My turn- wot tyres…………………..

For the front of my tandem. I would like the moon on a stick please. Fast rolling but with good edge grip!

Often the limiting factor appears to be the front tyre washing out. I have a gazzalodi – that has great edge grip on soft / slippery surfaces but is very square so ruins handling feel on hard surfaces . its also very draggy. conti gravities are great – fast rolling nice feel until a soft corner – when they just wash out. Might try a vert pro on the front as I have one

So – rounded profile, not too draggy, good edge grip in soft slippery conditions. Ta chaps

This should fit the bill

Hmmmmmmmmmmm square profile, looks a bit draggy. rather like the Gazza.

Been pleased with my Spesh Purgatory in most conditions and certainly aren’t draggy.

intense system 4 maybe, they seem to roll quite well

Advantage? I really like a minion on the front as well

High Roller XC?

rubber queen 2.2 (black chilli folding ones)
massive but very fast rolling especially if run tubeless. more grip than a vert or gravity.

Another vote for rubber queen, I love them.

Or maybe..?

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/21420/Maxxis_High_Roller_SemiSlick_Freeride_Tyre_SinglePly

Rubber Queen 2.4 just to be different 🙄

Has the rubber queen got the edge grip? Other contis I have tried don’t.

I run my 2.2 ust rubber queens at silly low pressures when I really want some grip, like 15-20psi. Haven’t let me down yet.

Crossmark?

yep, they have the edge grip. (opening up a can of worms) I prefer them to high rollers too.

Your more than welcome to have a try, but suspect I may be a little too far away for that

I knew someone’d be along to recommend the rubber queen but they really lack edge grip, that’s why I stopped using them. Fantastic in a straight line, fast rolling for size etc but I don’t exactly rail flat corners yet I could still find their limits, that’s something that just doesn’t happen to me on any other tyre I use. Otherwise very good but that let them down.

(disclaimer- a better rider would get more grip out of them, I’m not saying they won’t do flat corners or anything so daft- but I get more grip out of other tyres with the same techniques so like for like they don’t measure up.

Don’t know what to recommend you though TJ, I like the 2.35 Nevegal stick-es for the front but they’re as slow as hell. Minion Maxxpro in 2.35? They’re quite flat though but they stick in corners like rumours to tommy sheridan. I don’t like ’em much but they might suit you.

Can’t run em soft on the tandem. 200 kg all up weight sees to that. 35 – 40 psi even with heavy tyres seems about the minimum before it squirms all over the place cornering / breaking. Mind you its presumably deforming / conforming as much at 35 psi with that weight than some lightweight jeyboys tyre at 20 psi. Nearly crashed the other day on tarmac as the front ( conti gravity at 35 psi) squirmed / rolled so much on tipping into a corner

Personally i’d steer clear of rubber queens at this time of the year. Give me no confidence when you hit any sort of mud. Probably grand if you’re sticking to trail centres, but other than that, not a great winter tyre imo.
Take a look at the specialized clutch sx. Similar to a maxxis minion only slighty chunkier treads. Again, not a full on winter/mud tyre, but it handles the conditions pretty well. Also dual compound with softer edges and harder centre so it rolls well enough for a grippy tyre.

Edit: Northwind beat me to it

not had any cornering issues with the RQ’s they are a in a different league compared to verts/ mountain kings (the old ones, new ones are a bit like RQ’s)

“they are a in a different league compared to verts/mountain kings”

Can’t speak for Verts but there’s not much that isn’t in a different league to the old Mountain Kings That seems to be part of the hype for Rubber Queens, people got excited thta they’re so much better than everything else Conti do but that doesn’t mean an awful lot, they’re finally competitive with other companies is all. So if your comparison point is Conti, they’re amazing. if your comparison point is Maxxis or Kenda or Specialized, they’re OK.

they are good tyres up there with all the other good tyres 🙂
one thing they do excel at is how fast they roll for a tyre with such good grip. it’s a bit like having your cake and eating it.

never been on a tandem

do you lean ’em over as much as a ordinary bike ?
if not, lots of tyres (like maxxis, often) won’t grip well in corners exactly because they’re roundish and the knobs don’t touch down ’til you’re leant over quite a way

MrSmith – Member

“they are good tyres up there with all the other good tyres”

Yup, exactly. But they have their fanboys who think they’re something out of the ordinary when they’re really just competitive. They do some stuff very well though. But not this I think. I’d have loved a set when I was in France, I reckon, perfect for the riding we did there.

never been on a tandem

do you lean ’em over as much as a ordinary bike ?

The stoker pedalling on the back can have the unnerving effect of driving the tandem forward as you’re cornering, which is erm, interesting 😯

Maybe not as much as you really can’t push the down bike underneath you. You also tend to steer more and use body weight shift less. countersteering a lot at speed.

What I am finding happens is (when its wet and slippery) is that I turn the bike in and the front just washes out. So turning left with some speed, bars to right to initiate turn to the left, as the bike tips over to the left teh front just washes out. On a solo it would be a dab and keep going but with all that weight we tend to go down.

I try and load the front tyre as much as possible. lean forward, long stem, touch of rear brake on dh turns. its always the limiting factor.

Sticky tyres are just awful for drag with all the weight. Trouble is we typically ride 30 – 50 miles mix of hard surface / tarmac and soft and slippery

Did you try that Continental Diesel I gave you at Luke’s party?

Beans – its a digga – I couldn’t bring myself to put a tyre that weighs 1.2 kg on. I had forgotton about it tho so maybe worth a try

Try the vert you have, that’s what I use all winter and I think they are unbeatable for the money.

Ah tes Digga,

Was a great tyre on the front of my rigid singlespeed loads of cush and grip.

MrSmith – Member
rubber queen 2.2 (black chilli folding ones)
massive but very fast rolling especially if run tubeless

Why does tubless make a difference?

Do you have a size preference? I’ve got a Minion 2.35 in the garage that might suit you, I could bring it along to the next pentlands ride. Not totally sure it’ll work, it’s a nonsticky compound but fairly aggressive DH-style tread so I think with the weight it’ll find grip on dirty probably but it might not work brilliantly on tarmac.

Northwind – many folk say the minion is the dogs so I would like to try it.

No point in bringing it to the next pentlands ride tho – I could take a spin round to your gaff to borrow it. could you e mail me?