Hello.
I've recently mounted up some Conti MK2's tubeless (Protection, Black Chilli 2.4). I've read a lot about these tires. Most of it good.
Maybe I'm missing something, but wet/damp weather traction is severely lacking. I've been thinking that perhaps my pressures are off.
My question would be: What pressures are you guys running with your tubeless setup? (Or even with tubes for that matter)
My last set of tires I was running at around 28-32 for most conditions, but maybe the sidewall was flimsier. Bontrager XR4 (first gen) for reference.
I don't want to go burping this tire around every corner just so I can ride when it's damp.
Firstly asking a question about the pressures should include what bike you ride and what you weigh. Also where you ride ie trails would be useful too.
I ride all trails in Whistler and these are my 'go to' tyre for all round riding and have been for the past three years. The key to them is a: run them tubeless and b: get there tyre pressures right for the conditions.
I rode them on my Blur TRc (125mm ) and now on my Nomad 3 (160 mm) and I weigh 102 kg with my riding gear on.
Summer (when you are generally travelling faster): front: 24-26 psi, rear: 25-27 psi depending on how rocky the terrain is, ie slightly higher pressures when it is rockier.
Winter (when you are more likely to be travelling more slowly): front: 20-22 psi, rear: 22-24 psi depending on how rocky and how wet the trails are.
Basically the faster I think I will be travelling on chundery/ rocky trails, I stick to the higher end of those pressures. More loam, wetter, less speed, wetter roots I drop to the lower end of the pressures.
I start my rides at the higher end as it takes less time to burp tyres than inflate them on the trail.
These are awesome tyres and 95% of the negs come from forum jockeys who have never ridden them or are the sort of rider who think that it is still 1995 and we should be riding 2.4" modern trail tyres with 30-32 psi in them.
If you want an even more capable tyre (with a little extra weight) for serious grip and that is less sensitive to tyre pressure set up then try the Conti Trail King. I run the 2.4" Trail Kings on my V-10.5 as well as they are a fast grippy tyre. Even for DH I only run 26 psi front and 29 psi rear(tubeless). Three flats over the past four years (riding about 200 days per year) two from faulty beads (faulty batch of Trail Kings which were replaced on warranty) and one cut side wall on a Mountain King in a very fast rocky trail.
Everyday on a bicycle is a good day!!