Trails tire on my KDX

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Sky.A
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Trails tire on my KDX

Post by Sky.A »

been thinking bout getting a rear trials tire , any input or pluses or minus would be greatly appreciated
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quailchaser
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Post by quailchaser »

We've mounted many trials tires on the back of "old guys" bikes. Seems to mostly be KTM riders with auto clutches. :hmm:

Those guys have said that the tires hook up great in the loose stuff. We have lots of really loose rocky strait up the side of the mountain ST. They've said that they work ok in sand. They feel "wierd" in the high speed jeep road and hard pack stuff. Probably like what Vince should have felt riding 4 days on a flat. :shock: Because of the close lug pattern, they tend to not handle mud exceptionally great. These guys are all slow technical "mountain goat" type riders. Not fast aggressive riders. They all claim that the trials tires last longer than the knobby tires. Tire spin is the killer of tires! The only way to truely tell if a trials tire will be good for "you" is to try one. The guys who run them swear by them and claim they will never go back to knobbies.
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Post by bradf »

See what others use in your riding area, especially the good riders with your size bike.
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Post by IdahoCharley »

We are trying trials tires on the back of our bikes. One on the KDX 200 (dunlop 803) and one on a KTM 380 (Mitas). KDX only has 3 rides on it this summer the KTM about 5 or 6 rides.

They do hook up good overall. Are they the ultimate tire - I don't think so.

Observations - On deep loose shale rock I believe I did better with a M5B tire. On loose shale rock that is shallow and has embedded rock under it it works well.

Mud it works ok unless the mud variety contains clay and then the tire just turns into a slick. Tire does not clean out the clay type mud. Tire will slide you into ruts if the trail is off-camber and muddy.

Roots, rocks, hard pack, loose soil on a solid base conditions the tire plain works well.

Lots of folks rave about how thier bikes will not spin the rear wheel with a trials tire on them due to the termendous traction - Do not believe it.

Got to go.
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Post by Indawoods »

Thanks for the insight Charley! I will stick with the knobby.... I know what to expect and that counts for something. :wink:
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Post by IdahoCharley »

Don't get me wrong - Jury is still out for me on whether or not the trial tire is a better overall tire.

I like the idea of leaving little evidence I've ridden an area or trail and the tire - that is important to me. I like the tire in 80% of the conditions which I have ridden it but with all the press and write-ups that I read, I was expecting more. Also putting a tear into the sidewall of the tire on the second ride was a bummer. (I had not significantly torn a sidewall on a tire in the last 5-6 years (S-12)and was intentionally taking it easy when going over rock out-cropping and torquing the bike to check the available traction when I apparently ripped the hole in the sidewall - running 9.5 psig which is on the high side for running trial tires on semi-technical trails.

Knowing what to expect is vey important in my book also - Jury still out whether or not I'll replace it with a knobby. I think there is promise in using a trials type carcass if it were combined with soft compound knobbies that had a bit more spacing and had some knobbies wrapped around the side of the tire. With the very limited riding that I have done this year it will likely have another year of riding in it so I'm hoping that a hybred tire will be produced.

Also of note for anyone thinking of trying trials tires. The Dunlop trial tire has about a one inch higher profile that the Mitas trials tire. Mitas trial tire is approximately the same diameter as the stock rear tire on the KDX. The one inch difference in tire diameter will affect your bike like putting on a little taller gearing. (May or may not be a good thing - for us with the KDX it was NOT a good thing since I had already changed the gearing to 13:50. Actually now 1st gear is slightly tall for highly technical trails at alitude.)
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