27.5 Rims - Help me decide

Anyone tried the new Nobby Nic in the wet weather we have right now?

Yes in the 29 X 2.25 pacestar version. One lower Seymour ride, and. Number of Whistler rides. Much better than the previous version. The 2.35 trail star I think will be a good one for my Bronson.

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dean and/or perry, how are your KOM's holding up?

built, not ridden yet. they're certainly light (1610g w/ rim strips [HTML_REMOVED] valves).

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dean and/or perry, how are your KOM's holding up?

I've been riding my wheels for the past 2 months and they are holding up really well. No dents, tweaks or other issues.

xo hubs, revolution spokes, brass nips, KOM i23 650b

I have them set up with Stans 25mm tape, and Stans valves with 2 scoops of fluid per wheel.

For tires, Maxxis DHF exo maxterra 2.35 tubeless ready on the front and Maxxis High Roller 2 exo maxterra 2.35 tubeless ready on the back.

The tires inflated tubeless with only a floor pump. I am talking SUPER easy.

On the trail they have been really good. I totally notice the lighter weight when climbing and when descending. I had to readjust my suspension settings to slow things down a little because the wheels were that much lighter.

Seat of the pants stiffness is good. I won't use them to go bombing down a full on DH course but they rip 90% of the trails we have out here. With the thin rim sidewall I'd avoid nasty rock gardens at high speed.

The Maxxis 2.35 is a medium width 2.35 compared to others and it is about as wide as you want to run.

I have my front set at 25 psi and the rear at 28psi. I rode the re-buffed Bear Mtn DH course the other day that is smooth and huge dirt berms of flow. I did not burp the rear, but I could feel the tire fold over a few times going hot into some well shaped berms (having some roosting fun). So if smashing berms is your thing, a narrower tire might be what you need with the width of the i23 KOM.

I have some 2015 2.25 Schwalbe Nobby Nics on their way to me. I am thinking these will be just the ticket to match the width of the rim. I like the Maxxis, but I'm not super impressed by the HR2 on the rear and want a better rolling tire.

If you have any specific questions about the i23 KOMs, please let me know.

I am not particularly happy with HR2 out back either. It's not 3C just EXO TR and it spins and slips on wet stuff. Decent at Whistler right now because it's dry there. I'm going to try the Slaughter and Butcher control though. Lighter and stickier.

I've been riding my wheels for the past 2 months and they are holding up really well. No dents, tweaks or other issues.

thanks dean. i learned all i was wanting to know right there

I am not particularly happy with HR2 out back either. It's not 3C just EXO TR and it spins and slips on wet stuff. Decent at Whistler right now because it's dry there. I'm going to try the Slaughter and Butcher control though. Lighter and stickier.

My HR2 is the 3C MaxxTerra. It is pretty grippy on the wet stuff but as a rear tire, it struggles in holding a line when pushed. It breaks controllably but it's meh overall. I had not heard of the Slaughter until you mentioned it. I'll wait to see how my new Nobby Nics perform.

I think someone on the boards here said this "Life is too short to ride shitty tires".

I like the idea behind that saying. Your tires hopefully are your only connection to the ground you are riding on. If your tires are crap, you might inadvertently become more connected to the ground than you'd like.

The HR2 was never designed as a rear tire, always intended as being a front. That's why it confuses me when I see bike brands mounting them up up on the back.

The HR2 was never designed as a rear tire, always intended as being a front. That's why it confuses me when I see bike brands mounting them up up on the back.

I was wait for you to say that. F vs R

I am tempted to give the HR2 a go on the front and Nobby Nic on the rear. Just to give the HR2 a try.

What are you thoughts Wayne on the elusive perfect tire? What is your #1 go to tire?

The HR2 was never designed as a rear tire, always intended as being a front. That's why it confuses me when I see bike brands mounting them up up on the back.

Indeed. That is what it looks like, a front tire. I ran an HR2 3C and DHR2 3C last summer and liked that a lot. Sold that bike though with those tires. Specialized tires are inexpensive and the Buthcher Slaughter have a good rep from a few guys I know that are riding them, whom I trust. And they claim to be relatively light.

I was wait for you to say that. F vs R

I am tempted to give the HR2 a go on the front and Nobby Nic on the rear. Just to give the HR2 a try.

What are you thoughts Wayne on the elusive perfect tire? What is your #1 go to tire?

The perfect tire is the ones I get for free, which coincidentally means there is no perfect tire.

:(

Seriously though, what works for one area might not be so hot in another area. Right now, for the BC interior, I'm really digging a WTB Vigilante rear and a Vee Rubber Trail Taker front. I have yet to break either loose (Kamloops and NV) but I haven't got a lot of time in on them either. What I like about the TT is that the profile is very round, plus it has effective little intermediate knobs. Both in combination really allows it to be leaned over. The shoulder knobs could be a little beefier I guess. Its what we should have done with the HR2, was to add those little intermediate knobs.

I tried a Magic Mary here last fall, on a trail I regularly ride, and it was horrible. Truly surprised by how little confidence I had trying to push it in corners because of how easily it collapsed. I got gun shy with that tire up front. I went back the next day with a friggin' Ardent up front of all tires and was able keep the bike upright. Conditions weren't even very hard packed. That said, I'm 99% positive the MM is a great tire in other areas.

I've said this before but I'm finding the Ardent (2.25 and 2.4) to be a solid choice for Kamloops in the summer months. They are really fast rolling, and they have a predictable drift. Its like you know when and where they will push in corners and you kinda get used to it. The trade off, like I said, is that they roll very easily. I found the 2.25" in the rear with a lot of pressure was maybe slightly grippier and even faster rolling than the big one. The Ardent is a tire I know would suck in many areas and conditions. Fortunately in the interior, we can ride a lot of tires that don't work in wetter climates.

Thank you for your input Wayne.

I completely understand that different climates dictate what the "best" tire is.

It's hero dirt down in the Lower Mainland right now. HERO DIRT!!

Butcher up front, Slaughter for the rear, both with grid sidewall protection is my fav.
Dean, They will obviously work well for where you ride .

The new Butcher 27.5 Grids are great. The casing is very stout, thicker than last years ' new' grid. The wear rate is a bit high as it's 45a all around now. The big thing for me personally is the casing, has a nice feel to it in the mid 20s psi. A similar casing is the wtb Enduro variety. I wish maxxis would make a slightly tougher exo. Not so much a tougher sidewall, but an extra top ply. I've driven my rim through both DHF EXO and the Schwalbe equivalent on more than one, or two, or three occasions:)

I have a Slaughter as well, I took it off for the time being, but I will revisit it depending on the terrain. Great cornering, braking not the best on soft terrain. Hard terrain pretty good though. Wow, very quick!

UPDATE

:(

2 dents in the rear wheel. I have upped the PSI in the tires. I would not say I've ridden them hard or banged through anything.