Nice Sime.
Only thing to watch with the Renegades is as we start to get into the wetter months those things get loose! this is where i have found the X King awesome (my previous fav was the Captain) they are still fast enough for dry XC use but have a bit more bite for intermediate mud that we get around here during winter (assuming you don’t ride MUD MUD… that’s what the CX bike is for right???)
Also depends on where you’re riding, I’m out west so it’s you yangs for me, mostly dry XC gravel and rocks, so I run conti Rkings, at a higher pressure, and you can fly around there.
When it’s wet over there the gravel gets like wet sand, and you get fair amounts of sink, so you’ll need something like the ardents, or even hans dampfs, and really low pressure.
I havent really had a chance to ride lysterfield or any of the eastern trails yet, but when my contract is up in april I’ll get over there and have a crack.
Recently took a link out of chain and got a sweet shorter chainstay length happening, but the 2.2 ardent race didnt really jive and was ripping stones past the chainstays and making an impression on them, so switched to a crossmark 2.1. I was ready for lame-ness, but what I got is pretty alrightness. To be honest the only difference I feel is better rolling in a straight line, possibly less hook up on steep out of saddle pinches, but cornering feels totally fine. I even got a couple of downslope, hard cornering segment PBs yesterday with it on (Flow and Southside going down).
Bike Ride Profile | Bruce with T2, Yves and Grip near Macquarie | Times and Records | Strava
(edit: that might not seem significant, but I have prob ridden those segments more than 100 times each, and have often given it heaps down them… theyre super fun. So a new PB is rare and pretty exciting)
Moral of the story, I am no longer afraid of crossmarks, for rear anyway… the ardent race up front is really a great thing though.
Also, i am running higher pressure these days, just to contradict my old self. Probably 28-30PSI front and rear. Fork has new low-friction seals and the small bump sensitivity is way better, so its not super noticeable up front anyway, but yeah, its a quick spin up to speed.
^ Loving your comprehensive review JP!
What do peeps think or Larsen TTs?? I have an old set on the moment and they suit dry Aussie conditions pretty well I reckon.
JP! So my new bike has destroyed a sidewall in the stock rear specialized tyre so I am on the lookout for something to replace it.
You are liking the ardent obviously?
Yeah, Ezy, I reckon the Ardent Race is a top tire for these parts, and prob suits your hard charging all mountain style more than my weenie xc style. Ardent is also unreal, and a bit stickier through corners, but the weight penalty is high compared to the race. Get the nice ones, the 3C TR version and they will be tough for sidewall tears and wear well if you do a bit of sealed surface riding to get to the trails. I have the one I took off waiting at home if you want to try it out for a bit?
Question: I’ve been reading a couple blogs of local Canberra #pro mountain bikers and a lot of them are riding really fast micro knob tires like speciazlied renegade 1.9 etc. Anyone on here have experience running similar tires? I currently have a Rendez on the front and a Aspen on the back and am just moving out of what I consider the “beginner mountain biker” stage.
Isn’t it 6 Fiddy Bee? If you have a 29er Ezy I have a 2.4 Ardent and a 2.2 Ikon Brand new in my room for the 29er that never happened build (still want to get a racey hardtail built up :()
I’m loving the little showers around canberra at the moment. Makes bruce that little bit tackier (probably more in my mind).
Totally 1000 times grippier at the mo! not in your mind at all, man.
Micronob/super fast tires, yeah, if you are a gun I guess you get grip out of just about anything, and the faster rolling otherwise, the better. I am still a low-skilled punter, so use grippier treads.
I think Ezy’s spesh is 29er niner, but could be wrong.
You can still have my kona, by the way, I put a new BB and swapped brakes to BB7s and its all sweet and tucked in now. Currently has dyanmo front but will take that out unless you are keen on it.
Keen for a test ride!
Also keen on dynamo front for #beardbikepacking
Will have some free time after IB this weekend. PM me
micro knobs (like the schwalbe thunder burt) are the new hotness for my fast XC friends. as JP says those guys/gals have the skills to handle the drift (or love that extra slide) and the payoff is faster rolling. plus i guess going up a wheel size means a larger contact patch (relative to 26"/27.5")
especially when they are as lightweight as some of those tyres are getting.
i’ve been hearing some really good stuff about the current maxxis tyres. it seems like they have dug themselves back out after a few years of apparent meh with some lighter, grippier tyres. and they last/seal up as well (unlike a certain other brand). plus they are priced (somewhat) affordably.
after the initial buzz, rubena seems to be losing a bit of hype.
im about to get a new wheelset and am looking at switching my RR to the back and getting something a bit more aggressive up front. so far its looking like a competition between conti and maxxis.
can’t wait to get out in the melbourne wetness this next couple of weeks on the X Kings… thinking a set of Mountain Kings might have to be purchased for the real winter though!!!
Looked at some spesh renegades last night, 29 x 1.8! or 29 x 2.3… nothing on the rack in between… I think they could be worth a shot for ultra speedy tire, thunder burt, I can’t see the hook up potential as a rear on SS, and front, I am not in that league.
Keen to hear how the mountain kings roll!
Nearly time for a winter tire - Saguro is starting to get a little too skaty for my liking in the front. Still happy with it in the rear.
Mountain king / ardent ? Nobby nics were too slow rolling for me previously.
Lysty mostly, but Yarra trails, wombat and a few other randoms from time to time. Anything else I should be looking at. My decision will pretty much come down to which is on special at wiggle/crc/etc at the time.
Ardents get my vote.
Mountain Kings will roll alot like NN I think. They are quite chunky. I just sold the set that came with my El Mar, but didn’t ride them. They were the cheapies and weighed almost a kg each. :eek:
Edit: Shakes, I run a Ardent 2.25 up front and a Ignitor 2.35 in the rear. And despite the stated sizes, the Ardent has a larger volume carcass.
Ardent Race is an option as well.
Switched from Schwalbe RaRa 2.25" rear and NoNi 2.35" front to a Maxxis Ikon 2.2" rear and Ardent Race 2.2" on my 429C. Faster and as much grip as I need. Had tried an Ikon 2.35" front to go with the Ikon 2.2" rear, but was washing out the front end on some loose corners.
Hmmm, I’m currently on 2.4 X-king front and 2.2 race king back but the X-king is only marginally larger. Finding it pretty good and appreciating the larger volumes. I have a 2.4 ardent and a 2.2 ikon lying around as well and am trying to sus out the best combination of these 4 tyres before I convert to tubeless. Heading out to Stromlo tomorrow to see how I go on the descents.
For me I felt it was a lack of knob grip, not bag width on the tire that was the problem. I should give it another crack and play around with the air pressures.
To all the MTB tubeless fans, this is interesting to read:
Hermida has his non-tubeless rear tyre set up tubeless, but unusually uses a tube in the front. With the low tyre pressures used, he claims this ensures he doesn’t roll the tyre when pushing hard into corners.
Pro bike: José Antonio Hermida’s Merida Big.Nine - BikeRadar
To me, baggy shorts are like Photoshop to photographers – you’re trying to cover something you don’t want to show
Its a very interesting idea, the front tube. I wonder why not just a stronger version sidewall.
Jesus, He’s worried about burping a front tyre and he’s only 63kg. Man, those Elite XC dudes are nuts. But yeah, sure a lot less likely to pinch flat a front tyre so makes sense I guess.
Ha! that’s a great quote. I think of it as horses for courses. Baggies make sense for enduro-style riding where you can hide elbow pads under them say, and there have been numerous times when I’ve bounced against a tree and had I been wearing lycra I would have had my arse hanging out (or turkey drumsticks at least).
But racing? I don’t see why Fumic and Fontana are riding baggies. Gotta be winning their races in baggies to really prove the point don’t they? I mean they’re not exactly Shaun Palmer are they?!