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Good tubeless or tubular MTB or CX tires feel too soft or downright slow when on pavement if they are setup for slick or bumpy course with 16-25psi. Focus on the parts for of the ride/course that matters and sacrifice the parts that don't.
Am I insane for running 18/22psi on this bike with Maxxis Icons? I've gone lower and lower, now the tread sits flat on the pavement when I'm on the bike, handling feels great, nowhere near bouncing off the rim.
No.
I have 29x2.1 Icon(Edit: Ignitor, to be replaced with Icon) on the rear. A 2.4 Ardent replaced a punctured 2.1 Icon(Ignitor) out front.
I am a bit heavier than you and run them at 24psi. The interweb claims the Ardent shines in the mid-high teens. When I tried it there it was overly sloppy on the packed dirt path to the trailhead and I have been riding with it at 24. As I get some confidence back with more post-crash miles, I'll play with lower pressures again.
ehhh not really- it sucks at cornering in pretty much all conditions. I did race xc on icons front and rear- purely for the rolling speed. But for normal trail use I'd much prefer something with bigger cornering ***** (Maxxis Minion DHF) on the front wheel.
ehhh not really- it sucks at cornering in pretty much all conditions. I did race xc on icons front and rear- purely for the rolling speed. But for normal trail use I'd much prefer something with bigger cornering ***** (Maxxis Minion DHF) on the front wheel.
No one fast runs a tire like that around here. I also don't like the tread gap between the outboard and inboard tread. After swapping from a Hutchinson Cougar to the Ikons, I agree with them. What do I not understand?
No one fast runs a tire like that around here. I also don't like the tread gap between the outboard and inboard tread. After swapping from a Hutchinson Cougar to the Ikons, I agree with them. What do I not understand?
That gap enables the cornering ***** to generate much more grip. The tradeoff is that you actually have to lean the bike far enough to use them.
Edit: Minion DHFs are insane overkill for XC, though.
I also don't like the tread gap between the outboard and inboard tread.
the gap is overcome by leaning the bike more than the body (the above pictures showed the technique). it gives the tire a nice edge to bite into the ground.
I was told to think about the tread-pattern and that little gap on the edge in terms of time, the time to get the bike leaned-in another 3-5* to make grip. BTW, ******* loving MTB riding. I'm doing a 4-hour race in 9 days.
It's mostly aimed at bikeshare systems, to increase casual ridership by those who don't already have their own lid. Doesn't look like the most comfortable thing in the universe...
Leaning the bike more gets the cornering ***** (on a normal mtb tire/wheel combo) edged into the ground better and makes it easier to catch yourself if the tire starts to slide.
Set a new PB on one of our bumpier downhill sectors, "Cactus" yesterday. Leaning the bike a bit more than my body was the change. Thanks dcamp2.
Also, hit a 100 miles for the week. We'll see if I can keep that going.