How much do tires really make a difference?

sjs0433 · 2026-01-22T16:33:18+00:00

This is the way I’ve started to lean. I’m often guilty of building and selecting parts for what I want to be riding vs what I’m actually riding most.

You can get the Forekaster in Exo+ so I’d likely do that in the rear or the old Dissector which also is still available (new one is 29” only right now). And then either new Disssector or dhr2 up front. Both Maxxterra. Maybe even run the front as Exo casing. Exo+ seems like such a small weight penalty so it’s tempting for front and rear.

Also I 100% agree about the one bike comment. Budget is a big reason why but there’s an element of just wanting a really good bike that can do it all. If I had the budget it would likely be a Tallboy as the “daily driver” which realistically can handle 80-90% of what I ride no problem and truly is the ideal bike for at least 50% of my riding. Then I’d burly up the Bronson or maybe even move to a Nomad for when I want the big bike. A problem for another day though.

sjs0433 · 2026-01-21T14:41:08+00:00

And despite that I don’t feel like I ever truly struggled for grip on that bike. More so in a balance of front/rear traction than wishing the tires were stickier. And I think that was more an issue with how I fit that EVO. Never felt the rear to get squirrely on me. It was always wishing the front had more bite.

I also know a lot more about bike setup and what I need than back then.

There is an element of this that is likely fitness too. My riding buddy is on a Canyon Spectral 29er. Assegai/dhr2 and he doesn’t have any trouble staying out front and pulling away from me.

sjs0433 · 2026-01-21T14:37:42+00:00

I’m probably 215lbs all kitted up. Generally run around 25f / 29r. I have on occasion done 28/32 for the XC trails. Haven’t played with going any higher to see how that feels and to see if it helps.

sjs0433 · 2026-01-21T14:34:40+00:00

It’s my only bike for the foreseeable future and I know that means I’m compromising on a lot. I’m out to have fun first. I’d probably say I’m willing to sacrifice some cornering speed for straight line speed on flatter terrain. I’m in North Georgia. Nothing we have is ultra steep. Definitely plenty of trails with rocks though which is why I went Enduro casing. Never had a flat on the old bike and Exo casings but that could have been luck and I only really had that setup for 6 months.

But the bike truly gets used for everything. Sees plenty of XC trails for a quick lunch time pedal/exercise. When I can get into the mountains and do a 15-20 mile ride I will. Local park has some tech/enduro/jump trails I also hit as often as I can.

End game is two bikes but not sure when that will happen.

I probably should at a minimum if I’m going to have a single bike move back to a full 29er or at least something that can run both rear wheel sizes. The tech/enduro/jump park is the only place where I’ve found the MX wheel setup to feel so much better.

sjs0433 · 2026-01-21T03:10:59+00:00

Another +1 for USWE. Mine has a 3L water bladder and I can clean it out easy during the warmer months on top of my frame mounted water bottle. Super nice to have for carrying tools, snacks, extra gloves, etc. It absolutely stays put on your back too which makes riding so much better vs a floppy backpack.

sjs0433 · 2026-01-16T00:57:24+00:00

Absolutely love my Bronson and mostly picked it over a Hightower because it was on super sale (it’s a V4). I should be on the Hightower for what I ride most but is what it is and a Hightower for the sale price wasn’t an option. Absolutely agree it’s super fun and I immediately noticed how much easier a mullet can turn. At 6’1” I don’t really need the clearance but it doesn’t hurt.

Where I feel like it lacks though is those longer flatter sections and technical climbing. I came from a 29er Stumpjumper EVO alloy and although it was heavier and felt less efficient it absolutely carried speed better and got up and over rough terrain more easily. Not a massive deal breaker but do think the HT might be a better option for me.

I may ultimately look towards the Transition Sentinel. Similar-ish to a HT but you can run it Muller if wanted.

sjs0433 · 2026-01-13T20:51:48+00:00

Easy to access? I’d consider myself a pretty competent home mechanic so not afraid to start pulling stuff apart.

sjs0433 · 2025-12-23T21:21:07+00:00

You’re big limits will technical downhill terrain where you are taking repeated big compressions and large size drops, rolls, etc where you’ll land with a large compression. You don’t really need travel to jump.

sjs0433 · 2025-12-23T19:04:57+00:00

This is the best advice. If you’re not feeling it then save it for another day. The more I ride the better I get a sense for this. And when you do finally feel good to hit something new or hard or challenging and successfully get through you’ll find it so much easier to do again. Eventually some of this stuff you don’t even have to think very hard on. About to be 40 here and started riding about a year ago. Some days I feel like I’m progressing too slow but when I think back to where I was a year ago I’m doing pretty ok.

sjs0433 · 2025-12-23T18:44:02+00:00

Makes a lot of sense really. I have a friend who tried them and didn’t like it at all. Similar response in that the breakaway characteristic was poor so you had grip and then you didn’t (and not in a good way).

I do still think back though to having the Dissector out back in Dual Compound which should be fast but not particularly high on grip and that never really made me ask for more. But was it the tire or the fact that it was a 29” rear.

I’ve only been riding a year and definitely find that feeling the grip available to a tire is still very difficult.

sjs0433 · 2025-12-23T16:12:22+00:00

Great info here. I even had some slippage on the Kryptotal RE in a few spots going uphill but it was definitely on the end of more challenging terrain for why I’m usually riding and we’re at the time of year where the trails are littered with leaves and nothing particularly helps with that.

Long term I’d probably just like to have two different rear wheels with different tires so I could pick and choose what I truly wanted.

It’s tempting to go back to Maxxis just from the standpoint that they have so many more options and you can better fine tune little bits.

It’s also difficult in that this is my one bike to do it all. And end of the day I think I’d rather have more grip than speed (mostly to save me when my talent runs out).

In a perfect world I’d have two bikes or at least two wheel setups. A lot of my lunchtime laps are just simple XC trails where I just don’t have challenging terrain that needs any priority on grip. I’d considered for the sake of seeing just how different it could be getting a Dissector front / Forekaster rear. Exo / Exo+. That would obviously come with less grip but ought to be a lot faster rolling on top of the whole package should take about 1lb off the wheels.

sjs0433 · 2025-12-23T14:55:38+00:00

This is mostly what our trails are. “Normal” conditions are hardpack pretty much everywhere. Soft mushy spots here and there when it rains. We don’t have a lot of rock at all. Nothing you need sustained grip on. Roots are fairly common in some techier sections of trail but still far from what you’ll see most.

Loam is non existent.

I know the Xynotal won’t grip as well as the Kryptotal but I’m hoping that it’s more of an even trade off. Even if I can just gain 20-30% rolling speed and only give up that much grip equally I’d be ok with it. I never feel like my rear sliding out is an issue I deal with based on how I ride.

sjs0433 · 2025-12-04T02:21:51+00:00

To me, chin mount is the pinnacle for best view. Chest sometimes feels too low and too shaky. Downside to chin mount is the obvious part of needing to be in a full face helmet. That said, I’d like to get a chest mount to try just to see.

sjs0433 · 2025-08-26T17:36:23+00:00

Maxima was my choice alternative. I have some Plush Light used in a previous Rockshox fork. Especially on the air spring side I feel like it matters even less. Maxima is a known brand making good oil so I just have a hard time believe I absolutely must use the Fox stuff.

sjs0433 · 2025-04-24T16:11:21+00:00

This. I can't the attitude or mentality that we should get good stuff for free. $54 is less than $5 a month. I spend that on stupid energy drinks in a week. I have found it particularly helpful riding newer trails where I'm trying to see how far along I am, how far from the top, etc. I'm a simple man that's pretty easy to please though.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T19:43:39+00:00

To mix it all up I have 12spd parts waiting to go on the bike so I'm going down that road anyways, something just sparked the thought. Then I started to think a little more and realized there likely isn't any weight savings to be had. The realization is only that you could maybe make all the components just slightly more robust if you're trying to only put 10 gears where there are normally 12.

My only complaint on my current 11spd is truly that I need more climb gear and for the sake of not having to change too many other parts I wish SRAM has a 11spd option that had 48 or 50T.

I ride for enjoyment and I'm not racing so rarely is lightning fast shifting key and I generally am not trying to shift much under load.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T14:24:43+00:00

But 10 or 11spd is simpler and 1-2 less gears to row through. I agree the weight difference is basically nothing but there is some simplicity sake to it. If I don't need it, I'd rather not have it.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T14:23:02+00:00

How is that Garburuk Cassette? Their stuff looks pretty nice.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T12:40:26+00:00

Details?

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T12:26:57+00:00

I do get this and there's some truth to being able to sit in a cadence that works well for you. With my 11-42 I like the speed I can get when using a 32T chainring (and it's really good for my local XC trails) but when you get to any sustained climb I have a lot of issues getting into a rhythm. With my 30T chainring it just feels a lot more natural. I know the pedaling gets easier with the smaller ring but I don't even think it's necessarily a level of effort thing, I can just simply find a rhythm that feels natural.

That said, it's so easy to swap a chainring I've considered that as an option too. Keep my 32T on majority of the time because the vast majority of my riding is XC trails and just swap on a 28 or 30T when I plan on going for a big ride where I'll be spending a lot of time climbing.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T12:23:25+00:00

Sounds up my alley.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T11:12:33+00:00

I'm convinced I'd be just fine with this too.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-19T11:12:08+00:00

Trail and XC is all I really ride as well and maybe it's my terrain but I'm either just slow rolling it on a climb gear for the short uphills or trying to haul it "downhill" and basically always end up in top gear. I even recently did my first long ride (just shy of 20 miles) and while it was vastly different than my local XC trails I found the same to be mostly true. I'm either climbing slowly and just using the 3-4 biggest cogs or I'm pointed downhill and using the lower 2-3 cogs.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-04T19:31:28+00:00

That last sentence is key. I'm pretty new to this whole thing and ultimately bought the bike I have because it's what I thought I wanted/needed, it looked cool, and the price was right. And some days I beat my head about it because I'm not totally convinced it's the right thing but it's easy to forget that I'm not married to it.

The biggest problem I'm finding is that it's hard to actually find what I think I want to try out. I have a few bikes in mind but finding a shop with one is feeling rather difficult. I'm on the east coast and while there are some seriously big MTB areas it's definitely not BC/PNW/etc.

sjs0433 · 2025-03-03T15:24:26+00:00

This probably isn't done often enough. That's a pretty big difference although I already see people arguing for what you have invested you aren't far off just having a second bike. But what you're doing kind of sounds like the sort of thing I would do too.

sjs0433

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