All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

I like to let the back end break loose, so sounds like Xynotal could be a good choice for me. Looks like a good comparator to Aggressor.

Kryptotal front is only available 29x2.4? I may be making a bigger deal of it than it's worth, but I've been running a 29x2.6 Assegai and I'm a bit resistant to downsize. I've loved having that big tire up front (not sure why, but it looks reassuring). That size Assegai is only available in MaxxTerra, but you can get an Assegai in 29x2.5 MaxxGrip.

This rabbit hole runs so deep...

• What's the grip difference between the tire width and rubber compound? *I'm guessing rubber compound is more important but at what point does amount of tire on the
• How does the Continental soft/super soft compare to Maxxis MaxxTerra/MaxxGrip?
  
• How does the Continental trail/enduro casing compare to Maxxis exo/exo+/DD

 

I finally replaced the DHRIIs that came on my 5010 F/R with Kryptotals. I got them both in the Trail compound since most of my riding is pretty flat or just short up/downs, nothing super gnarly. Seem must faster than my DHRII, I can break both the front and back loose on my normal rides, but they seem predictable and I'm not sure anything would hold on when it is just leaf litter and sand over hardpack. Over roots (not many rocks in my area) they grip well. I have made it up some of those short rooty climbs that I struggled with traction on previously. I was thinking about trying the front in the enduro casing so see how that did for traction on my normal rides.

Of course, this could all just be placebo effect of having new tires. All the different compounds, grips, tread patterns get super confusing. I like the Conti's, would buy again but probably for most people there is very little difference in performance between all of the top tires.

I'm going to go ride my bike now.

 

Jenson has 29x 2.4 krypto fronts in the enduro casing @ 75 $

im looking for a summer set of tires here soon too. Def want something that’ll handle all the sharkfin rocks but keep the grip in the kitty litter of the sierras.

If going Maxxis def need DD casing. For the enduro bike I’m not sure what route to go but god damn tires are more expensive than when I bought the last set for the old trail bike

I know fuck all abt tires honestly shoot

 

Over the weekend my Evo had a very, very slight movement in what I believe is the headset. Checked it on the trail and seemed tight. Redid it again just to be sure and still was there. So now I'm wondering if when I switched to the cone spacer, if that is the reason? I have enough mini spacers above the headset to get proper pressure down to pull everything together. Just weird. Anyone experience this? It's almost such a slight amount that it may have been there the whole time and I never noticed it. But now that I did, I can't get it out of my head. I might just throw the regular spacer stack back on and see if that gets rid of it.

 

Oof. Hope you recover quickly brotha.

What happened?

 

How old is your fork? I had bad fork bushings once that I initially thought was the headset. Grab the crown and front tire and see if there is play in the fork.

 

Bike is still pretty new. Maybe less than 10 rides on it. I got it a couple months ago. But I see your point, I know sometimes the fork or front wheel can also give the feeling like it's in the headset. I need to go over it again, but just figured I'd ask and see if that cone spacer is weird or maybe I did something wrong when swapping that on. I can't see how, but you never know.

 

The enduro soft contis are like a Maxx Terra, DH Super soft is like a Maxx Grip. Yes the FR only comes in a 2.4. The contis run a tiny bit smaller vol. than a 2.4WT maxxis but with taller knobs. Hard to compare traction per width I think its more large volume for conformity/absorption , or small volume for precision. The casings on the enduro contis are like a DD but even more supportive imo. Can't speak for the trails.

 

If it's truly loose you can feel it by hand by putting your fingers on the edges of the headset and rocking the fork back and fourth to check for the play. Make sure your steerer tube isn't touching the top cap , it'll usually needs 2mm or so space so that it doesn't bottom out when tightened. Otherwise it's normal for a new headset to loosen up a bit after some riding. If everything checks out you could just be feeling brake pads, wheel bearings or something else. Just take your time and go though it all.

 

Sorry about that. Shit happens. It's never doing a gnarly 270 over the hip either.. always something that's unsubstantial. A few years ago I washed out front tire to face plant because I didn't replace when needed. I'm recovering from ACL surgery at the moment. Same thing .. blew it doing something that I do at the skatepark 100x a night... Fluke..

Heal up. I've been riding light. I still have 5 more months to heal

 

Yup always some stupid shit that takes you out. I recall something I heard recently from a pro rider on a podcast. They said the crashes usually happen when you're not pushing, due temporary lapse of focus, errant thoughts, etc. Situations where your focus isn't in high demand.

Hope the healing goes well, get back out there asap.

 

my bike had something similar. it was the fork in the headset. i could hold the front brake and feel it slightly shift under my stem spacers with my finger on it when i rocked back and forth. initially i thought it was my hub or brake rotor was loose.

i took it all apart, cleaned, and regreased it before putting it back together. seems fine now.

 

Thanks man . That's exactly what happens every time I get in a bad wreck (which is once every few years). I'm doing something routine and generally at higher speed .. it's never doing something I would consider "dangerous". When I'm hucking it I'm fully prepared to bail and get away without incident.

I'm riding.... Just basic stuff like manuals and fakies... Nothing too fast and nothing too dangerous while I'm healing up.. I can't ride ramps and I can't do anything that's outside of my current comfort zone... No 360s off picnic tables yet.

 

Thanks guys. I'll just take it apart and just check everything over. The whole bike probably could use a once over now anyways, since it's broke in now.

 

I totally agree on the lapse of focus thing. If I have a day where my mind can't block out all the life BS, it's gonna be a wonky ride with a lot of stupid little mistakes. You know those days when you just can't get the flow, and it's usually just shit in your head. But, there's also the "surprises" at times even when totally focused -- hit a spot or feature you've ridden multiple times before, and this time something different happens, and it always happens quickly. Surprise!

The best feeling is riding one out and NOT crashing, or at least bailing safely. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen.

 

I just went through that, sort of. I ended up having a broken fork (it was a carbon rigid fork for my fat bike). But one thing the bike shop did to try and diagnose it was add a shim to the top of the upper bearing. I guess sometimes the steerer spacers don't put pressure directly on the bearing so a small shim is needed to really get it engaged. They're cheap, might be worth a try if you can't seem to get enough tension on the headset with just the stem bolt.

 

Bro.... healing vibes headed your way.

 

Damn buddy, I'm sorry. That really sucks. Wifey just went through the broken wrist thing (even used that traction device as well), it takes a while so be patient with your healing. Keep us in the loop on your diagnosis and recovery. Best of luck man.

You'll like it from the looks of it. I haven't ridden it yet (or even mounted it since the trail bike gets so little use), but am stoked on its tread pattern. I know I like the way the tire carcass feels already and that's a huge piece of what I like in tires.

From my experience:

• What's the grip difference between the tire width and rubber compound? - *Essentially* tread and width do a lot of the same thing, add mechanical grip, whereas compound adds friction. So in dusty looses conditions you want lots of mechanical grip, but in slabby and rooty sections you want more friction. I like having both...
• How does the Continental soft/super soft compare to Maxxis MaxxTerra/MaxxGrip? - I found the Conti soft to be a bit more grippy than Terra, but not as tacky as Gripp. Haven't ridden the supersoft yet since I haven't tried the DH tire.
• How does the Continental trail/enduro casing compare to Maxxis exo/exo+/DD? - Different... The trail is like EXO+ in feel, their Enduro is the same trail casing but with a thick Apex insert. It adds support and pinch flat protection, but no additional sidewall or tread layer protection. DD is thicker everywhere, without Apex. In feel, the Enduro casing feels supple like the EXO+ but with added rolling resistance and pinch flat protection. Their DH tire is more like the DD casing, but with added Apex as well. Not as thick and burly as the DH in Maxxis. In terms of casing thickness and protection I'd say it goes exo -> trail -> exo+ -> enduro -> DD -> conti DH -> maxxis DH.

Currently running Rimpact Pro inserts F/R, with the Assegai in the front in EXO+ Gripp and the Conti Krptotal Enduro soft.
Even with the inserts I've had two flats on the Assegai. Two, in the front. One under the tread, one pinch. Only reason I put it on is because I had it around and thought it would be ok with the insert. In the rear I've had zero issues with the Conti.
I think that Apex insert really makes a big difference in tire feel and support, as well as pinch flat protection. That's why I wish they'd make the front in the Enduro casing and super soft compound, but for now I'm waiting for someone to have stock of the front in Enduro to try that out.

Liar!!! Dammit, you got me excited...
Think about adding in some inserts? They help a ton with flats and let you run lower pressures to get that grip you're after in the kitty litter.

 

Any of you gravel bikers out there, are the Cane Creek eeSilk or the Redshift stems worth the investment? I'm having pain in my wrists from bumpy trails. I can ride flat, smooth surfaces just fine, no pain or discomfort. I'm hesitantly looking at the suspension stems, but they're not cheap! Anyone using these have any insight?

 

Have you adjusted the hood or bar positions? I've never ridden a suspension stem but if it's cockpit setup causing the issue the stem won't help. I think the bumps can bring out some pain you might not feel on smooth sections just because it adds that much extra bit of force.

A bike fit may also be worth it. I don't do them on my mountain bikes but I got one on my gravel bike and it was pretty wild how much more comfortable I felt and was even able to get into a more aggressive position.