Roll Faster

I typically run Kenda Nevegal tires because of their strong gripping characteristics ideal for tight switch backs.  I ride in terrain that varies quite a bit so these are my “all-purpose” tires.  When rolling through mud the Nevegals maintain their traction and gripping abilities while also cleaning themselves out quickly through puddles or dry terrain.  With any tire with an aggressive and bold tread comes rolling resistance.

When terrain was dry and hard I felt the tread pattern was actually holding me back and slowing me down, yet they still provided the sense of security when cornering.  I wanted to be able to decrease the rolling resistence without sacrificing much traction.  My mission was clear…I contacted Kenda.

The Solution

I connected with Jim at Kenda and he and I hashed out some ideas.  We decided it’d make sense to run a Nevegal in the front and a Small Block 8 tire in the rear.

The Outcome

After a few rides utilizing the Small Block 8 I’m able to provide some good feedback.  Running a Nevegal in the front helped stabilize steering and maintained the integrity when cornering as it paved the way for the Small Block 8′s that seemed to want to go faster and faster.  It did indeed enable me to roll faster.  Read more

The Ultimate Mountain Bike Tire Guide

Anyone who has been involved with Mountain Bikes for some time knows that tires can be one of the most confusing and controversial topics.  Some say this tread is faster but others say that.   Some say a softer compound is better here but someone else disagrees.   I’ve talked to a lot of people, rode on a lot of tires and finally I am ready to write THE ULTIMATE TIRE GUIDE!

First I just want to get this out of the way.  The biggest compromise between different tires is that of traction/rolling resistance.  Greater traction generally means a slower but more controllable ride.  Less traction means you will fly off hard terrain but can easily loose control, slide out, or loose traction on loose terrain.

Kevlar or Wire Bead

First if you don’t already know there are two types of beads, Kevlar (also called folding) and Wire.  A wire bead means a heavier tire and in general a tire that is more difficult to install and remove.  The first time or two you have to install or remove your Kevlar beaded tire you may be in for a struggle.  They are sized small initially because the beads will stretch slightly over time.  This is by no means the rule as different manufacturers and models of tire will be larger or smaller bead diameters (slightly) but the general rule is Kevlar is lighter and eventually easier to manipulate.

Kevlar Belted Tires

Some MTB tires have Kevlar belts underneath the tread.  This means they have more resistance to thorns and other objects trying to penetrate the tire.  If you are having problems with punctures look for a Kevlar belted tire, it can help.

Tubeless Specific Tires

Tubeless tires are specifically made for tubeless setups, but you can run them with tubes if you want.  Many standard tires have small holes from manufacturing that will leak if they are ran tubeless (unless you use sealant).  Tubeless tires are made to eliminate these small leaks and usually feature thicker tread and sidewalls.  This is to decrease the chance of a puncture or tear since a tear in a tubeless tire can really screw up your day.  For those of you who do not know the benefits of tubeless, it offers slightly less rotating weight and better traction.  Tubeless tires really hook up with the trail!

Threads per Inch (TPI)

You may have noticed a measurement called TPI when you’re checking out tires at the shop.  The general rule is a greater TPI means a thinner walled tire that will be lighter and have less rolling resistance.  However, these tires will be easier to puncture or tear.

Tread Compound

There are soft compounds, medium compounds and hard compounds.  Kenda has their Stick-e compound that has made them famous.  There is no real measurement that manufacturers do to tell you how soft or hard their tire is.  The easiest way to check is to squeeze a knob between your fingernails and see how much give it has.  Or you can grab a knob and try to move it back and forth.  A softer compound will have more flex.  On the trail a harder compound translates to better energy transfer in optimum conditions.  Kenda has some of the softest compound tires on the market, and because of it, they can be a bit sluggish on hard pack.  But softer compound tires are great for rock, sand, mud, loose dirt and pretty muck everything else besides hard pack.  Choose a tire based on the terrain you will be riding on.  Another thing to note is the size of the knobs will affect their flexibility.  In other words a softer compound tire with big knobs will be stiffer and have better performance on hardpack while a tire with smaller knobs and the same compound will be slower on hard pack but perform better on rock and in the loose stuff.  Read more

Tire Pressure: Something to Pay Attention To

Every person who has ever ridden a mountain bike wants to know the best way to get the best ride. To confuse this matter every company that has a product swears their product revolutionizes the sport of mountain biking. In fact millions of dollars a year are spent by enthusiastic mountain bikers looking to get the best ride they can. The funny thing is that while good gear is good gear, one of the easiest ways to adjust the experience of your ride is by knowing how to set the correct tire pressure.

This may seem like a no brainer, and it may also seem like it’s a very small part of the overall riding experience, but air pressure in your tires is very important to the over all quality of the ride. Physics, which controls almost every aspect of riding a mountain bike, has several laws that must be obeyed. However these rules, which must be obeyed, can also be manipulated. The key to manipulating these rules is to understand how they work and how they affect your riding experience.

The most basic law involved in riding a bike is the law of friction. Friction is the force we must fight in order to achieve even the slowest of movements. When riding a bike you are essentially operating against two forms of friction. The first is the friction between your tires and the ground, the second is the friction created by you and your bike moving through air. There are many things you can do to reduce the friction you create in the air, however, the only way to increase or reduce friction between your tires and the ground is to find ways to increase or decrease the surface area of the tire that contacts the ground. To explain this simply, less tire on the ground means less traction and friction, while more tire on the ground means more traction and more friction.

With this basic theory in hand do the following. Inflate your tire to around 35 to 40 psi. This should be almost as full as it can go without bursting. Now get on the bike and pedal around a bit. It should feel like you are having a bit of a difficult time controlling the bike, but pedaling is easy. This is because friction has been reduced, but so has traction and thus control.

Now deflate the tire around 5 psi or so. Again get on the bike and pedal around a bit. While the change may not be drastic, you should notice an increase in handling as well as an increase in effort. This is because you have created a bit more area for the tire to grab and thus increased both friction and traction.

Finally spend some time adjusting your psi until you feel the amount of effort and the amount of control are as well balanced for your riding style as they can be. For heavier people this will probably not be far below maximum while lighter people may go as far down as 25 psi (which is about the lowest you want to go). While this may seem a small change, you will notice the difference pretty quickly.

Stay tuned for the next article in the series which looks at using air pressure for specific trail conditions.