I used Velociraptors for years. Not fast, not light, noisy on tarmac, but good secure grip on anything but wet roots. They feel very safe to ride on. Unfortunately they seem to be discontinued, although you can still get them in the shops.
There are tradeoffs in these things. Softer rubber is grippier, but wears faster. Bigger knobs grip better in mud and clay (and, to an extent, sand and gravel) but roll slower. Light tires puncture easily. Pay your money and take your choice.
Having said all that, it seems to me sensible that a front tyre should be optimised for steering and the rear tyre for traction, so the concept of the Velociraptor (and the old Smoke/Dart combination that the Velociraptor copied) seems to me a sensible one.
Dammit Simon, you're agreeing with me again ;-)
-- Tony
"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way." - Bertrand Russell
Further to the above, I've checked some reviews, very mixed opinions, some say they are great tyres, others say there is a huge amount of drag making uphills much more difficult... They are pretty chunky!
To be honest, although they are an old design (and therefore available cheap) its hard to beat a pair of WTB Velociraptors as all round tyres. I have tried other tyres but keep 'raptors on most of my off-road bikes.
I used Velociraptors for years. Not fast, not light, noisy on tarmac, but good secure grip on anything but wet roots. They feel very safe to ride on. Unfortunately they seem to be discontinued, although you can still get them in the shops.
There are tradeoffs in these things. Softer rubber is grippier, but wears faster. Bigger knobs grip better in mud and clay (and, to an extent, sand and gravel) but roll slower. Light tires puncture easily. Pay your money and take your choice.
Having said all that, it seems to me sensible that a front tyre should be optimised for steering and the rear tyre for traction, so the concept of the Velociraptor (and the old Smoke/Dart combination that the Velociraptor copied) seems to me a sensible one.
I get the impression neither are good on road (even for short distances) but the panaracer is better.
Heh, you're talking to a roadie here, so I think ALL tyres are [censored] on the roads unless they're slicks 😉
My take on the mtb tyre issue is to go with tyres that are good for the off-road stuff and sod the road performance. I'd gladly trade rolling resistance on the tarmac for better grip on the slippy stuff. Get slicks to slap on if you're ever doing all-tarmac stuff.
As to cheap or expensive, go with whatever is best for the job (which might be the cheapest). Tyres are a contact point, so it's not worth saving a few quid on - they're something where you'll really notice the difference. Same goes with saddles, handlebars, grips/bartape, pedals+shoes, clothing.
Mark <pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I get the impression neither are good on road (even for short distances) but the panaracer is better.
Heh, you're talking to a roadie here, so I think ALL tyres are [censored] on the roads unless they're slicks 😉
My take on the mtb tyre issue is to go with tyres that are good for the off-road stuff and sod the road performance. I'd gladly trade rolling resistance on the tarmac for better grip on the slippy stuff. Get slicks to slap on if you're ever doing all-tarmac stuff.
yes thats what i do, i have irc mud mad which do what they suggest which is to bite into wet stuff, but are not great on road. but thats fine.
Quoted message said:
As to cheap or expensive, go with whatever is best for the job (which might be the cheapest). Tyres are a contact point, so it's not worth saving a few quid on - they're something where you'll really notice the difference. Same goes with saddles, handlebars, grips/bartape, pedals+shoes, clothing.
I get the impression neither are good on road (even for short distances) but the panaracer is better.
Just to throw another spanner into the works, you might want to look at Schwalbe Smart Sams. These are a good compromise tyre that tends to stay on my MTB most because I often do more road miles to get to the off-road areas than I do off-road! They are fine for typical bridleway or singletrack or even mildly rocky bits, although I wouldn't use them if there are wet roots around. They also come out good in reviews, even with the mtbr.com crowd :-)
Moo wrote on 19/06/2007 19:59 +0100: > Further to the above, I've checked some reviews, very mixed opinions, > some say they are great tyres, others say there is a huge amount of > drag > making uphills much more difficult... They are pretty chunky! To be honest, although they are an old design (and therefore available cheap) its hard to beat a pair of WTB Velociraptors as all round tyres. I have tried other tyres but keep 'raptors on most of my off-road bikes.
I used Velociraptors for years. Not fast, not light, noisy on tarmac, but good secure grip on anything but wet roots. They feel very safe to ride on. Unfortunately they seem to be discontinued, although you can still get them in the shops.
What are you using now?
I'm experimenting. I haven't got a new favourite yet, but I'm trying to find a lighter tyre with good general grip and reasonable puncture resistance.
-- [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ;; If God does not write LISP, God writes some code so similar to ;; LISP as to make no difference.
