My hardtail journey
- Thread starter rigidftw
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First ride out on the Cube today and it's very different to the Pace! Light, quick and gobbles up the miles where as the Pace is a bit of a lump but just so confident off road when things get naughty. Initial impressions are that the Cube will be a perfect replacement for my gravel bike where as the Pace will cover shorter, harder rides and protect my full suss in the winter!
Got some changes to make to both but happy so far. top tube bag is a gravel hangover that I'm not sure about!
rigidftw
Retro Guru
Great bike!
I'll be looking into underforking mine. No need for 140mm travel up front anyways, for me at least. The BB should come out at around the same height as on the Trans Am, steepter ST for better climbing, steeper HA to help the forks bushings survive a little longer.
How hard are you on rear tyres? @brocklanders023 and @This-is-my-Field
I used to pinch-flat tyres a lot, before tubeless and tougher casings. Only kind of tyre inserts I've used is Huck Norris, to moderate success.
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I'm not particularly hard on tyres tbh and made a mistake with the Pace.
I bought some Hope wheels for my full suss some years ago that came with a Magic Mary / Hans Dampf combo and right from the start I was amazed at the grip they provided. Best tyres I'd ever used, so naturally when I built the Pace I went for the same without realising my others were an older design and the new stuff was beefed up, tougher and heavier.
Around the time I finished building that I need to replace the original MM/HD and asked for advice on STW. Due to that bike being usually used at trail centres the consensus was that something a bit less aggressive was better out back so I went for a MM on the front and Nobby Nic on the rear which really made a difference and noticeably reduced drag.
Ultimately I've got the wrong tyres on the Pace for all but deepest winter off road but since we're heading there I'll keep them on for now. I've bought a cheap Rock Razor that I'll fit to the rear next spring but that's less of an issue now I have the Cube.
With the Cube, the front Ardent seems decent but I'll probably change the rear Racing Ralph for something semi slick as that bike will be used on gentle trails and roads.
I run them all tubeless and with no inserts. I'm a heavy bloke but have not managed to flat any of the Schwalbe's I've used, even the narrow Nobby Nic at Bike Park Wales which is one of the reasons I keep going back to the brand. The lesson on the rear is less is more. Buy a good quality tyre with top end rubber and you can dial back on the tread which makes it much better to ride.
I bought some Hope wheels for my full suss some years ago that came with a Magic Mary / Hans Dampf combo and right from the start I was amazed at the grip they provided. Best tyres I'd ever used, so naturally when I built the Pace I went for the same without realising my others were an older design and the new stuff was beefed up, tougher and heavier.
Around the time I finished building that I need to replace the original MM/HD and asked for advice on STW. Due to that bike being usually used at trail centres the consensus was that something a bit less aggressive was better out back so I went for a MM on the front and Nobby Nic on the rear which really made a difference and noticeably reduced drag.
Ultimately I've got the wrong tyres on the Pace for all but deepest winter off road but since we're heading there I'll keep them on for now. I've bought a cheap Rock Razor that I'll fit to the rear next spring but that's less of an issue now I have the Cube.
With the Cube, the front Ardent seems decent but I'll probably change the rear Racing Ralph for something semi slick as that bike will be used on gentle trails and roads.
I run them all tubeless and with no inserts. I'm a heavy bloke but have not managed to flat any of the Schwalbe's I've used, even the narrow Nobby Nic at Bike Park Wales which is one of the reasons I keep going back to the brand. The lesson on the rear is less is more. Buy a good quality tyre with top end rubber and you can dial back on the tread which makes it much better to ride.
This-is-my-Field
Dirt Disciple
I'm pretty hard on tyres and bikes in general to be honest. The Stanton is built as an aggressive hard tail and there's not much I won't do on it.
Up until recently I was running a cushcore in the rear which was absolutely mega but I really struggled getting tyres on and off and finally gave in.
I've been running without for around three months now and still run as low as 19psi with no issues (I'm 11 stone).
Never had any punctures (just cursed it!) that weren't valve related!
I'm running Maxxis DHR Exo+ on the rear all year and swap between a DHF and an Assagai in summer/winter.
Nnngh what model is that switchback - mk2 18" Gnnnn. Must resist...
Yep I've gone with 130mm on my Kingdom, was running the same on the Stantons before it and knew it worked for me.
rigidftw
Retro Guru
I'm pretty happy with the Michelin Wild Enduro Rear. Good traction, both for riding up and braking and it's adequately beefy. ~1.1kg I think.
Just switched from a DHR2 Dual compound to a DHR2 3C Maxxgrip up front today. Never used 3C rubber before, apart from a fairly old hand-me-down Maxxterra one.
Would not have expected the difference to be this noticable. Absolutely brilliant!
rigidftw
Retro Guru
16.5"
Cool bike you got there!
Saw a video a good while back where a guy seemed not that happy with the quality of a Kingdom hardtail frame.
How is yours?
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You see, from my experience I reckon you're over doing it on the back unless you are riding soft/wet stuff all the time and carrying around weight you don't need. I'm all for plenty of grip up front but the back is a different matter, for my riding.
rigidftw
Retro Guru
Was running a Maxxis Rekon not too lang ago and that was not up to the task.
