my mechanic talked tot he guy a NuTech about his Tubliss system. We've all been running soft to intermediate tires. I've been running a D803 rear for well over 2 years. The guy there says we are doing it all wrong & tells us to get the hardest tire we can find & run low psi in them. I have cut the soft tires on my Tubliss a couple of times especially the front S-12. So a couple of guys have done what he said & bought a MX 71 front & a D739 AT Desert, after 15 hours on the tires in the Alabama dirt & sand we got thumbs up.... So here is my brand new set I plan on getting dirty at Durhamtown Plantation in Georgia.... My first time there with friends that call it home. Looking forward to seeing what 4 psi in the front & 2 psi in the rear does....
That makes a lot of sense, my first bike with the Tubliss system had Desert IT's installed on it and it worked flawlessly. Then I started running Bridgestone 303/404's and had problems all the time with tears and flats so I quit using the system altogether. I really like the system for a number of reasons, I might take this into account when I am ready for a new set of tires. Thanks for the tip!
I've been running Tubliss since they first came out ... about 3 years ago. I've tried a lot of different tires on different bikes. In many cases "soft" tires actually have harder rubber compounds. Here in Az I wasn't happy with the way the MX71 performed in sand but found it worked (and wore) very well everywhere else. I've run Dunlop MX71, 952, MX51, and Bridgestone 404, and Maxxis SI, IT, and IRC VR32, 33, and lastly Pirelli extra Mid-soft. Hard tires like the Maxxis and MX71 are pretty good at very low pressure (like 4PSI). 90 series front tires give a very nice ride in rocks. The Pirellis have been the best overall tire - excellent traction in all dirt from sand to hard - predictable steering in front, sometimes too much traction in back - and excellent wear. I run them at about 8.5PSI.
Well we definitely are riding on different spectrum of dirt. We have black top soil, hard chert, slick clay, sand, rocks & roots. I too have had the Tubliss system since they came out with the 18"er... I never wanted to get rid of the Tubliss, I love them.... But it is a drag to hit something & the tire got flat from a rip or cut in the sidewall. I know that the softer tire some times have a harder knob but the carcass is usually lighter. I'm hoping that the desert tire with it's harder carcass will eliminate the rip & tear stuff. On a side note.... they were a bitch to get on.... LOL
On the advise of the inventor of the Tubliss system, I've been considering doing the same thing. I just don't know which hard desert tire would work the best. I'm currently running a Bridgestone 404 @ 6-7psi on the back and a M59 on the front @ 12psi. Trying a harder desert tire at little to no psi makes sense so as soon as I wear out what I have I'm going to make the switch but I'm undecided on which tire combo. Please post your results.
A friend of mine swears by the Bridgestone M22 rear - it's an old design that still works really well. If I wasn't so happy with the Pirelli's I'd try it. Sand, hard pack, and rocks.
that low of pressure, hows it react when ya hit a rock or commin off of a jump? ive messed with my pressures a little and it seems the front wants to wash out/roll more with the lower pressures approx 6 or so. and it seems to not feel right when commin of of jumps when the pressure gets low. seems to feel best at approx 12 front and 8-10 rear... so far for me anyway
I think the idea is to run the stiffer hard tires with less pressure. The soft thin tires will require more pressure. I'm guessing the advantage is a longer lasting tire that won't chunk knobs on rocks.
Well, I went to Durhamtowm Plantation this weekend as planned. Saturday it rained for about 4-5 hours on that red Georgia clay. I put my gear on, put 6psi in the MX 71 front & 3psi in the Dunlop 739 AT Desert & we took off, no goggles needed. It was slick, but the tires did well considering the conditions. The rear would float over the rocks, ruts, roots & it tracked well in the slop. The front, although it slid in the thick mud as any tire would do, was predictable & confident inspiring. Sunday the trails were perfect, no dust & because it had not rained there in a while the ground soaked the water up & that clay got tacky. We rode at least 4 different MX tracks there & the tires did a great job of hooking up with no problems on the jumps or landings. In the woods & fast fire breaks in & around DTP the tire were the best offroad combo I've ridden in a long time. The front was damn good taking any hit or deflection and keeping the grip. The rear got too much traction some times & held it's line with out any step out on hard accelerating turns. Looks like they are gonna hold up to some punishment too, which is what i was looking for. The rear is a bit pricey but if I can get 30-40 hours out of it I'd be happy with that.
Hi I been using tubless for over a year now and really like the system, I have been using bridgestone 403 and 404 intermediate tires, with good results about 10psi. I am thinking about trying the dunlops and I am wondering if I run 4 to 5 psi will the contact of the red liner with the tire touching each other will the red liner wear a hole through it. I ride alot of roots and rocks?
