Racing in the upcoming Midwest Xterra Race in Milwaukee, WI at the end of July. I have purchased new wheel set and need advice on a good XC tire for this race. It is supposed to be a very technical course, but not deep in the woods either (this is staged in a park in downtown Milwaukee...). I am a pretty abusive rider and weight in at around 200lbs. I have checked out the Hutchinson tires and Panaracer, but might be leaning towards the IRC Mythos based on reviews I've read. Any advice is much appreciated.
Racing in the upcoming Midwest Xterra Race in Milwaukee, WI at the end of July. I have purchased new wheel set and need advice on a good XC tire for this race. It is supposed to be a very technical course, but not deep in the woods either (this is staged in a park in downtown Milwaukee...). I am a pretty abusive rider and weight in at around 200lbs. I have checked out the Hutchinson tires and Panaracer, but might be leaning towards the IRC Mythos based on reviews I've read. Any advice is much appreciated.
Big Daddy K
I really didn't like the mythos - but I weigh less than you and probably not in the same conditions (I don't race). I've found the Hutchinson pythons to be pretty consistent and probably my favorite tire until I met the kenda stick-Es.
The panaracers are ok too. ah - it's all personal opinion.
I agree, it probably comes down to personal preference. I like using the Mythos tires but my normal trail is technical hard pack with gravel thrown in the mix. The performance for me is similar to Panaracer. Either would make a good choice in this condition. Now when it comes to muddy conditions, I prefer Panaracer over the Mythos. The Mythos gets caked up more and slows down. Unfortunately I do not have any "real" experience with Hutchinson tires other than a quick demo on the road using a friend's bike.
specialized fast trak - roll close to the pythons but way better traction. used to ride mythos a lot and liked them well, but these roll much faster. pythons seemed too sketchy. the wheel would just randomly drift when flying down dusty gravel fireroads. very unsettling.
possibly irrelevant, but never ride Maxxis. (especially the Ignitor). I picked up 10 sets of these, new, for $5 in an auction, thinking they'd last me a while, but they had terrible rolling resistance and the tread on each pair wore down in a week. I switched to Hutchinsons after that, and have been consistently pleased with their performance.
possibly irrelevant, but never ride Maxxis. (especially the Ignitor). I picked up 10 sets of these, new, for $5 in an auction, thinking they'd last me a while, but they had terrible rolling resistance and the tread on each pair wore down in a week. I switched to Hutchinsons after that, and have been consistently pleased with their performance.
Racing in the upcoming Midwest Xterra Race in Milwaukee, WI at the end of July. I have purchased new wheel set and need advice on a good XC tire for this race. It is supposed to be a very technical course, but not deep in the woods either (this is staged in a park in downtown Milwaukee...). I am a pretty abusive rider and weight in at around 200lbs. I have checked out the Hutchinson tires and Panaracer, but might be leaning towards the IRC Mythos based on reviews I've read. Any advice is much appreciated.
Big Daddy K
My personal favorite is the Panaracer Smoke and Dart combo. This is a front and rear specific set, which I am always lean towards, versus a tire that you can just switch direction to make it front or rear specific.
You can pick these up at Performance bikes for $17.95 when they go on sales (MSRP is about $35), they are very lite, and they are a great cornering and climbing tire combo.
possibly irrelevant, but never ride Maxxis. (especially the Ignitor). I picked up 10 sets of these, new, for $5 in an auction, thinking they'd last me a while, but they had terrible rolling resistance and the tread on each pair wore down in a week. I switched to Hutchinsons after that, and have been consistently pleased with their performance.
maxxis make some of the best rubber out there, you bouth 10 cheap rubber hoops for 5 dont be surprised when they turn out to be bad...
I've been really happy with my IRC Mythos. Front has great control and grip for going down those really steep sections. Rear dosent clog up on me ( but I do live in Southern CA) and has great grip in hard pack / dusty gravel. The only thing I can complain about is my rear is nearly worn out after about 1/2 a season of riding. But I got the f/r set for $24 at pricepoint, so cant complain too much.
