Any one used Bontrager big Earl tyres? What are they like? (I know there black and round, before anyone says!!)

couple of my mates love them

but then they work for Trek

very fast rolling for their size (wet compound in 2.5″) bit pants in mud but good on rocky stuff or dry earth. The wet compound does seem to wear quite fast though.

They’re about 780g for the 2.5″ non tubeless version, the tubeless ready version is about 890g but has porous sidewalls so you will need to run sealant to seal the tyre.

A good large volume XC/AM tyre

Good! Riding 2.35 wet tubeless for about 4 months I think out here. Rocky, loose, wet, rooty, steep etc etc and they cope fine. There’s not much of that deep sticky mud out here but on the few occasions I’ve encountered that they’ve been rubbish! Sidewalls must be fine because I’ve been riding a lot of sharp rocks and not damaged them at all despite having several cuts like this:

Otherwise, draggy on road climbs. Rear wore quite quickly when I was riding the road a lot.

I think you can safely say you got full wear out of that tyre 😉

I reckon that I’ll get another 2 weeks out of it! Surely it’s got to be good for another 300km’s! I’ve got a fast group coming out for the middle of May so I’ll put new tyres on for them!

Semi slick on the rear is the way to go 😀

I had a 2.35 tubeless ready one and it wore like that too, sidewalls and side tread were virtually unmarked and the centre was bald.

I had tubless 2.3’s on a Remedy 66 when I first bought it. Amazing off-road, tremendous grip, especially on roots and rock, even in the wet, so they really inspire confidence. However, if you have to ride any distance on road or hardpack, the combination of weight, (890gm), and sticky rubber with large spaced out blocks mean the will to live rapidly disappears. The first time I rode the Talybont Gap route the long climb up on the old tram road was totally soul-destroying. If all my riding was off-road, I’d use them all the time, but too much is mixed, so I use Bonty ACX2.2 or 2.35’s, which are a much better all-rounder and faster rolling.

I’ve got a wet 2.35 going spare if anyone wants it. NOt a lot of use at all – too heavy for me.

john_l how much do you want for it?

£15

I’ve got a pair of Big Earls and a pair of Earls for sale, open to offers?

i like em.

i came from dual ply maxxis dh tyres so the weight saving is great. the grip is a bit less but the weight saving and less rolling resistance makes up for it.

not great in the proper mud but they clear ok at speed and as they are high volume you can let a bit more air out for extra grip.

the rear is dead after a few months short commute to work. but its summer and a semislick is good. {looks out window} ok maybe not summer just yet

Excellent on rock – wet or dry.
Fastish rolling for a grippy tyre.
Not great in wet mud.
Available with really beefy “Stability Casing” sidewalls for those who fear the pinch.
I used them (tubeless with sealant) for last weekend’s Kielder Avalanche and they were fab.
They’re a real Calderdale/STW Test Team favourite.

FYI the Big Earl “Dry” is a significantly different tyre to the Big Earl “Wet” (the latter being the one we like).

Has anyone tried to seat the tubless ready version on a UST rim?

ben

whats the difference? they look identical. is it compound hardness?

WackoAK, virtually impossible without a compressor, IME
Wouldn’t use anything else on my hardtail. Awesome tyre in all conditions and virtually indestructible. Only ever had one puncture in over 2 years use, and that was on the rear at less than 20 psi.
Normally run 28 psi

WackoAk – yep, I use the TLR version on my Mavic Crossmax. I used a decent track pump.

Van Halen – the “Dry” has more spaced-out knobbles, at slightly differently angles, and more importantly the knobbles don’t have sipes (slits on top of knobble).

The one I have is TLR too – probably the easiest to inflate tubeless tyre I’ve used. Goes straight up with a track pump on Stans Arches.

“Has anyone tried to seat the tubless ready version on a UST rim?”

Yep, but I’ve never managed to seal it with a track pump so I use a leccy car compressor which seats it fine.

WTF are you doing with Big Earls, John L?

Swisstony how much do you want for them? What size, folding?

I run the 2.35 on my downhill bike with latex tubes, pretty light for a big boy and grippy as hell in everything except sludge, they love wet rocks and roots.

But do not use them on the road the soft compound won’t last

TR on 819 rims. No prob’s. Get some burping if I try less than maybe 20-25psi (finger test!). Definitely wasn’t going to inflate with a track pump for me, needed a compressor.

dave – if you screw your eyes up really hard & squint, you’ll see I’m trying to flog it.

what were you thinking when you bought it man?

cheers for the replies on fitting it to a UST rim, only ever tried UST tyres on my 819 but always liked the Big Earl that I had on my hardtail pre UST rims.

all wire bead, Big Earls are 2.5, Earls 2.4.

Conservative ratings are One BE is a 9/10 wet one, the other is a 8/10 dry one, both E’s are 8/10.

£25 posted a pair or £40 for all 4?