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Anyone compared a trailblazer and a ranger 2.8 side by side
After waiting the best part of a year for them, I've decided against buying the minions. The price, Maxxis narrow sizing and shallow tread has put me off.
I know that the view is that the tread doesn't need to be so deep on plus tyres as there is a bigger contact patch, but that just says to me that they will need replacing sooner as there wasn't much tread to start with and at £80 a piece I wouldn't want to be replacing them that regularly.
The 2.8 butcher and slaughter GRIDs are now available in the states. If they aren't going to be available in the UK anytime soon, I might see if I can find somewhere that'll ship them over.
Anyone compared a trailblazer and a ranger 2.8 side by side
There you go Mick.
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5496/30419948082_b62a80e067_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5496/30419948082_b62a80e067_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Nm7bKu ]2.8 Ranger on Scraper.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/396/20122664671_7e116695ed_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/396/20122664671_7e116695ed_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/wEaV9k ]69mm.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr
Not sure why so few people are posting re the WTB Bridger. Good few of us using them over here, and I'm not aware of anything but deep love for them.
We've got a good range of terrain over here every time we ride (rocks, flint, roots and slop etc) and they just work.
Cheers stu very similar looks like ranger has a smaller sidewall but bigger knobbles
The Ranger is a much better tyre.
The knobs actually go all the way to the outside of the tyre.
Think it's grown a little now too. I'll try and measure it later.
I've posted about Bridgers before. I run them front and rear on my hardtail. They're a fantastic Spring/Summer/Autumn tyre, not so great in slimy conditions IME.
They have stood up well to rocky peaks and Welsh rides, no punctures. Great all round tyre.
I'm now running 2.8 NN and WTB 2.5 Breakout on the bouncer too. The BO is a beast of a tyre, stoutly made and large for the quoted size. It's supposedly based on the TB carcass, don't know how true that is but it is big.
I've not put many miles into these tyres yet though but they fared better than I expected in the few sloppy rides I've got in so far.
Thanks mate
I'm now running 2.8 NN and WTB 2.5 Breakout on the bouncer too. The BO is a beast of a tyre, stoutly made and large for the quoted size. It's supposedly based on the TB carcass, don't know how true that is but it is big.
Aye, the breakout is a corking rear tyre, heavy - granted, but fast rolling, toughest tyre I've experienced and way grippier than it's tread pattern would suggest.
Has anyone compared the 2.8 to 3.0 Ranger? Got a trailblazer at the moment but fancy more grip to match the bridger on the front.
Specialized UK have just told me that they aren't "ranging" the 2.8 butcher and slaughter GRIDs. They're only stocking the 2.6 versions. Very disappointing.
That's a shame. I do wonder if 2.6 will become the new 2.8. Currently on WT 2.5s on one bike and they are great but they don't feel like a chubby.
@nixie - I have the bridger on the rear of my Stache. Great three seasons tyre as pointed out above.
The BB is already quite low on the stumpjumper with 3.0 tyres. Should be ok with 2.8 but think a 2.6 is going to be too much of a drop. What's the chances of Schwalbe getting the magic Mary out this year?
Not sure why so few people are posting re the WTB Bridger. Good few of us using them over here, and I'm not aware of anything but deep love for them.
We've got a good range of terrain over here every time we ride (rocks, flint, roots and slop etc) and they just work.
I'm running Bridger front and back with no issues really, still trying to dial in the pressures though....
I am tempted by the bridger on the rear as well but not 100% sure there is room (longitude 2016). Should measure it really given the front i have is in the same rim.
Alex, bridger not good in winter mud then on the back? Been using the trailblazer this winter and that has been slippy at times (think tractor pulling style wheel spins to go forwards).
Found the 2.8 butcher GRID in Arts Cyclery, but they are $60 each and they want another $60 to ship them via UPS. HiBike.de are going to have stock arrive end of May and they are much better priced at 50 euros each plus 9e for shipping. So I'll be holding off on any tyre purchases until they arrive in Germany.
Right proper test coming up this weekend. Rekon Front, TCS Tough Ranger on the back
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3817/32939973473_6007ca341a_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3817/32939973473_6007ca341a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/SbMYv8 ]Mojo 3 goes chubby for our Snowden weekend[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexleigh/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
And this is why I removed them for the last few weeks
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3837/32910004514_b1b22cfb03_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3837/32910004514_b1b22cfb03_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/S99nLW ]Mojo 3 goes chubby for our Snowden weekend[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexleigh/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
Not a lot of room in there for UK mud. It does keep the bike super short at the back tho.
If they survive the ranger path, they're staying on for Ciclo Montana/Spain in three weeks. If not, it's back to the WideTrails which I've really come to like. For info this pairing (even with the heavy Tough casing) are lighter than a WT DHR/DHF combo by about 200 gr if you care about such things.
Cost wise WTB cost me 32 quid after a discount code, rekon was £70 cash new. I'm not sure it's twice as good 😉
WTB need to get make a plus version of the vigilante.
Alex are the tough versions noticeably stiffer than the lights?
I hope so. Definitely less floppy and the sidewall feels beefed up significantly. My old fast rolling one wouldn't even support it's own weight off the rim. This one is a lot stouter. It's nearly a third as heavy coming in at just under 1000gr so as long as the heft has been put in the right places...
I did like the tyre tho on my FlareMax before I destroyed it. Fast rolling, surprisingly good on braking for such a shallow thread and loads of grip (until it's really muddy). Hoping this combo is as good. Other tyre on the FlareMax was the Ranger which again I rate. It's on my Stache now with a bridger on the back and I'm very happy with those.
But year 2.8 Vigilante would be ace. Especially at < £40.
That sounds like a good option then. I had a Bridger and while I quite liked the tyre I found I had to run it with more pressure than the other tyres as I'd used as the sidewalls were so thin. So far the stiffest sidewalls I've found have been the Specialized GRID tyres.
I think I'd said before I really liked the 2.8 NN front, rocket ron rear I had on my last scale plus (once I found the pressure sweet spot) Plenty of repaired tears on the Ron with glue patches but it was still absolutely fine run tubeless. No issues with the NN but it was only ever up front so not really at risk.
I've a 3.0 purgatory grid pair now and whilst it's a much heavier tyre that I've no doubt it will not need anything like the sidewall repairs that the RR was subject to, however it is probably the least reliable tubeless install I've ever had. I can't run it much below 20psi without it oozing sealant under JRA pedalling (in snow).
Once the snow is completely gone, I'll try and solve the tubeless problem or just retire them for now and looking forwards to trying the rekon 2.8 that came on the new bike.
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2940/32956710444_fba5e631b3_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2940/32956710444_fba5e631b3_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/SdgKPA ]North Wales MTB Weekend - Snowdon and CYB[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexleigh/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
Test passed wth flying colours. Snowdon Ranger path and a lap of the beast. Included casing a bunch of water bars, smashing through some proper jagged rocks and generally abusing the tyres in as many ways as possible.
No issues whatsoever. Mate's had quite a few punctures on 'normal' Maxxis 2.3 DHF/DHR but not so much as a burp from either end on the Mojo, And I preferred the bike with them on. Might have just been as it was a fab weekend but they're staying on.
That's proper mtb'ing Alex ^^
In contrast I managed a few local miles pottering through the woods on my freshly cobbled-together 650b+ bike [a 29 Parkwood with Recons] and 2.8 WTB Ranger Comps - it's so 'springy' and fun to ride, I guess it's the combo of a coil fork and soft 2.8 but it just launches off small roots and lips 😀
The sidewalls on the cheap Comps might be a bit cheese-like, but having ridden them now, I'll happily drop £50 on the Tough version if I do manage to rip a sidewall. They ride nice and the clearance is good (wouldn't want to go any bigger in the RS Recon). I only run 27mm rims and they still come up about 2.6 on the carcass and 2.8 across the shoulder knobs.
Not sure if these pics will work ..
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Looking appropriately chubby. I am starting to become a fan of WTB tyres. Seem to be tough (if you get the right casing), have a decent roll to grip ratio and cost about half a Maxxis! I think I paid less than £35 for mine by just doing a google search... not a shop I'd used before.
At 2.6 you're in the vanguard of the latest niche without having to buy expensive tyres. Result 🙂
At 2.6 you're in the vanguard of the latest niche without having to buy expensive tyres. Result
Haha excellent! Although I think I need to hang it all off a steel frame as long as a farm gate for maximum kudos 😀
@Alex - so how was the Rekon as a front tyre then? I've used one out back and thinking of sticking it on the front now it's drier instead of a NN.
I am starting to become a fan of WTB tyres
Aye, as long as weights not a huge issue, they are bombproof tyres, I'm definitely a fan.
I'm a fan. It seems a good hybrid of grip, weight and toughness. I've ridden one as a front on my Cotic for six months in the forest, Malverns and trips to BPW and Antur and never felt the urge to swap it fir anything else. Seems reasonably durable as well. Not sure it's worth the money but it's the best plus tyre I've ridden.
Ta for that. I actually think that the NN 2.8 is surprisingly good up front, better than the normal-sized versions I've tried, but Maxxis has its rubber compounds dialled in a way that ime Schwalbe simply doesn't. I can feel a tyre-wrestling match coming on...
Once we're back from Spain, I'll switch the Ranger for a NN I think. But leave the Rekon on the front..
Off the back of Alex's glowing reviews and chatting to Si from Pedal and Spoke on a recent coaching session, I've just bought a pair of Rekon+ tyres.
I'm off to Wales mid May and will be doing a day at BPW so hoping they don't explode while I'm there, but I'll make sure I pack the Nobby Nics just in case.
I hope so too otherwise I'm going to feel terribly guilty about someone spending that much on tyres 😉 I'm taking a spare one to Spain but hopefully it'll stay in the bag.
I did manage to partially roll the ranger off the rim, Felt it but it didn't lose air but was flat in the morning and needed a burp on the compressor to reseal the bead. Stuck a bit more air in it now.
After much testing/dicking about I'm pretty much set on 16 in the front and 18 in the rear. You can run them lower and they feel great esp round trail centres, but not worth the risk of a burp/pinch.
Also did you have any issue with plus tyres in the BPW uplifts?
Nope. Best to get to the front of the trailer tho as they have a couple of wider hoops for fatter tyres. The drivers will move stuff around for you as well so it's a non issue...
Thank you schwalbe. Just scrolling through their new tyre line up and see there's a 2.8 Magic Mary apex in soft and speedgrip
[url= https://www.schwalbe.com/en/offroad-reader/magic-mary.html ]Schwalbe[/url]
Muggomagic - I've seen you're interested in wider 650b+ rims, can't PM you for some reason. Drop me a message, I've got Hugo 52's on Hope Pro 4's I'm debating selling.
On topic - I've been happy with a Specialized Control casing on the front, but have gone through the sidewall on the rear version. Recently picked up a GRID casing for the rear. I've not tried it yet, but they're generally MUCH better.
Had my 1st ride with the Rekons yesterday. As soon as I got them out of the snazzy little bags I could feel just how much sturdier the Rekons felt. When you hold them, they keep that nice round shape, where the Nobby nics just droop down.
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They were super easy to mount and both went up with just a track pump and I didn't even need to remove the cores. Once I fitted the 1st one I lined it up against the Nobby Nic still on the other wheel. It's fair to say there is a lot more than 0.2" between the tyres.
Fair bit of difference in the overall diameter and width
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They are mounted on a set of roval 29mm ID rims and the tyre profile looks really good. A lot more like a standard tyre. I think the rims were a bit narrow for the NN.
I set them up at 18psi rear and 16psi front, which is more than I would usually run in them, but I wanted extra in to cover any potential air loss from bedding them in. I will drop them to 15psi rear and 12psi front which is around the same as I ran the NNs in the dry.
First thing I noticed was how they felt a lot more like normal size (2.3) tyres. No noticeable squirm and they felt a lot quicker to accelerate. I felt a lot more confident in leaning the bike over too.
They didn't have that same kind of monster truck feel that the NNs had, but hopefully that's down to running them at the higher pressures. If not though I'd be happy to trade that for the other benefits.
My biggest concern about switching to 2.8s was that the already low BB would end up being too low and I'd be constantly suffering with pedal strikes. It certainly wasn't an issue on this ride, but I'll reserve judgement on that until I've ridden them in the woods.
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I also found a good use for the Maxxis tyre bags too. Peaty would be proud of me.
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Interesting about the 'not monster truck feel' on the Rekon. I'd probably agree wit that on a 35mm rim - although it's not apples for apples as I'm comparing it against a 3.0 trail boss on a 45mm rim - but on my Mojo I prefer that. Comparing that to the Maxxis widetrails I tried on the same rims, it's certainly a heck more 'monster-y' than those so pretty much the sweet spot.
It's only when I ride my mate's 29+ do I get the close to fat feeling a a massive tyre on a wide rim.
Be interesting when the 2.6s come out. I'd be worried they'd feel more like the widetrails than a proper chubby.
Oh and a 2.8 Magic Mary? Awesome. that's next winter sorted then. One of those on the front of the Stache and a dirty wizard on the back and that'd be sorted.
Oh and we'll see how the Rekon/Tough Carcass Ranger do in Spain next week. I've always been a fan of the Rekon and probably put 1500km on them now across two bikes. The ranger is growing on me, it's a very shallow tread and I'd had a lot of fun with it losing all traction under my less than finessed braking, but it rolls well and seems to be as tough as advertised.
It'd be absolutely useless in the mud tho!
I was set on using the 29er wheels for BPW but think I'll be using the b+ wheels with the Rekons now. I prefer the 27.5 wheels as that lower BB feels great when descending and they're lighter too. I was just put off using them with the 3" NNs as fast sweeping corners or berms there was this feeling of the bike wobbling around, which was quite disconcerting.
Definitely grabbing a Magic mary for the front once the trails soften up a bit and maybe a butcher grid rear. It's great that there's finally a lot more choice. To think when you started this thread there really were very few options.
Chubbies at BPW are fab. I took my FlareMax up there and I'll be taking the Mojo in May sometime. Really suit those trails (well Reds, Blues and Blacks from the middle - I've not done the blacks from the top). I did need to put a bit more pressure in tho after burping the rear on one of the reds.
True on tyre choice, still some settling down to do I think. But now Schwalbe are there with the 2.8s I'm hoping there isn't another industry shift!
On topic - I've been happy with a Specialized Control casing on the front, but have gone through the sidewall on the rear version. Recently picked up a GRID casing for the rear. I've not tried it yet, but they're generally MUCH better.
Are they in country now?
Think the purgatory is available with grid casing now. The butcher and slaughter not here just yet.
I don't think you can get them here yet, it was a guy selling them on here, from his non-UK bike.