SS Review Update and NEW tires

I’m giving up on my previous favorite mtn bike tires. They were Kenda Slant Six’s mounted tubeless front and rear which I reviewed here: SS review..  It’s not that they were all that bad, I’m just convinced there is something better.   

If you read my race report from Carnage at the Creek here: CAC .  You already know I cut the sidewall of my front tire on some rocky singletrack.  I was able to boot the tire with a Gu pack, stuff it with a tube, and finish the race.

 I have a full year of riding on this tire set, and they are showing some significant wear maybe I expect too much?).  The rear tire is the worst and definitely needs to be replaced.  I have been sliding around and loosing traction in all terrains recently, but after a recent wet gravel ride had me squirming all over I decided it was time to change the rear.

They were my first set of tubeless tires, so I’ve been wondering how much of the improvement I noted while first riding them was because of the change to tubeless and how much was the tire design.  Another thing that bugged me, but never turned into an issue was the fact that Kenda would not warranty tires that had been used with sealants.  wtf?  Everyone rides tubeless with sealant.  What a cop-out.

Late last fall I built up a Niner Air 9 for Jacob (ROCK Racing’s youngest member) and used Rocket Ron 29er tires on it.  He has been training and racing on them ever since and they have given flawless performance.    He even has an AG win at Tracks-n-Treads offroad biathlon on them.

So seeing the success he has had, I was predisposed to using the same tires on my Superfly.  I like the big square lugs with tight spacing on the Racing Ralph’s.  It is available for 29er wheels and in several different widths.   It has smaller tighter lugs down the center to roll smoother and faster, with larger further spaced lugs on the edges for grip during turns.

The Schwalbe tires are also available with Snakeskin sidewalls.  I definitely wanted more protection after cutting that sidewall in the race.  (Now that I think about it, I also cut a sidewall on a Maxxis Ignitor at the Castlewood 8hr).  From Schwalbe’s website:  “The Snakeskin protection is a layer of abrasion resistant fabric mesh that's embedded into the outer layer of the casing on the sidewall. It adds yet another facet of durability, making these tires prime for tough terrain.”   Sounds like just what I need.

Another feature I like that most tire mfg’s do on their high-end tires is multiple rubber compounds in different tire locations.  Schwalbe calls theirs the Pacestar Triple Compound.  And their description of it is “rubber to optimize the tire's performance wherever possible with regards to grip, durability, and rolling resistance…. cornering is outstanding thanks in part to the soft rubber compound”

So that’s it.  I decided on the Racing Ralph’s with SnakeSkin, TL-Ready, Folding, 29 x 2.25in. 

I mounted them on my Stan’s ZTR Crest wheels.  They have been the easiest tires I’ve set up tubeless to date.  I used my compressor to seat the beads, but I bet it could be done with a hand pump.  I used two cups of Stan’s sealant in each one.  They sealed instantly and I haven’t had to do any of the old PITA shake-to-seal method or leaving them on a bucket each night for a week refilling with air each morning.  Seriously, I just put them on and they were ready to go.  Simple.  Awesome.

Now I have to get some ride time on these new tires and let you know what I think.

Crest ZTR Review

I've always got my eye out for a good deal, especially when it comes to race gear and bike parts.  I've bought parts and frames from Ebay, Craigslist and from individuals in bike forums.  I've met sellers in parking lots, movie theatres, trail heads and gas stations.

So when I seen the ad for a pair of Stan's ZTR Crest 29in wheels, I immediately set up a meet at a local gas station.  They were in such great shape, I could have been convinced that they had never even been ridden on.  We agreed on a price and I took my new treasure home.

A few days after the Berryman Adventure race I pulled the Bontrager wheels off of my Superfly 100 and started the swap.  The first thing to do was remove the disk brake rotors.  They are held on with six T-20 Torx head screws. 

The next thing up was to remove the 10 speed Shimano cassette.  Easy to do once you have the right tools.

A cassette removal socket with guide pin:


And a chain whip:

Then it was simple to transfer the removed parts to the new wheels.  The only things to watch on the brake rotors are to keep them clean and pay attention to the direction of rotation.  I torqued each screw in a star pattern with a new application of blue Loctite.

Be careful when moving the cassette, it is a stack of spacers and rings that could get confusing if you mix them up.  I lifted the stack off the old wheel and moved it to the new wheel without setting it down. I put a light coating of synthetic grease on the rear wheel hub to prevent it from seizing over time, and installed it with the same tools I used to removed it.

The Stan's yellow rim strip and tubeless valve looked great.  They were in perfect shape and had been installed perfectly. I got my hopes up that I wouldn't have to fight with getting the tires to seal in a tubeless set-up.  While I was doing this I noticed that the ZTR's have 32 butted (1.7 / 2.0) black stainless spokes per wheel, the Bonty's I was replacing only had 28.  This is cool.  I get a much lighter wheel set (1575 grams) with more 4 more spokes per wheel (more spokes = stronger and easier to straighten when I eventually bend one).

I pulled the Kenda Slant Six tire off of the Bonty old rim using a couple of Park Tool tire levers.

I got them fitted onto the new ZTR wheels without any hassle.  Remember these tires are directional, so check before you install them or you are going to make a mess with the sealant when you have to take them off.

I put two cups of Stan's sealant in each tire, after shaking the bottle good to make sure the rubber particles were well suspended. 

I should patent my invention for seating tubeless tires.  In the picture below you can see it.  The 1/4 diameter automotive vacuum hose and small hose clamp work great with the nozzle on my air compressor.  The tires popped onto their beads and sealed instantly.   The other two set of wheels I've set up tubeless before this leaked for up to two weeks before finally sealing.  (As I write this - a week after set-up- I still haven't had to add air)

Now with the work completed it was time to ride!  I took the bike to Indian Camp Creek.  It is a fairly easy local trail with a good mix of creek bottom flats and easy climbs.  It is a great trail to ride fast.  I took off through the winding tight turns in the creek bottoms and I could tell right away that the wheels were light and fast.  My confidence in the wheels grew fast and soon I was leaning through the dusty corners trying to feel any flex in the wheels.  There wasn't any.


While I was riding, I noticed that the tires looked fatter on these wheels.  They are the 29 x 2.0 size, but they looked fatter than some other 2.1 tires I have ridden.  I looked on Stans website and found out why:  ZTR wheels use Bead Socket Technology, which is a fancy name for a lower bead hook height combined with a wider rim (24.4mm).  The bead design allows the tire to stretch out to a more natural rounded shape and reduces sidewall flex.  No wonder I was feeling so fast in the corners!


I rode over to the smallish climbs these trails have and rode up them easily.  I was able to lift the front wheel over obstacles without a problem.  I can't wait to get these wheels out to some trails that have some real climbing (ie Matson Hill).


The tubeless Kenda Slant Six tires were hooking up incredible!  I had the tire pressure at 28 rear and 26 front.  It felt just right for my 170 lbs.  I didn't expect to feel increased traction from a wheel change, but it's there all the same.  It must be from the reduced rim height/increased width combination.


Both hubs are Stan's 3.30.  The rear has a different sound than any previous wheels I've ridden on.  When freewheeling it sounds like a rattlesnake.  Kinda funny, I guess I'll get used to it.  For now I'm going to take it to mean that I'm getting good multi-point pawl engagement.


The ZTR Crest wheel is really light weight so it is recommended for cross country and light trail use with a maximum rider weight of 190 lbs.  Sounds perfect for adventure racing where a lot of the riding is gravel/dirt roads.  I'll get a few long races on them this fall and find out what they will be like long term.  So far they look like winners!