WHEELS

The big one. Or two. Whilst not all of us can mix and match Easton aluminium and carbon front and rear such as the likes of Vouilloz it is an area that needs careful consideration. For example, the affect of rim size and tyre profile, the durability and puncture proofness of rims. How easy is your rim tyre combination in terms of removal for puncture stops? What compound, what pattern, what about the mud? But more importantly speed. Carbon is currently perceived as the King of Speed, but consider a good pair of hand built Chris Kings or Hadley’s as a great investment. Easy to get spares for, the Mavic/Chris King combo has been one the fastest wheelsets we’ve ever used. (We’ll be featuring the Hadley build in next issue).

There are two more I’d like to mention. First up the equally rapid Mavic Crossmax SX offers massive strength for low weight and certainly great reliability on the rim/spoke interface. The freehub needs care but no more so than the CK’s. It’s also a supremely versatile wheelset allowing for all axle sizes. Thirdly the Easton Carbon’s – strength, lightweight, two year no questions warranty and, well they’re pretty bloody pricy, so why not opt for the Haven’s at a fraction of the cost. The only problem is you have to choose an axle size from the outset.

It seems most of the pro’s now use tubeless, so really there’s no excuse for us ‘normal’ riders not to either. Fast wheels save time.

Chris King Front £176.11 Rear £360.79 www.evolutionimports.co.uk
Mavic Crossmax SX £660.00 pair www.mavic.com
Easton Haven £730 pair www.extrauk.co.uk

TYRES

Another of the most important choices you will make. As a general rule forget sticky rubber and narrow speedsters and instead go for medium to firm compounds in higher volume (roughly 2.2) – two reasons, first to give more damping to your bike and also to get rolling quicker. Obviously it’s not as straightforward as that.

Surface conditions are clearly the key factor that determines your choice so tread pattern is crucial. In the wet, and I mean real wet, the Panaracer Trailraker is as good as it gets, almost cheating, but only in the softest most beautiful mud. If it gets less boggy and rockier consider the Specialized Storm Control with its rounder profile and lower knobs.

Much of the time you’re racing will be dominated by dry, dusty conditions in 30º heat…honest. Then it becomes more difficult particularly on sizing, possibly the best advice is to take a moment to have a look at the kind of volumes run by the stars as they will mostly have ridden that event previously. Several years ago at Downieville I was pretty shocked at the lack of any real bite to the tread pattern on Mark Weirs WTB’s, but he went on to dominate the rocky descents with miles of space to spare. Maxxis Minions, High Rollers or Crossmarks offer undisputed variety and reliability whilst Mountain Kings from Continental have an excellent compound for wetter conditions plus they roll faster. Tubed or tubeless? That’s for you to experiment with along with pressure, but there’s no reason not to go tubeless.

Panaracer Trailraker from £24.99 www.zyro.co.uk
Maxxis High Roller 2.35 LUST/ Crossmark 2.2 LUST £46.99/£44.99   www.oneindustrieseurope.co.uk
Specialized Storm Control 2Bliss £22.99 www.specialized.com
Continental Mountain King 2.2 Protection £44.95 www.conti-online.co.uk