Brian Johnson

Hey Will,

Back in the late 80's and early 90's I rode and raced with a wider tire
up front than in the rear. (a 2.2 and 1.9 respectively) This was,
obviously before the advent of suspension. Back then tires were "one
tread fits all" (anyone out there remember Specialized's Gound Control?)
but then designers eventually realized that the rear tire is primarily
making you go and the front is handling all the navigation. So we got
tread patterns specific to their use.

Anymore it's really tread and tire pressure that make the difference,
not so much the width. I think a nice fat tire in the back is important
on a "hard tail". So run 2.2's (or whatever) on both ends, but be
mindful when you pick your tread patterns.

Happy trails!

Brian

--

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-- The Tick

Brian Baumann

The idea of a wider tire in front began in the old BMX
racing days (or so I think). The idea was, as you
stated, to increase traction in the front for
cornering the big fat berms and other corners as
quickly as possible. I use tubeless and will run a
slightly larger in the front if the company makes it,
but will not use that as a determining factor for tire
choice.
Brian

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david baker

I think that is a pretty good idea. Wider tires do give you more control,and
the front is where you need that most. As with almost everything on bikes
there is the weight versus performance versus price issue, and there are
some things where weight wins(bottle cages, seats, pedals, seat posts, etc.)
some things where price wins like xt versus xtr derailleur's, and some
things where performance wins(wheels, tires, and forks).
In the rear you want a skinnier tire to save weight, but don't go with thin
casing, you really need to protect against flats in the rear. In the front
it is kind of the opposite. Thinner casing for weight because front flats
are more rare, but wider tire for better control.
2.3 and 2.1 sound like pretty good numbers. I have been running 2.25 front
and rear because I fell in love with bontrager jones xr tubeless, but I have
to admit the rear flats to easy because it only weighs 525 grams or so.
Having a skinnier rear may also help in the spring when you get better
traction in mud for climbing without spinning out.
After the spring races I would go as fat as you can tolerate weight wise,
and you must go tubeless!
Weight is important but you need to enjoy riding your bike so treat yourself
to some fun tires.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Will"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 1:54 PM
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Qtn about tire choices for XC racing mtb

> I'm racing a hardtail for XC Mtb this season and am putting a new rig
> together.
>
> I've seen in some magazines that hardtail (race-worthy) XC bikes will
> sometimes be spec'd with a 2.3" tire in the front and 2.1" in the
> back...or something similar. Bottom line, a wider tire in the front.
>
> Do any of you do this? A LBS wrench told me it can help with how well you
> can take turns. Is this true? Have any of you experienced benefits
> (perceived or not)?
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>

Evan Plews

Wider is not necessarily better--especially off road. A wider casing means more weight and possiblly more rolling/wind resistance. Generally the rim width has as much to do with stability than the tire width. Traction is determined mostly by air pressure, compound and casing construction (notice I did NOT say tread design?) Generally tread that is an more than 3/16" tall makes a tire handle worse. All of this adds up to many of the reasons tubeless tires and specific rims have become so popular the last few years.

So what I am telling you is experiment to find the tires that work best for your riding style, rims, and conditions.

Good luck!

> Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:54:42 -0800> From: Will_cortez_23@hotmail.com> To: obra@list.obra.org> Subject: [OBRA Chat] Qtn about tire choices for XC racing mtb> > I'm racing a hardtail for XC Mtb this season and am putting a new rig together.> > I've seen in some magazines that hardtail (race-worthy) XC bikes will sometimes be spec'd with a 2.3" tire in the front and 2.1" in the back...or something similar. Bottom line, a wider tire in the front.> > Do any of you do this? A LBS wrench told me it can help with how well you can take turns. Is this true? Have any of you experienced benefits (perceived or not)?> _______________________________________________> OBRA mailing list> obra@list.obra.org> http://list.obra.org/mailman/listinfo/obra> Unsubscribe: obra-unsubscribe@list.obra.org
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Will

I'm racing a hardtail for XC Mtb this season and am putting a new rig together.

I've seen in some magazines that hardtail (race-worthy) XC bikes will sometimes be spec'd with a 2.3" tire in the front and 2.1" in the back...or something similar. Bottom line, a wider tire in the front.

Do any of you do this? A LBS wrench told me it can help with how well you can take turns. Is this true? Have any of you experienced benefits (perceived or not)?