Christ, 60 euro for a down country tyre means the xc premium pricing is being applied to what is essentially trail, rebranded.
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I just went from Barzo to Maxxis Forekasters. It’s been extremely wet in western Massachusetts this year & the Barzos are no fun in the wet. Forekasters roll a lot better than I thought they would & grip wet rocks & sometimes wet roots. Glad I went to them for the confidence they’re giving me in our presently sloppy conditions.
At first sight, those Syerras looked interesting til I saw 60tpi & 860 grams. No thanks.
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Yeah, it seems odd. I think the new tyre fills a gap in their lineup in terms of tread, but not in that configuration.
I just weighed my 2.6 Barzo that I haven’t used yet and it’s lighter than my 2.35 Nobby Nic. It made me wonder if it’s a better option than I thought, but are you suggesting it’s not that grippy/sure-footed?
I like the Barzo a lot if it’s dry but when it’s wet, they are well below average in terms of grip. I’m in New England & we have roots, rocks & leaves. Add rain every few days & the Barzo is just not a good choice. They also pack up with mud pretty bad.
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Interesting. I assumed they’d be a bit stronger in the wet. Sounds like they are similar to the Racing Ray, and not really that much of a step up from the Mezcal in terms of grip.
I’ve been running my Nobby Nic on the front recently which is what I exclusively ran for the entire decade of 2010’s and it reminded me how nice it is to have that confidence under the front of the bike. I’d like to try the Wicked Will in front and get a bit less weight and a bit more speed.
I’ve got a 2.6 Barzo and 2.35 and 2.6 Mezcal’s sitting here too 
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I can’t really decide wheter to choose between Ray / Ralph or the Barzo / Mezcal combo. The Schwalbes are supposed to be a bit faster, while the Vittoria’s seem to offer more grip. Since I came from timetrialling, I am fast on the straight parts (thus would prefer R/R) but I am still pretty poor technicall (so would prefer B/M here).
Anyone has experience with both sets?
Also two more related questions:
- I like the skinwall colour. The R/R is only available in superrace (not in superground) in that colour. Does that mean even less grip, or will it not make such a difference?
- The B/M combo is only availble in TLE in skinwall. I read it’s hard to get these tubeless and I’d be better of choosing the TNT (grey) versions.
I think those combinations will work similar in regards to grip and rolling resistance. If you’re not married to tan sidewalls I’d recommend the new 2.35 Fast Trak front/2.35 Renegade rear as another option.
Funny how your area will effect your tire choice so much. My bike came with Aspen’s front and rear, felt worthless climbing to the point of negatively effecting my race, and cornering wasn’t great at all. Swap to a Ray/Ra combo and things were okay again.
I will probably start the season next year with Icon’s.
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I’m wondering about this exact comparison too (except TNT for protection).
Have you tried either? What are you currently running?
At this stage I will also vouch for the Schwalbe’s, they have great grip and speed, look great, and have proper protection.
I was wondering about the Vittoria combo under the assumption that the Barzo would provide more front grip but I can’t confirm that yet.
If you go the Schwalbe’s you can always get a Wicked Will for the front next year if you need more grip at the front, then you have options based on race/conditions.
I just bought a pump with a tubeless canister so it’s going to be easy to swap out tires. About to go on a huge tire shopping spree
This was at 40psi after inflating. Then pumped to 50psi to sit for a while.
I’ll measure them again in a few days to see if they plump a bit.
Weight is pretty good at surface level, around 670g or so, but if it stays a 2.3 that’s less good
It’s laugable, the advertised width, versus actual width of any tire on the market really. Zero surprises there.
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What is the inner width of your rims?
Yeah - all the measurements these days seem to be based on 30mm rims. I have 25s, and all the tires I mount measure narrower than advertised.
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My downhill tires (Kenda Pinner) on a 35mm wheel still comes up narrow. I think it is just vanity sizing.
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They must have a tire tinder and everyone just rounds up. Yeah sure you’re 6ft just like those tires are 2.35
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.055 inches = 1.4 mm. Can I see your calibration certificate? The difference is 2-3%. 
I’d return them…
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@Liam_liam
I am new to MTB-ing, so I don’t have a lot of experience with any tire. I am now running with the Smart Sam’s that came with my bike. They are mediocre to me. I have run Supra tires before (a Dutch brand). They were a lot faster, but lack grip. The SS’s were slower, but offered more grip. The SS’s feel heavy and sluggish. That’s why I am looking for something in the middle. Or better yet, faster AND more grip. Since Ray / Ralph are more than twice the price of both the Supra and the SS’s, I have a feeling they might are. Abeit that I think I’ll go with the Barzo / Mezcal combo.
[edit]
Just ordered the Barzo / Mezcal TLR G2. I’ll let you know how they are. I can’t compare them to the R/R yet, but can tell you an overall feeling in a while.
Mezcals 2.35 have been spot on and I’ve gone through at least 3 pairs over the years. That’s on 24.5/26.5 id rims. Once installed I usually inflate to maximum psi and let sit in the heat for a day.
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