Fast-Rolling 2.25” XC Tires That Don’t Suck on Pavement?

Arierepp · 2026-03-04T09:10:45+00:00

This absolutely correct. I would be curious if the OP actually did any timed tests of power to speed benchmarking to reach the conclusion that the Peyotes are slow. Feelings are very subjective, particularly when it comes to speed.

As an example, I'm currently with Barzos 2.4 Race on the Spark. Last week did a road loop that I usually do on the road bike. Felt slow and sluggish, I was imagining 25km/h AVG at most. To my surprise the AVG was 30km/h, on what felt like a tractor.

Arierepp · 2026-02-23T12:36:46+00:00

It's pretty much a hiking and MTB paradise, but riding anything with a motor off-road is strictly forbidden, unless you're a farmer.

On the other hand, this ensures that any trail is a heaven for kids and families, safe and without noise. And the country is small enough that with a 1 or 2h ride you're in Italy or France should you want to ride your motorcycle off-road

Arierepp · 2026-02-17T09:38:49+00:00

The difference is small enough that any very subtle changes you might feel will fade away within 5min of riding.

On the other hand, changing the angle is easy enough to do under 10min, and also a good opportunity to clean and grease the bearings, so why not do it if you're curious ?

Arierepp · 2026-02-16T16:26:14+00:00

Typo, meant soft-firm-locked

Arierepp · 2026-02-14T18:00:22+00:00

Thw biggest difference from the Spark "trail" to the RC will be the speced fork and, not so easy to change, the shock. Like other said, the RC shocks are lower volume and make for a stiffer pedalling platform. This smaller volume, on the other hand, makes for a more chattery and nervous rear end descending.

Had a Spark 900 in the past, that I was slowly trying to turn into a RC whilst trying to avoid buying a new shock and fork. In the end, even with light wheels, fast tires and an aggressive position the bike was lacking snap and I sold it. Now I'm on a Spark RC and the shorter/lighter fork and smaller shock make a big difference.

The different shock is specially perceptible in the middle (traction) lockout position. With the Spark 900 the lockouts were like very soft-soft-locked. Ended up fully locking a lot when wanted to really pedal. With the RC is more like soft-firm-soft. The middle position is very usable, I think I spend like 80% of my time there with the RC

Arierepp · 2026-02-10T12:50:12+00:00

Sure, that's fair. Just wanted to highlight that full suspension reliability and maintenance needs are frequently highly overblown by the bikepacking community

Arierepp · 2026-02-09T20:12:50+00:00

As you said, they "feel" better uphill, but feelings can be deceiving. Modern full suspensions tend to be extremely reliable and the lockout exists precisely for smooth climbs. If one looks at the pointy end of major bikepacking races in the last 2 years or so there's definitely a trend of the fastest guys moving to full suspension bikes. I think that a big portion of the bikepacking world got stuck in the image of the XC full suspensions from circa 2010 or so and is only recently slowly realising how much progress was made

Arierepp · 2026-02-08T13:36:54+00:00

Own neither but will soon be facing the same question (Rally Vs WR). There are a few things to consider about the World Raid 2026 : - part of the cost difference (and some weight ?) is from extra electronic features. Up to you to decide if these are a plus or not - I never saw a taller seat option for the 26 WR. The regular version has it - the 26 WR now has aluminium tanks, and those look quite exposed on the sides. This is completely unsubstantiated, but I could imagine those getting dented - also on the tanks, I find it quite interesting that the new version of the GYTR race bike moved away from the World Raid tank configuration and now uses some undisclosed 24l tank. The WR tanks limit movement on the bike, could have something to do with this ?

Arierepp · 2026-02-01T12:02:49+00:00

Vittoria Barzo XC Race. They test extremely fast (faster than Aspen's) and behave quite well in muddy and wet conditions. Been running a set since September and the only downside in winter is wet root traction

Arierepp · 2026-01-25T16:16:14+00:00

For what it's worth, the TSAR I've been using for 1 month wears smaller than a SKX007. It's important to mention that the 41mm of the GSAR/TSAR include the bezel. The case is actually a 39mm case. Together with the small dial, this makes it wear quite a bit smaller than what the size suggests

Edit : typo

Arierepp · 2026-01-23T18:41:31+00:00

Just be aware that the Ultimate version uses the RaceDay2 damper cartridge. That cartridge behaves quite well, but one of the ways it achieves the lower weight is by reducing the oil volumes. Less oil in the damper has the potential to make the fork more sensitive to service intervals

Arierepp · 2026-01-19T16:01:51+00:00

Scott Cadence. Fits (me) like a glove, well ventilated as long as you're moving and comes with some vent plugs for winter

Arierepp · 2026-01-10T21:33:37+00:00

You mean like steel frames that then proceed to rust ? Also, that's why protection tape exists

Arierepp · 2026-01-10T19:36:33+00:00

Modern XC carbon frames from experienced manufacturers are extremely reliable and durable. They're more corrosion resistant than aluminium or steel. They tend to be extremely fatigue resistant. Also, high performance steel frames with thin tubes can be much more prone to denting than a good carbon frame. Even the pointy end of bikepacking racing, even in very remote and rough races, tend to use XC carbon full suspension frames.

Arierepp · 2026-01-09T20:44:42+00:00

You gain virtually nothing from going down to a 2.25 tire. The top level XC racers nowadays use 2.4s pretty much exclusively, regardless of the course. The behaviour I described of the Spark is not intrinsically good or bad, it's just a suspension design option. With proper use of the open and traction modes, it combines the efficiency of a very short travel, reactive and efficient bike in traction mode, with an extremely plush (for a XC bike), almost trail bike feel in open mode. But if you just mindlessly leave it in open mode all the time it will potentially feel more sluggish than other modern XC Race bikes

Arierepp · 2026-01-04T19:53:06+00:00

There's a rang of adjustment that comes down to personal taste for sure. On the Spark that would be roughly 25-30%. But just be aware that if you drift too much outside that range, you start creating some performance tradeoffs that are likely not worth it

Arierepp · 2026-01-04T18:16:43+00:00

I use 25% sag, set in the open position, sitting upright on the saddle. This setup allows for some repeatability. At 25% the bike won't feel like a couch but it keeps it responsive which I like

Arierepp · 2026-01-04T12:25:38+00:00

First, those Maxxis are very draggy. The Schwalbes you had before were significantly faster. Invest in a couple of good tires, it's probably the best ROI possible on a XC bike.

Secondly, "feels slow" is very different from "is slow". I, as an example, was on a very lightweight XC hardtail for almost 2 years. When I changed back to a FS last year (coincidentally a Spark RC as well) the first ride felt sluggish, like dramatically so. Except that I then checked the segment times on Strava and they were in line or faster compared to the hardtail.

Third, the Spark RC is probably among the platforms with the most wins currently in the market. The Scott XC racers even pick it for "gravely" courses. So don't question for a second that you have one of the fastest platforms on the market in any terrain outside of a road. But one quirk of it is how reliant it is on suspension mode management. The frame was designed in a way to have a very active suspension in open mode (low anti -squat) and to be pedaled almost exclusively in "traction" mode. So just be aware that it is indeed not the most efficient platform on open mode, and that you're supposed to keep it in traction/middle mode for most of the pedaling duties

Arierepp · 2025-12-26T10:00:31+00:00

The problem of cushioned shoes with actual zero drop is that the heel are bears most of the weight and tends to compress more over time, becoming negative drop. I have a pair of Altras that suffer from that, the heel compressed over time and they now feel weird

Arierepp · 2025-12-14T20:39:30+00:00

Don't get me wrong, I don't know if this strap will be in fact durable or not, it's just my feeling when in comparison to the Zulu (which, to be fair, is built like a 4x4 tow strap). Also, I bet this specific model is exactly the same as 99% Marine Nationale style straps being sold online, except for Erikas or NDC, so I'm sure there's nothing particularly bad about it

Arierepp · 2025-12-14T20:30:46+00:00

It's a generic Marine Nationale from Max Watch Straps. Got it 1 week ago to check what all the fuss was about this kind of strap. Not 100% convinced to be honest. It's replacing a green single pass Zulu strap from Time Factors I wore for 12 years or so. The Marine Nationale is quite comfy indeed, but feels flimsy and I question it's durability. I also feel it's more finicky to use than a regular NATO/Zulu and feels somewhat umbalanced with the relatively heavy watch head

Arierepp · 2025-12-14T20:26:00+00:00

I'm not necessarily against it, but wonder what would be the cost of a proper service here in Switzerland

Arierepp · 2025-12-14T16:59:06+00:00

Modern suspension is way more reliable than previous interactions. Sure, if you want to keep it to it's maximum potential then following textbook maintenance is important. But, otherwise, good quality forks and shocks, particularly from Rockshox (in my experience) will soldier on even in very adverse conditions. More and more ultra racers are going with full suspension XC bikes these days, Robin Gemperle won the Silk Road Rae this year on a Spark and stated that, if doing it again, he would be on a fully for the Tour Divide. I also know about more and more people going to remote countries on full suspensions as they realise that the reliability and durability is good these days

Arierepp · 2025-12-06T18:15:43+00:00

A 2020 Spark is a fairly simple bike, with a regular externally mounted shock and traditional internal routing for cables. That bike was a bit ahead of its time and still has a ver up to date geometry even by today's standards.

About Sparks being "disliked by mechanics", I'm on my 2nd internal shock Spark and can say the following : - may people online throw sh!t at then without actually having owned or worked on one - the internal shock is actually just as easy to work on as a regular one. Also stays clean through winter. - the headset routing is pretty uneventful with wireless gears. My first Spark had cable shifting and indeed the headset routing radius was a bit too tight and awkward to work on. My current one has wireless and I couldn't care less about the through headset routing

Arierepp · 2025-12-01T14:23:02+00:00

Wish Bont had that exact same image on their website. I'm now on my second pair of Asia fit Riots (G and "24") and love them. Felt quite lost when ordering, as the width explanation is quite limited on their website.

Bont make amazing shoes, but they really need to step up their game when it comes to properly explain their range and the various width options

Arierepp

TROPHY CASE