24" Kenda Kinetics, sucks in snow?

I received the package of stuff from Evan Byrne today and it included a
24" DX wheelset with a new 24x2.6 Kenda Kinetics tire. I thought that a
good test for this new wheel would be to take it out to the Toboggan
hill north of town.

The snow was a bit soft and wet as it was supper warm today and almost
reached 0˚C. I did a few runs down the hill with my 26x3 Duro
setup and had no trouble with most of the hill. Approximately 10% slip
and 90% grip.

I swapped out the wheel to the DX wheelset and was disappointed to find
that the cranks rubbed on the frame, but not bad enough to stop me from
riding it. I played around with it a bit on the flat before heading up
the hill. It was noticeably lighter feeling than my 26" setup and I was
feeling pretty good about the new wheel but when I started to go down
the slope I immediately lost my grip and slid about 2 meters, got half
a pedal in and slid another meter before falling off the back. I got on
and tried again, this repeated itself all the way down the hill. I did
more sliding than riding down the hill and the difference in grip
between my 26" Duro and the 24" Kenda was very surprising. Both
wheelsets had Alex DX32 rims and 150/152mm cranks and about 22 PSI.

My question is: is it simply the difference between a 24 and a 26"
wheel that caused the loss in grip or does the Kenda tire really just
suck in snow compared to a Duro?


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It would very well be the smaller wheel.. but it's not that big a
difference..

I have a 20x2.35 Kenda Kinetics tire, and it's quite a tough compound.

Is your Duro a 26x3? The width would make the biggest difference.

In snow when the tire digs in, it compacts the snow and sorta well...
makes ice...

With a wide tire it floats on top better.


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Both tires are actually fairly close to the same width on the DX32 rims.
Using a square and a book (I don't have a caliper) and measuring from
casing to casing I got measurements of 66mm for the 26x3 Duro and 62mm
for the 24x2.6 Kenda. Thats 2.60" for the duro and 2.44" for the Kenda.
Wouldn't it be nice if tires were actually the size they said

Has anyone out there switched from a 2.6" Kenda to a Duro or Gazz and
if they have what differences did you notice?

I forgot to mention that the Kenda has the "Stick-E" compound so is
fairly soft rubber.

The tread is a bit tighter on the Kenda so perhaps the snow is packing
in the tread, I will have to give the wheel another shot when it is
colder out again.


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I've done a lot of hard muni riding on a stock DX wheel with the Kinetic
tire. Haven't ridden very much at all on my Duro, mostly because it's
too heavy and I hate the extra weight.

I've never had any problems with snow riding on the Kinetics, but then
again I haven't really ridden the Duro in the snow...



Do you have much difference in tire pressure between the two?


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Oh... they don't kick bricks, do they?
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I just received two Intense 24x3" tires and put one on the DX wheelset.
I went out to the same hill I tried the Kenda on and it was definitely
better but still not nearly as nice as my 26. Maybe I will stud up this
one and see how much that helps.


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saskatchewanian wrote:
I just received two Intense 24x3" tires and put one on the DX wheelset.
I went out to the same hill I tried the Kenda on and it was definitely
better but still not nearly as nice as my 26. Maybe I will stud up this
one and see how much that helps.


Have you tried any other 24 or 26" Muni tires? (esp. the 3" Arrow Wide
Bite)


--
skilewis74

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yunisyko wrote:
it's all about balls. i lose them often and then get em back.
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The 2.6" Kenda definitely doesn't have as much grip in loose stuff as
the Duro; the tread is a lot less aggressive.


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I have used the Gazz and Duro in the 26x3" sizes. I am new to the 24"
MUni so I have only tried the Kenda and the Intense.

No I have not tried the Arrow Wide Bite but it looks like a decent
tire.

I went with the Intense because it was on sale and has a nice open
patern with large blocks. (and your 24x3" comparison thread)

Comparing it to the Kenda it is taller, wider, has deeper lugs, harder
compound (better wear, worse grip) has a squarer profile, deeper lugs,
has stiffer side-walls, and weighs a little bit more.

Compared to the 26x3" Duro and Gazz it has a more open tread and larger
blocks than either, the Lugs are taller than the Duro (not sure about
the Gazz as mine is a little worn) It has a more squared profile than
the Duro (never compared to Gazz) and is slightly wider but not as
tall. Sidewall stiffness in order from stiff to flimsy would be Duro,
Intense, Gazz.

That's about all I can comment on since most of my experience is on 26"
tires and this is a 24.

Maybe I would have liked the Kenda better if I did not start off by
riding it down slippery snow covered hills, but that is one of the
things that I like to do so my tire should be able to do it


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I actually already have the Arrow. It's a bit wider than the Kenda (66
vs. 63 mm on my DX), taller, stiffer sidewalls, heavier, and a rounder
profile.

I've only been on one 9.5 mile ride w/ it, but I noticed that it was
slower to accelerate (I think from both the weight and the "taller
gearing"), a bit faster, rolls over bumps better, more composure on
drops, easier to pedal @ moderate to fast speeds, more stable/harder to
turn at fast speeds, and more unstable in loose dirt and mud.

Maybee I still need to get used to it, but so far I preffer the 2.6"
Kenda, mainly for the greater stability and the "shorter gearing".


--
skilewis74

Ride everywhere and never just ride anywhere. If you can ride where you
are going within a hour, do it, and if you can do a trick 50-75% of the
time do it along the way.
Bob Burnquist on how to improve significantly.

yunisyko wrote:
it's all about balls. i lose them often and then get em back.
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