[Closed] PDS - Are Nobby Nics up to the job?

what size?

Personally I would get something a bit tougher myself for piece of mind but nothing is bomb proof remember!

Im going with high roller 2's

A run in the peaks is harder on tyres than PassPortes. They'll be reet!

That just isn't true. Up high on the border of France and Switzerland it is VERY rocky.
Nothing the peaks has comes even close, no where near, it's brutal.

I punctured and then later tore the sidewall of my nobby nic.

Get some high rollers, they are what I ride and will be much more suitable.

Wish I had taken some high rollers and not been naive.

I ran nobby nics front and back for PDS one year..... didn't die, had a great time. It'll be fine, but buy some new tyres if you want 🙂

Nothing the peaks has comes even close, no where near, it's brutal.

There is nothing on the passportes du Solei course that anybody (except perhaps my mother) would describe as "brutal". I ride like a complete oaf, and the only bit I find particularly challenging is the rooty decent into morzine. Everything else is great fun, but not particularly gnar.

Seeing as my experience of NN's was awful I'd be looking at any excuse for ditching them. Did like the HRII's anf very impressed with the Ardents I'm running currently.

I ran N N rubber, had to ditch them half way round and buy new tyres after 4 punctures.

A friend used snakeskin Schwalbes TLRs for a week somewhere rocky recently. Daily flats. Never again ) All the locals were on UST or EXO Maxxis.

You need at least a dual ply carcass on the rear if not the front also. HighRollers on their own are not the answer. They need to the heavier casing in order to stand up to the Alps.

That said the last few times I've done the PPDS it has been so tame as to beg the question of whether you do need heavier tyres. On balance the answer is yes. But the more pressing issue is just how bland the PPDS has become recently.

I'm of the opinion that Nobby Nics aren't 'up to the job' anywhere.

But having ridden the PPdS, more intersting stuff in the PdS and lots in the Peak, I'd say...

If all you're going to be riding is the PPdS itself, there's no need for anyone to change from their normal tyre.

I'm sure they'll be fine if they're what you like and are used to, but in my experience they're a pretty rubbish tyre, never seem to grip in corners and I've always had to pump them up rock hard to stop them from folding and wallowing around.
I tend to run DH casings out in France as there's nothing worse than shredding a tyre miles away from home/shop and having an hours walk down to the bottom of the mountain.
My choice is High Rollers or Minions, but that's just because I like them

Not a lot of love for NNs here.... I had the "normal" evo version previously and the sidewalls were like paper. This time I went for the snakeskin version and much, much better. Have also had the double defence version previously.
As for grip, i find them ok, but tbh I haven't tried many alternatives so I'm prepared to stand corrected.... One thing i will say is that the first thing to go is the front end when going round corners so maybe the haters have a good point!

My brother runs nobby nics as they came standard with his bike. Not sure if its because they're cheap compound OEM versions but they puncture ridiculously easily so I'd be concerned enough to change!

I've done five Alps trips and never had a puncture, HR dual ply. As above it's the dual ply which is the key plus heavy weight tubes too. I also don't run the tyres super soft which I know a lot of people do but more chance of flats that way. Lack of flats also due to the fact I am moving around at a glacial pace.

Haven't done the PDS but my Nic experience was pretty awful. Thinking about it, most of the punctures I've had in the last few years were on one set of 2.25 snakeskin Nics, I flatted in places I don't think anyone has ever flatted before. They didn't last long either, the blocks tore up terribly in short order so they went very gladly in the bin.

in the bin

I rode the Passportes Du Soleil on NN Evo 2.25s. I did rip a sidewall.

However I do generally love the NNs. Find them fast and grippy.

No idea. But since you mention it I used nobby nics for a year or 2 there and just switched to conti xkings. Much better tyres. And slightly lighter too if I remember right!

Hans Dampf Super Gravity in the trailstar version and you are good to go

You know you want the magic Mary chiefster ... you know it. As I've said before, I've been fine with snakeskin nn a few times at ppds without ripping a tyre wall. Saying that, there is a long slate descent that had me worried. Hence the minions for this trip. They are draggy as heck though. I'd be tempted to stick with your nn and just get a spare tyre between you 27.5 boys. We'll be fine with tyre boots and a spare. Enough to get home anyway. As mentioned above, ppds isn't too knarr (reassuringly so for an auld feartie).

I used to ride there on reinforced fat Alberts without issues.

Gonna take the fatbike up this year so its either V rubbers or one one floaters if it gets wet. Need to find out if the lifts take fatbikes.

Don't get me started on NN's. There isn't a word in the OED that adequately describes my supreme dislike of these god-awful tyres. I was plagued by punctures and pinch flats due to their flimsiness.

An embarrassing admission I know, but I ended up taking a pair of scissors to them in a child like tantrum.

So, plumped for a Magic Mary up front and a hans dampf rear, both super gravity versions.... Will revert with verdict in due course. Incidentally, managed to puncture my rear NN last night. Running tubeless and hit a sharp stone/rock and went straight through and caused a tear about an inch long. So that's one in the bin....

Considering what to replace it with for normal trail riding. Maxxis High Roller II EXO anyone? Or is that too much for normal trail centre riding? Would buy a 2.4 for the front and move the front NN to the rear...

[img] [/img]

I managed this on a nearly new Evo Snakeskin NN on what must have been the only piece of flint at Swinley on Friday night (pic is after patching up with a puncture repair kit for limp home mode). Personally if I was doing a lot of rocky riding I'd be after something stronger, I'm replacing with a HD.

razorrazoo - thats pretty much exactly the same positions as my tear earlier in the week.....