Cannondale Jekyll, great on the descents, but bloody heavy oem tyres being 2.4’s as well. Mate has some Damfs on his new Turner Burner and his roll really well. So, are OEM’s crap ?, should I just get some new H.D’s or something else that rolls a lot better than I am putting up with at the moment. Help anyone…….. !!

The OEM tyres should be ORC compound and therefore harder and faster rolling. Maybe your mate has more pressure in them. I find them draggy and run it on the front only but they are awesome tyres for grip.

They say compound 3 on them, no sign of ORC on them.

They are generally rated 1 of 3 compounds. Pacestar is the hardest, Trailstar is the middle and Vertstar is the softest. I made the mistake of going with 2.35 Verstar Supergravitys that are heavy (over 1kg each) and because they are tacky they are very draggy. Im looking at lighter Snakeskin Trailstar Hans Dampfs or Gatestar 4x Nobby Nics (Pacestar centre so roll well and Vertstar side knobs for grip)

If they have no star rating they will be equivalent of trailstar id guess.

Why not try the rock razor on the rear

It’s their new tyre designed to compliment the hans dampf but in drier conditions

Replaced the hans damfs on my SB66 with purgatory grid rear, butcher control front. Was like taking the lead boots off.

Nic front, Ralph rear is the way.
Dampfs are a bit draggy.

Pedal harder? 😆

I don’t think they’re that bad, but I’ve run tacky tyres for ages now so am just used to it. I like the grip.

The Rock Razor rolls really well but mine is coming off soon…I don’t think it’ll be much fun on wet trails.

Been usign Hans dampfs (trailstar compound) for a couple of years now front and rear, since they came out, and they feel pretty good to me, not noticeably draggy.

But seeing lots of thse types of threads criticising the hans dampfs for being draggy, wonder if I should try something else and notice a revelation ?

Been usign Hans dampfs (trailstar compound) for a couple of years now front and rear, since they came out, and they feel pretty good to me, not noticeably draggy.

But seeing lots of thse types of threads criticising the hans dampfs for being draggy, wonder if I should try something else and notice a revelation ?

I’m in the same boat…I still quite like them. It seems that everyone hates Schawble tyres this week. I’ve had no issues with mine, even at low pressures.

I wouldnt say the HDs are particularly draggy, but they are quite heavy. But the grip they have is pretty dam good.

but they are quite heavy

Are they though? when comparing to other tyres of the same size? I reckon they’re pretty typical in terms of weight.

26″ 2.35 hans dampf trailstar snakeskin weighs 765g
26″ 2.3 specialized butcher weighs 730g
26″ 2.3 maxxis high roller II weighs 835g

I had some Michelins somethings on my C456 and they made the bike slow. Changed to 2.25 Racing Ralphs and the ride was just a revelation. The RR’s are probably a bit too weak for the ‘dale, so will root through peoples ideas. Weird, as I have ridden my mates bike and they do roll better. Both tubeless.

Replaced the hans damfs on my SB66 with purgatory grid rear, butcher control front. Was like taking the lead boots off.

And the Purgatory and Butcher aren’t fast rolling tyres by any means! Iike the grip they give, but there are tyres out there that grip nearly as well but roll much faster still…

Highroller 2 seems a fair bit faster too. TBH I’ve nothing against a slow rolling tyre, I just don’t think the Hans Dampfs bring enough to the table to justify it- I found them good at best, and occasionally crap (extremely cloggy frinstance).

I think folk should get empirical if they’re genuinely worried about drag – time trial is the only way – my own feeling is that a bit of drag is worth the penalties overall – as going fast with confidence is the best part of mtb – If you race then perhaps not
..

As a time trial, my local route is an hour and 10 mins slower on the Dale over the C456, although there is currently about 7 lb difference in each bike as well.

Crikey. How long is your local route if it takes you 1 hour 10 minutes longer on the Cannondale?

Er, should have said its an hour , but it is 10 mins longer on the dale, so 1hr 10…… Its 12 miles, give or take a few yards 😀

I must be one of the few people that dont rate the hans dampf then.
Bought some after hearing people rave about them for yonks now and am really not that keen on the front. t just doesnt grip, constantly having front end slides over all sorts of terrain. Previously I’ve been using a Bontrager xr4( that came new on the bike) and a HR2 both easily excel over the hans dampf.
The shall be coming off and being sold very soon!

Jim was that an evo in Trailstar on the front. If so I’m surprised. I could understand it a little more if it’s an oem performance line or maybe the pacestar. I do fancy trying a HR2 though.

HD’s are a all mountain type tyre that is great also on trails, it isn’t a downhill tyre and it isn’t an xc specific tyre.

Everyones bikes, riding styles and places where they ride are different this is why therefore opinions on tyres fluctuate wildly and threads such as this are a typical example of this.

They suit my riding and place where I mostly ride (yorkshire woods and the odd trail centre) therefore I really like them.

TBH I always thought a big part of the HD hype was from the 650b thing- it was the first half decent trailbike/enduro 650b tyre, so loads of people fitted them to replace inappropriate or low quality OEM pish. So naturally they got a lot of recommendations and good reviews. But there’s a lot more competition now.

(same thing seems to be happening now with the Magic Mary- not an especially great tyre, ime, but pretty much in a field of one so it’s going to be everywhere come winter enduros)

I must be one of the few people that dont rate the hans dampf then.
Bought some after hearing people rave about them for yonks now and am really not that keen on the front. t just doesnt grip, constantly having front end slides over all sorts of terrain. Previously I’ve been using a Bontrager xr4( that came new on the bike) and a HR2 both easily excel over the hans dampf.
The shall be coming off and being sold very soon!

No, you’re not at all. On the front, they are a terrible tyre IMO. The shape of them & lack of substance to the side knobs mean they don’t bite at all, they just slide. They seem to work pretty well as a rear, but they don’t last very long before the knobs start to break down and tear.

The Magic Mary is a great tyre though I think. The only issue I have is a 2.35″ snakeskin 650b weighs nearly as much as a DH tyre (got three, average weight is 988g). It’s also massive. But then it has grip for miles, even if again, they wear a bit quick.

I’ve just ditched a Magic Mary/Rock Razor (SG) combo because I was fed up of the weight, making the bike feel lethargic. It was great in the Alps & Canada, but back home, down south? No thanks.

My ever searching combination of weight/rolling speed/grip has put me back on a Specialized Butcher/Purgatory combination. I can’t seem to get a combination that balances all of the above like these.

I also saved nearly bang on 700g just by swapping the tyres. As Schwalbe either seem to vastly underestimate the weight of their tyres on the website Vs reality, or just outright lie.

They do look like skinny little XC tyres compared though. I’ll get used to the look. 🙂

Never had any grip issues with the HD. Rode well in Spain, but here they are draggy. Want to use the bike for local playtime and Welsh Trail Centres, which mean climbing and rolling. So, best deal on the Spesh tyres please, as might try those.