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how bout a good ol fashioned tire thread

May 13, 2022, 6:11 p.m.
Posts: 15
Joined: March 30, 2021

Any of you Der Baron/Der Kaiser fans figure out what to do when your current set is done?

May 13, 2022, 7:18 p.m.
Posts: 14
Joined: June 5, 2015

La biccicleta has Contis on sale ATM.

But after, yeah, totally clueless what to get after. Big Betty is great rear but for now I still have Barons front on 2 bikes. Magic Marry is ok but doesn't click with my riding as well as Baron.

I do like Griffus quite a bit but no Hutchinson distribution around here as far as I'm aware


 Last edited by: Nologo on May 13, 2022, 7:20 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
May 14, 2022, 8:19 a.m.
Posts: 1020
Joined: Jan. 2, 2018

Posted by: SlowAnimalsWin

Any of you Der Baron/Der Kaiser fans figure out what to do when your current set is done?

Ugh trying not to think about it. The complexity of the new system is a turnoff for me. 

I have a Bontrager SE4 thats in good shape and the SE6 assegai clone seems promising. That'd be a decently fast combo for summer. 

I'm not sure anything would have felt great yesterday with how wet things were but my poor Conti's were feeling pretty skittish.

May 14, 2022, 1:31 p.m.
Posts: 966
Joined: June 17, 2016

Posted by: Kenny

I'm not sure anything would have felt great yesterday with how wet things were but my poor Conti's were feeling pretty skittish.

I rode Fromme yesterday and found it surprisingly grippy for how wet it was. I was on the Spectral 125 which comes with DHR2 Maxterra front and Dissector Maxterra rear. More a summer tire combo so I was expecting to slip & slide my way down but it was fine even on Executioner.

May 14, 2022, 2:56 p.m.
Posts: 1020
Joined: Jan. 2, 2018

Posted by: [email protected]

Posted by: Kenny

I'm not sure anything would have felt great yesterday with how wet things were but my poor Conti's were feeling pretty skittish.

I rode Fromme yesterday and found it surprisingly grippy for how wet it was. I was on the Spectral 125 which comes with DHR2 Maxterra front and Dissector Maxterra rear. More a summer tire combo so I was expecting to slip & slide my way down but it was fine even on Executioner.

Yeah I think they're more worn out than I care to admit. :(

May 16, 2022, 7:12 p.m.
Posts: 15
Joined: March 30, 2021

I found some Der Barons from biketiresdirect, so hopefully will be good for a couple more seasons. 

I also ordered some Versus tires to try on the rear, very curious how they go.

Still looking at a rekon/dhrII combo  that I already have for the summer backcountry big-ride season. Anybody have any other favorites that pedal easy but don't terrify?

May 17, 2022, 12:29 a.m.
Posts: 106
Joined: Dec. 1, 2008

The Baron equivalent in the new lineup is apparently the Argotal Enduro Soft (what a name downgrade! ).

May 17, 2022, 1:27 p.m.
Posts: 1020
Joined: Jan. 2, 2018

Posted by: Timer

The Baron equivalent in the new lineup is apparently the Argotal Enduro Soft (what a name downgrade! ).

Cool, that's good to know. The euro shops seem to only have the 2.6s so far. 1275g and 57€ is not so compelling. If the 2.4 is lighter and cheaper might give a go.

I feel like 2.4 baron black chili could be had for more like 37€ . 57€ is close enough to local pricing for most tires, not sure they make as much sense. :-/


 Last edited by: Kenny on May 17, 2022, 1:27 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
June 9, 2022, 11:19 a.m.
Posts: 2330
Joined: Nov. 8, 2003

Put my worn Vittoria Martello back on the rear for another month, it's now completely bald and thoroughly killed.

The side knobs however are still intact with only a little undercutting. I don't know if it's because of the graphene or the thick knob supports, but the side knob longevity on these Vittoria tires is blowing my mind.

Side knob life is maybe double what I get out of DHR's. And like 1000x more than Rekons lol.

Good value.

Edit: Forgot to add that it's got 3 or 4 plugs in it. They're not the thickest tire under the tread to be sure. Only place the casing is thick in fact is that last centimeter next to the bead.


 Last edited by: Hepcat on Aug. 10, 2022, 11:52 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
June 12, 2022, 10:35 a.m.
Posts: 883
Joined: June 29, 2006

I put an almost new Baron back on my front wheel for incredibly dusty conditions. And I am amazed how much more grip it gives compared to a DHF Maxxterra Exo.

I bet the Argotal with longer knobs will be even better for dust and slop.

I suspect that this particular DHF I took off dried up in some warehouse for two years in the sun or something. It’s super sketchy, really strange. 

I quite liked the three DHFs of similar spec I rode before… 

The Baron also lasts longer for me. Maxxis side knobs wear fast.

July 23, 2022, 1:35 a.m.
Posts: 1779
Joined: July 11, 2014

Anyone noticing more cuts/punctures on DoubleDown casing Maxxis lately? Pedaled to the top of Seymour today (shuttle buddy out of town) and was maybe 5 min into a top to bottom descent when I sliced open my rear DHR II DD MaxxTerra, second one in about 10 months. Cut was in the middle of the tire between the centre knobs. Admittedly on both incidents I was jumping/dropping and tagged a rock so kind of bad luck, but in the 5 years prior DD/SuperGravity never failed me on trail bikes. Thinking about going DH casing on the rear now, I'm a heavier dude 215lbs so not totally unexpected.

July 23, 2022, 8:38 a.m.
Posts: 1020
Joined: Jan. 2, 2018

I had an SE4 kicking around so I put it on the rear and bought an SE6 for up front. 

Result is fairly mediocre. I always found Bontrager, while not the absolute grippiest, to have a decent mix of weight/durability/rolling speed/grip. 

The SE6 feels quite slow rolling to me, as slow as an assegai, but not as confidence inspiring, so really just kinda not worth it. 

It's not bad enough to just abandon bit I'll be happy when it's worn out enough I can justify changing.

July 23, 2022, 11 a.m.
Posts: 883
Joined: June 29, 2006

I have a good dozen rides on a set of Continental Kryptotal Front and Rear (DH supersoft front, Enduro soft rear due to availability)

Both tires run without any wobble. They roll surprisingly well, especially the rear tire. And grip is excellent. I had some rooty wet rides. And moon dust loose rides.

Very predictable! 

The casing feels fantastic, too. A good mix of support and suppleness. I don’t run any inserts and get away with 1.3 bar in the front and 1.6 bar in the rear tire.

They seem to hold up well, all knobs look like new still.

July 23, 2022, 1 p.m.
Posts: 16384
Joined: Nov. 20, 2002

Summer sale at Chain reaction 25% off so I got another minion DHRII DD coming cuz some of the tread is very slightly peeling from the casing i figure 89$ is pretty good for that tire ?

I'm sticking with Maxxis and its fucking expensive but they havent let me down

also new grips, pedals, squirt to get past that 179 $ freeshipping


 Last edited by: XXX_er on July 23, 2022, 1:02 p.m., edited 2 times in total.
July 24, 2022, 12:08 p.m.
Posts: 729
Joined: Feb. 24, 2017

Posted by: Kenny

I had an SE4 kicking around so I put it on the rear and bought an SE6 for up front. 

Result is fairly mediocre. I always found Bontrager, while not the absolute grippiest, to have a decent mix of weight/durability/rolling speed/grip. 

The SE6 feels quite slow rolling to me, as slow as an assegai, but not as confidence inspiring, so really just kinda not worth it. 

It's not bad enough to just abandon bit I'll be happy when it's worn out enough I can justify changing.

I just put a pair of SE6 on my hardtail. It took about a week for them to expand from 2.3 to the stated 2.5. At first they were underwhelming but todays ride was a blast. Came home and they felt a little soft.  12 rear and 11 front but I didn’t ding any rims today and they didn’t fold over in corners. Still that’s a bit soft even for me. I’m liking for current conditions now though. But they do look like a Maxxis Dissector took it in the Assegai and resulted in the tread pattern.

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