As an end customer, you're pretty poor when it comes to tyres. There are countless tyre sizes and widths. Different weights, rubber compounds and widths. Plus countless knob shapes - and you have the choice between tubular, tubeless and the new Procore dual-chamber system. Who can keep track of it all? At least we want to shed some light on the carcasses and the inside of the tyres. Time for a system check: The three most popular carcasses available on the market, equipped with sensible content, are to take part in a comparison test on our favourite rumble track on the Kohlern in Bolzano. Schwalbe, Continental and Maxxis offer three similar tyre types: Tyres weighing less than 1000 grams with a single-ply carcass and reduced sidewall protection, tyres weighing just over 1100 grams with massive reinforcements, double-ply but high-quality and therefore lightweight carcasses and the classic downhill tyres with wire in the tyre bead, lots of rubber all round and weights beyond 1300 grams. In the end, the choice fell on the Maxxis Minion DHF because this tyre is available for the first time this year in all three types as a 2.5 version - ideal for a meaningful comparison test with as few set-up deviations as possible. We opted for the Easton Heist rim because the DT Swiss Spline tyres we requested unfortunately arrived at the editorial office a little too late.
The test procedure was simple: each pair of tyres was fitted with matching inner parts and ridden with identical tyre pressures. We started with 1.8 bar at the front and 1.9 bar at the rear with a rider weight of 70 kilos on a modern enduro bike (Giant Reign). On each descent, the tyre pressure was reduced by 0.1 bar in order to gradually experience the changes in traction and damping. Each test run ended when a defect occurred - be it a flat tyre or massive damage to the rim. Which combination offers maximum traction and damping comfort and can protect the rim and inner tube well enough at the same time? Where is the most sensible air pressure range - the so-called sweet spot?
Let's start with the downhill carcass. The massive tyres weigh a hefty 3000 grams per pair with inner tube and lift our test bike to 14.5 kilos - almost a kilo more than with the standard wheelset. However, this is still acceptable on the climbs. At high pressures, the tyres are difficult and hard to ride. Due to the high flywheel mass and the higher weight, the bike still feels more planted than usual, but we're not impressed with the comfort. We gradually reduced the tyre pressure by 0.1 bar with each descent and hit the sweet spot at just under 1.5 bar at the front and 1.6 bar at the rear: Here, the tyre is nice and fluffy and rolls over rocks. It grips superbly in corners and doesn't smear away even at high cornering pressures. Shortly after that, however, it's over - 0.1 bar less leads to the first and only flat tyre in the test. The rim survived a total of five descents (approx. 25 kilometres downhill with a depth of 5000 metres) without a dent.
The Double Down is the next candidate: Maxxis is offering this tyre for the first time in 2016. The carcass plies and the butyl insert are identical to the downhill tyre. However, the DD uses a higher quality carcass with 120 TPI. While the Downhill tyre is not officially sealant-free, the Double Down is tubeless ready. With 80 millilitres of sealant, it weighs 1260 grams. This reduces the bike weight to 14 kilos. The lower wheel weight is noticeable on climbs and when accelerating on flat terrain. Downhill, this combination scores points with better traction and damping even at the initial pressure of 1.8/1.9 bar compared to the downhill tyre. The handling doesn't change as much as expected - these wheels also give the bike noticeable guidance and make the already downhill-heavy Reign look like a mini downhiller. This combination also trumps the downhiller with a tube in terms of susceptibility to failure. We can go down to 1.4 bar at the rear without burping or other air leaks. However, on this last descent, there are three heavy punctures with dents on the rim flange. At 1.5/1.6 bar, this was also our sweet spot, with no risk of punctures and ideal traction and damping. The Double Down was a step forward compared to the downhill tyre in all areas. We would favour it both in races and in the park.
Finally, the Exo Protection with Procore and Milk. There is no real weight advantage here (minus 30 grams compared to DD), but the elastic carcass without a thick butyl ring on the edge rolls best and quickly delivers top traction values. The rear tyre went down to an astonishing 1.15 bar - without any defects or dents. From around 1.25 bar, however, it becomes spongy in berms and the tyre smears a little undefined. Nevertheless, the aha experience is enormous. The thinner sidewall survived a day in the sea of rocks without cracking. With 1.3 bar front and rear, the system was our favourite. However, there is a clear downer: the high-pressure Procore system puts enormous strain on the wheel and especially the rim. Manufacturers such as DT-Swiss do not give approval because wheels can be weakened. Bummer.
DH Casing + hose
The Maxxis Minion DHF with downhill casing weighs a whopping 1356 grams due to the wire in the bead and the double-ply carcass with butyl insert. It can theoretically be ridden tubeless, but is not officially approved due to the slightly more porous 60 TPI casing. We therefore rode the tyre with a standard inner tube. This increases the system weight to just under 1500 grams per wheel. Too much for tours without lift support. The very stable sidewall is very stiff at 1.8 bar and doesn't provide much damping. It gets better from 1.6 bar. The weight provides stability when travelling straight ahead (flywheel mass!).
Conclusion: At 1.4 bar rear was the end. Snakebite. However, the rim remained intact until the end. The ideal range was 1.55 bar at the rear and 1.45 at the front. Good smoothness, but sluggish.
Double Down + milk
The double-down carcass is roughly equivalent to Schwalbe's Supergravity tyre: 1180 grams with double-ply fabric and butyl insert. The aramid thread in the bead and the 120-TPI carcass save weight. We used 80 millilitres of sealant for each tyre. Even at 1.8 bar, the Double Down damps noticeably better than the DH tyre, providing pleasant cornering behaviour and better traction on smooth stones. On the 30mm rim, we were able to go down to 1.4 bar at the rear without burping (air loss at the rim flange). There were no punctures, but the rim suffered on the last run. 1.5 bar was the limit in rocky terrain.
Conclusion230 grams lighter than the DH tyre - you notice that on the climbs. Downhill the better system, because similarly less prone to failure, but with sealing milk even safer and more traction.
Exo Protec + Procore
The Exo Protection has a single-ply 60-TPI carcass and does without the butyl insert. With aramid fibre in the bead and an abrasion-resistant intermediate layer on the sidewall, the 2.5 mm version weighs 950 grams. Including the Procore system and 80 millilitres of sealant, it weighs 1230 grams - almost as much as the Double Down. We ran the Procore system at 6 bar pressure. We had to work overtime with the set of tyres, because the pressures were even lower on every run. Only at 1.15 bar at the rear did we feel a noticeable impact on the horn.
ConclusionVery high traction combination with maximum protection for the rim and low risk of defects. Theoretically the winner - but unfortunately Procore is not approved for all rims (see statement below).
Statement by Chris Schleker, FREERIDE tester: Many people still underestimate how much tyre pressure influences riding characteristics. 0.2 bar less can turn a hard rubber sausage into a traction miracle. I am therefore impressed by the Procore system with a light outer casing - my favourite, but unfortunately a problem for many wheels in the long term.
Statement on Procore, Friso Lorscheider (DT Swiss): "An important point in the development of wheels is the maximum tyre pressure - this is much higher with multi-chamber systems than with classic tubular or tubeless combinations. In extreme cases, the wheel may collapse, but the durability of the product will certainly suffer. To put it plainly: We are currently unable to approve the use of such multi-chamber systems for any DT Swiss product. We cannot guarantee the safety of our customers by using such a product."
Friso Lorscheider, DT Swiss AG
