[Closed] Fast rolling tyre that's flint resistant

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🙂

Doesn't everyone? 😉
I can live with higher weight but still wan't low rolling resistance, particularly just don't want super knobbly enduro tyres which most puncture resistant ones seam to be.

When I lived in the Chilterns I found that the 2.35 Larsen worked well, on the rear of my HT:

http://nextdaytyres.co.uk/details.aspx/TB73539800-26-Maxxis-LarsenTT-235/61/177

Front-wise I ran a big Bonty Team XR4 - but Ardents were also decent when dry.

I was cussing a pair of tyres for being extra vulnerable to flint cuts, then realised they were actually a few years old. Might that be your problem?

Snakeskin/Double Defence Ralph/Ron/Fred/Burt as you wish?

Onza Ibex seems good so far, as does the Schwalbe Rock Razor.

But fast rolling and light combined with slice resistance is a big ask!!

after trying nearly every fast tyre i've came to the conclusion that its all based on luck. Sometimes you can go 6 months with no issues then you'l get 3 punctures in a week. Unless the tyre is made out of steel then the right sharpness at the right angle will cut any tyre. I've stuck with snakeskin ralphs

I've ridden a petty racy Michelin dry without picking up any cuts.

Chilterns is flinty. UST casing 2.25 Ardents or 2.4 EXOs last well here compared to others that I've used (std Contis, Spesh 2bliss, non EXO or UST Maxxis) and roll pretty well. Thicker casings and chunkier treads cope better but flint can slice any tyre.
From riding with others on Schwalbes (inc snakeskins), I won't go near them. eg when we went to Israel in April we were warned about brutal tyre shredding ground, and it was. All the locals were on Maxxis UST. My mates snakeskins were holed daily.

By my rough calcs I'm only getting 200 miles out of tyres before I bin them.
I think I'll just try the snakeskin versions but had seen several reviews saying it doesn't add much protection.

Have a look at a Maxxis Crossmark 120 tpi one.

Try a geax Saguaro or AKA in a TNT version

Not that light but fast and tough, Specialized ground control 2.3 with the GRID casing

I was thinking Larsens too, I don't like 'em much but I think they'd do the job you want.

Snakeskin isn't going to help you much I think, it's sidewall protection only so on the lighter models I still got tons of cuts in the treadface instead. Better than nothing.

Chilterns is flinty. UST casing 2.25 Ardents or 2.4 EXOs last well here compared to others that I've used (std Contis, Spesh 2bliss, non EXO or UST Maxxis) and roll pretty well. Thicker casings and chunkier treads cope better but flint can slice any tyre.
From riding with others on Schwalbes (inc snakeskins), I won't go near them. eg when we went to Israel in April we were warned about brutal tyre shredding ground, and it was. All the locals were on Maxxis UST. My mates snakeskins were holed daily.

+1 what this man said for something with a UST casing.

Ardent Race? Either in UST or Exo casing.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to try some Ikon exos which seem to tick all the boxes.

UST is heavy in my experience with little extra protection. My Hutchinson Pythons UST from ages ago both split on the sidewall.

Being a Chiltern rider the best thing I learnt you can do is not to brake on any flinty bit. It's the braking which slides the tyre across the sharp flint which slices it. I use RR snakeskin with no probs.

Ardent Exo?

I'm not giving you your money back if it gets cut though. I holed one bombing down a rocky descent in the Alps, but it'd lasted a few days of equally rough treatment previously.

forget the light weight bit.

Dual ply high rollers/minions. End of thread

Jumble- braking isn't the issue but drifting on the loose sand into the flint may be. It's always the back tyre too. Last night's incident sounded like a gunshot when.it went through the tube.
I was tubeless before but couldn't repair a couple of other gashes well enough to work tubeless. Never had any issue with cuts for 10 years riding in the west country, Wales, or Scotland but since Thetford became my local trails it's become a real pita.

I'd add to the people warning against Schwalbe, even snakeskin. Seems to gash if you breathe on it.

Not that light but fast and tough, Specialized ground control 2.3 with the GRID casing

So it's a tyre, otherwise doesn't really fit the OPs requirements? 😉

What about the Fast Trak?

Seems like you've settled on Ikon exos. I was going to say those or Ardent Race Exo

No such thing....no tyre is flint resistant 🙁

All of my punctures have been Maxxis.

Maxxis is the only one where the flint went right thru the bulk of a nobble.

Tend to use Schwalbe mostly.

Judging by the weekend... DT Swiss EX471 - should be like riding on rails, and can survive a whole lot more than flint 😉

I ride a lot of rocky stuff and have lost count of the number of sidewalls I've gone through. Schwalbes seem to be the worst (even the Snakeskins and I still keep buying them!?) Crossmarks and Onzas too.

If you want them to be rock/flint proof you're going to have to go onto a stronger casing and take a weight penalty but you can get fast rolling.

I don't know if you can still get them but if you can find a High Roller Semi Slick in a 60a, they're a great rear tyre, not lightest but roll well and are one of the few tyres that have stood up to abuse with getting sliced to bits... so far. Maybe pair that up with a Minion DHF or HR2 in similar compound/casing up front.

South Downs is a tad flinty. Thorny too at certain times/places. Up there all the time and sdw twice now, various tyres, all tubed with Flataway tape. Worked so far, but yes lack of any sidewall damage is down to luck of course.

I sliced the side of a standard single ply HR in Cwmcarn on the flinty rock stuff, so going to the Alps I got the EXO version of the HR2. Lovely grippy tyre, felt great out there, and sidewall protection... and then go get a flint punching a big hole through the top.

Not sure much other than dual ply would have helped there and even then, it was just hit by a big sharp thing.

I think you're going to have to compromise - which is more important to you? Light, fast-rolling or flint resistant?

If you compromise on the weight then, as somebody else mentioned above, how about a Schwalbe Rock Razor in EVO, TrailStar compound and Super Gravity casing.

Certainly not light but is fast-rolling with good edge grip and, so far, seems tough. Some would say pricey, but I got mine from bike-discount for €43 including postage - so that's £34 at today's exchange rate.

From what I read about it's design brief for Enduro races, it might fit your bill.

protser how you getting on with the rock razor, im thinking of one for the megavalanche? very rocky, also got some rooty potentially muddy singletrack?

cheers

Kimbers - quite liking it so far, as above not too heavy but definitely faster rolling than the Spesh Purgatory I had on there until a week or so ago.

Not so sure how well it'll do if you need to brake when it's muddy, I think the tread will fill up quite quickly but then it looks like might shed quickly with a bit of speed. Haven't had a chance to test this aspect through the forest yet, have stuck to rocks etc.

I imagine that it'll be good on roots because it's quite a rounded profile, so there'll be a lot of contact area.

Wouldn't a full DH tyre be better suited to the Mega? Isn't it (virtually all) downhill? I think the Rock Razor is better suited to ease the uphill transitions etc.

People I know generally run dual ply DH tyres for the Mega, though there's a bit of pedalling involved apparently.

I know people say its like soap but other than in thick mud I've found the Mavic Roam XL to be half decent

850g - so not ridiculously heavy (even for a dual ply) and fast rolling too. Does 'drift' easily but controllable.

You can have fast-rolling and fairly tough, but definately not light.

Larsen TT, Dual ply, 60A

It's on for the Summer now (hopefully) and will be staying on for the Mega.

Try a geax Saguaro

Plus 1. Working in flinty old Hants. Fast, grippy and comfy @ 35psi. Dunno about weight I go on feel.

White wall TNT versions at 12.99 each from On one, easy way to try.

Just before I pressed the button on the Ikons I saw the Geax AKAs which really do appear to fit the bill and cost much less too. 29er btw.

Not wanting to p!ss on your chips, but here's the last 2 lines from a review of the Geax Aka:

"The same hard rubber that creates so much grip on hard and loose-over-hard surfaces does terrible things for traction on slippery roots and wet rocks. The Aka is a tire for the Rocky Mountains and Southwest U.S., or anywhere wet conditions are extremely rare."

[url= http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/01/mtb/reviewed-geax-aka-tire-has-become-our-top-choice-for-dry-colorado-dirt_270626#5L6L8HUtZQsaG6Gl.99 ]clicky[/url]

How dry is it in Thetford?

I'd add to the people warning against Schwalbe, even snakeskin. Seems to gash if you breathe on it.

Not the experiences I've had with them. Personally I wouldn't bother with non snakeskin versions if you're going near flint/rock as you can see how thin the sidewalls are. Been riding Hans Dampfs pretty hard for a couple of years along the SDW and all over Wales, never had a single incident with them. I'm 14.5 stone so not the lightest either.

Rock Razor?

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/schwalbe-rock-razor-evo-pacestar-ss-tlr-26-x-2%2C35-103399

Hans Dampf is a completely different tyre though and I concur that it's tough. Hand Dampf carcass with Rocket Ron tread is what I'm looking for...

Prouster - Thetford is very dry for 6 months of the year and as I need to drive to get to there I tend to only go if it's fairly dry.

Ripped open another tyre at Thetford last night, this time it was Hans Dampf that's survived several visits to Wales and a Alps trip but didn't survive 10 minutes in flat and sandy Thetford. TBF there had heavy rain the night before which exposed lots of flint.
No one that a ride with has these issues so I guess I must be unlucky.

Two of us rode the SDW recently on Mountain Kings Protection - no punctures, no problems. Obviously less fast-rolling than SB8s (my other option) but not bad.

I ripped the sidewall of a brand new WTB Nano last w/end. They lasted two and a half rides, 70miles. saying that they're shockingly thin and I knew soon as I fitted them that it would happen sooner rather than later.