Holiday coming up soon. The terrain there will really wear soft tyres but it's a holiday so that's okay.
1. Use existing parts worn tyres. Sioes are just visible still
2. Replace like for like as I know they work out there. HR3 maxxgrip and DHR II maxxterra.
3. Fit the radial Mary and Albert I have waiting where I'm only going to get one ride on them before I go
I’m in a similar situation and I don’t know the correct answer but I will be taking option 3
I don't have that luxury as I'm flying. If I'm ordering new tyres, it needs doing sooner rather than later.
New tyres for a holiday, you want your bike to be the best it can be and that will likely be on new tyres. So for me it's be 2.
If you know it'll work then I'd stick with that, I think not the time for an experiment. I like to go up a bit on toughness though for holidays though, just because it's such a drag to waste time with flats, or have to find replacements, or worst of all hurt a wheel. And in a group you feel like such a dick if it's always you. HR3 and DHR2 is just a fantastic, super trustworthy combo right up to really bad mud. As long as you don't mind the drag!
Radial Mary isn't imo as overall good as the highroller 3. The radial really is awesome and the maxxis has no answer to that, but the overall tyre lacks the edge grip and if you're on slidy rock or similiar it's not quite as sticky, carcass aside it doesn't do anything quite as well. Obviously because Maxxis learned from it!
(This might not affect you, but, I found the carcass sorcery almost a disadvantage sometimes, because I went "this feels amazing" when it was working, then that made me ask more of the tyre, so when I ran into its weaknesses it felt worse. I wouldn't have done the same on a standard Mary, because it never feels as good at its best so it doesn't have that "eggs you on" factor. This is obviously unfair, it amounts to criticising it for doing some things better and absolutely nothing worse, but still. Every tyre's as useful as its worst part, but the less balanced it is the weirder that can be. But some riders just won't have this issue at all, it's very much a rider's head thing)
Albert is fantastic when it works but plain bad in the wet, if that's a consideration. Loved it for smashing down hard dry stuff, it does a superb job for something so relatively quick and again the radial shines for that. But then it rains and it just doesn't really work. Like, for a dry week in the tarantaise or something it'd be awesome, for a wet week you'd probably be in a shop buying something else after one day. It's a great tyre for tyre shufflers imo or for real monoseason riding.
for a dry week in the tarantaise
Ooh, pretty much what I'm doing (dry being subject to confirmation) and the only indecision in my head is whether to put a Mary or Albert on the front. Bike currently has well worn Assegai/DHRII but I fancy sticking the radials on
Thanks for the detailed response Northwind, It should be a dry trip, and rocky and steep, and wilderness. Maybe I should stick with what I know and I've already been very impressed with the High Roller 3 over the Assegai. That makes me think I might be tyre sensitive to a degree. Need to try the radials I have at some point, but maybe I have left it a little to close to the holiday
Tyres can make of break a ride.
I'd suggest spanking new ones so you have the confidence in them
Option 2.
I've got radials on my HT - Mary/Albert trail
They seem decent, but you have to play around to get the right pressure
Option 2
ALWAYS new tyres on for a riding holiday...
You've gone to massively more expense elsewhere, why let the cost of a pair of new tyres ruin the trip otherwise...?
But I'd also suggest going with what you know, rather than trying something new... You might luck out and find a new favourite tyre, but I'd suggest the best time is not when you've spunked a load of money to be there and you absolutely might end up riding a week on tyres you didn't know you hated before, but you do now...
Radial carcass needs around 20-30% more pressure than you're used to by the way (and don't run inserts!) if you do use them... Why do you expect them not to last very long though...?
I meant I've only got time to get one ride in on new tyres before the holiday. I hope the radials would last longer than that.
Holiday is soon and I don't have a lot of riding opportunities between now and then
