# KHE Mac2? Need a light durable tire. Intense?



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Does anybody know the actual weight of the 26" KHE Mac2? The best I could find is that it's around 600g. Anybody know how durable it actually is? I just punched a hole through the tread and the sidewall of my third Maxxis tire (Larsen TT, Crossmark, Holy Roller). The Crossmark now has cancer (bulging). The casing between knobs on all these tires are too thin. Also contemplating the MicroKnobby. Looking for a good balance between fast rolling and pavement and a little bit of bite for hardpack DJs. Looking at Schwalbe Super Moto K.

Does the Intense Microknobby have a thick casing between the knobs? I like the Mac2 and the Schwalbe because it has big blocks on the tread and just a bit of siping, so the likelihood of a gash in the tread is reduced.

I see that the Super Moto K is only 67 TPI... the Crossmark was 120tpi. Microknobby is something like 72TPI.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Can't find the TPI for the KHE tire. I assume it's higher since it's a folding tire and looks pretty flexible.

KHE website says that both the 24 and 26" version are 477g. I don't think that's right.

So... suggestions for a sub 700g 26" tire that has low TPI, durable casing, decent grip on the dirt, and fast rolling on asphalt?


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## Formerbmx37 (Apr 7, 2007)

I wouldnt go microknobby. I had them on my kona and they wear fast on asphalt. i think theyd be good if all you rode was dirt but if your riding park street or just around town the knobs wear really fast and gets really slick if your riding where its wet.


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## Formerbmx37 (Apr 7, 2007)

im pretty sure the halo twin rail is under 700. not sure on the TPI or casing though.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Twin Rails are 770g. 

I've ridden the Microknobby for short periods of time. What did you think of them on the asphalt? They felt a bit squirmy to me. Can't remember how quickly they rolled on the asphalt... or how loud they were. And I never had them off the rim, any idea on how tough/think the casing is?


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

Sounds like you like low tire pressure? If so, the KHE is definitely not for you.... you want a minimum of 90 PSI in those things if you want them to hold up at all. (From what I've read)

For the price and performance, it's still pretty damned hard to beat the K-Rads.... they're not "cool" anymore, but they still work the same.....


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## Crankenator (Mar 27, 2007)

Not a fan of the microknobby either (for pavement). Nice zippy sound but they don't wear well and if you skid, the knobs are gone leaving you with a flat spot that you can feel. I've seen too many K-Rads blow sidewalls and beads, but I like the tread on them. I'm sold on the Holy Rollers but I wish they had a little thicker sidewall. The Geax Tattoo is getting a following...the light version is 600g in 2.3. Haven't heard great things about their Booze tire. I may try a set of the Tattoos next time. 

I think if you want a more durable tire you're going to have to bite the bullet and step up to 800g models with more rubber.


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

i am thinking about trying the geax tattoo light. anyone tried the schwalbe table top?


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## freerider848 (Aug 15, 2009)

I too would like to know if anyone has used the Schwalbe Table Top?


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

sittingduck said:


> Sounds like you like low tire pressure? If so, the KHE is definitely not for you.... you want a minimum of 90 PSI in those things if you want them to hold up at all. (From what I've read)
> 
> For the price and performance, it's still pretty damned hard to beat the K-Rads.... they're not "cool" anymore, but they still work the same.....


I said TPI not PSI. I run 90ish PSI on all tires.

K-rads are too heavy.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Crankenator said:


> Not a fan of the microknobby either (for pavement). Nice zippy sound but they don't wear well and if you skid, the knobs are gone leaving you with a flat spot that you can feel. I've seen too many K-Rads blow sidewalls and beads, but I like the tread on them. I'm sold on the Holy Rollers but I wish they had a little thicker sidewall. The Geax Tattoo is getting a following...the light version is 600g in 2.3. Haven't heard great things about their Booze tire. I may try a set of the Tattoos next time.
> 
> I think if you want a more durable tire you're going to have to bite the bullet and step up to 800g models with more rubber.


Yup, taken out the sidewall and tread on two separate Holy Rollers, and those are around 800g.

The Table Top is nice, it's low-ish TPI, but it still has those big open areas between knobs which will be prone to damage... at least in my opinion. I have not ridden these for any extended period of time.


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

XSL_WiLL said:


> I said TPI not PSI. I run 90ish PSI on all tires.
> K-rads are too heavy.


I know the difference, thanks.
From what you posted, I got the impression you run your tires with low pressure. 
Low pressure is a real fast way to degrade sidewalls.
If K-Rads are too heavy, your options are pretty limited. One tire I really liked that was very light, but still nice and big, was the Specialized Rhythm Lite.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

sittingduck said:


> I know the difference, thanks.
> From what you posted, I got the impression you run your tires with low pressure.
> Low pressure is a real fast way to degrade sidewalls.
> If K-Rads are too heavy, your options are pretty limited. One tire I really liked that was very light, but still nice and big, was the Specialized Rhythm Lite.


No, I run them fairly high. It punched a hole through the tread. It's not degrading the sidewall. The other failures also had to do with slices and punctures in the tread or sidewall. I thought I made that pretty clear in my post.


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## cholo (Nov 25, 2006)

I have many of the tires mentioned here. The Supermoto's are some of my all-time favorite DJ tires. Fat, smooth rolling, and nice riding. Although I have had no durability issues, the sidewalls feel like paper and they go easy on well-groomed Dj's. It rides like a 120+ TPI tire.

The thing is, if you show up at some painstakingly well-groomed jumps w/ an aggressive XC tire or DH tire or something, you're gonna get a shovel handle in your spokes b4 you even get to the first hit. Sure they bite great, but they tear up lips. The supermoto sticks to hardpack really well and their fat profile steamrolls and packs jump transitions. I love them. I would not use them for street or any XC type riding with rocks and stuff that tear up sidewalls. These will not hold up for that.

They are a bit slick on the front for pumptrack stuff, but I put a Table Top on the front and that is the magic trail combo for me. Pure awesomeness.

The Booze Light kicks ass as well. I wrote a review on it here:

Geax Booze Light


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## PineTreeDJ (Oct 29, 2009)

I have the MicroKnobby's and have had no complaints.

The space between the knobby's is small but still the tire is pretty thin compared to a Holy Roller. For the weight the MicroKnobby's are great but as far as durability goes, I would buy them in a bulk pack to save on shipping in the future. 

Personally, Im gonna try the Table Tops or Holy Rollers on my next set.


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## E86 (Jun 24, 2006)

You may want to try the Snafu Rim Job. It has good grip on well groomed dirt and handles great on tarmac. Not too sure on the TPI. The best set-up is their Knob job up front which has more spacing between the knobs and then a rim job on the rear. The tread wraps all the way around the side walls. They work gret on pump tracks too! You can get these at www.shopsidewalldistro.com the guys there are very helpful.


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## Chip Henderson (May 22, 2006)

I've been running the KHE Mac 2 on my 20" for a while now with no problems. Just put them on a new set of 24s.



















Chip


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Hey Chip! How are those Mac2s holding up over glass and rubble? Even bouncing and hopping around on that stuff?

My reservation with buying the Mac2 is that they're pretty expensive, even at cost, so I don't want to drop a ton of coin for tires that won't hold up.

I think I'm torn between the Mac2, the Boozelight, and the Supermoto.


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## Chip Henderson (May 22, 2006)

XSL_WiLL said:


> Hey Chip! How are those Mac2s holding up over glass and rubble? Even bouncing and hopping around on that stuff?
> 
> My reservation with buying the Mac2 is that they're pretty expensive, even at cost, so I don't want to drop a ton of coin for tires that won't hold up.
> 
> I think I'm torn between the Mac2, the Boozelight, and the Supermoto.


I've had them on my 20 for a year with no problems. I ride street in the city, and they have been perfect. Yeah, they are thin, but keep them pumped up like they are supposed to be, and you should have no problems.

C


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

My problem is despite keeping them pumped up, I get tears and gashes. As bad as the city is... the streets down here in Champaign/Urbana are TERRIBLE. Broken glass, torn up aluminum cans, sharp rubble, we've got it all... and in excess.

I do think that the very small spacing between the "knobs" would help prevent punctures though, as the knobs are quite a bit thicker. At this point, it'll probably come down to price and availability. It's finally getting nice and I can't ride my bike.


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

I had the Motos on my 26. Awesome tires, but they were heavy. I'd rock the super motos in a heartbeat though.
The thing that keeps me off the KHE and some of the other tires is the width. I like a wide, beefy tire.


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

ordered some KHE's. will post pics of volume and maybe weight when they show.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

I couldn't get the Schwalbes... and even if I could, they're quite expensive at cost.

I couldn't find a distributor for the Geax.

So I ended up deciding to save some money and throw a Holy Roller I already had on the rear. It looks very large compared to the 2.1 Crossmark I still have on the front. I guess the decreased rolling resistance negates the additional weight.


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## cholo (Nov 25, 2006)

30 seconds of Google took me to this:

http://ridelite.blogspot.com/2009/03/khe-mac2-26.html


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## Heavyhitter04 (Jan 23, 2009)

I ran Holy Rollers on my bike for sometime they don't roll very well and are pretty tall compared to how wide they are. I have been running Intense Microknobbies for a while and they hold up great for street, skatepark, and moist hard pack trails they are also a large volume casing for being a 2.25". They don't work very well in loose over hard or loose for that matter. They are fairly light and about 50 bucks MSRP or about 25 each if you work at a shop. Hope this helps somewhat.


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## Crankenator (Mar 27, 2007)

I think the Holys roll really fast, but I run them at 55-60psi on the street. I used to ride them on dirt trails with sand and even at 35psi they were still way faster than any knobbies. The only time I thought they didn't roll well, I found out that I mounted the rear tire backwards....turned it and it was back to zippy after that. I like the look of those Snafus...emailed Sidewall to see if they knew the weights but never heard back and can't find any direct contact info for Snafu. I live pretty close to Sidewall so I may stop in and ask them in person soon.


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## ethowildlife (Sep 30, 2007)

holy rollers and krads are great if you dont mind the weight, even in 24" they heavy. i run khe mac parks 24s and they light as hell and havent had a problem yet since i put em on. i run max pressure recommended and ride street and dirt with em and they rock. better for street but OK for dirt too, no flats no tears, nothing, so far, only been 2 months. oh yeah did i say they were light?


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