Mywifesirrational
I however am very normal. Trust me.
Was it a Super Gravity Rock Razor? heaps more robust than the snake skin. I hated the SS, small, flimsy, squirmy under load and felt like it rolled poorly in comparison to the SG RR
All Mountain Tyres
- Thread starter tasty.dirt74
- Start date
Flow-Rider
Burner
I found the RR to squirm a lot more than Min. SS, even to the point where I would have to slow down because I've burped most of the air out of the rear tyre. The pacestar compound in the RR didn't last long either, didn't manage to slash the sidewalls but that might be luck. The Silkworm protection works fairly well in the Min SS also.
I am running this tyre too (5 months on the front of the trail bike which does black diamonds one day and 100km xc rides the next) and it's the real deal. Previously ran Purgs, Nics, ardents etc and before that DH tyres - butchers, DHFs and HRs.
For me this Wild AM grips as well as the DH tyres through the corners and yet it feels faster rolling than the Nic.
It is quite square and coming off the Nic it took me a while to adjust. The nic would just kind of start drifting early in the lean but the Wild AM feels like it locks at shallow angles and just holds the line. Because of this I was concerned it would dump you like a bag of shit if you leaned really hard but it hasnt happened yet and I've been trying.
The Wild Enduro (what Sam Hill is running) looks like the same tread pattern but larger knobs - would love to try one of those but need a bigger bike to justify it.
born-again-biker
Is looking for a 16" bar
Yeah my experience so far is very similar.
Bloody good tyre. It really surprised me how well it hung on in ridiculous heavy mud...and steep mud at that.
I'm gonna regret writing this, but it hasn't dumped me on my local hard, dry slippery trails either....
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Paired a 2.3 DHF with 2.2 Ardent on my narrower wheels this weekend and was really happy with the combo this morning in dry conditions.
Thinking maybe 2.5 DHF and 2.3DHF on the Flow's but as yet undecided. The Michelins mentioned above have my attention. I ran Michelin DH tyres forever a go and they were awesome (but expensive so went back to Maxxis).
Thinking maybe 2.5 DHF and 2.3DHF on the Flow's but as yet undecided. The Michelins mentioned above have my attention. I ran Michelin DH tyres forever a go and they were awesome (but expensive so went back to Maxxis).
rangersac
Medically diagnosed OMS
Hooked up a Bontrager SE4 2.4" 29er on a Flow Mk3 rear and so far I'm impressed. Good traction, not too draggy, very predictable and even grip when cornering and braking, and sheds sticky mud/ loam pretty well. Replaced an Aggressor which I was reasonably happy with, aside from it clagging up when the going got soft. The SE4 feels like it rolls a bit better than the Aggressor, will be interesting to see how it wears.
Nambra
Definitely should have gone to specsavers
Could you confirm what size the Aggressor was that the SE4 replaced - 2.3" or a 2.5" WT? I've got a 29 x 2.3" Aggressor on a 30mm ID rear rim and I think it's squared off a bit too much which makes it a bit unpredictable when cornering. The 2.5" WT version is likely to be better suited to a 30mm rim, but I think it could also result in frame clearance issues too. Hence the question about the SE4.
rangersac
Medically diagnosed OMS
It was a 2.3". The SE4 definitely bags out with a rounder profile than the Aggressor, and grip feels like it has a more even progression.
Nambra
Definitely should have gone to specsavers
Good to know - cheers for that.
beeb
Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
I had a SE4 as a rear tyre (briefly) on a 30mm ID rim. It rode okay (not amazing, but generally alright) in terms of handling, but I found it quite draggy as it tended to have the transition and sideblocks engaged as well as the centre tread (too square). I changed to a 2.5" WT Aggressor and it both rolled and gripped a lot better.
At a guess the SE4/SE5/SE3 would better suit 25-27mm (or thereabouts) ID rims to get them a bit rounder in profile.
Still have one mounted on a spare set of wheels currently, can take a pic of inflated profile if desired. Probably worth mentioning, the SE5 worked better on the rear for me (no transition/sideblock drag), or SE3 if you don't need too much tread bite. Both rolled faster (by feel) than the SE4.
I guess the good thing about the Bontrager tyres is if you don't like them, they have money-back 30 day satisfaction guarantee. So you can always give them a go and see how you feel about them.
Nambra
Definitely should have gone to specsavers
Thanks beeb - good feedback there. I don't really notice a lot of drag with my 2.3" Aggressor, but I do think it's not quite right on a 30mm ID rim - the larger WT version would be a lot better. That Bontrager 30-day satisfaction guarantee is a good thing too - you could conceivably try all their tyres and keep the one you like!
beeb
Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Pics for reference of what I was talking about with the intermediate/transition blocks:
SE4
SE5
(Obviously they square off a fair bit more when you put some weight on them.)
SE4 due to those transition blocks filling up the "channels" just feels like it always has a lot of the blocks on the ground at any given time. It does make it a very predictable tyre, but also somewhat limits its grip as you can't really get heaps of side-bite out of it when leant over when desired (and they get really squirmy if you lower the pressures to chase grip). I definitely preferred the SE5 to the SE4 on the rear by a large margin, and I'd guess (but haven't tried) that the SE5 could work better on the front as well as it'd be easier to engage the side knobs. Overall it's a better roller due to the channels between the centre and outer blocks.
The SE3 has much shorter knobs but similar spread to the SE4, but is faster rolling. But obviously it's also pretty traction-limited in anything other than dry-weather.
I reckon they're a decent tyre, but not great and not really worth the extra money compared to a Maxxis or whatever else. XR4 (or XR5 if you can find them) are more realistically priced, but I found them a little squirmier and more prone to bottoming out over rocks due to the thinner sidewalls.
Basically I changed to DHF 2.6 up front and Aggressor 2.5 rear and got better grip, more precision (less squirm) and markedly better rolling than any of the Bontys mentioned above. Not saying the Bontys are bad, just not well matched to 30mm ID rims as they get too square. I'd guess on a slightly narrower rim, the SE5 would be a very good allround tyre, and the SE4 a good all rounder for general trail riding.
SE4
SE5
(Obviously they square off a fair bit more when you put some weight on them.)
SE4 due to those transition blocks filling up the "channels" just feels like it always has a lot of the blocks on the ground at any given time. It does make it a very predictable tyre, but also somewhat limits its grip as you can't really get heaps of side-bite out of it when leant over when desired (and they get really squirmy if you lower the pressures to chase grip). I definitely preferred the SE5 to the SE4 on the rear by a large margin, and I'd guess (but haven't tried) that the SE5 could work better on the front as well as it'd be easier to engage the side knobs. Overall it's a better roller due to the channels between the centre and outer blocks.
The SE3 has much shorter knobs but similar spread to the SE4, but is faster rolling. But obviously it's also pretty traction-limited in anything other than dry-weather.
I reckon they're a decent tyre, but not great and not really worth the extra money compared to a Maxxis or whatever else. XR4 (or XR5 if you can find them) are more realistically priced, but I found them a little squirmier and more prone to bottoming out over rocks due to the thinner sidewalls.
Basically I changed to DHF 2.6 up front and Aggressor 2.5 rear and got better grip, more precision (less squirm) and markedly better rolling than any of the Bontys mentioned above. Not saying the Bontys are bad, just not well matched to 30mm ID rims as they get too square. I'd guess on a slightly narrower rim, the SE5 would be a very good allround tyre, and the SE4 a good all rounder for general trail riding.
TheAzza
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I am the same and do not have a lot of love for the DHF in WT size, but prefer the Magic Mary.
I just replaced a Magic Mary with a 2.5 WT High Roller 2 and i am loving it.
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Yeah I seem to gel better with the dhf in 2.3 but havent ridden it in the same conditions. There were a couple of tracks that the 2.5dhf loved but they did have more flow to them. Will keep the HR2 in mind for next time.
wkkie
It's Not Easy Being Green
DHF