[Closed] Rear tyre tough but fast rolling?

Crossmark? Ardent if you want a bit more grip?

Nobby nic a good comprimise?

Thats what I've just swapped to from a ralph. Will be a little more draggy but probably not quite as much as the dampf.

I went for the double defense skin, I did get a couple of small cuts to my old ralph.

Maxxis Advantage?

Brown - Member

Crossmark? Ardent if you want a bit more grip?

Crossmark is great in the summer, but next to useless if it is in any way muddy.

I have used a NN on the front but this also seems to have a weak sidewall. Never tried the double defense version though - is that different to snakeskin? The NN also has a tread pattern very similar to the Hans Dampf so may not be much faster?

I'm not too worried about grip levels on the rear wheel - the RR is hardly grippy and not a problem for me except on some technical uphill sections when it can slip.

The Crossmark looks interesting - similar to the RR but only weighs slightly more which makes me wonder if it will be any tougher? Are the maxxis tyres not tubless ready though?

Copied from the net...

"SnakeSkin-Sidewall -
a light and flexible woven layer on the sidewall guards tires against abrasion damage.

Double Defense -
two system puncture defense with High Density Guard and Snake Skin sidewall. For the first time the protection belt from high-density Vectran fabric - the same used in the Ultremo - is also to be found in an MTB tire. While the proven SnakeSkin sidewall protects against sharp edged stones. There cannot be more security for light, fast off-road tires."

If grips not much of an issue you could just try a snake skin ralph instead?

ETA - I went for the pacestar (harder XC) compound. I'm hoping this will make it a bit less draggy than a trailstar compound would.

If it's just the sidewalls then yep, double defence might sort it (snakeskin isn't very tough at all, frankly it's more or less as tough as you'd expect their normal tyres to be).

Only issue is that the portion of the carcass under the tread is still pretty weak, but maybe that's not an issue for you.

Double Defense sounds interesting.. The Ralphs I have used so far have been Snakeskin Pacestar

Ardent EXO

Yeah the carcass under the treads is very weak - I pinch flatted a while back and ripped a big gash through the tread area.

I run a UST RR as a rear tyre.

Sidewalls are pretty tough. Definite weight penalty though especially if you run them tubed

Geax Saguaro? Reasonably fast rolling & seem pretty bomb proof so far.

A real pain to get on some rims mind.

Ardent EXO

+1 Not quite as fast as a Ralph but a whole lot less fragile... I found the Saguaro skittery as hell on rocks and not particularly tough either.

Two of us ripped sidewalls on Crossmarks on the same lakes downhill. I also had a pinch flat on all 3 rides. Shame as I liked those, light and low rolling resistance but enough grip on rock.

The Ardent looks interesting, the only drawback is that it still has fairly agressive side knobs which will drag unless pumped up hard. Are side knobs much use on the rear wheel? The Crossmark looks like it has a more rounded profile so it will roll on the center knobs which I would have thought would be best for a back tyre?

There is a new tougher version of the spesh purgatory just out which would likely fit the bill.

Bonty mud x

. I found the Saguaro skittery as hell on rocks and not particularly tough either.

They are quite pressure sensitive but the TNT carcass seems tough enough.

Geax Saguaro TNT, easy to mount on 26"

Specialized 'The Captain' in control flavour ran tubeless at approx 25-30 psi. They're cheap as well.

Geax Saguaro TNT - wow these are only £12 at on - one.. worth a punt! Shame they are in white!

836g though - more than the Hans Dampf - ouch!

Conti X-King Protection?

2.2 UST RQ?

You only get more protection from rocky trails like Snowden by adding some extra meat to the tyre carcas.

ichabod - Member

The Ardent looks interesting, the only drawback is that it still has fairly agressive side knobs which will drag unless pumped up hard. Are side knobs much use on the rear wheel? The Crossmark looks like it has a more rounded profile so it will roll on the center knobs which I would have thought would be best for a back tyre?

Think that Schwable have released (not sure on availability yet) a tyre called the [url= http://www.schwalbe.com/en/offroad-reader/rock-razor.html ]Rock Razor[/url]
Looks like a combination of the Hans Dampf and the Nobby Nic, I have only seen it in 27.5 format and have not ridden it yet but looks good, we were discussing at work how it would be a perfect tread for a snow tyre if it came in 4" width.

Hmmm... Very surprised at how nobody has mentioned the obvious! 🙄
Over 90% of the reason we get punctures is purely down to riding styles, the main key here is to stay loose and light on the bike, try 'skim' over the rocks instead of riding 'through' them.
I've been teaching bike skills for a long time now and this is one of the basics I go through with my clients, always stay 'positive' and visualise skimming over.
Another lesson I always go through with my clients is to do what I call the bald tyre riding technique which forces the learner to control the back end without having to rely on 'grip' this is also good for learning to drift properly, I cover this aspect of riding in one of my advanced courses, please do NOT try this on your own! Make sure to have a highly skilled mtb instructor with you and always wear full body armour for this one, and a helmet but that goes without saying! Good luck. 🙂

lol - you must be really chuckling on the other thread.

Can I put forward the 2.2" Specialized captain as a suggestion, run tubeless...

Might not seem an obviously "tough" tire but I've found them to be pretty puncture resistant and quite fast rolling...

That might be due to running it tubeless

richmtbguru - true a lot can be avoided with the right riding style but however good you are there will always be those times when you hit unexpected and unavoidable hard edges quite hard. I only weight 10 stone too perhaps I just run my tyres too soft!

Interesting about the bald tyre technique as I like to run tyres with not too much tread on the back anyway - hence the Racing Ralph!

+1 for the Protection version of the X-king in Black Chilli. It's TLR, tough sidewall, rolls well, with good grip in everything other thn deep mud. Used mine twice in the Alps with no issues.

Buy a used rear wheel. Put the RR on one and the HD on the other.

I use the Geax saguaro, the Mezcals roll faster but are a summer tire.

>Over 90% of the reason we get punctures is purely down to riding styles,<

Really? And here was me thinking it was Hawthorne hedges...

Schwalbe Rock Razor is basically a tougher Ralph, out soon

The Schwalbe Rock Razor looks like just the ticket - thanks for the heads up!

Have considered using two back wheels - only downside is carting them around on trips and also I guess I would need to have a dedicated casette and chain for each.