Show off your Mountain Bike!!!

Another example of Kona being ahead of the trends. Ahead of the times with this bike. The resell on these is insane, too

Bro what kind of Titanic pose with your bike is that?? Legs spread eagle man lol

 

...Suns out, nuts out... Be thankful of the perspective angle...

 

Slapped a Sram Gx Eagle 1x12 kit on mine a couple weeks ago. Just been breaking her in softly as of late.

 

So. Anybody up for a discussion? Do tires really make THAT much of a difference or is it just kinda something you can tell after you ride a ton?

like toyo’s and nittos can both do Moab and are more of a personal preference (both mud terrains)


Are bike tires the same? Run the stock ones till they’re bald then upgrade? Or is it like a mud terrain vs a street tire and will be noticeable instantly ?

looking for real answers. Not the people who ball out for the gram or have sliders that you’re scared to scratch.

 

I went from 29x3 Bdontrager Chupacabras to 29x3 Maxxis Minion DHF and it is 100% noticeable, at least to me. I run the same pressure now as I did with the chups and the traction is ridiculous. I can take turns way harder, climb up rocks/roots easier, and overall way more confident. All that said I can definitely feel the weight, although I am getting used to it after a few rides. Also, chupacabras and DHFs are basically opposite ends of the spectrum within that 29+ category.

 

See thats exactly what I have. Kinda.
I have 27.5+ 2.8 Bontrager and see everyone rolling around on the Maxxis minion tires and it has me curious. My bike is at the shop while waiting for the brake lever to come in and I’m kinda wondering if I should upgrade the tires while it’s there.

 

Tires and brakes are probably the best upgrades in my opinion. I say go for it haha

 

Brakes won’t happen ever lol. It’s only $1,200 new. I have to watch how much I spend vs just getting a nicer bike

 

Fair point haha

 

First, I have sliders and I scratched the hell out of them my first time out with my stock TRDOR DCLB. Second, tires and suspension will make huge differences in riding. If you have OEM tires there is no issue wearing them out a little before you change to real tires. Then you will at least feel the difference and be more stocked for the $$ you just dropped. I would take a survey of people that work at bike shops near you to understand what they ride. Be careful in this step because you need to know how they ride as well. No need to get XC slicks if you could give a shit about putting spandex on and Strava. Get on a group ride if you can and just take stock of what everyone is on. I've ridden specialized butchers (not too shabby), maxxis highrollers (not bad either) and maxxis DHF/DHR (superb). You need to be a little picky about casings too. Don't buy DH casings if you are cruising mellow trails, etc. Please let me know what questions you have. Always remember what type of riding you do most when selecting tires.

 

See the asking around and looking is what worries me. Kinda like a overland expo vs a group of rock crawlers.
The overlanders will say you NEED a RTT and rotopax and blah blah blah while some dude with a POS buggy on slicks and a ground tent will do the same trails next to you. Too many people do stuff for the fad nowadays and it’s hard to get honest answers.

I prefer the jumps and drops and corners. Not a cross country fan at all. I’d say downhill but I live in Texas where it’s mainly flat but the smooth dirt trails that throw you into the air and gaps are what I enjoy for sure.

 

You should probably start at Maxxis DHF and DHR's then. You really can't go wrong with them. I run a 2.5 in the front with a 2.4 in the rear. The best combo I've run to date. My rims are 30mm internal width so they like the wide trail platform.

 

Love the DHF/DHR combo, usually run my rear a size narrower than my front but currently matched. running the right pressure seems to make all the difference and I find ideal psi varies within brands, models, casings and tire age. Luckily that’s really easy to experiment with and adjust, especially if you’re tubeless. Carry a pump.

 

I could google it but conversations are cool so I’m gonna ask... why the smaller in the back? I currently have 27.5+ 2.8’s on it.

 

I can see your point about wanting a true answer on tires vs mallcrawler advice. With that being said, tires are the single most important upgrade you can make on a bike-especially downhill riding. Now, an RTT vs Ground Tent is a lively discussion because physically you can sleep in a ground tent with no issues but you can't ride better to add traction so you have to buy new tires. Does that make sense?

 

The theory is better control and cornering traction with a wider tire (up front) and traction for acceleration and braking out back (think “pizza-cutter” tires on a truck). In my head, I also feel like the narrower rear seams to carve/track better and keep me on my line. Simple mans theory, could be wrong.

 

I got a set of 2.8’s I’ll let go cheap if ya want them as an extra set of tires.

 

Hey guys, if you ride mtb in the North East, check out this thread I started!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/north-east-mtb-thread-trails-and-bs.634009/

 

Quick question for the experts on here: I have a few bikes in my price range and was wondering how much a QR 141 rear hub should sway my purchasing decision compared to 148x12? Will the hub size make future upgrades (wheels) a giant pain?

 

Do NOT do a QR 141. Worst standard ever for upgrade options.

Any standard 142 or 148 (Boost) should be fine.