I’m in DFW and got a used ibis ripley AF to ride the undulating xc like trails here. Was new to biking but my research said that would be great all around.
I’ve been riding for a year now and the climbs still suck. I feel like I’m barely moving and get passed on the trail pretty often.
My bike has 2.6 in tires. Maxxis forekaster up front and recon in the rear. Would thinner tires make an appreciable difference?
I love the downhill part so something like an amflow is appealing to eat up the climbs.
by Muted-Masterpiece-60
10 Comments
Skinnier tires will roll faster sure but it’s not going to make a huge difference.
Most downhillers on Maxxis are running 2.5 front and 2.4 rear. The Ikon/Forecaster are fast rolling tyres though so even at 2.6 it shouldn’t be offensive on the climbs, especially with maxxspeed compound. Obviously wider tyres are heavier, have a wider contact patch and are draggier/slower rolling, but that’s relatively speaking because your tyres are still on the faster side.
Swapping to an E-bike and running full DH tyres would give you the best of both worlds you’re looking for. If you’re sticking with your current bike, yeah maybe some 2.4 tyres (sticking with XC style fast rolling tyres) would help but losing weight and riding more to increase your fitness would help more.
It’s almost negligible, and you have reasonably quick rolling treads already. Optimize pressure (may need to be lower than you expect), check for dragging brakes and toasted bearings? I once had a bad freehub bearing that added considerable drag when pedaling in the easier gears.
Probably your fitness. Said you were need to biking, do any other cardio / endurance sports?
If that’s the stock Ibis wheelset they are quite wide at 35mm. 2.6s make sense on this width IMO. That’s a fast rolling tread combo as well.
Also make sure your suspension is set up properly. That can drain a lot of energy. Not sure if you have or use lockouts when climbing, but if the terrain you’re climbing on is suitable, that can also allow more of the power you’re putting into the pedals to go into driving you forward.
Are you using the shock lockouts while climbing?
Are you sure something isn’t dragging? I LOVE Ibis but I had issues with the Ibis logo hubs. Had to get the wheel bearings replaced at about 1,000 miles on my Ripmo.
I switched from 2.8/2.6 to 2.4/2.4
Definitely felt quicker and nimbler but I learnt the hard way to choose my lines better , than to steamroll my way down the trails
Depending on trail conditions you would gain a bunch of speed by going with 2.2 race kings.
On a side note, road biking gave me my biggest improvement in mtb fitness/climbing. Good stuff