2.3 or 2.5 for enduro racing?

Hi Lee!

First of all : Best wishes for You and Your Family in 2012 ! 😉

Just short question. Enduro racing, terrain is something like Superenduro in Italy or Trans Provence. One day race, total distance about 30 miles.

Which tyre is better: 2,35 or 2,5 from Maxxis ? Both are Minion 2ply (lots of rocks, don’t wanna puncture at all) 2,35 is slightly lighter and I think it’s rolling easier. 2,5 may provide better traction ? Rims are en 321 form Mavic. Which one would You choose ?

Thanks and (as always) greetings from Poland 😉

Szczepan

Hey Szczepan,

If I had to (got to) choose between those tires for a pedaly race, I’d go with the 2.3s. They will be lighter and roll faster, and they will have plenty of traction.

If you are a smooth rider, you can run lighter tires:

I am most familiar with Specialized tires. I would look at Butcher SX 2.3s, which are halfway between an XC and DH tire, or Butcher Control 2.3s, which are quite light and pretty darn durable. I ride the Controls in the Colorado rocks, and so far so good.

You can run these tires tubeless. By the way, the width of 2.3 Specializeds measure between 2.3 and 2.5 Maxxi.

For Maxxis, check out the Minion DHF 2.5 single ply with the EXO protection and the Ardent 2.4 single ply with EXO protection.

Kenda, Bontrager, WTB and the other big tire guys make similar tires. At the 2011 Trans Provence, Mark Weir ran WTB’s new All-Mountain Casing Tubeless Compatible System (TCS) Bronson 2.3 and Wolverine 2.2 tires. That guy knows a few things.

I think, as long as you’re smooth, a lighter setup with big volume and some sidewall protection will be faster than full-on DH tires.

I wish I could test tires with you. Rip it!

Lee

One last thought: If you have good skills and fitness, confidence is the limiting factor. If 2.5 DH tires give you the confidence to ride your best, run ’em!

Know more. Have more fun!

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