Trials tire--Michelin

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canyncarvr
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Trials tire--Michelin

Post by canyncarvr »

The Michelin did great! I didn't realize how 'noisy' a knobby is feel-wise, how much it transmits. The bike is much better planted, smooth with the Mich tire...plenty noiticeable on trails, much moreso on gravel/dirt roads.

I also didn't realize how much suspension feedback I thought I was getting from the front that is coming from the rear. That's probably unfair..how about how much trouble the front suspension has DEALING with the rear. A lot of the rock-chucking, knobby pounding, sidewise deflection the front gets from the rear is gone when all that INPUT is gone. The forks are far more stable when the rear-end isn't yanking/pushing them around all the time.

...and it's not my shock. I've had that tuned, retuned and re-re-retuned (re-valved) for a long to get it to a point it suits me perfectly, and I've recently serviced it.

Traction from the trials is far better than you might suspect. On more than one hill I got MUCH farther up than I had any right to expect from past performance..both mine AND the bike. The trials slips less..and when it does it's not such a crabby wanting-to-pass-up-the-front-end type of action.

I did think it didn't do very well on wet leaves and needles, but my front-end had the same problem. With leaf-drop in full swing around here most trails are pretty well covered with 'em. Neither the front nor the rear could handle it on downhills....they would bunch up in front to an extent I really had no control at all. Sure...let off the brakes a tad and I'd roll over the accumlated pile, but within a fraction of second (if I even could recover from the speed bump I got with the split-second brake-off) I was pushing another pile.

Wet tree crossings worked at least as well as a knobby...which is to say not very well. A green, debarked, wet tree is slick. Period.

I ran the tire at 8psi.

There is an excellent possiblity of the outcome being influenced by the observer. My bike handled SO well, I tended to push it further than I would if it was as 'noisy' as it normally is. There were a number of climbs I had no business making...a combination of wet and clay making the hills into a bit of an ice-skating rink. Hell...I surprised myself more'n a few times.

I paid $79 for it a local shop...ordered one day, in the next. An M5B (what I usually run) would've cost me about $75.

If you're interested in things that might make your ride a LOT more fun, you OWE it to yourself to try one.

Cheers!
Last edited by canyncarvr on 03:24 pm Oct 25 2009, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Mr. Wibbens »

One day I'll try one

But I might even try my m5B at 8psi :wink:
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Post by Julien D »

Sweet! Glad you gave it a shot, and glad it worked out for you! I find the more I ride my MT43 the more I like it.

Wet leaves are bad news for just about any tire. I'll be in the same situation if I get out this weekend. Leaves are falling like crazy...
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Post by fuzzy »

Nice review!
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Post by Mr. Wibbens »

L@@KY L@@KY

Carvr's running 21's front and rear!

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Post by skipro3 »

Carver was riding up terrain I couldn't even stand up on. He cleared the hills in question first pass where-as I would take 2 or 3 stabs at it and still not make it. At the end of the day he was less tired and less beat up than me too. He did crash once, not sure what caused it, but I don't think it was the rear tire.
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Post by Mr. Wibbens »

I felt pretty beat up too

But I believe most of that was caused from helping Jerry pick his bike back up
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Post by skipro3 »

That was why, halfway through the first day, you wouldn't follow me. Took off both you and carvr with me riding sweep. Thanks!
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Post by canyncarvr »

Third day with it yesterday....

I'm impressed summore!

The Micheliin sticks where a knobby would just spin. That's not to say the trials tire NEVER slips. It does. But, overall, it does a better job than knobbys I've used (756, S12, VE33, 952, M5B come to mind).

The front end is far more likely to come up than stalling the bike on climbs, but when it DOES come up, it's softer..more controllable. A knobby seems more likely to spin uselessly one heartbeat..and loop you on your butt the next. It's not the landing on your arse that's the bad part of that..it's where does the bike go in those situations, how many times does it flip down into the depths of hell that you have to haul it out of..or, is it the left grip or right that (if you're lucky) jams the life almost out of you?


I'll run it at 6psi maybe next time..see how that turns out.


Re: 'he was less tired and less beat up than me too.'

That's just 'cuz I'm so much older'n you! :shock:

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Post by Indawoods »

Is that the tubed or tubeless?
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Post by canyncarvr »

Tubed.

With just a one-each tube in it, too.

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Post by canyncarvr »

One more update...

A few more rides on the Michelin...kept it at 8psi.

This tire continues to be more and more impressive. LOTS more anecdotes of this root, that rock, etc. and so-on.

I'm sure there are some riders that would think this tire does NOT excel everywhere..that's the way of IMOs.

By and large, though...you owe it to yourself to try one of these.

It's simply wonderful.

Keep in mind I run KX forks..and had the length to even out the bike with this BIG tire. On OEM forks I can't help but think this tire would make the bike a bit stink-buggy.

You could pretend you're riding a punkin! They're ALL stinky-buggy.

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Post by Julien D »

One other thing you'll find, as the tire wears performance doesn't really go down. The trials tire does not depend on the leading edge of the knob for traction at all. The surface area on top of the knobs actually wrap around and grab terrain. So as the knob height gets less, it doesn't affect performance of the tire much at all. You can run them down to bald before replacing.

I'll prolly never go back to a knobby. :D


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Post by canyncarvr »

There not sipes..but each knob has a rectangle of indention on it when new. Not deep..a small fraction of an inch.

I've got...six or so rides on it..the middle lugs still have that little mark on 'em.

Re: 'I'll prolly never go back to a knobby.

Me neither.

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Post by KarlP »

Interesting read.

I'm very tempted to try one, if I could find one for a 19" wheel.
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Post by canyncarvr »

It's worth lacing up an 18".

Of course...you don't see ME doing that...but if I could know what I DO know about it and had a 19"...I'd be getting an 18" rim and a set of spokes.

Doing that based on what someone else said? Dunno about that. I need lace-up practice anyway..so I'd prolly go for it.

Haven't looked...but you could probably pickup a used 18" wheel for not much. Use the rim from it. Prolly less than buying a new Excel 18".

This one is only $35. 'Bad rim'? It says 'not bent'..so don't know about the 'bad' part unless 'corrosion' means it's got HOLES rusted through somewhere.

A set of Buchannan spokes is probably around $100.

C'mon...you can do it!

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Post by KarlP »

Hmmmm....

Not sure about that one on a Honda hub, but I get your point.

I've got two or three spokes that need to be replaced anyway. Why not all of them?

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Post by canyncarvr »

Last two rides were at 4psi. No trouble..and it was downright rocky in spots.

Tire worked better at 4psi than at 6.

The more I ride it..the better I like it.

I suppose a Tubliss setup would be a good idea. Someday I'll do that....


Oh...it doesn't grip 'fer crap on solid ice. :shock:

Who'da thunk that!

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Post by riggy »

is a 4:00/18 the correct one for a kdx ? also what is the difference in the tubed vs tubeless?
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Post by canyncarvr »

>|<>QBB<
riggy wrote:is a 4:00/18 the correct one for a kdx ? also what is the difference in the tubed vs tubeless?
There's about $100 difference, 'fer one.

As far as the manufacture of the tire itself, I don't know. Both are radial construction. I'd been told that the tube-type was NOT radial. That is NOT true.

4.00x18 is the choice..the only one I believe.

You will use a tube (unless you have a Tubliss setup).

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