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Tyres for all mountain bike, for downhill/Morzine


Tony Harrison

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I'm looking for some tyres for my LaPierre Zesty (26") to take to Morzine later this month. Thinking of Maxxis, but there are lots of options...

Compound... No idea where to start

Size... 2.35 is big enough, don't want giant tyres

Tread... High Roller or Minion? I think I had both on my trials bike but I don't remember the difference

Single or dual ply... Are single ply lighter?

Any advice welcomed!

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The Highroller 2s seem to be popular, in the 3C compound. Think it's pretty dry and dusty out there at the moment so a highroller should do you well. Single ply are lighter but you may encounter more punctures, depends if you're looking at singletrack type riding or full on DH runs.

It's also probably worth noting that as with all these things everyone will have their own opinions of things but I wouldn't have said you can go far wrong with any of the maxxis DH range, and pick the ones you think suit your riding the best. I

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+1 for the Hi Roller 2s. I rode my brother's bike quite a bit in NZ in similar conditions to what you'll find over there, and they felt really good. It's worth noting he was running them with a DIY/Stans tubeless setup which probably helped out a bit, but they were really grippy and nicely predictable.

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Thanks for the advice. I bought a Minion DHF for the front and a High Roller II for the rear, both dual ply. I'm not very experienced at this kind of riding so it won't make that much difference, but still I guess it's worth having decent grip and puncture resistance anyway.

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I run DMR moto diggers, rode them in all conditions and the are some of the grippiest tyres I've ever used. Predictable and good rolling. You can feel them when they start to let go, and you have to push pretty hard to do that

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First of all….good choice on the Zesty.

Second things second you should definitely bring spare tyres if you're going to Morzine and don't skimp on casing thickness. I presume you'll be doing mainly uplifts so weight shouldn't be an issue? I've ridden a lot of tyres over the last 2 years and nothing has impressed me as much as the Michelin Wild Rock'r2 Advanced (catchy name I know). Double bonus that they're French and they are the tyres Lapierre now spec on their Spicy's. There's still 26" versions available here: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/michelin-wild-rock-r2-advanced-reinforced-tyre/rp-prod116032?gs=1&gclid=COTsv-WpzsYCFeJl2wod1fAK0A&gclsrc=aw.ds

They are intended as a dry weather tyre so will be perfect in Morzine (they were developed and tested in France) but I've been using them for the last year as they're incredible. On the rear it's such a grippy tyres when leaning over but rolls well due to the low central section. On rocks the grip is just stupid, I've never ridden another tyre like it - you can really feel it bite in helping you to slow down in loose conditions with such predictability. They can ping ever so slightly on really slick roots compared to a tyre with a more traditional pattern (such as a WTB Vigilante - which I currently use on the front) but for a thick carcass tyre they're also pretty light. The 27.5" ones come in at just over a kg. Magi-X compound is recommended for the front and the rebound is so slow, and Gum-X for the back.

I've always ran mine tubeless at low pressures and on everything from trail centres, to natural and Innerleithen DH trails I've not managed to burp or rip them or find any negative whatsoever to be honest…. they also look sweet on the bike!

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Thanks for the advice. I bought a Minion DHF for the front and a High Roller II for the rear, both dual ply. I'm not very experienced at this kind of riding so it won't make that much difference, but still I guess it's worth having decent grip and puncture resistance anyway.

The bike I borrowed to ride most of the time I was over there was fitted with single ply MaxxPro (i.e. housebrick) compound Hi Rollers. Got so many flats due to the rocky trails we were riding, and my lack of ability. Vibes were getting harshed pretty regularly. Avoiding that at the slight expense of some tyre weight, which you probably won't notice anyway, would have been preferable.

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