We haven't had a Boab has severe tyre anxiety thread in a while...

tl;dr
What should I run for the BB200 second weekend...? The choice is, Hans Dampf or Nobby Nic on the front; Nobby Nic or Rocket Ron on the back.


I've been running Schwalbe Racing Ray and Racing Ralph tyres over the summer and they've been pretty good for the kind of riding I've been doing; if a little puncture happy at times. They're utter poor show at the merest hint of slopy conditions though, which I'm not too proud to admit had me off and walking some of the pancake flat Forty Foot Lane into the back of Santa Pod at the weekend; an unexpected clart fest. While the weather forecast for this weekend is mint, it would appear of be inclement leading up to and after it; plus the long range forecast for the second Saturday is vaguely exciting*.

Given I'm still carrying a rib injury and have no desire to slide along the ground again this year, or come to a sudden stop against a large metal gate post for that matter, I think the tyres need to be swapped out. I was looking at my photos from the WRT and I was running a Nobby Nic on the front and a Rocket Ron on the back, it was wet on the Sunday and I didn't die, or fall off. I'm considering something with a bit more tread for the back though, as I'm pretty sure I had the odd traction issue. As I refuse to run miss-branded tyres, it's going to have to be another Schwalbe.

In addition to the four tyres already mentioned, I also have a Super Gravity Hans Dampf which is what I was running on the front earlier in the year, in an effort to get some confidence back after last years big crash. It's heavy and slow though, but with the Nobby Nic on the back, that should provide all the tread I need. Without knowing the amount of road on this years BB200 till the weekend though, I'm reluctant to commit to that setup at this point. If I don't want to run the Rocket Ron on the back due to traction issues, would another Nobby Nic fit the bill, so I'd be running one of them front and back...?








* Not.

Round ones with some air in them

Slightly smaller than everybody else's tyres or slightly bigger than everybody else's.

Think different!!

In my case the tyres that are on the bike currently.

Put the tread on the front and run as fast you can on the back

Front will hold and not dump you, rear won't be a boat anchor

The real answer is mezcals, I hope

At first glance I didn't see the word 'tyre' in the thread title and was immediately drawn to it...

Hoping that tyre choice will be my biggest issue (and I'm another one hoping that the answer is Mezcals, but I might go for a Barzo up front, although the one I have is a cheap black wall one and wont match the nice grey at the back).

And re- the weather forcast - definitely wishing I'd booked the first weekend

I ran Barzo front and Mezcal rear for both of my BB300s, seemed to be ok.

There's not really the mud we get down south. As long as they're durable with some tread you'll be fine.

whitestone wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 12:38 pm Round ones with some air in them

Black round ones at that. None of your tan wall nonsense!
Objectively Boab? it don't matter much

Racing Ralph

Not that terrifying when wet ( fast if dry )
Me 3 " wide ones

it don't matter much

This is true, I'd avoid really heavy or fragile but anything within those two extremes will on occasion be ideal.

After patching multiple holes in both tyres on Friday, I managed to get a puncture in each during the weekend; the front eventually sealed, the rear required a plug. While I'm tempted to leave the current tyres on, I think Racing Ray is too much of a liability to have on the front and Racing Ralph too fragile for the rear. The Hans Dampf I have on hand is most likely overkill, which leaves the Nobby Nic up front, with the Rocket Ron on the back. Having had a quick look at Ron earlier, he might require a bit of work...

The original post was mostly rubber ducking I think, pretty sure I knew what I was going to do...

I have Ikons front and back - they're what's fitted....

I think a Nobby Nic on the front and a Ralph on the back is often an ideal balance of grip, robustness and rolling resistance.

There's loads of riding where the you don't need the grip - fire roads and tarmac just want fastish tyres.

I was Nobby Nic front and Ikon rear for about 5 BB200s, just the right balance imo. Went Ikon front and rear for the covid year and was wishing for a bit more grip up front on a couple of the descents.

3" Chronicle front and XR2 rear this year. Might even do XR2 both ends.

God compared to you lot, I seriously under tyre'd.

WTB Ventures 650/47.

Still on the road sections they will give anybody a run for their money.

I did alot of anxiety stuff for my Everesting attempt Bob. Decided that Mezcals are trash (personal opinion, but Simon might like em). The Butcher Grid were too stiff. Maxxis Rekon a but worn. Ended up going back to Chronicles at both ends. Phenomenal grip and not too heavy. I'll be using Chornicles for the forseeable future

Using 2.35 Ground Control Grid F&R cuz there on the bike and can't be fluffed changing plus they are quite comfy on the rigid