# Alternatives to Maxxis that don't suck?



## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

Dear Maxxis,

You've priced yourselves out of the market. Your tires are not good enough or long lasting enough to justify almost $80 a pop. I picked up a Maxxis Desert IT 120/100-18 6ply motorcycle tire for less than these mountain bike tires. You don't support racers hardly at all anymore, and your prices have gone through the roof. Over you guys and your overpriced, undersized, 1-weekend $7 Cheng-Shin tires.

Love,

ME

_______________


So now that we've gotten that out of the way, we're looking for alternatives to HighRollers and DHF's that don't suck. That means, decent wear, aggressive stiff sideknobs and braking knobs, good channeling, and sturdy casing.

The 3 I've been looking at mostly have been the Kenda Telonix in the 2.4 and 2.6 sizes, the Specialized Clutch in the 2.5, and the Intense 909 in whatever their strongest casing is.

Kenda: Tread pattern looks nice, kinda like a HighRoller with a 3rd boob. Kenda casings have notoriously been crappy. Have they gotten better or is this tire any different than the Nevegal casings? Tried Nevegals and Blue Grooves in the past and those were scary...

Specialized: Casings were alright on the Chunders I used to run. Nothing spectacular but they didn't suck. Look a lot like a Minion but with no siping through the sideknobs that might make them squirm. If it cornered like something between the Minion and the Chunder it'd be great (Minions would squirm, Chunders would stand up).

Intense 909: Would work great for one of the areas I ride in since I loved the Michi 2.8 for that sort of stuff, but from inspecting what I think was their "dh" tire, it appeared to have the same consistency as a busted condom with a hard strip down the middle under the tread. Wasn't thrilled about it.

Input or other suggestions??


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## karpiel666 (Jan 7, 2005)

Stop paying retail.


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## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

I don't. At cost, they are STILL overpriced.


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## flyinhawaiian (Mar 16, 2005)

I know a lot of people dont like em besuase of weight but I have had the best luck
with Intense tires and they have similar pattern as Maxxis but wear longer .:thumbsup:


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

kendas....................


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## brillantesdv (Oct 24, 2007)

~$45 on crc isnt too bad
buy a few sets and u can save on shipping


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## pancho4 (Jul 4, 2006)

specialized clutch, conti kaiser, schalbe muddy mary are all good alternatives to the minion. 

nevegal is the suck


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## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

See I don't think Intense makes a true DH casing anymore though. The recent ones I've seen have had the paper-thin sidewalls and some thicker stuff under the tread.

$45/tire is ballpark what cost is on the tires. That is atrocious for the amount of life you get out of them. That money would be equally as well spent wiping my ass.

SMT, why Kendas?


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## EDizzleVR6 (Oct 4, 2007)

highrollers are on jenson for $42
also, ive seen wtb dissent at my lbs on sale for $40


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## Gruntled (Jul 7, 2008)

pancho4 said:


> specialized clutch, conti kaiser, schalbe muddy mary are all good alternatives to the minion.
> 
> nevegal is the suck


Schwalbe is the suck second only to Kenda. Next comes Continental, but the Clutch is getting OK reviews, once you trim certain knobs off it. Really there are no strict alternatives to a DHF, rather substitutes with pros and cons. I've tried all those damn bastard tyres in order to liberate myself from the Maxxis DHF Fanboy Bandwagon, only to fail and fall back onto said bandwagon. Of course the final choice does come down to riding style and terrain, but for what I ride the choice is limited.

(DISCLAIMER: the above is personal preference and not intended to be taken seriously at all because this is a "what tyre" thread, after all).


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## boyfromthelak (Feb 16, 2004)

and intense tires are 20 to 16 right now on jenson. i love mine and my singleplys are holding up quite well at northstar and i am 215 in full gear the 2 ply versions my friend had had pretty stiff sidewalls


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## bxxer rider (Jun 7, 2008)

well my lbs does 2.35 highroller DH 2ply for £22.99, 38usd


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## essenmeinstuff (Sep 4, 2007)

I was gona say CRC too, single plys about $30 CAD, dual ply about $45, UST's about $55 and the 3C are like 70bux or something... spend enough and shipping is free, and I've never been charged tax either...

Thats less than half what I would pay buying local... :madman: 

Hard to support the LBS with that kind or price discrepancy...


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## Pslide (Jul 3, 2006)

Schwalbe Muddy Mary SS GG, found it better than DHF and HR for the terrain I ride here in the UK. 2.35 is about the size of a 2.5 Maxxis, and that's what I've gone for. Tried a big 2.5, and it is big...is similar to 2.7 Maxxis for big, rocky terrain. The MM is a very good tire, but there are some reports of loose beads, so see if you can get your hands on fresh stock. Don't know what the pricing is in the US...


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## mtnbiker0755 (Oct 20, 2004)

Best shop I've used is CS West Bikes
http://www.cswestbikes.com/servlet/StoreFront
I've gotten a bunch of stuff for way cheaper than online stores. They do a lot of mail order, too. The fact that I can support a local shop AND get sweet prices is awesome!!!


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## kenbentit (Jan 2, 2003)

Maybe check out some of the new stuff from Geax? They have one tire that looks an awful lot like a HighRoller. I tried the Neuron and wasn't digging that tread pattern for where I ride but the sidewalls are massive and the rubber held up fine for the small amount of riding I did with them.My LBS is carrying them for the same reason you're looking at alternatives btw...Maxxis have gotten a bit too pricey even at cost.


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## andykrow (Apr 3, 2005)

I stocked up on intense with the prices at jenson... dh front and 909 rear is a great colorado combo. (rocky, dry, mostly loose) i don't know what people are talking about with weak sidewalls... I've had more problems with the Maxxis 2plys than these tires, and the rubber lasts a lot longer. I swear a month on the maxxis 42 duro (or whatever "super tacky" is) and the tires are half shredded. Also, know that the intense tires are huge! their 2.5's are bigger than the maxxis 2.7, and likewise their 2.35 (what i run in the back) is almost as big as the maxxis 2.7.

btw i ran dhf front/high roller rear for a couple years till i got sick of two sets a year at too much money. dh/909 runs pretty similar with a grippier front end in corners, faster rolling overall, but not quite as sticky in rock gardens.


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## FloridaFish (Mar 29, 2004)

Pslide said:


> Schwalbe Muddy Mary SS GG, found it better than DHF and HR for the terrain I ride here in the UK. 2.35 is about the size of a 2.5 Maxxis, and that's what I've gone for. Tried a big 2.5, and it is big...is similar to 2.7 Maxxis for big, rocky terrain. The MM is a very good tire, but there are some reports of loose beads, so see if you can get your hands on fresh stock. Don't know what the pricing is in the US...


They're certainly not cheap, but entirely worth the price IMO. Gooey Gluey compound is pretty darn sticky and the snakeskin sidewalls rule.

btw, I've got a 2.5 and 2.35 Minion that I don't need, anyone care to make an offer???


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

DHidiot said:


> SMT, why Kendas?


people love nevagals and the bluegrooves in our area


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## davec113 (May 31, 2006)

I agree the Maxxis stuff doesn't last long enough and costs a lot, I switched to 60a for the rear tire which helps.

The Schwalbe gooey gluey Big Bettys I tried didn't last and the sideknobs peeled off.

IF you can get a deal on Conti Rubber Queen 2.4s, they are great tires. They are light for dh tires and have a folding bead but I've found the sidewalls to be very durable. The performace is great, better that DHFs in some terrain (and I've tried them back-to-back w/DHF 3Cs, and my friend also agreed the RQs were the better tire). The rubber is close to as sticky as Maxxis ST, but they last 10x as long as a Maxxis tire, they even last much longer than the 60a tires.


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## pancho4 (Jul 4, 2006)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> people love nevagals and the bluegrooves in our area


Thats really the determining factor....location location location.

Where you are riding and what type of terrain you are riding on should be the determining factor when choosing what tire to run. Also personal preference on how you like your tires to behave comes into play. There are certain people who have a riding style and ride on terrain that favors the DHF however most people can find suitable alternatives that are just as good if not better for their area and riding style.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2009)

kenbentit said:


> Maybe check out some of the new stuff from Geax? They have one tire that looks an awful lot like a HighRoller. I tried the Neuron and wasn't digging that tread pattern for where I ride but the sidewalls are massive and the rubber held up fine for the small amount of riding I did with them.My LBS is carrying them for the same reason you're looking at alternatives btw...Maxxis have gotten a bit too pricey even at cost.


Yup, I got a couple sets of the new Geax offerings too. The Neuron is like a mix of a Ardent and a Minion. I also have some of their UST DHEA's which are very Minion DHF like.

Haven't got a bunch of ride time on them yet, but the quality looks like its there, unlike Kenda who's tires consistently look like they were run over by a bus.

Hey Kenny, which shop is stocking Geax now? I'm done paying even EP for Maxxis stuff.


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## EDizzleVR6 (Oct 4, 2007)

anyone riding the conti diesel?
i found them for $20!


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## Stalk (May 24, 2005)

Another vote for Conti Rubber Queens 2.4. They are huge, bigger than Maxxis 2.5. Light 1000g for UST version 800g for regular. Reinforced sidewalls so you can run low pressure with no squirming and have a darn good bite. I got mines for $40 from Europe.


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## Stalk (May 24, 2005)

Diesel is old tire part of the line Vapor/Gravity/Diesel 
All of them replaced with newer better tires now. They are small for claimed size, knob profile didn't proven itself to be effective, rubber compound is not a Black Chili. With Contis you don't wanna get anything but Black Chili


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

IMHO a seriously underrated tire is the Bontrager Big Earl. Can be easily found for $45 / tire, tubeless ready if desired, gum-bi compound is very tacky, good tread pattern. 

Work well on all sorts of conditions in Vancouver.


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

karpiel666 said:


> Stop paying retail.


Who pays retail these days?


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## davec113 (May 31, 2006)

Gemini2k05 said:


> Who pays retail these days?


Exactly.

I believe this is why the prices of dh gear is going through the roof. DH frames over $3000 is now "normal" and the ep deal seems more like a realistic price. If a manufacturer sells 90% of their product to guys who have a hookup or are on a race team it seems obvious they will raise their prices to compensate.

Perfect example is the Trek Session 88. Great bike, but it's very similar to the Remedy. I got a complete Remedy for $2000 on sale, but the ep on a Session 88 frame is something like $2300 or $4000 for a complete bike. I love my Remedy but even if I could get ep on a Session its still a load of cash. The biggest difference between the Session and Remedy frame? Almost everyone on a Session this year ep'ed it, while the Remedy can be sold to far more people at retail pricing.


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## tiSS'er (Jan 6, 2004)

It costs way too much money to find a tire that you are not happy with and end up back with the DHF. Cheaper to buy what you know works.


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## YoPawn (Mar 26, 2008)

I'm a tire whore. I don't think there are many people out there with as many tires crammed into a giant closet at home. Many failed to make up for my lack of skills.  


Until recently, my favorite tires were the Minion 2.5 3C for DH and the Kenda Nevegal 2.35 sticke (modified though) for trail riding. 

I just recently slapped some 2.35 Kenda Excavators DTC on there...

Holy

Jesus

Chirst

Lord

Of

Lords! :eekster: :eekster: 

These tires are insane. Pedal, brake, and corner probably better than everything else I've had. The most noticeable trait to them is that they seem to WANT to turn with even the slightest roll over of the bike. You don't really even have to turn the handle bars just lean and the bike just yanks into the corner. Never experienced this so much with a tire. 

They roll pretty fast for a tire with so much traction. Did some wet riding, and even with the 60 duro center knobs of the DTC tire, it held like a champ to wet roots. Can't imagine what a 2.35 Sticke would be like. :eekster: 

I'm now really thinking of getting the 2.5 stick-e version for my Highline. Might try a Telonix up front and Excavator in the rear too.


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## Err (Mar 21, 2005)

YoPawn said:


> I'm a tire whore. I don't think there are many people out there with as many tires crammed into a giant closet at home. Many failed to make up for my lack of skills.
> 
> Until recently, my favorite tires were the Minion 2.5 3C for DH and the Kenda Nevegal 2.35 sticke (modified though) for trail riding.
> 
> ...


I ran the Excavators for a few months this season, cut a sidewall and pulled them off. I was running the 2.5 Stick-E DH casing.

Like you said, crazy grip and excellent cornering manners. Probably the most confidence inspiring tire I've run in the nasty stuff. The Stick-E rubber seemed to be wearing quite well.

Down side, without a doubt, the slowest DH tire that I've tried.

Back to back with a Muddy Mary or an Intense 909, the Excavators are like having the brakes on. But, they're cheap and grippy.


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## tiSS'er (Jan 6, 2004)

YoPawn said:


> I'm a tire whore. I don't think there are many people out there with as many tires crammed into a giant closet at home. Many failed to make up for my lack of skills.
> 
> Until recently, my favorite tires were the Minion 2.5 3C for DH and the Kenda Nevegal 2.35 sticke (modified though) for trail riding.
> 
> ...


That is one tire I have been very interested. I have yet to hear someone who doesn't like them. The reviews all seem very similar to yours.


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## horsey24 (Mar 3, 2009)

*Onza Ibex DH 2.4*

Onza Ibex DH 2.4

Been using these all season. Similiar profile to a high roller, super grippy in the 45compound. super durable in the 55 compound. use a 45 on front, 55 on back and get great wear.

only weigh 1000g and work perfectly with no tubes on UST rims.

they also do a 2.25 FR version which weighs 670g.


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## YoPawn (Mar 26, 2008)

Err said:


> I ran the Excavators for a few months this season, cut a sidewall and pulled them off. I was running the 2.5 Stick-E DH casing.
> 
> Like you said, crazy grip and excellent cornering manners. Probably the most confidence inspiring tire I've run in the nasty stuff. The Stick-E rubber seemed to be wearing quite well.
> 
> ...


Must be the retarded amount of traction with the stick-e and tall knobs. Mine are the DTC tires and roll pretty damn fast.

But yeah, you are losing some straight line smooth speed, but I think the gain in traction makes them WAY faster. In my experience anyway.

Kenda has great customer service, which is why I will buy them even though not the most durable. They replaced my torn up nevegal when it lost a knob.


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

YoPawn said:


> Must be the retarded amount of traction with the stick-e and tall knobs. Mine are the DTC tires and roll pretty damn fast.
> 
> But yeah, you are losing some straight line smooth speed, but I think the gain in traction makes them WAY faster. In my experience anyway.
> 
> Kenda has great customer service, which is why I will buy them even though not the most durable. They replaced my torn up nevegal when it lost a knob.


Agreed, Kenda customer service is very good.


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

I'm still working on the pile of $10 apeice mobsters I bought a couple years ago.


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## YoPawn (Mar 26, 2008)

sittingduck said:


> I'm still working on the pile of $10 apeice mobsters I bought a couple years ago.


I've got a pile of Geax Blades I thought were cool 5 years ago and "stocked" up on 10 of them for $5 a piece. Only made it through 1 set. :lol:

Wish I would have bought more of the 2.35 Dual Ply Slow Reazy Highrollers when they existed and were only $12 on jenson.


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## jeng (Aug 12, 2005)

Nevegal 2.35 UST are the ****. The UST's are waaaaay better than the XC tires. I think the UST's stick even better than the DH versions and they're lighter. But I like riding up the mountain that I'm about to slay down.


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## YoPawn (Mar 26, 2008)

jeng said:


> Nevegal 2.35 UST are the ****. The UST's are waaaaay better than the XC tires. I think the UST's stick even better than the DH versions and they're lighter. But I like riding up the mountain that I'm about to slay down.


The problem with the Nevegal is the tread pattern, not the other stuff. It has to be heavily modified to work decently in lose stuff.

For riding woodwork though, I think the Nevegal is the best tire money can buy.


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## jeng (Aug 12, 2005)

YoPawn said:


> The problem with the Nevegal is the tread pattern, not the other stuff. It has to be heavily modified to work decently in lose stuff.
> 
> For riding woodwork though, I think the Nevegal is the best tire money can buy.


I disagree..
But whatever. I guess tires are a preference thing.


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## kenbentit (Jan 2, 2003)

*sixsixtysix*

Rage is carrying Geax. That's where I saw the Highroller lookalike. Much cheaper than the big M for sure.


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## ridefreeride (Apr 8, 2009)

I was recomende Intense World cup DH 2.50 dual compound EX lite folding bead (rr) /intense DH 2.50 dual compound Ex lite folding bead (fr) as a cheaper option to maxxis Minions

I go with the world cups on front and back


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## schneidie (Aug 30, 2008)

It really depends on the terrain you're going to ride and if you're racing. For racing, I won't use anything but maxxis supertacky or 3c tires, they're unbeatable for grip. If I'm just riding at a bikwe park, intense 909's aren't bac, trimmed excavators are pretty good, and I really like the telionix on hardpacked soil. I tried a set of KOT's at my last race because the knobs on my wetscreams were folding over in the grassy fields they were running us through, and they were suprisingly grippy, except on rocks. For a bike park tire, I still go back to the nevegal 2.5 DH stick-e. They're cheap durable, and fun on the woodwork. 
If you really like the maxxis tread pattern, runthe 60a maxxpro compound in the rear to slow down the wear.


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## sickspeed16 (Apr 9, 2008)

Well my 2 cents.. I'm puttin on the above noted telonix (2.4 folding) and excavator (2.35 folding) on my AM and I'm currently running 2.35 folding highrollers.. A. the Highroller casing is paper thin comparatively B. the Highroller 2.35 is not really 2.35 (excavator is bigger) C. This combo was said to be great in terms of grip (not RR) for the Northeast (hardpack, roots, rocks.. although its supposed to be sick nasty anywhere.)


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## horsey24 (Mar 3, 2009)

nevegals are good tyres in the right conditions - but definitely not a good all around tyre. the profle is too square and they are useless in very hard, dry and dusty conditions. love them on the soft dirt though where the square edge can dig in.

minions, high rollers are better all around tyres, and also loving the onza tyres I am currently running. they are no good in mud though.


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## Raptordude (Mar 30, 2004)

For high roller alternatives, what about the Specialized Chunders?


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## RYAN E (Jan 11, 2006)

Gordo!!!! Try the Clutch or the Chunder again.


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

horsey24 said:


> nevegals are good tyres in the right conditions - but definitely not a good all around tyre. the profle is too square and they are useless in very hard, dry and dusty conditions. love them on the soft dirt though where the square edge can dig in.
> 
> minions, high rollers are better all around tyres, and also loving the onza tyres I am currently running. they are no good in mud though.


what? sorry, don't mean to be a dick, but nevegals have an extremely round profile, where minions and high rollers are just the opposite.


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## bighitboy (May 16, 2004)

Cut every other transition knob out of a nevega. Seems to open them up abit and get abit more bite when cornering. 


secondly, go to races, you can get good tires (maxxis) like 20 bucks a pop cash at the trailers


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## DHidiot (Aug 5, 2004)

What races would those be? The last few times at Fontana they had been a few bucks off retail for the 3C's.

I've only been running the 60's in the back. 3C fronts.

So I've got some Clutch tires on the way, and going to grab a 2.4/2.6 Telonix and maybe a Carlsbad for the back if it happens to be cheap.

Geax DHEA was suggested too. Onza Ibex - doesn't really look like you can get them anywhere though. Conti Kaiser and Rubber Queen. Schwalbe I'm automatically ruling out because of the total ***** sidewalls they seem to have.


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## azonicrider188a (Mar 18, 2006)

everything suck compared to maxxis


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## RYAN E (Jan 11, 2006)

azonicrider188a said:


> everything suck compared to maxxis


Not really. I'll take my Chunder 2.5 SX tires which are a *pound lighter per tire* than my Minion's. Both are very grippy, I'll take 2 pounds less rotational weight any day. The Clutch 2.3 Sx tires are another 1/4 pound lighter per tire with the same 2 ply folding bead.


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## EDizzleVR6 (Oct 4, 2007)

RYAN E said:


> Not really. I'll take my Chunder 2.5 SX tires which are a *pound lighter per tire* than my Minion's. Both are very grippy, I'll take 2 pounds less rotational weight any day. The Clutch 2.3 Sx tires are another 1/4 pound lighter per tire with the same 2 ply folding bead.


other than the specialized website and local bike shops where can yoiu get chunders? any online retailers?


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## mr.niles (Feb 5, 2007)

DHidiot said:


> .......So now that we've gotten that out of the way, we're looking for alternatives to HighRollers and DHF's that don't suck. That means, decent wear, aggressive stiff sideknobs and braking knobs, good channeling, and sturdy casing...........


...the answer is......highrollers and dhf's on sale. online retailers and ebay. when you find the ones you need, buy a few sets. i have yet to pay more than $45 for any maxxis hi-roller and dhf/r tire, and i have quite a collection going right now.


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## YoPawn (Mar 26, 2008)

jeng said:


> I disagree..
> But whatever. I guess tires are a preference thing.


So you're saying another tire could not possibly corner better?

Nevegal isn't a bad tire, there are better ones though for what you are riding.


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