BEST WW TIRE for REAR?

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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Elstorma
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:57 am

by Elstorma

Hello there fellow WW...
am in the market for a lightweight rear tire that performs well... not just for races...
weight target 450g and below....
type of trails... loose over damp muddy clay... essentially tropical rainforest singletrack.
will be mounted on the rear of my hardtail...

Will be replacing the Continental SpeedKings 2.3 supersonic (real weight 438g) currently on my ride... (mounted on american classic mtb26 wheels... these tires measure just under 2.1 from sidewall to sidewall... so its more of a 2.1... no where near the 2.3 mark)

Essentially,
i dont wanna gain weight here....
wanna at least maintain a similar tire volume...
wanna gain better rolling and better grip.

have a current shortlist running...
1> Onza Canis 2.0(XC) claimed weight: 420g
2> Continental X king supersonics(or racesport?) claimed weight: 440g(490g)
3> Schwable RaRa 2.1 Evo claimed weight: 470g

Will appreciate feedback on real life comparison / measurements / reviews

Many thanks in advance. :thumbup:

by Weenie


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Elstorma
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:57 am

by Elstorma

ok, got meself a canis 2.0 for the rear of my carbon ht project bike.
this replaces a conti speedking 2.3 supersonic that i had chosen earlier becos of the weight .. but later found that it did not perform well enuff to my liking on the rear (works well enuff on the front)

here are some findings:

Conti Speedking 2.3 SS
TRUE WEIGHT:
Image

TRUE WIDTH (as mounted on a AmClassic MTB26 wheel / 35psi): yea... 1.95... skinny for a claimed 2.3...
Image


Onza Canis 2.0:
TRUE WEIGHT (i had requested Conticomponents for the lightest in the stock... and am a tad disappoinetd at the weight... was hoping for something closer to the claimed weight of 420...)
Image

TRUE WIDTH:
1st pic is freshly mounted on AmClassic MTB26 wheel @ 35psi:
Image

this 2nd pic is after bedding in ride and topping up pressure back to 35psi: 1.9... close...
Image

Will ride this a couple more times to give it more time to settle... before a final measure... I have a feeling that it will settle in at abt 49mm(1.95ish) in girth... just a bt 0.5mm off from the Speedking it is replacing...

FireSpitter
Posts: 119
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:19 am

by FireSpitter

I used speedkings before and I have to admit that while the weight (Or the lack of it) makes it nimble handling but I hated the lack of front end feel and also the lifespan was horrendous. In the end, I used it only in the rear and toyed around with several other tires in the front end. Sorry to throw you off a little with my comments but you could consider pushing the Speedking to the rear instead and replace the front with a grippier tire. You can loose the rear, slide the rear, whatever else but the front should have a planted and firm grip. Would this sound better? Then again, this is just my personal opinion and everybody has a different liking to how the bike rides.
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Elstorma
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:57 am

by Elstorma

Hiya FS,
your points are appreciated.
and my personal gripe with the SK2.3SS is how they slip and loose traction on off cambered acceleration under moderate torque or rooty sections suffer on slippage also... have been ok on the front for me (kinda gotten used to how it handles i suppose)... not great but ok... and on the rear i cannot drop the air pressure too much... due to the soft side walls...
if this onza canis prooves its worth... i might end up with another on the front and say tata to the SK... especially if i can get hold of a pc that is per claimed weight (420g)... lol.

FireSpitter
Posts: 119
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:19 am

by FireSpitter

Elstorma wrote:Hiya FS,
your points are appreciated.
and my personal gripe with the SK2.3SS is how they slip and loose traction on off cambered acceleration under moderate torque or rooty sections suffer on slippage also... have been ok on the front for me (kinda gotten used to how it handles i suppose)... not great but ok... and on the rear i cannot drop the air pressure too much... due to the soft side walls...
if this onza canis prooves its worth... i might end up with another on the front and say tata to the SK... especially if i can get hold of a pc that is per claimed weight (420g)... lol.


Not sure if it helps you any further but I am using Stans Raven at the rear now. 485gms for a 29er which is pretty decent weight. Dry conditions are satisfactory but I am not so sure about it anymore if you are riding on our wet & muddy trails (Especially since it has been raining regularly lately).
Please visit my blogs:-

I'm a MILF - er blog (Help raise awareness!) http://firespitter38.blogspot.com

True tales from the dark side http://truetalesfromthedarkside.blogspot.com

DanW
Posts: 1243
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 5:39 pm
Location: Here, there and everywhere

by DanW

Do you have any feedback on the Onza tyres? I'd be really interested to know about rolling speed, grip, sidewall life and tread life. They look like very interesting tyres...

mariosimas
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 10:27 pm

by mariosimas

I use the Conti RaceKing Supersonic 26 x 2.0 in the rear only in the dry season. Very good rolling tyre.

Mine came with 413g

DanW
Posts: 1243
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 5:39 pm
Location: Here, there and everywhere

by DanW

Hi all,

I decided to try the Onza Canis 2.00 on the rear in the end.

I would echo Elstorma's comments that they appear a little narrow. Certainly narrower than my 2.00 Bontrager Mud-X. They make a nice round profile on my Stans Alpine rims and actually the overall volume appears very similar to the Mud-X. The tread on the 2.25 is quite a bit deeper than the 2.00 but I decided against it as I wasn't sure how a 2.25 tyre would sit on the Alpine rims. Anyone run a 2.25 on an Alpine rim?

Tread depth and overall tread impression is very similar to that of a Racing Ralph.

Aesthetically and quality wise they look very impressive. The logos are subtle which I like (take note Maxxis :D ). They are listed on the packaging as 510g (420g for the 120 tpi version) and mine came in at 515g- not bad at all.

I got a chance to have a play with the 60 tpi and 120 tpi tyres and felt that the sidewall was thicker on the 60 tpi (non scientific fingernail poking :D ). I am not sure if this is a common difference on tyres of different tpi's? For a rear tyre I'd prefer to sacrifice a few g's for a more robust sidewall.

The only criticisms I've heard of these tyres so far are weight (mine was almost spot on claimed so no worries here) and mounting ease. They mounted up in seconds with a little tyre lever help. Not Maxxis Exception series floppy sidewall ease but not Bonty Mud-X 30 minute swearing difficulty either. Pumped slowly to 40 psi with a track pump and they went straight on the rim bead. Very happy to be faff free here.

Can't wait to give them more time on the trail now. I'm thinking of a 2.1 Onza Lynx on the front when the trails are dry then going for Ibex front, Lynx rear when it gets a bit sloppier again.

Elstorma
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:57 am

by Elstorma

update:
Image
I supposed its settled in, lol. 49mm wide.

review:
-Rolls well
-good grip over most conditions
-corners well (very predictable and has a good bite even when sliding round corners)
-not the toughest tire (punctured once on a rocky downhill stretch) but then again this is a very lightweight tire....
-clears mud pretty well.
- at 49mm true width (on a 19mm internal width rim : am classic MTB26)....not bad i suppose for a 2.0. just 1.5mm shy of full claimed width.
- weight is still plenty light at 444g, although its 24g heavier than claimed... (so thats 5.7% more than the claimed 420g)

swaits
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:22 am

by swaits

I have a Stan's Raven 29 in the back too. Works perfectly for me.

Tried running it up front, but it just doesn't bite enough for me. Switched that to an S-Works The Captain, which is light and knobby.

fivethirtyonepm
Posts: 127
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:45 pm
Location: New Forest - UK

by fivethirtyonepm

i quite like the michelin wild race'r advanced tyres, but they are closer to the 500g mark... i run them on my cannondale ht and actually prefer them to the schwalbe ra'ra evo on the back of my yeti

by Weenie


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