Tires

dirty princess

dirty princess

New member
I have been doing a lot of reading on tires, trying to find out if one tire is better than the next for my riding needs. The local and online bike shops have quite a few choices, and all have nothing bad to say about any of the products they carry, which makes buying a set a bit of a mystery on how they will perform, so I thought maybe posting an ad for some tire advice may help narrow my decision! A 70 - 30 street- dirt is what I am looking for..... any advice?
 
Mad Max

Mad Max

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Kenda 270 rear. They last well and are inexpensive.They do not hook up well in mud or greasy roots but as a 70-30 street-dirt tire goes I'd reccommend the 270 rear. For a front I'd say get a decent knobbie as 270 fronts washed out bad an my pal's xr400

My2 cents

Max
 
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mint400

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I ride 30-70 street-trail, and the K270 rear has worked very well for me / I definitely recommend the rear pattern for a 70-30 rider. They are bit wobbly in turns and kind of hard (slide easily) yet long wearing and fairly smooth running on road. I've had other tires, but keep going back to the K270 cause I'm cheap... they last up to 3x longer than an MT21 on the road.

I've read somewhere the K270 pattern is a knock off... You can get it in softer rubber for stopping with better side knobs for leaning / turning on highway. I might look for it next time... Stinko 244? IRC GP1?

On the front I have MT21, it vibrates pretty fiercely (due to knobs) and locks easily in the rain on road. I'd go for something slightly less aggressive if I rode mostly street. That said... off road the I would go with no less aggressive than an mt21 pattern up front. Front washout is nothing short of scary, and a good front tire seems critical for rougher trails.

Many others are big on the MT43 rear... I don't ride mud or sand too much and they reviews suggest that they are a dream for rocky rooty hardpack use... also a "greener" choice as the patttern is less damaging to the trails. I'll likely get one of these next time as an experiment, IF my K270 ever wears out... (I'm at 3K and at 20% wear)
 
Mollygrubber

Mollygrubber

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Continental TKC80's are prettypopular for long range touring, a good compromise if a bit pricey. Work well for me, stick pretty good on asphalt and way better than Deathwings on dirt.
 
Island Hopper

Island Hopper

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What price range? Are you willing to spend versus looking for best bang for the buck?

A decent 70/30 tire that I've ran is the Metzler Sahara 3 but they are pricey... As well the Mefo Explorers are highly rated and high priced...


The economical Kenda 270 is more of a 50/50 tire and has a tendency to squirm a bit on pavement cornering but otherwise a good tire... The IRC GP 1 is a very similar tire to the 270 with much better pavement manners but hard to get in Canada...

The Mitas EO 9 rear is about the best bang for the buck...It's also more of a 50/50 tire but does OK on pavement and has a decent lifespan...

The Maxxis 6006 is another good tire for the buck but I believe the line has been discontinued or renamed...
 
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islandswede

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I've tried all the tires mentioned here except the Sahara. The IRC GP-1's are by far the best of the bunch in my opinion. They are amazing and quiet on the road and they perform great off-road as well. I have used them for about 11,000 km's and just spooned on my 2nd front and 3rd rear. As for Canadian availability I don't know, I got my mine in California, front and rear delivered to the door for US $130.
 
Jeckyll

Jeckyll

Member
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dirty princess wrote:
I have been doing a lot of reading on tires, trying to find out if one tire is better than the next for my riding needs. The local and online bike shops have quite a few choices, and all have nothing bad to say about any of the products they carry, which makes buying a set a bit of a mystery on how they will perform, so I thought maybe posting an ad for some tire advice may help narrow my decision! A 70 - 30 street- dirt is what I am looking for..... any advice?
Click to expand...

I run 70 street / 30 dirt with the Trail wing 302 rear and the Chen Shing 858 front, including week long trips with on and off road while loaded. Good combo, affortable and the TW302 works well on pavement (compared to the Kenda 270).

I've got reviews of the tires in the tire section, maybe they'll help.
 
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