Thursday, July 29, 2010
We don't need no stinkin' fancy tires!
The word "slickrock" was derived from early settlers whose metal-shod horses found the expanses of barren rock slick to cross. Mountain bikers find just the opposite is true because the naked sandstone is as "slick" as coarse sandpaper. This unique medium is a proving ground for many bike manufacturers because it allows a mountain bike to be ridden to its fullest expression. The traction between stone and tires can hold a bike at gravity defying angles, which can prove intimidating at first. But once mastered, or at least tolerated, the free-flowing nature of Slickrock might very well be the most fun you can have!
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Ive done some research on this, and this is oversimplifying a bit. While traction is not an issue on slickrock, we will be riding over sand, so fatter the better (e.g. 26x2.5)to float you over the sandy spots. Also the terrain is prone to tearing out sidewalls, so tires with thicker sidewalls are recommended, as well as riding lower tire pressure. My big question mark is the tubeless setup Chris and I are running. A blown sidewall would be a huge pain in the ass, but the setup allows you to ride low pressure.
ReplyDeleteIm sticking with my nevegal 2.35inch. If I blow em out, they have bike shops.
You can read more here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=8378
Nobody told me that there would be sand in the desert.
ReplyDeleteOh, no!!! They suggest Moto Raptor 2.4's and I'm only running Moto Raptor 2.24's!!! That's something like 7% difference in contact area (assuming an eliptical contact area). Either I need to buy new tires or loose 7% of my body+bike weight. Speaking of which, shouldn't they only recommend tire size based on body+bike weight? If your b+b weight is only 150lbs the extra rolling resistance isn't warranted from the xtra wide tires compared to a 300lb toilet crushing non-race pace poser.....