Hi, Melanie. I have two months to XTERRA Brazil and i'm now testing some tire set ups for the course. As i said before: lots of climbs ( technical; short and sharp; long ones; with all kind of floor: hard pack, rocks, grass, loose, dry and wet ), lots of single tracks, and a little bit of pavement.
Well, i have two set ups in mind:
- Ritchey ZED Race WCS 2.1 ( 530 g ) front and Maxxis High Roller 1.9 ( 570 g ) or Maxxis Larsen Mimo 1.9 ( 420 g ), both inverted for traction, rear.
I'd like to know if you prefer a 2.1 tire or a 1.9 tire on the front and if the better ride/stability of the 2.1 tire compensates the extra weight ( 100g ). Is 100g an important difference of weight ?
Again, is the extra 150 g for a tire with more traction on the rear worthwhile ?
Melanie, could you please make a brief resume of the advantages and disadvantages of the Mimo ? It seems to me a very light and good traction tire on rear if inverted.
Thanks. Luiz.

Post edited by: lfcgatti, at: 2007/07/04 00:02

Post edited by: lfcgatti, at: 2007/07/04 03:25

Post edited by: lfcgatti, at: 2007/07/05 20:32

Sorry it took me so long to get to this

Okay, I would run a wider front tire on the front for loose conditions as I find it tends to be a bit more stable in the corners. 100g is not a big deal if your tire is going to give your more confidence and better speed in the descents.

What I have heard is that Brazil can have very sticky mud if it is wet. In that case, I would go with 1.9 tires and less so that you can cut through the mud rather than creating giant donuts of grass and dirt. If conditions are very slippery, go with a narrow tire that will cut through the mud as probably no one will have traction in very slippery climbs.

The Mimo is a great tire, I love it in the wet conditions and the dry conditions. The Ritchey tire you have listed I have not ridden so I am not really sure of the tread patten. With the mimo, it is reasonably light and has low knobs so it is pretty fast... a good all around tire. I would think that one would be great. Ridden at high pressure it will roll super fast and at lower pressure will offer all sorts of traction. Depending on how fast the course is you can decide what psi to run it at.

With the two Maxxis tires, I would probably ride the High Roller on the front as it has good corner knobs and the Mimo on the rear. I am not sure if I would invert it or not but if you think you have better traction inverted then maybe that is a good call. Experiment with how much pressure you ride... a few psi can drastically change the properties of a tire.

Cheers, Melanie

Post edited by: melanie, at: 2007/07/10 05:14

Thanks Mel. This Holiday i've tested the tires set-ups on the course and i think a 2.1 tire is not necessary as long we don't have that fast corners.
As for the high roller on the rear, it didn't work because it looses lots of brake power if inverted.
I'm thinking in going with Mimo front and geax rear
( inverted ), both 1.9. I've tested the geax inverted on the rear on the climbs and on a short track with mud and i did'n loose traction or brake power any time.
What do you think of the mimo on the front ?
Thanks again, Luiz.

Last year at Tahoe you recommended a Michelin tire for the sandy slopes of Tunnel Creek trail. As I slide in what is already a very sandy trail, what tire and width was that again? Thanks

I was probably talking about a Maxxis Larson for Tahoe last year. 2.0 or larger is best. Also good for that race is the Maxxis Oriflamme or the Crossmark.

You want to ride probably a 2.0 or larger tire in that soft sand. Running a tire with lower pressure also helps you to float on top of the sand when it is particularly loose as well.

Unweighting your front tire on the descents will help your front tire track better.

M

Post edited by: melanie, at: 2007/07/15 04:43

Melanie, i think you didn't see my last post because David has posted this Tahoe's question about the tires. I'd like to know if you think Maxxis Mimo work as a front tire. Thanks, Luiz.