Is 2.5 too wide for gravity Enduro

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Jaredp

Likes Dirt
So I guess this is self explanatory, but I raced my first Enduro on the weekend and really am gutted.

I feel I rode shit, my prep was shit and as such I am reviewing everything about my setup.

I am running a 2.5 minion on the front of a 29'r and a 2.35 Nobby Nick on the back. Given how damn pedally the course was and that the same course will most likely be used next year... I am left thinking is that just over kill and am I causing excess drag on my legs on 7 minute descent that are no more than 10% gradient. Also is a minion slower rolling than the High roller 2?

I really struggled with getting this bike turned when I first bought it but once the minion went on the thing never washes... "Like ever" as my niece would say. So I am thinking, could I live with either a faster rolling tyre or maybe go a 2.35 as I noticed the maxis website just started listing those recently.

The occasional slide on the front vs extra speed argument ?????

I am changing my entire training program... I am a competitive person. I don't need to win. But I do need to feel I walked away leaving nothing on the table so to speak. Giving up a few seconds to strava here and there doesn't count for me. But come race day, it counts to me.
 
H

HimynameisMike

Likes Dirt
Thinner tyres do have less rolling resistance. I ran 2.5 minions front and rear when I first started getting into 'all-mountain' style riding. After I switched to a minion 2.3 front and a maxis larsen 2.3 on the rear I did not an immediate improvement in being able to pedal uphill.

Tyre choice comes down to personal preference, I think there's another thread where people have discussed the infinite tyre combo's.
 
C0na

C0na

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Get a set of high roller 2's. Or a High roller on the front and an Ardent on the back. 2.40 for both if possible. :thumb:
 
Dozer

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
Why would a Minion be made for a 29er? It's a downhill tyre...........

Tyres are a kind of placebo. You'd like to think a new tyre with fancy knob design will give you that extra skill to take on the best in the business. When you ride it and you don't win, you assume the tyre is total pooh and you replace it only to find it was probably a good tyre compared to the over priced fancy named tyre you just bought.
People look at the tread of a tyre stationary but no one ever talks of looking at the crest of the tyre while it's moving. Do a simple exercise and look at the front tyre while you're rolling along, look at the furthest point forward to see the curve of the face of the tyre and see how much of that face has open channels or if it's a constantly round surface. Then, imagine the contact patch to the ground where the tyre will be flatter because of the weight on it. Will the gaps between the knobs close up and create an unused amount of drag on the surface? Will it be a contact patch that provides grip or is it useless drag? Is it a contact patch you could cure by changing tyre pressures? Is it a tyre that you want to perform better under braking rather than rolling resistance? Is it a tyre that has great cornering grip?
Knobs on tyres don't provide the overall grip and / or drag. They provide a smaller amount of surface contact than a slick tyre would so the theory would be to assume that the knobs are there to give some flexibility in the rubber (there's your tyre compound), they provide a grabbing face to assist braking efficiency and they create paths between each other to shed any material not need on the tyre. Ultimately, a slick tyre will suit a hard faced surface as it rolls better and isn't being interrupted by gaps between the knobs. Think of a road bike and how well it rolls then imagine it with a knobbed tyre. Yuck, it'd feel like a shopping trolley.
My suggestion when thinking tyres is to start your train of thought on a slick tyre then determine why you want knobs on it. Is it for braking? Is it for compound structure? Is it to shed loose dirt and mud?
 
slowmick

slowmick

38-39"
keep an eye on the sales and buy yourself a race day tyre. train on your normal tyres and get mega fit with the extra resistance.

BTW i ran 2.6 dual ply Ardents front and back for the Victorian Gravity Enduro series. Don't have to think about flatting and they cost me $10 each.
 
B

Ben_M

Likes Bikes
Depends on the course but i'd say too wide.

Don't forget to look at the whole package, including yourself (which it sounds like you are doing). Try and work out why you rode shit and improve the skills required to sort it out. I always review myself much harder than my bike after an event.

Also, it was your first event. There was probably lots of stuff going through your head that isn't normally there when your out riding by yourself which could have effected the way you rode.

Good luck with the next one.
 
T

The_Taurean

Likes Bikes
Hi mate, I've only been riding for about a year so take my advice with a grain of salt.
I've been doing a few gravity enduros and experimenting with tyres and I can second the PP's who recommend a HR2. I tried a number of combos and the best I found was a HR2 exo TR 3c front and ardent race exo TR 3c rear, running tubeless. Make sure you go the 3c versions, I can't recommend them highly enough, I'm a hack and if I can feel the difference it must be significant.

Running the ardent race on the rear really makes the bike feel light and accelerate well. I was a bit concerned about how it would hold up but I live in Toowoomba with lots of sharp rocks and it's been great. I even did a downhill race on it and it held up great.
 
Yarrahappinni

Yarrahappinni

Likes Dirt
My new go to tyres are Maxxis minion dhr2 2.35 front and ardent 2.4 rear. Always tubeless. Or a new high roller 2 on the front for a little bit more speed but less corner bite. The new Maxxis enduro based tyres are reliable, durable and very cost effective.
2.5 tyres are downhill based where the 2.35/2.4 are more xc/enduro. Which is simply weight and strength, so less weight will accelerate quicker.
New bling always make you a better rider. Haha.
 
J

Jaredp

Likes Dirt
Cheers guys,

Ordered A Minion and a High roller 2 in 2.35x29 this arvo and will try them over the next few weeks.

The suggestion of leaving them on to train is a good one but I have always believed in "train what you Race". that way there is no unfamiliarity when committing to a turn or a manouvre.

I have re written my training program and will start working on the things that let me down.
 
M

maxpowers

Likes Bikes
Hi Jaredp,

Can I ask where you raced and what was it dry, wet or in between?

The reason I ask is obviously like racing, you use the right tyres for the right track conditions.

Cheers,

Dan.
 
J

Jaredp

Likes Dirt
I raced the WAGE Gravity Enduro on mount gun gin in WA. It was all dry and typical pea gravel of WA to hard pack clay.

I really like the Minion I must say. As a trail tyre I switched over to it a few years back and have never looked back. When I originally bought it, it was the only 29'r size they did and high rollers weren't realised yet.

You are right about the "tyre to suit the conditions" . I just really grabbed my bike in the same condition I rode downhill on it the previous week and went for it.

I checked the sag in the suspension tonight and it was around the 40% mark. No wonder I was clipping pedals on rocks. Grrrrr.

I made a real hatchet job of that race.
 
M

Mr_hANky

Likes Bikes and Dirt
You forgot to mention the track is predominatly pea gravel. I ride kala alot on a 26 stumpy evo with 2.3" highrollers front and rear. Where did you place? To be honest it sounds like the main thing holding you back is your skills. 80% of the time when people post up threads like this its because they want to progress faster than their skill set is allowing them too so they try and find easier fixes. Best advice i can give is ride more and different types of riding. Im predominatly an DH rider and it shows when i ride my trail bike. I found the more i rode my trail bike, the mee i could feel it improving my DH'ing aswell. Just ride heaps and you will eventually be alot faster than you realise.
 
J

Jaredp

Likes Dirt
Mr_hANky said:
You forgot to mention the track is predominatly pea gravel. I ride kala alot on a 26 stumpy evo with 2.3" highrollers front and rear. Where did you place? To be honest it sounds like the main thing holding you back is your skills. 80% of the time when people post up threads like this its because they want to progress faster than their skill set is allowing them too so they try and find easier fixes. Best advice i can give is ride more and different types of riding. Im predominatly an DH rider and it shows when i ride my trail bike. I found the more i rode my trail bike, the mee i could feel it improving my DH'ing aswell. Just ride heaps and you will eventually be alot faster than you realise.
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone looks at their own skills as "enough". Especially for someone with a competitive streak.... Like me. I will always look for ways to improve. My prep was rubbish and played a huge part in my crappy result. 8th in sport (to me) is a complete disgrace. I am already taking steps to ride with faster downhill guys and hope fully learn from them.

Then again this was my first Enduro so I made a lot of stupid mistakes I have learnt from. Riding down the wrong track and having to back track... Phark!!

Back when I was racing XC marathons I would place top 20 in male open regularly. This certainly brought me down a peg or three. Hahahahahaha
 
F

Flint

Likes Dirt
I recently tried a HR2 on the rear of my Bronson and it was slow and heavy, felt like I was riding with the brakes on. After one ride I put the Nobby Nic back on and all is good again. So I have a HR2 (2.4) on the front and the NN evo snakeskin (2.35) on the rear. I am pretty happy with that combo but will try an Ardent on the rear when the NN is worn out.
 
S

sclyde2

Likes Dirt
i have been running a 2.5 on the front of my trail bike for a while now - a relatively light kenda blue groove (stick-e). i have never found it to be an issue slowing me down, but i suppose i haven't raced on it. yet. i'll see how i go this weekend in the clubby at ourimbah. i reckon most rolling resistance issues will show up in the flatter/uphill sections anyway, and your rear tyre is gonna play a bigger part there.

as alluded to above, stated tyre width doesn't mean much. the manufacturers are all over the place on how they measure too. i have a 2.2 conti trail king on the back - it barely looks much smaller than the 2.5 kenda on the front. i have some of those hans dampf (2.35) tyres in the cupboard - my mates have them on their bikes too, and they look bigger than the 2.5 i am running.

i am no downhiller, but i find that as long as you don't get dud tyres, the performance differences/compromises between the good tyres pretty much even out after you get used to them. i.e. what you lose in the straights, you gain in the corners.

as for changing tyres to suit the course - i probably don't ride enough to warrant that. it seems to take me ages to get used to the characteristics of a tyre on different surfaces - after mucking around with tyre pressures, and finally getting confidence in a tyre, I often stick to that one tyre for a quite while.
 
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