Tires

When I started riding mtbs in ’02, I bought a $900 Raleigh Hardtail from Harrell’s. It had wtb motoraptors on it and they weigh probably 700g. I think they were 26x2.1’s. I rode the snot out of those tires, putting probably 2000 miles on them and they are still ridable today. They seemed to hook up fairly well (I rode slower back then) and the durability was impressive. These tires are heavy and durable.

Then I bought the Giant that I currently ride. It came with 500g Hutchinson pythons 2.0s on the front and rear, a tire meant for dry hardpack xc race conditions. They are fast rolling, low resistance. I busted my tail about 3 times right off the bat on the leaves and needles of our area before I realized the front would not hook up at local trails like harbison. So I slowed down and adjusted how I entered turns. Because of this, I have developed a bad habit of not leaning my bike into turns, rather leaning my body instead. One day while riding at harbison, a ½” diameter pine branch punctured the tire and tube on the rear. This ruined the tire so I used it as an opportunity to get a more aggressive tread on the front.

I ended up with a Continental Explorer 2.1 on the front and a Hutchinson Python 2.0 on the rear. This proved to be a nice combination for me considering how and where I ride. I need to replace both tires now and I’d like to lose some grams and gain speed, but need something that hooks up well around here. Dennis loaned me some used Continental Mountain King 2.2’s. I rode them last night and thought they hooked up well at first. They are also light and accelerate well. But according to Dennis you have to run 40 psi or they’ll pinch flat. I was running 32 psi so we bumped them to 40 psi. They no longer hooked up at 40 psi. I have personally watched Dennis go through 5 tubes with these tires so I am not very confident in the 2.2 size with 40 psi.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I might go back to the Continental Explorer 2.1 on the front and a python 2.0 on the rear, but would like to improve on that as well.

Some pics from our trip to Colorado