What terrain for Small Block 8s?

Just had a 2.35in SB8 arrive, was thinking I'd try it on the rear of my Trance for local woods sort of riding initially – with a Nevegal on the front still.

Wondered where others have found they work best? How they handle mud?

I found them awful in Bristol mud but it's quite claggy so they may work better in wetter stuff.

Anything dry, they're brilliant on I reckon. They're very well suited to trail centre type riding.

They are a virtually slick tyre. Look elsewhere for mud rubber.
Apart from that, they work on everything.
Although I can't see the point of just putting one on the back. They are far more grippy and stable than a knobbly and you're missing the point just putting one one.

To me they feel like a motorbike tyre, in that you can just lean the bike over and it stays there, nice and stable, because of the rounded profile and the lack of flexy side knobs. As far as I can see, having one on the back and a knobbly on the front is asking for understeer…….

A few ppl in Bristle use them in summer but not favoured on the front if you search for reviews.

I've never used them but they look a good compromise if you ride on tarmac to the trails.

Looks like a dry use tyre on hard ground-not gloop or mud but show me a tyre that is brilliant in mud.

found them to be great on the roots of drumlanrig

SXC last year i managed to borrow a rear cinder but had to use my sb8 up front and it worked as well as anything else i coulda used on them roots

Malvern feldspar gravels/hardpack like them in summer.

Tread looks like a baby Nevegal, the same pattern but miniturised.

It's not really like a slick tbh Peter. Quite a bit knobblier than a semi slick too – just quite small knobs.

Looks like it could clog easy, hence my mud question. Looks like it'd be very fast on dry trails though.

Idea of having one on back is to increase rolling speed and hopefully not compromise grip too much. The idea of keeping a normal Nevegal on the front is that I'll be riding lots of off camber and rooty bits, and need the front tyre to grip first time.

I find I have different tyres front and rear more often than I have the same ones these days.

Edit: In light of Trail Rat's comment I will try it on front at some point too. Local trails are a bit like Drumlanrig in places.

It's not really like a slick tbh Peter. Quite a bit knobblier than a semi slick too – just quite small knobs.

I know. I use them! I call them semi slicks.

Looks like it could clog easy, hence my mud question. Looks like it'd be very fast on dry trails though

Mud=Forget it.
Wet rocks and roots are fime, but there's no grip at all im mud.
They're noticably a lot faster than knobblies, and smoother, and grippier.

I'd say that in the dry, they're super grippy – I found them very good on the front and fast rolling even in 2.35 size. As PP says, they feel quite different to other tyres because they're so round in profile but I really liked them (though I sold them because I rarely rode in the dry…)

Mud, no.
Wet Grass No.
Everything else yup, they're good

Have used mine for a number of months now grip is perfect when its not wet. They're incredibly unpredictable when its wet/muddy but doesn't mean its not fun! Having said all that one of mine managed to rip a hole in the side wall and I now have a high roller at the front as a replacement seems to be the perfect balance of grip and speed.

Forgot to say that I find them no good on the front!

use them here

http://www.brownbacksracing.co.uk

🙂

ideal for a fast lap

Mud no? Describing almost every natural trail there! (that has at least some mud content!) 😆

I'm using them for the kielder 100 – fast rolling and grippy, as its mainly forest road there won't be that much mud, fingers crossed

Maxxis Larsen looks like an alternative

Anything dry, they're brilliant on I reckon

Even loose gravel?

I used them for about 2 years in Bristol, Afan, Cwmcarn etc brilliant fast rolling tyres in the dry, Ok in the wet too.

However they surprisingly draggy on tarmac, my Bonty Mud Xs roll faster.

Anything dry, they're brilliant on I reckon

Even loose gravel?

Yes.

In the dry I reckon they are grippier than a Nevegal. In the wet much less so, which makes them tricky to mix and match with other tyres IMO. In the summer I use two SB8 2.35", and in the winter I use two Nevegal 2.1". Originally I mixed and matched but didn't like it. The 2.35" SB8 is approx. same weight as the 2.1" Nevegal and rolls quicker too, very nice tyre for the dry.

P.S I really don't think the SB8 is a slick! Slick=smooth, SB8=definitely not smooth. Also, I think semi-slick generally refers to a tyre with a slick centre section and nobbles on the outside edges, which again doesn't describe the SB8. Just my impression tho…

In the dry I reckon they are grippier than a Nevegal. In the wet much less so, which makes them tricky to mix and match with other tyres IMO

So don't. Use 2!
I can't think of a worse combination than a SB8 with ANYTHING other than another SB8. They are just too different to anything else, and all you'll get is a wild imbalance.
🙂

nice thread, great twist on an old favourite.

where should i ride my full susser with a maxxis crossmark on the back and a conti slash on the front?

I'm using one on the rear (mainly round Dalby but to be honest just about anywhere I go) Nevegal on the front. The Nevegal does grip better except on surfaces where grip isn't really a problem anyway – eg tarmac.

On mud the SB8 gives up before the Nevegal which is the way I like it – I can accept the back end skipping and sliding a little. Under power in mud it just kind of keeps churning any, Like an incredibley slow power slide, but it does get you there eventually.

I like it to be honest.

where should i ride my full susser with a maxxis crossmark on the back and a conti slash on the front?

Off a cliff 😉

KINGTUT – Member

Anything dry, they're brilliant on I reckon

Even loose gravel?

Yes.

I struggle with that!

Blimey soobalias you not getting any?

So do I Al, my comments were aimed at Larsen TTs why the **** I put them on this thread I don't know.

Soobalias – I've bought a new tyre and I'm asking what characteristics it's likely to have before I ride it, partly so I can decide which bike to put it on.

I've done so with a semi-satirical thread title, as I've already realised it's not a very important question.

If you don't want to read inconsequential nattering about bike components can I respectfully suggest you might prefer looking at a different website?

Coz u iz fik and ur bik is saracing and u iz a xc jeyboy nobe

Have a pair of 2.1"s. Great on tarmac, rough roads, gravel, stones and good on slightly wet muddy bits. Fun on gravely surfaces, stones go everywhere!!

My current fave tyre setup on my race bike is 2.1 El Moco up front with a 2.1 SB8 on the back. You could run this pairing in 2.35 also.
For me though, 2.35 is too big even for my 5" bike in Whistler/Squamish (which is running a pair of 2.1 El Moco's)

SB8 gives great pedalling traction and rolls fast, El Moco gives great cornering and confidence through the rocky rooty steep stuff while still rolling pretty fast. I'm not a nevegal fan to be honest and on my DH bike I find they give up grip far quicker than they should on wet or dry or loose trails. So I avoid them on my 'pedal' bike.

Rode the Test of Metal 3 years back on a pair of SB8's – wettest muddiest year I've ever done it and it the SB8's were remarkably good throughout the whole course I didn't feel like the tyres could have coped any better than they did.

For the last 2 super dusty courses (I know! Set 2 rise and BBB fwiw) I have had an sb8 on the back and a nobby nic on the front: taller knobbles grab into the dusty corners and back slides round, or back sort of keeps you going up hills (even out of saddle on ss). Great fun.

But yes, other wise sb8's on both wheels otherwise you risk being out-gripped by your back wheel….

One of the guys from my LBS went for a rather muddy ride somewhere in Bristol with Guy Kesteven from Future Publishing. Guy had SB8's on and handed LBS guy his ass on a plate! If you know what you're doing on a bike then I guess you can ride with any tyre, really. 🙂

I find SB8s a bit scary on loose downhills. Maybe I should try less tyre pressure.