Downhill DH/FR Tire Review Thread

Discussion in 'The Adrenaline Factory' started by Bullcrew, Jan 15, 2010.

  1. Bullcrew

    Bullcrew New Member

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    2010 Schwalbe - gravity lineup DH FR

    For socal conditions the wicked will is designed by team yeti for those conditions and the Muddy mary is a smokin good intermediate tire! Just got em in and figured Id give you guys a look. :beer:

    OK no reviews as of yet I just got back on the bike from a broken back and a concussion. Took longer to heal up this time :rolleyes:
    Anyhow I got my start of stuff for this year and figured Id post tread shots, weights, info, additions to designs ie sidewalls and new compound.

    First off they are a bigger profile tire so a 2.35 is pretty on par with a maxxis 2.5 and a 2.5 is on par with a maxxis 2.7 but the weights are good for the size as well as the sidewalls are thick. The single ply or as they refer to them the freeride are a little thicker than last season and all freeride versions come with SILVER logos and snakeskin sidewalls which is a tear resistant material in the sidewalls to take strikes and not allow gashing of the tire as well as prevent pinchflats.
    The triple layer compound has harder center, and softer sides as well as a base layer that allows better rolling resistance. All these tires work well with tubeless set up Im currently running 2.35 DH Muddy marys now with stans on 823s and like last year I have had ZERO problems thus far. (I did blow up 3 rims last season and tires failed to seal, tires couldnt roll LOL)
    DH and FR versions share the snakeskin sidewalls and the slip resistant coating to keep them from slipping on the bead in a tubed setup.

    DH is 2 ply sidewalls FR is single ply sidewalls
    DH has GOLD logos and FR has SILVER logos
    As far as experience I love the muddy marys I have rode them for a while now with great succes and from Washington to Socal, bootleg and inbetween. They are a great intermediate tire.

    New additions
    Dirty Dan (strict MUD tire) which takes the place of the old black shark mud as far as similarities they both are bike tires, aside of that the DD has a more open lug design and is 2.35 (which is right at 2.5 maxxis) now its available in a slightly smaller version and single ply 2.0.
    It has great side lugs as well for when its more leaned in a berm or flat, they are guey gluey so they are the softer compound for roots rocks etc and hooking up when its not a mud pit.

    Wicked Will (strict dry tire loose over hard pack rocks etc) This tire was designed by team Yeti and is a loose over hard pack dry conditions low rolling resistance and made for the rocks as well.
    This takes the place in the lineup of the almighty as far as terrain and use.

    Muddy marys tread design has stayed the same as well as big bettys, Im running a triple rear and guey gluey front in almost all combinations this year and will have a update with the Dirty dan in a few weeks we are taking a trip up north to the mountains where theres plenty of MUD roots singletrack and rock chutes. I'm riding with another guy so we will have shots as well.
    So this is the lineup reviews will follow shortly!
    Oh and Im glad to be back on a bike, its like flying total freedom to just go!

    The lineup
    [​IMG]
    Took the Muddy Marys out in the grease mud! They clean really well as well as hook up as good as I remember in the Goo as well as loose over hard and rocks.
    [​IMG]

    Heres some info from them regarding the technology on these tires
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    dirty Man 2.35 DH 1365g
    [​IMG]
    Muddy Mary 2.35 DH triple compound 1210g (same size as maxxis 2.5)
    [​IMG]
    Muddy Mary 2.35 freeride 820g
    [​IMG]
    Wicked Will DH 2.5 triple 1450g (like a 2.7 maxxis)
    [​IMG]
    wicked Will tread design
    [​IMG]
    Dirty Dan tread
    [​IMG]
    Dirty Dan side lugs
    [​IMG]
    omparison of old blackshark mud (right) to the new Dirty Dan
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    Follow up to the Dirty Dans: reviewed 2/25/10

    Like those times where nothing seems to go as planned and it’s down to kickin it with buddies and cheap beer. Yet somehow they are the best memories and turn out better than you could have expected! Well this is one of those bad beer moments hypothetically speaking!
    ---Now the Dirty Dan review---
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Made plans with my buddy Mike to ride the 5k trail and test the Schwalbe Dirty Dans a few days ago, the snow was up above the tree line so it was prime for mud with the fast snow melt and the super steep chutes with rocks and rocky creeks would add the extra OSF (Oh $h!t factor). Figured if we are going to have spikes rolling on us this was it.
    We gather our gear up the night before, Mike calls and asks if I have the other set of Dans for him to slap on and a “THE” fender to keep it out of his face. So I gather the extra stuff needed and pack it in the truck Monday night. Wake up Tuesday to snow flurries here at the house; well we are substantially lower than the 5k by a few thousand feet so I know they are getting dropped on. Well it’s the cheap beer moment, usually followed by watch this and looked back on with a smile with thoughts of what the hell were we thinking!
    Well this turned out to be a great idea, with the exception of blowing up the rear drive mechanism in my hub it was way better day than we could have planned.
    To give a layout of the trail it’s up towards the ski resort, right at the 5k marker you park and have to grab the bike and gear run across the road and jump over one of those road barriers that keep you from flying off the cliffs and hillside a thousand or so feet down. It’s an animal track so it’s tight, skinny and takes some extremely steep lines and exposed areas. It runs down and then along a rim to another super steep and long chute to the creek down below. It winds along exposed areas that are off camber, over rocks and through several creek crossings etc. This trail is not a beginner or intermediate trail even in the best of conditions so this made it that much more inviting!

    Here’s what we headed to!
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    OK so to the performance of the tires!
    Snow/Steep hills and mud:
    6” of snow wet and muddy underneath on long super steep chutes between bushes and rocks off camber on a hill that at best braking acts like rudders and steers the bike but won’t stop it. You literally keep gaining speed with front and rear locked.
    Mike and I were literally flying down the chutes with fingers lightly holding the levers but letting the traction hold the line and the brakes for an occasional rudder check for snap turns or pitching the bike for change in direction.
    They performed flawless, complete grip all the way down with no loss of traction, there were a few spots I felt the back end get out (deeper skinny ruts) but only for a split second and the side lugs grabbed immediately getting it back in check.
    Mud:
    They hook up really well, totally predictable on cornering and the side shoulder lugs on them help the cornering and off camber spots amazing. I did note that Mike in front was using the outer side of the tire on an off camber section in mud and it held a line without issue. I hopped off the bike to take a look and slipped off the trail turns out its A LOT safer on the bike than off!!!
    Rocks and creek:
    Just that, I did not notice any shoulder roll on these over the rocks or sliding out, the guey gluey was a huge help in this department. I did notice that in the creek crossings that the spiked dug in and allowed me to keep my feet on the pedals and moving forward in deeper water vs. the wash out and foot off. The rock had snow, mud, wet and were jagged as well as off camber so we got a good amount of trail hazard that puts a tire through its paces.
    Pedaling:
    They tires have a lot less rolling resistance than expected especially for being a Guey Gluey compound (soft), they do like any spike tire dig and have a little but they brake in control as well as you can easily pedal up snow hills with very little spinning. I had to crank HARD a time or 2 to get the rear to slip while climbing and this along with a variety of things led to the demise of the rear drive in my hub. 235lbs and hammering on it intentionally didn’t go well together! Like all spike tires they have some lug vibration on pavement but its minimal with the softer compound.
    The GUEY GLUEY compound worked out best with the terrain and conditions we had, these grabbed slick rocks and held a line.
    So overall I’m impressed, I’ve had these to the jump lines, freeride line, hard pack, dry chutes at hells gate, ROCK solid frozen ground (that sucked), ladders and more and aside of a small amount of slip on wet wood ladders and ICE they performed a lot better than I could have planned. I have had these pinned and railing corners and have yet to get the white feeling of blood and fear as I lose control on a corner.
    [​IMG]
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  2. CalEpic

    CalEpic member

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    UST versions?

    I'm looking forward to trying the Wicked Will's.
     
  3. art23rockpile

    art23rockpile Minus Delta T

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    I like the look of the Muddy Mary FR. Is it available with the ORC compound?
     
  4. DISCO

    DISCO Banned

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  5. Rossage

    Rossage Active Member

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    wicked wills came highly recommended by a long time rider I met on the Palm Cyn ride.He said they are on par with Maxxis High Rollers, with better sidewalls. I will try them as soon as I can find them!
     
  6. eruizela

    eruizela mountain bike addict

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    I run a Big Betty up front and a Fat Albert in the rear

    Shwalbe tires rock!
     
  7. socal ridur

    socal ridur freerider

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    i like them dirty dans in a 2.7... looks like it could be a fun tire for mammoth since michlin discountinued my fav mammoth tire
     
  8. Bullcrew

    Bullcrew New Member

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    ERD I have no idea, as far as the palm canyon rider was it bobby root! LOL hes out there all the time. Good friend and hell of a rider.
    UST version to my knowledge isnt available I dont know if they are making one. I will call though and find out, I rode the UST versions last season and loved em, the freerides are just as good with a better sidewall so I ride them mainly and have DH casing for other terrain ie bootleg, tunnel, schweitzer, brundige, lava hot springs etc and freeride for everything else.

    A 2.5 schwalbe is on par with maxxis 2.7 they are a large profile tire with a more square edge (like minion) but side knobs for extreme angles.
    Dirty dan etrto is 60-590 and thats the 2.35 they dont come in a bigger size and I wouldnt want a mud tire any larger. They wouldnt cut through and get a bite, however the Muddy mary is a rock solid tire and my main tire for all occasions unless its specific DRY or MUD. It would work well at mamoth and north star.

    Bikebling has a huge selection of schwalbes I went there right before I came back to Boise for a bt and hes got good inventory. Just call him for prices I do on other stuff LOL. Good people and really GOOD mechanics/wheelbuilder
     
  9. Dufferin

    Dufferin Tgas TT

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  10. mrgiant

    mrgiant New Member

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    Just bought the Freeride triple nano kevlar Wicked Will 2.35. it's 60mm at its widest point wich are the 'claws'.

    one thing. i'm used to the industry standard that the point of the 'chevron' / 'arrow' design of the tire tread rolls first. the wicked wills are ?reversed??

    a little confused. or should i just mount the way it's molded into the tire? as shown in the attached pic.

    thanks in advance
     

    Attached Files:

  11. DISCO

    DISCO Banned

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    That's weird, but then a tire that big with chunky knobs will hook up either way. Still think I'd go with conventional wisdom unless there is something in the shape of the knobs I can't see in the pics.
     
  12. Bullcrew

    Bullcrew New Member

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    reverse them from direction stated... I have a buddy who races worlds over seas and says run em in reverse they hook up alot better if theres kitty litter on the course.
     
  13. Fewinhibitions

    Fewinhibitions Always be a moving target

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    Liking the look of the Dirty Dan's.

    Too bad they don't do it in 9er.
     
  14. mrgiant

    mrgiant New Member

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    thanks, that's why I did. i'm running them reversed to what is molded on the tire.

    it's pretty much loose over hardpack where i ride, with the occasional sand and tire gashing chunk... San Diego area.

    first ride impression... they're not as fast as they claim to be. a 2.5 minion/high roller combo seems faster (single ply versions, they're also not as heavy). Although, i do like how they grip. sycamore (martha's grove) was closed yesterday for trail work. and we ended riding around the area. a lot of 'hero dirt' because of the recent rains.
     
  15. Bullcrew

    Bullcrew New Member

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    Updated first post with an extensive hard ride review in some pretty NASTY conditions for the dirty dans.

    Its Highlited bold red Dirty dan review 2/25/10
     
  16. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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    This thread is quite misleading. It's really a year-old Schwalbe tire review/promotion thread. I've been in existential angst over replacing the worn Maxxis Minion DHf ST (2.5) on my DH bike. I am willing to try whatever is out there that will magically transform my riding.

    For the past three weeks I've looked at MTBR, Pinkbike, STR and more and I've studied every magazine photo and every video I own - looking carefully at what tires people have on their gravity sleds. I can now recognize a Minion and a High Roller simply by tread pattern. So what did I discover?

    In actual use, Maxxis (mostly Minion DHfs) outnumber all other tires combined. Even pros who are paid to ride other tires run Maxxis and black out the sidewalls (cough Athertons, cough). Gwin is back on Maxxis on his Trek after complying with the Schwalbe contract with Yeti.

    I am not posting this as a fan-boy, just as a discovery of my recent obsession within an obsession.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 4, 2011
  17. oldschoolpl510

    oldschoolpl510 Member

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    This last post is quite misleading. It's really a reply to a year-old Schwalbe tire review/promotion thread.

    Here is probably one of the PB articles you've read showing what tires are being used at Mont Saint Anne.
    http://www.pinkbike.com/news/world-champs-stats-2-2010.html
    No doubt it is a very interesting read, but how are those conditions anywhere near socal conditions?
    The fact of the matter is, you will have to try the tires out yourself. You shouldn't ride Minions because most of the pro's ride them, you should ride them because they put an ear to ear grin on your face.
     
  18. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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    Let's review. My DH bike came with Maxxis Minion DHFs front and rear. The rear wore out. I began research as to what to replace them with - open to anything - Continental, Schwalbe, Kenda, WTB, Michelin, Specialized... I did a ton of research and found the Maxxis - especially the Minion DHf to be ubiquitous. Not just pros, but everyman (woman) as well. I didn't say I would be riding Maxxis because they are the most popular tire. I simply said I was amazed at how they outnumbered everything else. Your link puts a HUGE exclamation point on my own findings, thank you.

    Trying a bunch of different DH tires is an expensive proposition, hence the research in the first place. I don't have an endless supply of $70 bills. Since there's a tire out there that a huge majority prefer in a wide variety of conditions, perhaps it's a good starting point. If this thread is to be a sticky (or a Super Tacky) - let's add tire reviews beyond Schwalbe. That - or let it die.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 5, 2011
  19. bing!

    bing! Active Member

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    Schwalbe Muddy Mary DH Verstar Compound Snake Bite sidewalls 2.5 with Kenda DH tubes 2.4-2.7

    PRO - Great traction. Corners fantastic. Brakes on a dime. Bullet proof. Not a single flat on in more than 60 runs. I did get a flat in the but it was from borrowing the pump, but I couldnt find the hole when I tried to patch the 15 dollar tube :)

    CON - The rear gets torn up fast. Rolls like a flat tire. Actually slows you down a bit. Hard to push even on level ground. Expensive at full price. Not readily available.

    I am trying a 2.3 sized Specialized Butcher SX I already had at SS this weekend just to see if I can roll a little faster. If the smaller tire rolls faster and still hold a line, I'll me buying the new Magic Mary's in 2.35 when they come out.
     

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