Fear of Going Down Rutted Hills with Rocks

[kimba]

Oh yeah- and something else I was thinking about-
I think fatter tires help going through rocks too.
I know I'm riding 2.25 Tyrranoraptors - which I believe are actually mud tires, and they just charge over the rocks. They have a really wide and flatter tread pattern.I'm almost thinking of putting a 2.35 tire on the front, I think freeriders or downhillers do that.
A friend of mine is riding a 2.7 inch tire on the front- it's massive but he swears he can go over anything....it has a flatter, round dot type of tread pattern- but it goes over anthing, leaving the back tire which is knobbier to dig in.
Seems to work for him, though...

I haven't actually seen this addressed anywhere- but what do you folks think about different tires makes and models??

Width and treads?

Kimba

[bounceswoosh]

I think you're right that fat tires provide help with obstacles -- I rode with a friend recently; he has really fat tires on his rigid singlespeed, and he said that the fatness helps as it's the only bump absorption he gets.

The tradeoff, I think, is that you'll have to work harder to pedal up the mountain.

[Irulan]

Bigger tires DO help...but there are many other factors to consider. Big tires weigh more. Sometimes a lot more. I'd never do it just for the weight weenie factor. Depending on how big you go, you have to get new wheels to fit them, and possible the front shock- some do not have the clearances for bigger tires/wheels. Alsombig tires can contribute significantly to trail erosion.

As for different makes and models, I've seen that discused ad nauseum on other boards. Which ones wear the best, last the longest, work the best under different conditions.

Tread pattern in an important consideration for your particular location.. a tire that's made for mud may suck on sand, a slickrock tire wont grip wet roots etc. I find that the LBS guys are the best source of information. Some people I know keep several sets around.

No one has mentioned tire pressure. What you run at can make a huge difference in your ride. I've always run fairly high pressure ( 35-40#) and my friends convinced me to let some air out a few weeks ago, for a long mostly downhill ride we did. I couldn' beleive the difference in the ride it made. I was rolling over rocks and roots, instead on boucing off/over them. My suspension seems to be more effective, and the whole ride was improved.

ok,that's enough about tires.

Irulan

[bounceswoosh]

Also big tires can contribute significantly to trail erosion.

How do you figure? I'd think they would distribute the weight more and therefore cause less severe rutting ...

[kimba]

I would think that, say, my buddy's big front tire wouldn't add to trail erosion, since the tread pattern is so flat and doesn't have the big lugs to dig in, that it does roll over anything. Sort of like a big snowshoe....

Kimba

[Irulan]

When riders who do not know how to ride/brake/speed properly have bigger tires, it tears up the soil. Illustration: guy on dirt bike revving it up or skidding, dirt flying everywhere. These are the same kind of tires that some people put on mountain bikes.

What I think I'm trying to say is that bigger tread, misused, will tear up trails. Go to any DH specific area and watch the dirt fly. You tell the really good riders by how smooth they are, how much dirt they do NOT displace.

I question using a bigger tire as a substitute for skills... but this is an area that I have more opionion on than technical knowledge.

~I

[bounceswoosh]

Yeah. I don't know much about tire choice. My bike came with 2.25s, and they seem to work fine. I couldn't even tell you what was on my old bike. From the bikes I demo'd while shopping, though, it did seem like fatter tires made it easier to climb up loose, rocky stuff. I'm sure there's a tradeoff there somewhere, though.

[gabrielle]

Originally posted by sgold
I walked my bike a lot and felt embarrassed.

Originally posted by Irulan
you should NEVER EVER feel embarassed about walking... if the crowd you are riding with puts that on you, find a new crowd, and if you are putting it on yourself you need to get over it right now!!!! There is no shame in walking, ever!! It's crazy to push yourself too much just because of embarassment.. .that's when you can get really hurt!

THat is very important. Especially the peer pressure part. I hurt myself enough on my own - I don't need somebody pushing me to do harder stuff than I'm ready for. (I'll save my rant about crappy riding partners for another time. )

I also agree that the skills clinics are wonderful. After I went to bike camp in BC, my main riding buddy said my riding had improved by a factor of 10 and he could tell I was more confident.

But to try to deal with your fear right now: do you have a local trail you can ride regularly that has a section that scares you? That helps in two ways: you can get comfortable with the trail, and you can see progress.

I am currently going through a major case of the willies - I OTBed on Friday, on an easy section of trail. The hard parts really flipped me out after that. I had to go back to my old technique (borrowed from kayaking): Break the scary section into pieces - look for good places to stop & "eddy out" & get myself back together for the next section.

Another thing I've done is walked almost to the bottom, then gotten on the bike & rode the rest. Stop farther up each time. Or, you could start at the bottom & go up a bit higher before you turn around & go back down. Of course, this requires the ability to stop & start on a hill. (Skills clinic!) Eventually, you will find that a lot of these things are easier to ride than to walk.

Random tips: weight back; arms relaxed; lower your saddle; look where you want to go, not where you don't want to go, and don't try to look at what's currently under your front tire or you will bail for sure.

Good luck, we've all been there, some of us several times.

gabrielle

[Irulan]

I learned some things today, so I stand corrected.

bigger tires= more surface contact, more rubber on the ground., less tire to sink in mud. I guess they roll over things ( roots rocks etc) easier... BUT the real downside of a bigger tire is always increased weight... at least I was right about something!! As a small female on a light bike, I always think about weight.

~I

[bounceswoosh]

I figure the weight I carry on my belly and in my camelbak far outstrips anything I have on my bike .... which weighs 29.5ish, ugh!

[kimba]

Heh!

Yeah- I figure even the weight of a 2.7 tire isn't gonna contibute more than the weight of my big ol'
butt on the saddle!
<big grin>

Seriously though- my buddy is a pretty accomplished rider, who I must admit, is not above some squirrely behaviour- but it's true- his 2.7 front tired bike doesn't seem to mark up the trail as much as others...and he just powers up hills- but then he also has legs o' iron since he doesn't own a car and his bike is his vehicle.
Man- he can really ride though!

Kimba

[bounceswoosh]

Two point ... seven? Inches?

Yowza. That's not a tire, that's a pontoon!

[kimba]

Tell me about it-
you should see it...raises the whole front end of the bike up too.

He has another one he wants to put on poor ol' Ted- but the 16 inch frame is marginally too big for me now- I have 2002 or 2003 Judy forks on him, and the clearance on them raises up the front end enough.I'm afraid I'd never get on if it was raised up more!!!

I have another bike,Elvira, the Schwinn, but I don't think there is enough clearance on those forks- they are SunTour XCPs -beefy as hell- but no where near the clearance that the Judy's have.

I'd love to try it and see- maybe I will have him put it on the Schwinn after all...woo mama!

Kimba

Huge -I tell you they are huge!!! (The tires)they are called Love Groovy XC's -
But they look funny- because they have this little raised dot pattern on them- no lugs no raised wedges...just..dots.

I'll post a picture if I can get one!!!

[Irulan]

Originally posted by bounceswoosh
Two point ... seven? Inches?

Yowza. That's not a tire, that's a pontoon!

cm (?)

[bounceswoosh]

These?

http://www.cambriabike.com/SALE/tire...-rear_tire.htm