Trials tyre on rear?

[gwynfryn]

Anyone ever try a trials rear for general trail,rooty,mud conditions? They seem to do it a lot in the states but never seen it here. I guess it just doesn't work for our (north island) conditions. Doh just answered my own question.

[andy mac]

I know several people using trials tyres at present and they describe them as cheating, they give so much traction. Negatives are on greasy clay and having to be sedate on gravel. They also shed knobs on the highway.

[Motu]

I was using a competition trials tyre for off road, gravel and seal back in the '70's - it's taken a long time for the world to catch up. I've also been using trials tyres for trials for over 30 years. The modern trials tyre is a bit soft in carcase and compound for trail use, but Pirelli make the MT43 which is DOT and has a stiffer sidewall and harder compound. IRC also do a DOT version of their competition tyre too - I've seen them in NZ, but not now, they don't bring them in anymore. Maybe not good in mud, but what tyre is when clogged? Pressure is the key - you need more than a trials bike, but less than you would use with a knob. Yes they rip knobs off on the road, but there is so much traction you can push it that far.

[scott411]

in really hard and rocky conditions they would be awesome, but in deep mud they would be horrible, i can see them being popular around wellington and some parts of the south island,

[george formby]

Anyone ever try a trials rear for general trail,rooty,mud conditions? They seem to do it a lot in the states but never seen it here. I guess it just doesn't work for our (north island) conditions. Doh just answered my own question.

You see quite a lot of riders in extreme enduros using trials tires, Erzberg, Hells Gate etc. I remember following some of the top riders between sections during the Scottish 6 days many years ago & on the road they had to tie the bikes in knots to get the directional tires to go round corners. Still insanely quick, though.

[Motu]

Because of the carcase flex a trials tyre will clean and grip even in mud,so if you can find something for it to work against it'll get traction. Most NZ trials are run in mud...we get through, enduro bikes are far supeior so they should be even better.

[actungbaby]

You see quite a lot of riders in extreme enduros using trials tires, Erzberg, Hells Gate etc. I remember following some of the top riders between sections during the Scottish 6 days many years ago & on the road they had to tie the bikes in knots to get the directional tires to go round corners. Still insanely quick, though.

Not good on tarmac either had one on my honda xl 600 rf used walk little bit sidways at slow speed if you try change
direction , wasint dangerous but didnt make you want push it either

[camchain]

Was just talking to mate about this. Wondered how a Trials tire would go at Riverhead or Maramarua on the slick clay. Small pointy knobs surely can't be good on a hard clay surface? It's like wet tar seal. You'd think bigger surface contact patch would be better.

Still - I've never seen Birchy at Riverhead with a trials tyre. You reckon no good on clay andy mac? I recall reading somwhere there was talk of banning them on these endurocross events, unfair advantage on slippery log piles etc.

Had a quick go on trials bike at Woodhill a while ago, squirted it up a steep sandy bank and instantly looped it. Totally caught me by surprise how much traction it had on soft sand. Carcass on these tyres seem super flexy, one of the reasons Michelin S12s work so well (except those recent dud ones made in ?Thailand?). I think the guy said he ran it around 5psi!?

[Crisis management]

I've certainly seen trials tyres used at Riverhead (usually attached to a trials bike) and they get along alright, what's to lose by trying one out?

[gsig]

Been running a Vee Rubber trials tyre in wet roots, rocks & mud on a 300exc. In tight 1st/2nd gear tracks at 7 or 8 psi they are brilliant, very predictable and confidence inspiring. Any faster and you need to go back to normal trail pressure (12+ psi) and take it easy (ie don't spin or steer with the rear or the super soft knobs will chunk/come off all together). Trying to ride up wet soft clay you have to spin them like a knobby to clear them, but they handle the abuse surprisingly well.

If you only ride tight, nasty tracks I'd recommend a trials tyre. If you ride a mix of fast and tight tracks then maybe a softer compound tyre like the S12 would be a good compromise?

(We don't have any sand down here so can't help you there).

[Hugo Nougo]

I agree with most of the comments regarding trials tyres, having used them on all kinds of bikes, great traction, high wear and lot's of movement from those tall 2 or 4 ply sidewalls. If you get a chance try a speedway tyre, they come in a 19'' and grip wet clay and slippery rock as good as any knobbly.

[rogerh]

Nothing wrong with an S12 in sand

[camchain]

I've certainly seen trials tyres used at Riverhead (usually attached to a trials bike) and they get along alright, what's to lose by trying one out?

HaHah. Quite so! Reminded of seeing a couple of guys on trials bikes coming out of triple red arrow section @ Riverhead once. Thought I'd better not go home as a sook for not having a go at. Got stuck in bog for half an hour, nearly expired with heart attempting to pound it's way out through my ribcage. No wonder that section was deserted. Was muddy as hell and the trials tyres didn't seem to hinder them too much (but maybe the secret was trials bikes don't weigh anything and can be carried?).

[george formby]

HaHah. Quite so! Reminded of seeing a couple of guys on trials bikes coming out of triple red arrow section @ Riverhead once. Thought I'd better not go home as a sook for not having a go at. Got stuck in bog for half an hour, nearly expired with heart attempting to pound it's way out through my ribcage. No wonder that section was deserted. Was muddy as hell and the trials tyres didn't seem to hinder them too much (but maybe the secret was trials bikes don't weigh anything and can be carried?).

Been there. I'm stuck like shit to the blanket, knee deep clay slurry & my mate on his trials bike rides up, checks out the quagmire & promptly hangs a left & rides through the scrub. Never even got his bike dirty

[camchain]

Been there. I'm stuck like shit to the blanket, knee deep clay slurry & my mate on his trials bike rides up, checks out the quagmire & promptly hangs a left & rides through the scrub. Never even got his bike dirty

Hard case, I nearly added that in my post - I did wonder if they'd done that. Steep bank on one side, dense scrub/fallen logs on other. Easy to get a featherweight trials bike over a log though. Lesson: Don't tackle deep bogs when not riding with a mate. After an hour someone else eventually came through and we helped each other through.

As far as extra traction goes, those bolt-on metal snow cleats look pretty mean. I once tried experimental poor mans version with self tapping screws into the knobs for a bit of extra bite on clay. They all fell out pretty quick. Someone needs to invent an equivalent of snow chains for bikes for the extra hard stuff.