how bout a good ol fashioned tire thread

Posted by: heathen

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The Vigilante 2.6 high grip light casing has always interested me. But I have read some odd reviews and I am hesitant to spend/waist money on unknown tires, as I have been burn a few times. Andrew Major loves them.

What are your thoughts on the Vigilante 2.6 for cushion?

Side note mrraulduke just got the Baron Projekt 2.4 and they look awesome. The 2.6 version looks to not have as aggressive side knobs and a more round profile.

I know many like them, but WTB's light casings I've tried have been a bit of a head scratcher. Kind of heavy, yet delicate.

(Not that there's anything wrong with being heavy yet delicate. Mom says I'm just husky yet sensitive).

The thin casing is as thin as any XC casing, with no sidewall protection. Combined with an oddly thick layer of extra rubber under the tread, and side knobs spaced twice as tightly together as other similar tires, it's portly for what it is.

Achieving heavier weight without notable performance gain remarkable. It's like a max/min design...

Posted by: Hepcat

Posted by: heathen

....

The Vigilante 2.6 high grip light casing has always interested me. But I have read some odd reviews and I am hesitant to spend/waist money on unknown tires, as I have been burn a few times. Andrew Major loves them.

What are your thoughts on the Vigilante 2.6 for cushion?

Side note mrraulduke just got the Baron Projekt 2.4 and they look awesome. The 2.6 version looks to not have as aggressive side knobs and a more round profile.

I know many like them, but WTB's light casings I've tried have been a bit of a head scratcher. Kind of heavy, yet delicate.

(Not that there's anything wrong with being heavy yet delicate. Mom says I'm just husky yet sensitive).

The thin casing is as thin as any XC casing, with no sidewall protection. Combined with an oddly thick layer of extra rubber under the tread, and side knobs spaced twice as tightly together as other similar tires, it's portly for what it is.

Achieving heavier weight without notable performance gain remarkable. It's like a max/min design...

I just hope the sidewalls offer Maxxis EXO casing level flex. I tried the Specialized Back Diamond casing and it was way too stiff and made my hardtail feel like poop. The EXO casing is perfect supple flex.

Have one wet ride and one icy ride on the conti baron/kaiser combo and can say I like them. 

-casing is stiff. I hate squishy unsupportive tires, so for me this is a positive. If you're really lightweight or like a "supple" casing these are not for you. Noticeably stiffer than exo+. At about 210lb ready to ride 22psi front and 24psi rear feels like plenty.

- great grip on greasy stuff as everyone says. Especially roots. 

- definitely an 'all Mountain' or 'enduro' tire, they roll noticeably slower than the SE4/SE5 combo I had before. I could see these being overkill for summer or for people that are doing more traverse-y type laps. On flatter trails they definitely feel like more work. 

So all in all, as a winter tire could not be happier! Definitely wish they made some faster tread patterns with this beefy casing more suitable for summer use.

I have had a few rodes on the Verdict and really like it. Seems to grip really well on roots. A couple of riding buddies have put them on as well and really like them. I'm still waiting on the Judge to arrive at my LBS. I usually use Minions (Exo F MG and Exo R2 MT) but WTB maybe my new favourite tyre brand.

I just bought Verdict 2.5 light high grip. Judge 2.4 tough hight grip rear. I have one 30km ride with a good mix of high speed jumpy enduro trails and steep tech with some slick island rock. Compared to my old combo that i have been running for over a year (Assguy 2.5wt DD MaxxGrip/DHRII 2.4wt MaxxGrip DD) the Verdict/Judge combo has awesome traction in the steep wet dirt. Grip on the slick island rock was not quite as good as the old combo. But not by a huge margin. I had it slip twice on a longer greasy rock slab. Corner grip was also good but I will need more time as this ride was not about speed.

How was the High Grip on the rear in terms of drag?

Posted by: fartymarty

How was the High Grip on the rear in terms of drag?

The High Grip Judge on my Enduro bike's rear is certainly not fast, but I didn't feel significantly more exhausted running it instead of a MaxxTerra Agressor on my local trails. The wear is significantly quicker than MaxxTerra though, but so far after a season of riding, plenty of life left.

I'm swapping out my Specialized Slaughter 2.6 which has been a terrible tire ever since I mounted it, no wonder they recently redesigned it with new compounds. I'd mounted a set, as a front, it just doesn't like to keep a line in the wet and in the back, the sidewall blew out after 50 km of riding.  Replaced the rear with a Continental Der Kaiser Projekt which has been a great shore tire especially when wet, as long as it's at is exactly 22psi, and the front is going to be a Minion DHF EXO+ 3C MaxxTerra 2.6″, hoping for a bit more grip.

Posted by: fartymarty

How was the High Grip on the rear in terms of drag?

I love it. I find the Judge rolls great. Just like the DHRII. They are uper close in design but the Judge has deeper tread and way gnarly side knobs. Sheads loam and mud awesome. 

I don't think compound affects drag as much as aggressive tread patterns. Go with High Grip/MaxxGrip just be prepared to buy tires more often.  I normally get between 700 to 800km on a MaxxGrip DHRII in the rear. I don't have enough time on the Judge high grip to comment on life span yet.

@twk @heathen - thanks.  May try the HG if my LBS doesn't get the FR in soon.

Is the new Addix Soft more gummy than Max Terra? Thinking Addix may be better wet season save the Maxxis for dry seasonish.

Addix Soft is equivalent to Maxterra, most of the time. The main difference is that Maxterra hardens when temperatures drop below zero and loses grip. Addix doesn’t do that.

Oh, thanks for that. How did you know, are you a rubber tech? What would the gummy (durometer?) curve look like? Gradual hardening or stable until 0deg then fall off a cliff?

Posted by: tungsten

Oh, thanks for that. How did you know, are you a rubber tech? What would the gummy (durometer?) curve look like? Gradual hardening or stable until 0deg then fall off a cliff?

I'm no professional, but me and my buddies have been riding and alternating between Schwalbe and Maxxis for many years, all year round. None of us noticed any obvious difference between maxxterra and addix soft except for the temperature thing. This was no scientific test, so i can't give you a curve. It was noticeable that in the temperature range around and below zero, maxxterra felt different. On a particularly cold day, one rider on maxxis complained about grip and noticed cracks around the knobs after the ride.

We looked around and found some info on the German Maxxis website. They advise against using Maxxgrip and Maxxterra at ground temperatures below 6°C, because the soft rubber compounds harden, loose grip and might start cracking when used in the cold for too long.