Got my new orange clockwork s today, so took it out for a spin tonight along a road route I use for fitness training as it has a several long climbs.

A full review will follow, but it climbs well, I knocked 10% off my previous time for the route on my old cannondale f5, but I felt the tyres did not role as well, it felt like there was a lot more resistance.

Is it just the bigger wheels or is it the tyre?

I have Nobby Nics Evos on my 26er and it rolls really easily, the 29er came with the basic x kings and while it obviously runs fast, it feels slower, not as smooth, so wonder whether to invest in a 29er set of Nobby Nics.

Anyone got any views on the two types of tyres – are they supposed to be similar or is the basic compound of the x kings noticeably slower?

Or is it just the bigger tyres and associated angular momentum is bigger or is it the fact that my old cannondale is looser and my brand new clockwork will eventually loosen up with a few more miles?

cheers in advance for advice

has anyone switched from the bog standard x kings?

I recently built a FF29 and put NN’s on it front and rear. the 1st couple of ride were 100% off road, so i had no dragging problems and lots of grip.
Once i was back home and on my usual routes the NN on the back sounded like i was being chased by a hungry bear. So that came straight off and was replaced with a …. wait for it … Xking.(folding)

Massive improvement. Faster and still grippy but very predictable.
I’ve still got the NN on the front, but that might go for a Xking as well.

😀 laughing at your hungry bear analogy, they do sound like that – roll well though.

SO I guess my question is now, how much different are the basic x kings from the chilli in terms of rolling resistance – I assume none?

I guess what I’m feeling is the delayed response of the bigger wheels compared to the 26er?

looking at it another way, the difference might be in the NN’s
I was running the lastest gen EVO what ever it is, which could be very soft compared with your older used 26in NN which could be age hardened and worn smoother. thus faster rolling.

i was running a folding Xking. I ‘ve had a few black chilli contis of different breeds and the grip levels are superb. But there is a big cost difference to the folding. So do you need that level of grip on the rear, especially on a 29er?
Front yes – great.

Ok – 2p’s worth – roughly here’s my thoughts on various 29er combos since starting with x-kings:

2.2/2.4 standard x-kings – fast, good traction, good comfort/float. Front sometimes drifts, but all fine really.
2.2 standard race king rear with the 2.4 x-king front. This is a better combo as there is a more pronounced drift rear/grip front feel difference.
2.2 race king rear/ 2.2 Saguaro front – even better – good grippy and fast front with a fast rear. Slightly less volume at the front than the 2.4 x king, but overall more confidence and faster

Sorry – not tried NN’s for comparison.
Also – its your first ride. Give it a while on the supplied tyres then adjust for more speed/ more grip as you need to later on. If its your first 29er, then the ‘momentum-y’ feel of the bigger wheels may take a couple of rides to get used to.

Cheers Yak – got my f5 set up exactly how I like it now, and then the missus wanted to buy me a new bike for my birthday so I ordered the orange clockwork – its a thing of beauty, but when I sit back on my F5, its just feels so much more responsive and willing and… loose (if you know what I mean).

I’m guessing the orange will feel like that after a few rides, if I finish early tonight I’m going for a longer, harder run and see how she gets on.

It didn’t feel harder to ride last night, in fact I noticed I was climbing some of the steeper bits in a higher gear than I normally would, it just doesn’t feel as quick or as responsive. Its hard to explain what I mean.

Maybe I just need to give it time as you say.