@Andy: I see this all the time as a coach and a guide. In some ways I understand it is human nature to stick with what we know rather than risk 'failure' by trying something new. And that 'fear' extends to handle bars, stems and saddles. There are only seven touch points on a bike and only two of them interact with the ground. They are all critical to good riding (fast, safe, balanced, fun - pick your descriptor).
And to be fair I was very happy for 2-3 years on a DHF DH front and rear in the bike park and DHR II front and rear for the trails. Only ever in whatever flavour Maxxis were calling their grippiest compound (see previous statement about rear tyre grip expectations) after negative experiences with MaxxTerror!
And it is true that it is tough for small shops to get a decent competitive price on smaller volume especially if they have a "but I always eat wonder bread" kind of customer base.
I have already stated it, and will repeat, I think it is a marketing error to launch these new tyres with so many permutations (and SKUs).
Conti Black Chilli (and again they can change the name but I mean the good stuff that they make in Korbach because they don't want the recipe stolen if they moved production to Asia) is so good in the area of rolling resistance, and consistency of grip through the wear curve, for the grip it offers that they could stop pissing about with any kind of 'longer lasting compounds" and just have Soft and Super Soft.
Casings:
Trail = less heavy so I am willing accept a slight increase in puncture risk to pedal less weight
Enduro = still not boat anchor heavy but you have be hauling into something nasty to puncture or burp the bead
Downhill = I expect to chop berms in two and fall small trees without burping the tyre or rolling it off the rim, don't care about weight
Simple really.
If I can find a shop that stocks them I am looking forward to riding the Kryptotal Enduro Soft front and rear this summer on my new Arrival 170.
Jan. 18, 2023, 3:38 p.m. - AndrewR
@Andy: I see this all the time as a coach and a guide. In some ways I understand it is human nature to stick with what we know rather than risk 'failure' by trying something new. And that 'fear' extends to handle bars, stems and saddles. There are only seven touch points on a bike and only two of them interact with the ground. They are all critical to good riding (fast, safe, balanced, fun - pick your descriptor). And to be fair I was very happy for 2-3 years on a DHF DH front and rear in the bike park and DHR II front and rear for the trails. Only ever in whatever flavour Maxxis were calling their grippiest compound (see previous statement about rear tyre grip expectations) after negative experiences with MaxxTerror! And it is true that it is tough for small shops to get a decent competitive price on smaller volume especially if they have a "but I always eat wonder bread" kind of customer base. I have already stated it, and will repeat, I think it is a marketing error to launch these new tyres with so many permutations (and SKUs). Conti Black Chilli (and again they can change the name but I mean the good stuff that they make in Korbach because they don't want the recipe stolen if they moved production to Asia) is so good in the area of rolling resistance, and consistency of grip through the wear curve, for the grip it offers that they could stop pissing about with any kind of 'longer lasting compounds" and just have Soft and Super Soft. Casings: Trail = less heavy so I am willing accept a slight increase in puncture risk to pedal less weight Enduro = still not boat anchor heavy but you have be hauling into something nasty to puncture or burp the bead Downhill = I expect to chop berms in two and fall small trees without burping the tyre or rolling it off the rim, don't care about weight Simple really. If I can find a shop that stocks them I am looking forward to riding the Kryptotal Enduro Soft front and rear this summer on my new Arrival 170.