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Enduro Tires?

_RG_

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Folks, we try to keep a few new tires in inventory for enduros like the TSCEC and TORCS varieties. It's not a rare thing for riders to find they need a new tire after showing up at a race. This is more of a goodwill convenience thing than for profit.

I know this borders on asking the dumb oil question but some of y'all have experience with racing a whole bunch of tires... and I don't.

What should we carry for a good general rear tire?

What should we carry for a front tire?
 
Hey RG, its Mike here. FYI my $0.02 worth. I was turned on to Goldentyre by my California Enduro / Trials champions. I put the front on my Husky FE501S and can say without a doubt this is the best front tire I have ever ridden. It will be in Colorado with me this year!

Goldentyre, GT216AA "Fatty" Front Tire, 90/100-21

I am can also say I hated the Dunlop D606 front tire on my XR650L, worst tire ever above 50MPH.

For rear tires, the D606 is always a great standby, but I did buy the Goldentyre, GT523E Rear Tire, 140/80-18 but haven't mounted it up yet to try it.

They also make a special rear tired called a Gummy that I did put on and run in Big Bend. It was bizzar, the rubber is so soft and gummy you actually drift on ever turn on the pavement, but it was amazing in the rocks. Like a super soft trials tire. Can't recommend this to anybody because it is so strange.

Good luck with this thread, should get interesting.
 
Second on the front Fatty. All the guys I ride with love it.
 
I have the 216AA as well but chose the 80/100 over the 90.

The rear you have a few choices.... Goldentyre 232 or the Gummy, Kenda Ibex or Equalibrium, Dunlop AT81 and some cheaper ones. Depends on how long you want them to last. Shinko cheater and Sedona 907 are out there too.
 
Thanks guys. I keep hearing that Fatty name come up in good terms. I'll look into the list we have so far. :thumb:
 
A lot of the guys I ride with run the Maxxis Desert IT in the rear. We are all Austin riders who predominantly ride the limestone chunk and rock hear and out west. It lasts a long time and can be run with shockingly low pressure (tubeless). YMMV

PS- we are off road only riders.

Thanks
CJB
 
Depends on the terrain of the race. I would say for anything around here any sort of Intermediate tire would be better than not. If its more loose a something in a soft terrain would be better. For instance RRMT has a lot of sand. With those two as a choice I'd assume you do pretty well with a 18 and 19 in either soft or intermediate a racer would have a decent choice. If I realized my tire was sacked when I got to the race then either of those would be my choice. Beggars can't be choosers though.

I had a habit of maintaining my bike on Tuesday or Wed. nights when I raced a lot. I would usually spend the evening the garage prepping the bike. Wash filters, look for loose bolts, make any adjustments, and check things like tires. Swap them out if I had one in the garage. Tues/Wed is usually early enough that I could get parts and make repairs before the weekend. Not to say that I haven't been stuck rushing to get a tire Friday night and forced to buy whatever was on the shelf at a dealer. The good news was the local mom and pop shop kept a good stock of tires on the shelf and had great prices. I was pretty lucky there. I've not found a decent shop that is close yet. I have to make time to get to shop if I need something.
 
I guess when you get 300-400 racers together in one place the odds of somebody getting there with a bad tire is just going to happen now and then. Seems like we'd all look at stuff ahead of time but some folks are doing good to have time for just getting there. Anyway, we try to keep stuff on-hand to get a guy back into the race - tires, tubes, pre mix, E clips (yes, folks actually adjust their carbs in the camping area and drop parts), fuses, valve cores, etc. etc... Mostly it's little stuff that we can hand over free of charge and make the difference of a rider racing or loading up his bike.

That's what makes choosing a general purpose tire or two a real challenge. I like the AT81RC but we've had folks who'd sooner take their chances on an old tire than run the AT81. Go figure... Thus my question as to what is likely to be a good tire that most racers would feel good about.


Depends on the terrain of the race. I would say for anything around here any sort of Intermediate tire would be better than not. If its more loose a something in a soft terrain would be better. For instance RRMT has a lot of sand. With those two as a choice I'd assume you do pretty well with a 18 and 19 in either soft or intermediate a racer would have a decent choice. If I realized my tire was sacked when I got to the race then either of those would be my choice. Beggars can't be choosers though.

I had a habit of maintaining my bike on Tuesday or Wed. nights when I raced a lot. I would usually spend the evening the garage prepping the bike. Wash filters, look for loose bolts, make any adjustments, and check things like tires. Swap them out if I had one in the garage. Tues/Wed is usually early enough that I could get parts and make repairs before the weekend. Not to say that I haven't been stuck rushing to get a tire Friday night and forced to buy whatever was on the shelf at a dealer. The good news was the local mom and pop shop kept a good stock of tires on the shelf and had great prices. I was pretty lucky there. I've not found a decent shop that is close yet. I have to make time to get to shop if I need something.
 
I guess when you get 300-400 racers together in one place the odds of somebody getting there with a bad tire is just going to happen now and then. Seems like we'd all look at stuff ahead of time but some folks are doing good to have time for just getting there. Anyway, we try to keep stuff on-hand to get a guy back into the race - tires, tubes, pre mix, E clips (yes, folks actually adjust their carbs in the camping area and drop parts), fuses, valve cores, etc. etc... Mostly it's little stuff that we can hand over free of charge and make the difference of a rider racing or loading up his bike.

That's what makes choosing a general purpose tire or two a real challenge. I like the AT81RC but we've had folks who'd sooner take their chances on an old tire than run the AT81. Go figure... Thus my question as to what is likely to be a good tire that most racers would feel good about.

Yep... I have been there with needing parts or a tube at a race for sure. I had a race that I broke chain then wadded it up during the course of nursing a front pinch flat to gas! Got the chain back in order from my tool kit. Bummed a whole wheel off guy off a guy a gas. He limped my tire and wheel back to camp. He busted a clutch lever and was out. Managed to get back on time and even burn a check! (time keeper enduro). Was able to swap back after the race.

I will say the reason he didn't have a pinch flat is the front tire was rock hard! Not a good fit for me. It was sketchy at times, but beggars can't be choosers. Seemed to break loose unexpectedly. I ate it a few times in a fast test with a front end wash out. I'd have likely been at the truck if it was not for that guy. I earned points for the season instead of an early 4 hour drive home because he was cool enough to swap with me.

Tires are such a personal thing to someone that pays attention to them. I know I've had someone say how good a tire was only to try it a say "what the heck were they thinking". I guess it comes down to terrain choice, what pressure of system your running (tubliss, bibs, tubes) as all tires feel a bit different to different folks.

Might be worth a stroll through the pits and take some notes on what you see on the bikes. Tally them up over a few races and carry most popular one.
 
I ran a set of AT81's on my Beta. The rear lasted forever and I didn't really have complaints. Definitely a soft terrain tire. The front scalloped really quickly, after only a couple rides and braking grip got scary fast. Flipped it, and then it for some reason wore like iron. The front and rear were done at about the same time, I bet well over 1500 miles.

The Beta came with the GT216's from the factory, and I'll agree the front was excellent. The rear felt similar to the AT81, just with less grip in loose stuff from it's shorter knobs, although the rear was bald as a baby's butt by around 500 miles. The front was great at first, but also wore quickly. Great for racing, but for my everyday trail plonking/pavement, too expensive and not enough life.

Most recently I gave the Motoz xtreme hybrid a try on the rear. So far love it. Works a lot better on hard/rocky surfaces, and after a couple hundred miles it still looks essentially new. Not bad in sand either, it does a little more spinning than a knobby but I've never run into an issue over it. Paired with tubliss at like 5psi it's awesome.
 
This thread is concerning TX Enduro and TORCS type events, not to be confused with D/S tires and their use. Huge difference. Pure dirt racers are very picky about tires, only offering one choice front and rear will be a difficult proposition. Good luck.
 
Pure dirt racers are very picky about tires, only offering one choice front and rear will be a difficult proposition. Good luck.

I'd say if someone shows up needing a tire and finds someone there to help them out, they should probably be happy with whatever is offered. They are always welcome to run what they brung of course.
 
Yep, only having a couple of different tires - and expecting the majority of folks to feel good about one of them is a long shot. But, we've seen too many occasions when a new tire had to be available or it was a long and early ride home for a guy. Next race, I'll spend some time walking around visiting with folks about what they'd like.

Surely appreciate y'alls input for this. THANKS!
 
They are not common yet, but the Moto-Z Mountain Hybrid Extreme is the ULTIMATE enduro tire. When combined with a Tubliss system, it's the most unstoppable tire you can run. My brother has well over 200 miles of HARD desert enduro on his and it's barely showing any signs of wear. My dad has been running the same tire for over 2000 miles on his KTM 450 that sees about half street/half desert enduro. Everyone I am riding with is switching to one for their next tire after seeing the performance difference. It rides like a Trials tire in the rocks, grabs mud with no problem, and handles loamy sand trails like they were made of perfect dirt.
 
:clap::clap:
They are not common yet, but the Moto-Z Mountain Hybrid Extreme is the ULTIMATE enduro tire. When combined with a Tubliss system, it's the most unstoppable tire you can run. My brother has well over 200 miles of HARD desert enduro on his and it's barely showing any signs of wear. My dad has been running the same tire for over 2000 miles on his KTM 450 that sees about half street/half desert enduro. Everyone I am riding with is switching to one for their next tire after seeing the performance difference. It rides like a Trials tire in the rocks, grabs mud with no problem, and handles loamy sand trails like they were made of perfect dirt.
 
How is that Motoz Hybrid in the front? I know it's DOT but, how does it handle on the road, e.i. connecting trails?
 
I'll let u know soon enough. I've got a set waiting to go on the bike next weekend. I'm just waiting on the correct rear. I ordered the regular Mountain Hybrid for the rear, but I wanted the Xtreme Hybrid. It's the newest version and is supposed to be even better in mud and soft sand than the Mountain Hybrid, while still being amazing in the rocks and loose trails.
 
I just went back to re-read this thread looking for the recommendations. Since this thread started I can say with 1000% that the Goldentyre Fatty on the front rocks! It is amazing. I did get a dent in my front rim while at CTOR the other day, but I had lowered the front to 12 pounds which I can see is a mistake for CTOR. Need 18 I think to keep wheels round. But I have ridden the Fatty in Big Bend, Arkansas, Cloud Croft NM, Hidden Falls, CTOR and it has been flawless everywhere and is still in great condition.

As for Goldentyre on rears forgetit! Each tire ended up with six or more weeping holes that were mostly plugged with sealant, but I just don't trust them. The main body of the tire is too soft and get cut easily.

I did install the Mountain Hybrid last week the day before I went to CTOR. That was my first time at CTOR and I am not sure it is the best place for it. I floundered a little in the beginning, but as the morning wore on it did get better and better. I was able to do all of the X trails that I found, several technical rock climbs and it worked very well there. Was squirrely in the loose little marble rock sections. Just not sure yet.

We are heading back to Cloudcroft this Friday and I am thinking of trying to get a real knobby shipped before we leave. They are calling for rain each day and I get the feeling the Hybrid may not be a mudder.

I am leaning towards the Pirelli MT16 or just go back to the good old D606.

Still pondering...
 
I just went back to re-read this thread looking for the recommendations. Since this thread started I can say with 1000% that the Goldentyre Fatty on the front rocks! It is amazing. I did get a dent in my front rim while at CTOR the other day, but I had lowered the front to 12 pounds which I can see is a mistake for CTOR. Need 18 I think to keep wheels round. But I have ridden the Fatty in Big Bend, Arkansas, Cloud Croft NM, Hidden Falls, CTOR and it has been flawless everywhere and is still in great condition.

As for Goldentyre on rears forgetit! Each tire ended up with six or more weeping holes that were mostly plugged with sealant, but I just don't trust them. The main body of the tire is too soft and get cut easily.

I did install the Mountain Hybrid last week the day before I went to CTOR. That was my first time at CTOR and I am not sure it is the best place for it. I floundered a little in the beginning, but as the morning wore on it did get better and better. I was able to do all of the X trails that I found, several technical rock climbs and it worked very well there. Was squirrely in the loose little marble rock sections. Just not sure yet.

We are heading back to Cloudcroft this Friday and I am thinking of trying to get a real knobby shipped before we leave. They are calling for rain each day and I get the feeling the Hybrid may not be a mudder.

I am leaning towards the Pirelli MT16 or just go back to the good old D606.

Still pondering...

You won't go wrong with an MT16 in Cloudcroft, but I wouldn't run a 606 if I had a free lifetime supply.

Cloudcroft trails drain pretty quickly, but when muddy it won't matter much what rear tire you have. The mud up there is flat out nasty.

Hope to see you up there this weekend. Weather forecast looks pretty good for the weekend. Regular pattern of afternoon monsoon showers but we basically get all our rain in just a few specific months so it is all good.
 
I loved my mountain hybrid when I had it. The key is to run it at 8 psi ( with tight rim lock) . It will claw very well. Great in the wet too; mud not so much.

I personally would keep it for Cloudcroft.
 
Hey Vinny, I am so ready to get away from this heat.

I am going to leave the hybrid on for the trip, but I did ordered a new rear and will take it with me, just in case I feel like swapping it out...
 
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