So I've (mostly) enjoyed running a semi-slick on the back of my hardtail for the theoretically less wet half of the year but I've noticed they've become less and less common to see people using, and after a cornucopia of new semi-slick reviews about a decade ago there don't seem to be any new ones happening and a lot of brands don't have any/many variants.
My other semi-slick observation is that although I like how they ride, they seem to be the only tyres I tend to have fail - round here it's sharp flints cutting through the casing that kills my tyres (I run inserts and reasonably tough casings vs my not terribly rad speed or style). I don't think there's enough knob height to keep the flints away from the casing when I'm panic braking on looser steeper stuff.
Anyway, having cut a rather large hole in a Rock Razor at the weekend I've just put an Eliminator on there instead...
They're making a gravel-driven comeback for sure. My old Bonty SSes were rocket powered.
I'd been thinking about this and I like semi slicks.
I wish WTB would bring back the Breakout.
They probably are. I do wonder if it's connected to the rise in steep off-piste trails.
Being able to slow down a tad is quite useful.
They’re making a gravel-driven comeback for sure.
WTB need to do the Raddler in 2.4in tough casing eh
Vittoria mezcal on the back of my xc bike. Barzo up front. bumped into another cyclist round here running exactly the same so doesn’t seem out of fashion to me.
bikes so fast now I have to do an aero tuck on roads. Seriously considering a drop bar gravel bike as a result…
Those old Panaracer Mach SS were so fast. About a 1.9 width too weren't they. By the end of the summer they used to be in shreds 🙂
I just run my tyres until they're semi slick.
I did have Maxxis Bling Bling's back in the day. They were rapid but they basically punctured every time I left the house.
The most recent one I had was a Specialized Slaughter and they had the same problem. Crappy Spesh tyre casings and plasticky rubber. I didn't use that for long.
I kept my Minion SS on the back of my hardtail all winter as I was only riding trail centres. I’ve been enjoying it immensely
Saw title and came on to suggest that the Eliminator is probably the modern day equivilant to the SS tyre and probably you will be better off with it.
You just buy the knobbly tyres you want then use the knobble cutting tool don't you?
I wanted some for my rigid 29er and ended up with Racing Ralphs since they are almost as quick and much more versatile. I run them all year, although I do have the luxury of being able to avoid proper clay slop during winter.
But one day you surely end up belting down a loose descent, only to discover you. just. can't. stop.
Then stitches later in the afternoon. Or, at least, that is how Racing Ralphs worked for me.
I've been really really surprised by the speed of rocket rons. not a semi slick, but I'd swapped out what I'd considered a fairly rapid tyre, the spesh S works fast trak for a ron and it feels both much faster, and much grippier on looser stuff.
fastest tyre I've used on a MTB was the terrano XC. it's very very quick, and does hook up albeit using the small hexagonal channels rather than traditional tread and leaning heavily on softer compound, so great for hardpack and rocks. falls over on anything damp, but still corners OK once it slides over to the edges.
I did find it crap once it started to wear though. Once you lose those channels, the tyre has nothing to offer.
as an aside, I'd never use a ss on the front, I was scarred by my experience of using a wildgripper sprint s back in the day..
Still love a Minion SS on the rear for most riding this time of year... but as pointed out... they're not great for steep controlled tech (DHRII for a quite stark comparison).
Maybe not a full semi-slick, but I used to love the WTB Weirwolf LT for the Herts woods:
Now I tend to ride the same trails on my gravel bike though.
Have they not been rebranded as gravel tyres?
Panaracer grave kings are worth a shout though
I still have a Slaughter on one bike and a Rock Razor, I once ran the Slaughter through winter and it actually worked ok with a decent front tyre.
Vittoria mezcal on the back of my xc bike. Barzo up front. bumped into another cyclist round here running exactly the same so doesn’t seem out of fashion to me.
The Mezcal is not a semi slick though is it? I use them front and rear and they do feel fast which is maybe why semi slicks are not so available now as better to have a fast tyre that has some grip.
I've just taken delivery of a (PSA: cheap on Merlin at the mo) Hans Dampf for the rear of my mullet MTB.
The low treads on that are about as close as I want to go to a semi-slick these days.
Maybe the rolling speed advantage vs grip isn’t what it was?
I usually pick up an Ultra soft Mary and soft Rock Razor about now for the Mega. Thought I’d try a Big Betty on the back this year due to size/cost/availability. A few rides on it and it rolls pretty well.
But yeah love a Semi Slick usually to help mitigate my Fitness or lack thereof.
” I’ve just taken delivery of a (PSA: cheap on Merlin at the mo) Hans Dampf for the rear of my mullet MTB.”
It does roll well, great for £20 or whatever they were. Wouldn’t want to pay full price for one though.
I really like Rock Razors, with the proviso that you also need a properly grippy tyre up front as it'll be doing most of the braking. I don't know if they're a 'dying breed', I think they've always been something of a minority taste tbh. Maybe in the context of a world where a lot of people seem to be running downhill tyres as 'trail' tyres, they're even more of a niche thing. I don't think I can I remember a time when you ever saw lots of them tbh.
I've recently put Bonty XR3s onto my rigid Ti HT ... my god, they're fast! Hopeless in mud, but surprisingly good on dry techy XC woodland trails (until you come to stop on a slightly sketchy downhill section where fallen branches have blocked the trail)
“But one day you surely end up belting down a loose descent, only to discover you. just. can’t. stop.”
I’ve got a Magic Mary on the front with a 160mm fork to eke out every bit of grip!
I wasn’t referring to XC tyres like a Racing Ralph, more the ones that have big side knobs like Minion but with lots of small low profile centre knobs instead of the much larger taller centre knobs you’d get on Minion-alikes. Same with the Mezcal (looks like an Ardent Race.)
It does roll well, great for £20 or whatever they were. Wouldn’t want to pay full price for one though.
I used to have them as my default rear a few years ago, when I also used to be worse at riding steep trails.
We'll soon find out if that was correlation or causation, eh 😀
Thought I’d try a Big Betty on the back this year due to size/cost/availability. A few rides on it and it rolls pretty well.
I've only tried the Supergravity ones, but I'd say it's a fairly slow roller. Michelin Wild Enduro (my current default) is noticeably easier for me. Stiff carcass may play a role there.
Pretty sure that Schwalbe have discontinued the Rock Razor and replaced it with the Wicked Will?
Currently loving the hardtail with Speedgrip NN Front and WW rear
Bontrager SE2 is worth a look. Small knobs, beefy casing.
One of the new Bontrager tyres is rather semi-slicky. Cam is at pains to not say the word semislick in the over-hyped promo vid 😆
Also the king of 90s Polaris semi-slick, the Double Fighter, is still very much available
“I’ve only tried the Supergravity ones, but I’d say it’s a fairly slow roller. Michelin Wild Enduro (my current default) is noticeably easier for me. Stiff carcass may play a role there“
Yeah, mines a Supergravity Soft @ about 18psi with Procore.
Maybe my Fitness has improved 🤣. Or I’ve got used to dragging knobbly tyres about during our extended winter.
Ive got a Rock Razor from last year with a bit of life left I might sling on for qualifying this year.
I realise I'm not answering the question here, but it's funny how the perception of tyre grip changes with your riding style (and mates).
For me most of the time and my XC riding mates: Mezcal / Bonty XR2 / Racing Ralph / Race Kings would be considered all-rounders. Barzo / Bonty XR3 / X - Kings / Rocket Rons are wet weather tyres unless it's proper slop. Then when things are properly dry the slicks come out!
This weekend I'll (hopefully) be using a Terrano (file tread) front and rear at the XC National at Woodys. It's all bike-park-y so very little hard braking is needed. If they did them in a 29er XC carcass I'd use my all time favourite jump bike tyres: DMR Supermotos!
The downside of all the silly fast tyres is my enduro bike feeling like a heavily sedated slug.
I really enjoy the old Spesh Slaughter. Only bought it for summer but it was just fine for the bulk of winter duties so ended up leaving it on and just careful not to grab a handful of rear brake on wet grass. I think the shoulder lugs still give a lot of climbing traction that a more rounded, low profile tyre won't offer.
You just reminded me I need to fit my Rock Razor to the back of the HT. But yeah, they're like rocking horse shit these days!
I always find the grip amazing on dry roots, there's a bit of a climb over a set of big awkward roots on my old local trails that I only every cleaned with a Slaughter or RR on.
Pretty sure that Schwalbe have discontinued the Rock Razor
Yes.
I grabbed one while I could, thinking to try it, but never did so sold it. I thought it'd be fun but really the implications of having to do all your braking with the front didn't really appeal, especially on unfamiliar trails or when you get yourself into a spot of bother.
I still like a slaughter on the back for bikepacking. It was going brilliantly until I smashed it into a pointy rock on the Jen ride and punctured the side and top. Fixed with a mushroom plug when I got home and it seems fine.
I've gone for a butcher at the back so far this year. The confidence some decent tread as given me in the corners is mostly making up for straight-line speed.
Vittoria mezcal on the back of my xc bike. Barzo up front
Got exactly the same on my HT and FS
Pretty sure that Schwalbe have discontinued the Rock Razor and replaced it with the Wicked Will?
Yeah I noticed that, so I popped a Wicked Will on my enduro bike to see what it's like. Ultra Soft Tacky Chan upfront and SpeedGrip WW.
Rolls very well, as expected grip in loose steeps isn't great but it's predictable.
N1no's Maxxis Aspen 2.4 seem to be pretty slick and still very much in vogue.
I’d quite like a 2.5 DD Minion SS but they don’t make them that big
Reading through the replies here I'm sensing 'semi-slick' has a wide range of different meanings to different people.
I really liked my Minion SS. Looks like they're still available from some places.
I wasn’t referring to XC tyres like a Racing Ralph, more the ones that have big side knobs like Minion but with lots of small low profile centre knobs instead of the much larger taller centre knobs you’d get on Minion-alikes.
That's not what semi slick means.
That's a gravel semi slick.
In Maxxis' own words: "The Minion SS has a semi-slick tread with...", "The all-new Maxxis Receptor is a semi-slick gravel tyre"
That’s not what semi slick means.
This is a semi slick
That’s a gravel semi slick.
That's my thoughts too. Much of the market for those has been taken over by the gravel bikes, though they used to be fitted to lots of MTBs too. There's also the option of something like a Maxxis Crossmark, which has an almost continuous centre tread.
As official an answer as you'll probably get, given that I asked this sae question of our MTB tyre product manager last time I saw him...
Put simply, the Rock Razor got rave reviews that never transferred through into sales figures. Ironically, given our wet and muddy trails, the UK was the only market where the Rock Razor ever really sold in any meaningful numbers, but even then, its performance promise was never fulfilled by actual sales numbers...
I'm more gutted than anyone that it has been axed I can tell you... I will be sure to enjoy my last one to the fullest as and when I can! 👍🏻
Looked like this
Put simply, the Rock Razor got rave reviews that never transferred through into sales figures. Ironically, given our wet and muddy trails, the UK was the only market where the Rock Razor ever really sold in any meaningful numbers, but even then, its performance promise was never fulfilled by actual sales numbers…
I've got one, soft supergravity 650b, run it for two summers (so maybe 6-8 months total) on my "fun" bike. Maybe I'm misremembering what it looked like fresh but it still looks newish!
Without the tall centre knobs to be worn out maybe it has a longer practical life. Combined with our short summers, and the fact that its a rear only tyre, maybe everyone that wants one has one, and there is just no demand for replacing them.
Rock Razor in the old supergravity is the best tyre Schwalbe have ever made tbh. I've stockpiled the things 🙂 Just a damn nearly perfect tyre.
But yep for sure those burlier #enduro semislicks are a dying breed, and it's not like they've been supplanted or the niche has gone or anything, nothing else does the job. It's just, not enough people bought 'em. And fair enough, on paper they're a terrible idea, you can see why most people just never gave them a shot.
So having torn a hole in my Rock Razor a few weeks ago I switched to a Specialized Eliminator, which definitely isn’t a semi-slick but rolls faster than you’d expect. Maybe this illustrates why the semi-slick is dying out? I don’t seem to be any slower at pedalling, it brakes way better and there’s no drift before the side knobs grip which seems to improve how I attack corners.
Sorry semi-slick fans, it must be people like me who’ve killed them off.
On another note entirely, out on an XC ride last night and I can’t get over how much faster my bike rolled downhill vs everyone else. I’m probably one of the heavier ones of the group but I’m not that big, bang on 13 stone. Magic Mary front, Eliminator rear. 20/22 psi F/R with inserts. 29” singlespeed hardtail (but a 160mm Moxie, not an XC bike). Every time we were coasting downhill I was overtaking or braking.
Have I got the perfect marginal gains combo of tyres that roll faster than they should at the exact right pressure and hubs (DT Swiss 350) that spin fast? I’m baffled but thankful because I was the only idiot without gears and my legs feel v strange this morning…
I love these, but I ride just gravel roads (+ pavement) and very easy dry trails with them - no risk of slashing sidewalls -
https://int.vittoria.com/products/terreno-xc-race
Definitely semi-slick, very light, supple and rolls supremely well. Got the 2.25 in version on a fully rigid mtb.
I had assumed that https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews had debunked our old slick=faster beliefs? Just get a Race King Protection.
I've got 2x 27.5 Rock Razors one used once, one brand new if anyone is interested.
I've just done a 6 day epic offroad from Plymouth to London on a Mezcal front and Terreno rear (which is surprisingly slick) and found it worked all really well.
No punctures, no drama, but did have to think about heavy rear braking as it certainly doesn't brake as well as others.
I have a lot of love for the Vittoria tyres.
James
"Just get a Race King Protection."
The semi-slicks I was referring to are not fast XC tyres, they're burlier knobblier tyres for going downhill fast, but with the middle tread replaced with small low knobs. Made for shredding corners!
@chiefgrooveguru which version Eliminator have you got, I decided I wanted to buy one but can't find a 29" Gravity Grid in the UK!
I actually quite liked the 2.6” x 27.5” Slaughter on the back of my full suspension bike for summer. I liked it less in my hardtail as it’s nowhere near 2.6” volume and I get a sore back from time to time. Now got a 2.6” Rock Razor on the back of the hardtail and that’s not bad either. Fast rolling and corners ok - just makes steep tech stuff interesting getting slowed down for corners.
On the full suss bike I experimented with a Maxxis Rekon a couple of summers ago and that wasn’t bad actually as a compromise between dhr2 for winter and a full semi slick. I started riding more steep tech so for now I’ve settled on a Conti Xynotal instead.
The one on my hardtail is just the old Grid version but I've got a Rimpact Pro in it and it's not very rocky around here. I'll have a look in my LBS to see if they've got some Gravity ones, as they're a Specialized dealer.
Thanks chief, it's pretty rocky round here so doubt I'd get away with the Grid Trail.
Strange about the flats. I would think a Rockrazor or similar would have a bit more puncture protection in the center, because almost the einterie source is covered by knobs. In a aggressive tire, like a DHR, there are large open spaces between each knob.
I used to love riding them, since most of our trails are not that steep climbing or descending, and no loose dirt, so cling was fine, and so was braking.
then I started riding a lot of the black and double black trails, and wanted more grip on the steeps.
I just ended up with another week, so bought a Wicked Will to put on there. Would have Considered. Rockrazor as well.
My Slaughter’s are T7, which doesn’t roll very fast, so I stopped using them. Not sure on the rolling resistance of the older, ‘gripton’ branded Slaughters.
tjaard
Full MemberStrange about the flats. I would think a Rockrazor or similar would have a bit more puncture protection in the center, because almost the einterie source is covered by knobs. In a aggressive tire, like a DHR, there are large open spaces between each knob.
This is complicated, I think. I reckon semislicks can just roll over things without disturbing them as much while knobblies are more likely to flick stuff up, on edge, etc, and can trap stones and such. Like, with fallen thorns or flints I'd be pretty confident that semislicks are better just by rolling right over the "flat" and not getting the points and edges as bad. But stuff that's naturally spiky, like a thorn branch or a broken off rock, yeah you'd expect that to give a semislick a harder time.
The other thing is, with stronger carcasses centre tread punctures are just really rare. Even XC tyres are tougher than they used to be for comparable weights, but average trail tyres these days are far beefier than we used to think was reasonable.
“Strange about the flats. I would think a Rockrazor or similar would have a bit more puncture protection in the center, because almost the einterie source is covered by knobs. In a aggressive tire, like a DHR, there are large open spaces between each knob.”
When I look at the knobs on my knobblier tyres they have cuts through them, like deep extra sipes, made by the local flints. So I think it’s a case of the tyre grabbing flint and cutting through itself with the flint acting as a knife. But with the semi-slicks, that type of cut goes through the casing as well as the knob. That’s my best hypothesis!
Other option to think about is the Kenda Helldiver - they tend to weigh up pretty light as a brand so probably worth going to the AGC version (that's the one I use). Been really impressed so far.