Im looking for something a little lighter than my XR4’s and High Roller combo to give me a bit more acceleration and climbing ease. in other words i want the moon on a stick 😆

Nobby Nics are written up as being the boys for me but ive heard mixed views about them being pierced easily on rocks. I ride welsh trail centres and lots of local natural stuff.

Are nobby nics worth a shout. If so are there certain models to avoid?

Cheers

I like mine as they do everything you ask for above and since I got the tyre pressure right, I’ve had no punctures either.

In my opinion and short time with Nobby Nics, I tend to call them utter sh*t. Hated them. Sooooo many punctures, felt squishy and twitchy no matter what pressure I put in them. Were off the bike in a month and sold on. I’m a Highroller man, both bikes have them and I love ’em. Different strokes for different folks really…

If you get them make sure you go Snakeskin – the standard ones have very thin sidewalls.

GB

Never had any problems with punctures myself, but I did have problems with the wear rate- the edges seemed to crumble off all the blocks and after that’d happened the grip dropped really badly. (2.25 Evos, that was) Never seen anything like it.

Decent enough tyre apart from that but I don’t think I’ll get them again, not when an Eskar is 9/10ths as good at most things, better in mud, and lasts for ages.

Really liked them for the one ride I used them……why one ride side walls on both front and rear split was lucky to make it home. Now use Eskars very good no side wall issues and alfthe price simples!

My Snakeskin Nics have lasted bloody ages with very few punctures, can’t see me trusting anything else unless they go on to really let me down.

I liked the feel and grip of the NN and RR combination but they are far too fragile

Specialized Purgatory front and Captain rear is as good but a shed load cheaper and not at all fragile

I’ve been a NN RR user for quite a few seasons. From the box they perform really well as a race tyre (the older version anyway). I have never had a problem with the sidewalls and I ride fairly rocky terrain on occaisons. My biggest bug bear with all the Schwalbe range is the rate of wear and the fact when they do start to wear the perfomance drops considerably.

They’re good so long as you fit them the right way round.

I read mixed reviews before taking the tubeless plunge, but have done 350 miles of heavy riding on the UST 2.35 version with absolutely no complaints – so far so good

I have Rocket Ron Evo 127 things (the lightest ones, 465grams each)

Grip is ok, they are quite pressure sensitive. BUT i was expecting a puncture or two, and I have hit rock gardens at silly speeds and not had one puncture at all! its amazing how well they have done.

top marks from me. And they can literally knock a pound off your bike!

+1 for NN, RR and RRons. Mine are all tubeless and I’ve not had a puncture in ages.

Performance wise, in terms of grip and predictability, they’re excellent. My favorite all rounder

Wear rate – not sure, as i’ve never worn one out

Ripped sidewalls? 6 since April

4 were on the cheaper £25 model.

The last 2 (in as many weekends) where the superduper £50 snakeskin version.

The toothpaste tube fix has come in very handy lately

That’s me done with Schwalbe tyres. I’m going Maxxis now

amazing grip and speed.. but yeah ive already nicked a sidewall, it was completely my fault but still.

I went through 2 sets of nics (Can’t remember which flavour) and both went in the side walls. They actually looked worn after the first ride!

I’ve been using Maxxis advantages (2.25) since and get on with them really well. A bit draggier than the nics on road, but same levels of grip etc. off road. They don’t seem to wear quickly either.

Have you tried the new XR4s? Apparently they’re a bit less huge, roll a bit faster, and have a bit more edge grip.

I’m clearly not riding hard enough to slice open a sidewall of a NN. I must, I will try harder.

chiefgrooveguru

I always thought the XR4x4 had a lot more grip than the XR4 – always thought the earlier Sierras were a little tail happy….. 😀

I have a pair of pretty much brand new folding 2.1 nics for sale if anyone wants them? £35 posted.

Hate them mysef, make the bike ‘wander’ rather than track nicely…

Nobby Nic Evo’s only xc tyre i will run in Spring/Summer, Light, Fast rolling and grippy. What more do you want but make sure you buy the evo ones.

No side wall issued been running them for 2 years but not that rocky the i live just monster root and its great on them 😉

i’m waiting for mine to arrive to replace the rubber queens 🙂

i’m waiting for mine to arrive to replace the rubber queens.

Will work well for when you come to QECP in may Jedi 🙂

yeah i’m looking forward to coming up and riding the new trails 🙂

The UST is a durable tyre – rode them for years without punctures (literally) over the rocks. Use to think they were the last word as an all-round UK tyre but there’s so many more designs to choose from these days. They’re certainly worth a try.

I jumped on the NN/RR combo about 18 months ago. I just never felt confident with the rubber. Whilst grip wasnt an issue most of the time, baby head rocks just seem to be their nemesis….changed to Maxxis rubber and it doesnt budge. Much happier now

Minion DHF front with Medusa rear.

Nice tyre in the dry and i’ve had no isses regarding the sidewalls with the DD/Snakeskin version. However, concluded a ralph or ron are just as good for me in the dry but roll a lot quicker and just did not really get on with them in the wet at all so moved over to XR4’s. However these are a fair weight, so looking at the XR3’s which i think are new and about the same weight of a NN.

I just never felt confident with the rubber.

Did you have the triple compound Evo ones?

Slight hijack, can’t find any directional arrows on mine, which way do they roll, are they different front and rear?

Slight hijack, can’t find any directional arrows on mine, which way do they roll, are they different front and rear?

its embossed in the rubber about 10mm off the tread. not in white.

Many thanks

@scottfitz
which version is that? mine just say ‘rotation’ with an arrow, so the same front or rear 😕

I used to run NN/RR on my Nic’ now use Specialized Purgatory/The Captain and to be honest I find them better.

Proper tubeless tyres too that go up with a track pump

The Captain

they don’t like the Chalk/Roots in the south downs. tried the on a demo day, you can tell the designed in California, I’m sure there good in sand or stony soils.

never tryed Purgatory.

@scottfitz
which version is that? mine just say ‘rotation’ with an arrow, so the same front or rear

Evo’s, front one and back one run different ways.

I do like maxxis but the good ones only last me 4/5 months (i ride alot)

What most people are saying… I thought they were the tyre du jour on STW and everybody wanted them. I tried them when On-One were knocking them out cheap and hated them. Waiting to get my first ride on some Panaracer Rampages now. Heavier but I’d rather have a bit more heft and something that’ll give me confidence on the trails I normally ride…

So out of curiosity what are the Maxxis and Continental equivalents, ie. all rounder, to Nics which I’m running at the minute and have never used anything else.?

So out of curiosity what are the Maxxis and Continental equivalents, ie. all rounder, to Nics which I’m running at the minute and have never used anything else.?

Never used Continental but i do use maxxis high rollers and minion, the super tacky one are brilliant but don’t last only put them on for alps, afan, brechfa trips etc…

Epic fail!!! Tomorrow night I will be refitting my NN’s the right way round, doh!!!