[Closed] Nobby nics - are they ally rubbish, or just me?

I find then rubbish too.

Swore never to use them again. HD are great.

Racing Ralph's on the other hand have been THE best tyre I've used .....tend to use them nearly all year now

I like them, light and fast rolling worth giving up a bit of grip for the rding I do.

From the schwalbe website!

In a class of it's own. All around favorite and for many years a serial winner of MTB tests. Why? Nobby Nic is unbelievably versatile. The tread offers unbeatable control in any condition. Thanks to its compounding and construction at the highest EVO level it is light and fast in competition. This amazing performance makes it a true "Allgrounder".

Google is coming up short on places to get hans d's from - are they sold out of the standard tubeless ones?

Maybe I'll drop the pressure on the nics and see how that runs?

DrP

Have run 2.4 Snakeskin Nics for ages on the Soul, find them excellent. Can run them real soft tubeless.

I didn't think they were rubbish- they've got reasonable grip for their speed and weight. But they puncture pretty easily and they wear absurdly fast (and lose a lot of grip once the square edges are worn off). So, not a tyre I'll ever buy again but they're not a disaster.

HDs also fill with mud and are so big they grind at my frame and give me chan suck which ripped a mech off on Friday. Buuuut, in the dry to intermediate they are totally awesome. Real security at high speeds. I think it's slow rebound that gives the feel of a soft compound tyre but still fast rolling.

Find mine (2.25 evo) a total winner on the front with a Ralph at the back. Run them tubeless and fairly soft at 24psi ish.

Sub 28psi pressure seemed to be the key for me.

But rubber queens have been MUCH betterer...

I found mine took some te to wear in. Slippy to start with but I them now. Demoed an anthem 29er with Ralph's recently and they scared me on anything rooty. No grip at all!!!

I'll try lower pressures - maybe sub 25 psi will help...

DrP

M1llh0use - Member

Sub 28psi pressure seemed to be the key for me.

The key to letting all the air out? I'm only 9 stone but I had to run them at 30psi to stop them puncturing (and that was tubeless in snakeskins)

I like them in the dry - in the winter (on the South Downs) the doughnut effect is indeed a problem - especially in the woods

Was ~15stone whenvi was using them, Didn't find that they (regular, non snakeskin, non tubeless) were an issue with low pressure and don't remember them getting many "p words"...

Yeh they're guff, and having to run them at low pressures is laughable imo.

It does depend on priorities; I'll happily use a heavier tyre and take the grip and confidence-gain that goes with it any day.

I found them to be kack (tubeless ones), but not in the way you describe DrP: 1st attempt had a deformed bead/sidewall that meant it never seated properly

2nd one went on OK but on its first ride a flint cut an entire knob out of the carcass - was hanging by a tiny flap

useless cheesy shite IME

I never tried them. Everyone raved about them though. I am a cheapskate and buy in bulk that which is in the sales. Last mega buy I did was a load of Specialized Eskars folding and WTB Stouts and Prowler XT and SS, all for between ten and 19 pounds each. Bargain. Great tyres. Can't find 'em now though, a shame. Good stuff vanishes which is annoying.

I think they are great, though I now have a high roller on the front.

Tried some 650B ones on a demo bike recently, absolutely hated them. Spent the whole ride squirming and sliding around, sticking with High Rollers!

Northwind - Member

The key to letting all the air out? I'm only 9 stone but I had to run them at 30psi to stop them puncturing (and that was tubeless in snakeskins)

I'm much heavier, and in all the years I've had them, I've only had two punctures - one of which wrote off the rim, so I can't really fault the tyre there, and another pinhole that didn't seal because my Stan's had tried out - sealed straight away when I added fresh jizz.

2.35 in the expensive compound - excellent in everything from hardpack to deep leaf mold, wet rocks and roots etc. run at 25 - 30 psi with tube. can't fault it.

Tyre in personal preference shocker!

Some of them Intense ones look promising on CRC. Anyone tried them?

I think it depends on the terrain. Mine are brilliant for the local forest singletrack even in the mud and dont wear any faster than any other tyre, and great for Wales except the do wear quickly on rock.

However I have found the Pacestar TLR to be slightly less grippy than the older triple nano. Running Tubeless 28psi front, 30psi rear.

As moki said.....

Well i get the 'personal preferance' thing to a degree... But I think the concept of a front wheel washing out on slightly damp mud is not many people's preference!

I'd say though, the NNs do manage fine on dry rocks and roots...

DrP

But I think the concept of a front wheel washing out on slightly damp mud is not many people's preference!

but mud is not just mud, is it chalk, clay, loam etc. different muds suit different tyres

I've found them ok most of the time, like most tyres. The only time I've thought "wow" or "shit" was with Michelin Mud tyres. "Shit" on a wet road section - just dangerous. "Wow" - the same tyres on a dry dusty trail as I couldnt tbe arsed to change them, they were brilliant.

mine work fantastically at chicksands, which is nearly always dry/tacky, but are not so great in squishy stuff. I've got a rubber queen black shili to go on, perhaps that will be better. Just for info, I'm still using tubes until i need a new rim.

Love mine! I find them pretty grippy. I've never tried any of the tractor tyres that weigh a kilo a piece that some seem to run though.

but mud is not just mud, is it chalk, clay, loam etc. different muds suit different tyres

Exactly. I can ride mine instead of mud x with only a small performance disadvantage and often do. Perhaps the NN's don't suit where he rides...

Nobbys in the Peak grit = teh awesomeness of supply and grippy and yet zippy.
Nobbys up int' central Highlands = good, but clag up easy.

I like mine cant say they have ever been a problem

preferred the highrollers on slightly more technical terrain than fast gravel trails, but NN on flinty gravel single track.

Funnily enough 3000km on NN and I have 0 punctures, but 300km on highrollers and I had 2 punctures (which is strange, cos most brit MTBers seem to get a puncture on NN/RR within about 1 mile on peaty grit). Highrollers went from half worn to totally and utterly shagged in a week of alpine XC use (like half the knobs disappeared). NN survived use in Germany, Slovenia, Lakes, Cairngorms, and I just put on the part-worn NN to replace the Highrollers.

Will try HD next or maybe something from Conti.

I never believe any user review of anything. Everything is the best thing since sliced bread and the biggest pile of doo-doo at the same time.

I would say they are a race orientated tyre, I've used them for racing and love them for that but they don't seem durable enough for general trail riding as the side walls seem pretty pants.

So, they are very good at what they are meant for doing really.

Nics suit the sort of stuff round here, good old millstone grit. They do rocky hardback well too.

Seems like others from your riding area also dont like them, i too have to agree. You should be able to get a Hans Dampf from bike24 or bike discount in Germany. I can vouch these do rather well down south 🙂

I quite like them, though I don't have a great deal of experience with much else tbh. I did quite like the Hans Dampf that was on a demo bike I rode a couple of weeks ago but don't think it'd fit in my Reba's.

New bike will probably go with a HD up front and a Nic out back.

I run tubeless ready (11stone rider) whats a good psi?

un-supported side knobs seem to be the problem, too squishy in the turn and liable to tear off

I love NN's, however they changed the range a couple of years ago from just the Evo to Pacestar (hardest compound), Trailstar (mid-compound) and the Gatestar compound which was designed for 4cross.
Took the Pacestar off after a couple of rides as they were jsut to hard with what seemed like little or no grip.
Now running the Gatestar on the front with a Racing Ralph on the back and they are great.
They are all Tubeless Ready, and are easy to fit and inflate.

I used to run these tubeless before swapping to high rollers and thought they were pretty good in all conditions except slushy mud/snow. In the dry they are great around 25psi but in the wet I found they slithered about a bit too much at these pressures. I used to pump them up to about 28-30 and they handled much better.

Looking at the German sites, can anyone spot the difference (don't say a fiver...) between [url= http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k295/a88121/hans-dampf-evo-snake-skin-pacestar-235-tl-ready-foldable.html ]This...[/url] and [url= http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a53673/hans-dampf-evo-snake-skin-pacestar-235-tl-ready-folding.html ]this...[/url].

Is it the year of manufacture?

Cheers

DrP

Nobby Nic's are essentially a race tyre for not quite perfect conditions races, if that makes sense. They're light, not very durable, don't grip very well (in any conditions that I've tried) but they are bloody fast for what they are, and give good cushioning owing to their size. They also seal tubeless very well.

I keep a NN/RR combo in the shed for the occasional time I may want to race and need a pair of very fast, large(ish) volume tyres, in conditions that don't warrant a huge amount of grip.

For those who think they are pretty grippy, try a Black Chili Rubber Queen or a Maxxis Minion out, you'll be gobsmacked!

DrP

Colour, black or black-skin

I give in - google and the schwalbe website are no help....
Ad the difference there is......?!

DrP

Pass. Google translate provided the answer!

2.1s are ace. Got the 2.4s for the big bike- also worked ace but wobbly as hell. Looked like I had 2 buckled wheels. Got on my nerves too much so swapped for Hans damp. Some people say if you run them tubeless they don't wobble?

Oh and yes I tried all the tricks to seat them straight.

I had to stick one on the back as my 2.35 hds were too wide in the mud frame clearance - for my last gravity enduro, 2.25 pumped up fairly hard it was much,much faster rolling than the hd, but a bit more skittish, no nasty wash outs though in some very varied conditions, I liked

I find my NN (evo snakeskin) grips well and works well used with a RR at the back. It does clog a bit in the more gloppy mud but no problem at trail centres. Run it tubeless on a 21mm inner rim at 20psi (10 stone rider) I'd agree with comments above about it being more a race tyre, and yes it wears down fast 🙁

Yeah, they're light and go up pretty easy (tubeless) but it seems, on all sorts of terrain, they're naff!

I've never had such a struggle getting any tyre to set up tubeless as I have had with NNs. Eventually managed it after several goes over a couple of months (left it with a tube in for a month, then tried it on a different rim, then inflated it with a tube again etc etc)

So I'm hoping it will be worth the effort and that disagree with the second part as much as the first !!!

Got a 2.25" UST on the rear. Its fine, comparable to the Nevegal it replaced but a little lighter. Seems pretty tough too.

Schwalbe tyres seem well made and there are lots around so pricing is okay. I'll try a Racing Ralph next if an actual summer looks likely this year

Well, I have been trying a set out for a couple of weeks now - a day at Cwn Carn XC, Chilterns, Forest of Dean, Woburn and Chicksands.

If anyone wants to buy them from me drop me an email, they are not worn. Im now going back to a HR on the rear and a Minion up front.

They left me slightly scared at Cwn Carn, OK in the Chilterns, sketchy in Woburn and body surfing the corners in the Forest of Dean.

Got a pair on a bike here and they seem to work well for a lot of my local riding and trips I've taken the bike on. Mostly upland riding, so a mix of grassed over peat and exposed rock. Not so great in muddy woodlands, but not the worst thing I've had on wet roots. Would get them again for here.

I've just put some on and rode them over the weekend, Bombing round the local woods.

Really pleased with them.