High Roller XC – I dont get on with it!

After getting some advice on here I decided I couldnt choose between the fire xc pro and the highroller xc, so I bought one of each and put the XC on the front, HR on the rear. Not got a problem with its grip,seemed pretty damn good on anything but as soon as the way got rocky I snake-bit the tube (at about 40psi), the 2 or 3 wheel rotations between initial blow-out and stopping saw 4 further snakebites and after 10 patches (never use Bell patches) it failed miserably and I had to drop in a new tube borrowed from a mate. Pumped it up as hard as I could (guessing around 55-60psi) and set off, reduced grip but within 200 yards I got a smidge of air (6 inches) and landed on some slightly rough stuff and bang – another snakebite and a furthe 3 snakebites in the time it took to stop. Ended up having to pootle round the rest of the course ignoring anything vaguely like air and cringing over rocky sections. Very unimpressed with it.

The XC pro seems flawless but as yet has only been tried on the front so not subject to the same trials, but it doesnt feel like it has paper sidewalls like the HR.

Maybe its a candidate for tubeless? Maybe I should just sell it to a skinnier rider?

On the positive side, the fire XC pro seems perfect, endless grip in just about any condition, rails round corners like its on err rails, perfect sidewall stiffness. So thanks to those who advised me on that one!

I swapped to High Rollers when my Fire XC’s wore out, based on teh rave reviews here. They are OK, but nothing special, and I reckon the Fire XCs are better in a wider (muddier) range of conditions.

FWIW

I really don’t like High Rollers as a rear – superb front though

Love my high rollers use them all over and in all conditions, rarely pinch flat but the I use DH tubes and I’m not a fatty either.

I really don’t like High Rollers as a rear – superb front though

Love it on the rear, useless on the front. 🙄 😆

I don’t see how you can blame pinch flats etc on the tyre type – I bet that would have happened to any tyre (of the same width, pressure, sidewall thickness etc) you’d ridden on that day.

2.35’s, they’re the future.

Don’t diss the High-Rollers! That’s a STW no-no.

Ah, the High Roller backlash has started…

Funny how Conti Vert Pros seem to have dropped off the popularity radar on here these last 12 months or so too.

I like Vert Pros

mate high rollers are just pony…..xc pro’s are Fab….here ends your lesson

I don’t see how you can blame pinch flats etc on the tyre type – I bet that would have happened to any tyre (of the same width, pressure, sidewall thickness etc)

Your answer is in there.

What about rubber compound, that might have an affect on snakebites? Plus, some manufacturers (Panaracer I think) have ‘anti-snakebite technology’ in some tyres…

I have ‘anti-snakebite technology’ technology in all my tyres

I don’t see how you can blame pinch flats etc on the tyre type – I bet that would have happened to any tyre (of the same width, pressure, sidewall thickness etc) you’d ridden on that day.

Sure a thicker sidewalled tyre, or a 2.35 HR may not have pinched, but then it wouldnt have been the XC high roller would it? I’ve ridden with tyres as light and narrow (2.1) as the HR plenty and got the occasional pinch but at lower pressures and much more harsh rocky sections, these just seem to be made of paper and regardless of pressure the sidewalls deform too much for anything remotely rocky. And I’ve never had subsequent pinchflats in 2-2 rotations after the initial – it just seemed incredibly easy to damage.
I’ll have to swap the XC pro to the rear and do the same trail to test it out in fairness, but at the same pressure the sidewall deformation seems better somehow.

I also had some problems seating the HR on the 521 rim, 3 times I had to deflate and re-seat as it slipped off when the pressure got near what I needed to prevent pinches.

Great tyre if you ride where there are no rocks or roots though, or if you’re 3 stone, certainly grips nicely in all conditions and felt very controllable, which was a surprise for me as it intuitively doesnt look very grippy to me.

i run high roller with an Advantage on the back. both big tyres though. think i’ve pinch-flatted maybe three times in a year. most of those come from riding around town and bombing up and down steps/drops off walls.

maybe i’m quite a light rider?

thinking i might use the high roller on the front and an old conti vert on the other bike (once it’s built up). like the looseness of the Vert on the back and as said before the HR is a good front tyre.

Tubeless of Latex tubes..

I run 1.5″ latex tubes in my 2.3 Big Earl Wets, on my Demo 7, I nail the shit out of it and haven’t had a flat yet, used to puncture all the time with butyls.

i run high roller

XC or the larger heavier version? There’s no way in hell I could attempt steps on this, regardless of how gently I went!

Will try it with tubeless (got the kit handy anyway) but I suspect it may be up for sale soon, especially with the seating problem!

Never tried latex tubes I must admit, will think on that.

I didn’t like them front or rear. There’s a dozen worn out Verts in the shed, but Nevegals were on special, so, going well so far.

High Rollers very much depend on how sticky/hard they are. The MaxPro 60a versions aren’t very good IME. The Super Tacky ones are an excellent front tyre choice for rough/wet conditions (they are very draggy as a rear tyre).

I like the 60a 2.35’s, plenty grippy enough IMO and pretty quick. Compared to most continental tyres ive used they stick like glue.

The 2.1 High Rollers are tiny though aren’t they, look like 1.8s from anyone else. I’m not surprised you pinch flatted them, you quite a big lad then?

I thought they were bloody awful when I used a set briefly on rocky terrain. The 2.35s are a different thing altogether. Plenty of options out there faster and gripper than XC Pros, but if you like them, just use them.

The High Roller XC compound are way too slippy ime. If I’m after a faster rolling tyre than the supertackys, I go for the Panaracer Fire XC Pro, though I was suffering from them being skittery in teh corners at Laggan yesterday. I still thought I was on the High Rollers from the weekend at Kielder.

I run a 2.1 Ignitor on the rear and a 2.1 ADvantage on the front and so far I’m very impressed. Loved Ignitors for ages but only just got the ADvantage. They both saw me through a rocky race at Lee Quarry yesterday though.

BWD has it here, I’d happily run 2.1 high rollers in the more or less benign Chilterns, but anywhere more demanding, you have to pump them up more or less solid or they just puncture too easily.

Sound like you cant put innertubes in properly, if you only managed to get 200 yards before you got another pinch, I run High Rollers, and ive never had problems with pinch flats.. or flats atall come to think of it.. cursed myself for life now!

If you don’t like it, I’ll have it.

HR 60a at the back, HR supertacky at the front for moi.

I quite like the skinny 2.1 Highrollers for forestry riding, but they come up too small for rocky terrain, where they’re too skittish. (Not pinch-flatted them though.) They wear real quick, too.
2.35s on the other hand I find too slow and draggy to get up to speed on anything other than downhill and in slow, muddy trails (where you can’t go fast enough to fling the mud off)they pick up a tonne of clag each and grind you to a halt.

Just bought 2.1 ADvantages front and rear which come up in between the Highroller sizes and they are perfect for my style of riding. I’m really chuffed with them. Spot-on balance of grip and speed for general trail riding. 😀 (Fared well in some awful mud I found at the weekend too.)

I put a high roller on the rear (60a)on the back of all the reviews and was disappointed. OK on flat and downhill but very poor grip when climbing, as soon as going got tough spins out easily. In hindsight not surprising when you look at tread pattern..the middle sections are very ramped. Good for rolling but not for digging in.
I’ve put a minion rear on…a lot better!

did you not think to reverse the high roller to make use of all the edges?

Scienceofficer – Member
did you not think to reverse the high roller to make use of all the edges?

yep I did but you then get the ramped edges on the braking side

A few pro’s had/have new HR’s trimmed down first (the central knobs cut using shears? or cable-cutters) and NorthWest MTB used to offer it as a service. Ive read in a few places that at about 50% wear the HR’s suddenly come in their own as a rear-tyre option?

Woah, hang on, let me find my responses:

Ben -> Not sure which version it is, will check. Not sure it’ll affect the pinch-proofing of it.

BWD – looks slightly slimmer than my other 2.1s but not as skinny as my old 1.9s. Yup, I’m 6’1 and never been under 100kg since I spent a lot of time at the gym as a teenager!

jojo – never found them slippery at all, railed and locked in nicely. Was really pleased with the Fire XC Pros, never had so much confidence in a tyre on wet slatey bends (Red Bull route) – it just went where I pointed it without moaning.

nickc – looks like you’re right.

fixieftw – thanks, had a couple of decades practice, both on my bikes and on shop bikes. Always possible to make a mistake though, so cant say it wasnt twisted for sure, but the bites are all around the rim-side so I assume it was in OK. Using 1.75-2.2 tubes.

anotherdeadhero – I’ll bear you in mind!

Had no issues at all with the grip/drag etc, all spot on. In fact just shows how much performance has improved with tyres since my last set – I’m glad I bought some and tested them, just not so glad they are so thin on the old sidewalls. I know I’m a heavy guy, thats partly why I “normally” ride DH tyres with anti-pinch sidewalls – seems annoying to me to have to slow for 2″ high stones, but I wanted to get the fitness and uphilling improved so wanted a lighter, faster rolling tyre, just wasnt expecting SUCH a large increase in pinch weakness!

I reckon if tubeless sorts out the pinch problem I’ll be really pleased, but I’m also tempted just to throw on a second XC pro.

I went tubeless on a 2.1 Nobby Nic on an Alfine wheel. I was pinching every ride previously. No problems since so I think it’s worth going tubeless on your rear wheel – you sound like the right candidate, as I am!

I would get a larger tyre than a 2.1″ if i was doing it all again though. I am amazed at my tubeless setup (rim strip on a 521 rim).

2.35 60a HRs on my bikes. Ghetto’d on the 321 rims. They are a very good tubeless tyre. No problems at all going up or down. I’m 109 Kg.

Quick question- with the ghetto system, do you remove the existing rim tape? I currently have sellotape on my rear 321 🙄

I love my 2.1 High roller eXCeption series (the lightest one available I think) – only running on the front but no punctures in 6 months or so. I run it about 35 psi and it’s lovely and grippy. Sidewalls seems just as thick as comparable tyres. Not tried one on the back though. Maxxis sizing is funny though – I have a 2.1 Crossmark on the rear and it comes up much bigger – more volume. I found it pretty grippy the other day, coped well in loose rock and even in a bit of gloop, although it doesn’t look like it should!

Quick question- with the ghetto system, do you remove the existing rim tape? I currently have sellotape on my rear 321

Mine doesn’t have rim tape, just electrical tape covering the spoke holes. The beauty of the ghetto system is that you cut it to size after it seals so you can have whatever you feel is best under the tube.