to take apart headset, BB, and check both hubs. The waxed chain was pretty much the only thing that was still at least in decent shape by the end of the day.

I sure wasn’t riding it again until it was completely cleaned and re-waxed, but it was still fine for me.

Now, Unbound 200 with Peanut Butter Mud? Maybe that’s a different use case, but waxed chain has worked much better than wet lube for me for every condition on my MTB.

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Same.

Joe

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Since we’re talking about tires the new Vittoria Payote looks pretty good. Sold out on thier site, so will have to wait before I can make a first hand assessment.

Wouldn’t that apply to wet road rides as well? Your blanket statement seems a bit broad.

The new Peyote Race rear / Mezcal Race front looks like a super fast combo.

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Peyote is a tire I’d like to see BRR test…

Edit: Anyone know how the voting request works on BRR? Do they just get added to the list as requested, i.e. do you want to wait until the beginning of the next month to make the request?

Mezcals are really the only other tire that have interested me besides rekon races and aspens.

Do the new mezcal races seen to have a pretty sturdy casing, or are they weaker than the standard mezcal?

I’m not sure but I’ve flatted the heck out of Mezcals. I’m back on Rekon Races and haven’t looked back.

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What about the new specialized captains…Anyone hear of a release or announcement?

:slight_smile:

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I’ve been looking for that very picture to compare the two for weeks now, Thankyou! :raised_hands:t2:

Looking at the XCO on the weekend, the Schwalbe riders (Alan Hatherly, Alessandra Keller + others) not on the “first ride” tyres were running the Racing Ralph, Super Race, both Front and Rear.

Interesting to see as it is supposedly a rear specific Tyre.

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But the winner of men’s race, Simone, was on Schwalbe’s prototype “first ride” tyre. It looks like the others made a poor choice in tyre selection. :wink:

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For what it’s worth, I used a 2.4 Aspen at Sea Otter Fuego XL. First time running an Aspen and first time riding at Sea Otter (or anywhere in California for that matter). I thought it was fantastic.

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