Doing Leadville on a 27.5 hardtail and need tire advice,

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mattcooke
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by mattcooke

I am hoping to find some faster rolling tires that are either 2.1 or 2.0 width. Everyone I know is on Maxxis Ikon tires but they are only made in 2.2 for 27.5 wheel size.
Is there another tire that would roll like the Ikon but come in a 2.1 or 2.0 tire width for a 27.5?
Thanks so much.

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tonytourist
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by tonytourist

I raced Leadville on 29x2.2 Fast Traks, I think you’ll be fine with the Ikons in 2.2.
How about Maxxis Aspens?

joeg26er
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:40 am

by joeg26er

That's awesome - you got into Leadville. Congrats :) It will be fun with good prep
What is your background/experience on this? What long distance stuff have you done? If you have some of this stuff nailed down, ignore it ;) Since this is going down Aug 11th. Much of this info is probably too late?

Some pointers
Leadville is rocky in some sections. Unless they changed it, there are some hidden rocks that will puncture tires/crack rims in the grassy rolling section just before the road section to Columbine climb. The lightest Aspens have super thin side walls but you want a fast efficient tire and don't need anything aggressive. This could be done on a semi-slick unless they changed the course radically.

29er is best as there are many road sections, groomed trails etc. IMHO - 27.5 has no real advantages over a 29er and will roll slower

More important than tire selection or wheel size is to absolutely nail your nutrition/feeding. I ran a large bottle in the main filled with 3 scoops perpetuem, 1 scoop gatorade and water mix and that lasts me approx 30 miles. Carried a couple bags of this dry mix. One small bottle of water in the seattube mount.

Super big tips:
Crotch lube, sun screen
Pace yourself at slightly over the minimum finish time plus allocate stop times at the support drops
Pack extra socks, shorts into your drop packets plus some morale booster food that have been tested for long distance riding

Ride smart and conserve energy, draft the sh* out of people. Watch out for the first climbs, unless you are super strong and get out in front of the mid-pack you will be bogged down on the climbs and forced to walk them. But, you defo don't want to burn your candle early as you will pay for it later.

But if that's is what you have you gotta run what you brung. If running 1X, Put at least a 36T x 50T but IMHO, a double is probably better as you'll want "one more gear" on the climbs and you'll need top end to keep up when drafting at 24mph
make sure your bottle cage holds securely. Plan your support drops bags so you can ride lean and light with nothing extraneous on your body. Get a super light helmet.
Get a small bento box/bag. Pack a couple tire boots cut from old tire side walls or tyvek bags double thick. Small bottle of lube. Small bottle of 3 oz tire sealant. One extra tube. Tire levers, large Co2.
Carry a Super light 3 oz wind breaker, head band and thin liner gloves.

Have fun!

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LeDuke
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Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:39 am
Location: Front Range, CO

by LeDuke

I’d never go smaller than a 2.2, particularly with a 27.5 wheel.

I’d go with a fat and fast 2.35 if at all possible.




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mattcooke
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Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:17 pm

by mattcooke

That is some fantastic info. Thank you!! I am used to long road days but this will different. I have to work on the nutrition plan.
Thank you guys.



joeg26er wrote:
Sun Jul 29, 2018 3:29 pm
That's awesome - you got into Leadville. Congrats :) It will be fun with good prep
What is your background/experience on this? What long distance stuff have you done? If you have some of this stuff nailed down, ignore it ;) Since this is going down Aug 11th. Much of this info is probably too late?

Some pointers
Leadville is rocky in some sections. Unless they changed it, there are some hidden rocks that will puncture tires/crack rims in the grassy rolling section just before the road section to Columbine climb. The lightest Aspens have super thin side walls but you want a fast efficient tire and don't need anything aggressive. This could be done on a semi-slick unless they changed the course radically.

29er is best as there are many road sections, groomed trails etc. IMHO - 27.5 has no real advantages over a 29er and will roll slower

More important than tire selection or wheel size is to absolutely nail your nutrition/feeding. I ran a large bottle in the main filled with 3 scoops perpetuem, 1 scoop gatorade and water mix and that lasts me approx 30 miles. Carried a couple bags of this dry mix. One small bottle of water in the seattube mount.

Super big tips:
Crotch lube, sun screen
Pace yourself at slightly over the minimum finish time plus allocate stop times at the support drops
Pack extra socks, shorts into your drop packets plus some morale booster food that have been tested for long distance riding

Ride smart and conserve energy, draft the sh* out of people. Watch out for the first climbs, unless you are super strong and get out in front of the mid-pack you will be bogged down on the climbs and forced to walk them. But, you defo don't want to burn your candle early as you will pay for it later.

But if that's is what you have you gotta run what you brung. If running 1X, Put at least a 36T x 50T but IMHO, a double is probably better as you'll want "one more gear" on the climbs and you'll need top end to keep up when drafting at 24mph
make sure your bottle cage holds securely. Plan your support drops bags so you can ride lean and light with nothing extraneous on your body. Get a super light helmet.
Get a small bento box/bag. Pack a couple tire boots cut from old tire side walls or tyvek bags double thick. Small bottle of lube. Small bottle of 3 oz tire sealant. One extra tube. Tire levers, large Co2.
Carry a Super light 3 oz wind breaker, head band and thin liner gloves.

Have fun!

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Lelandjt
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Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:10 am

by Lelandjt

Aspen Exo is my go to XC tire for Colorado. Fast rolling and reasonable flat resistance. Being 2.2 rather than 2.1 is no real disadvantage. If you want lighter and narrower there's the Thunder Burt but it's more flat prone.

mattcooke
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Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:17 pm

by mattcooke

I ended up getting Bontrager XR1 2.0 front and back, and I did well in the race. 18th overall in 7:15. Not bad right?! I am kind of hooked and want to do more mountain biking and likely a new bike with 29 wheels and lower gears. Thanks all for the advice, it was helpful.
Matt

stoney
Posts: 474
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:26 am

by stoney

mattcooke wrote:
Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:02 am
I ended up getting Bontrager XR1 2.0 front and back, and I did well in the race. 18th overall in 7:15. Not bad right?! I am kind of hooked and want to do more mountain biking and likely a new bike with 29 wheels and lower gears. Thanks all for the advice, it was helpful.
Matt
Congratulations on a great finish! Were you riding a fully or hardtail?

mattcooke
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Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:17 pm

by mattcooke

It was a hard tail, Jamis 27.5 I know nothing about mtn bikes but almost everyone else had Sram Eagle and for sure I wish I lower gears.
I have a 34 in front and not an eagle in the back.

I timed the nutrition pretty well, just started to run out of steam in the last few miles. Dumb luck helps sometimes.

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F45
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Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:08 am

by F45

What other tires did you see there?

stoney
Posts: 474
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:26 am

by stoney

A friend of mine did the race and he used Continental Race Kings. I've also heard Maxxis Aspen and Schwalbe Racing Ralph were popular tires.

mattcooke
Resident Pro
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:17 pm

by mattcooke

Lots of Maxxis Ikons. Other than that I do not really know. It is a fast course.

Estelja
Posts: 229
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:47 pm

by Estelja

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews

Coming from a Colorado resident, I would recommend the Schwalbe Rocket Rons. And remember, narrower is not faster. You can see various GMBN videos on youtube confirming that statement. :thumbup:

by Weenie


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