Now that I have addressed wheels it is time to move on to tires.

I was completely lost on what tires to run on a 69er so I am simply putting what I normally run in the front of my 29″ and the rear of my 26″. I’m sure traction will be different due to the handling of the bike, but I’ll most likely be swapping tires out a few times until I find what I like.

29″ Front Tire - For now I’m going to be running my staple 29″ tire. This Bontrager tire has never let me down even while running super low pressure or running it through creeks with sharp rocks rubbing the side walls.

Bontrager ACX

26″ Rear Tire - There was a slight internal debate about what tire I should run. I have a stash of tires that I haven’t worn out or new tires won at races. I finally narrowed it down to two. A Specialized Roll X Pro 2.0 that I have had for a couple years and used to be my staple goto tire up north. Or a Maxxis Ignitor 2.35. I have only used an Ignitor in a 29″ application and the width isn’t something I need in the back. I wanted to go through this first run with parts that I am familiar with and know how they handled so I went with the Specialized.

Maxxis Ignitor on Left | Specialized Roll X Pro on Right

After mounting up the tires it occurred to me something different that I tend to do with rear directional tires. I run them the wrong way. I’ve done this for the past year or so due to the sandy conditions we have here in Charlotte. I like to have the square of the block in the front to bite into the terrain while climbing. When racing I tend to run a lighter thread anyways so why not get the most out of what I am using and ignore the drag factor.

This tire should be rolling forward (or up) but I like to roll it backwards (or down.)

Tips on tires:

• Line the label of the tire up with the valve. Not only does it look professional but it also can help you if you get a flat. If you can’t find the puncture in the tire, but can find it in the tube, line up the tube with the label of the tire and you can easily find what gave you the flat (just remember to check the mirror image side of the tire as well.)
• If you are inflating the tire with a compressor do NOT hold the tire between your legs. It might become unseated and seriously injure you.
• When installing a rim strip make sure it is evenly centered on the rim. Not doing this can cause a tire not to be seated or to roll under low pressure.
• Some tires like Bontragers tubeless ready design can be difficult to get the bead of the tire seated. Try soapy water and some patience. If you get the soap on your rotors on v-brake rims make sure to clean them off with a brake cleaner or rubbing alcohol.
• I go into picking a tire a little bit differently then most. If it is a race tire I look for softer sidewalls that will compress through turns, then I look at thread and width. If it is an every day tire I look for a strong side wall that I can run low pressure without collapsing the tire in half. I also am not a big fan of swapping tires every time the conditions change,(again, unless I’m racing) so I would rather loose some speed and not have to worry about traction or tearing a sidewall.