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Written by Jason Mahokey
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Thursday, 16 November 2006 |
 | | The riding I would have been doing. |
Not too much going on right now. Off season training has started for me. So for now now that means time on the trainer and some light weight work outs. Trying to watch what I eat going in to the holidays too, so as not come into 2007 a "clydesdale."
Fall HAD been cooperating with some sun and warm temps, which translated into some nice out door rides....
But NOW the weather here in western PA weather has turned grey and damp (for the 7th day in a row I might add). So my plans to get out on my brand new Panaracer Rampage 2.35 29er tires have not yet come to be.
 So I figured I'd just post a bit about some of my first impressions of the tires. This is not a review, that will come later. This is just look at the tires and some of my thoughts on them. Hope to get you all some feed back about them when the weather turns a bit better. Which from the looks of it could be July!
If your know any folks that are riding 29ers or check out any of the messege? boards you've probably heard folks pleading for big fat tires with real knobbies. Enter the Panaracer Ramapages 2.35 .
These tires have been much anticipated by 29er folk. Myself I've NEVER used a tire as big as a 2.3, and never thought I would, but I find fall and winter single track riding calls for a tire a bit more aggressive and you would be correct to assume that a tire with the name like "Rampage" is aggressive.
There aren't a ton of real knobby 29er tires out there, so when Big Al posted that the Rampages would be at Bikeman.com soon, I quickly placed my order.
After placing my order to Bikeman.com World HQ I started to worry...
 Will the Dos Niner's frame clearance be able to handle a 2.35? I mean I KNOW the boys from Salsa say on the web site that it can, but sometimes, bike companies say a lot of things to get you to buy stuff. Not Salsa! They were spot on. The Rampage fits fine with room to spare! To be honest it will take some muddy rides with the fall leaves to know for sure, but I really don't see it being a problem.
Do I need a tire this big? I mean I'm more "XC geek" than "aggressive-free ride-all mountain guy." But once I got the tires and got them mounted up on the Delgado rims they looked just fine and my visions of my XC bike sporting downhill like tires faded. This of course is with my Salsa Dos Niner .
If you're interested in these tires you may want to check your frame first, these are some big meats and no doubt some frames will have an issue using the Rampage in the rear.
The rubber feels a tad "stickier" to the touch than my Maxxis Ignitors , they are knobbier and a tad bigger for sure (2.3 rather than the Ignitor 2.1), but not freakishly so. The center row is ramped to help with the rolling resistance of the tire. Side wall instructs to mount in the rear direction for rear use but for now I'm going "forward" on front and rear.
I was concerned about the weight too. At an estimated 780 grams per tire, rotating weight will be on the increase, but, I'd rather be heavy and rolling through a corner, than light and laying in the bushes.
 For the record the tires call for a minimum of 35 psi (and that's where I currently have them set to) and I have them on Salsa Delgado 29er rims . Anyone who knows me or has been on my blog (The Soiled Chamois) in the past knows that I kinda don't see the point of a tire THIS big and THIS fat, but for the sake of trying out some knobbier 29er rubber, and trying to stay upright through the fall/winter/spring I'm gonna give 'em spin.
Come race season I'll probably be stick with the Maxxis Ignitors or similar tire for most courses and my local training loops to save a few grams and roll a little faster. But if the course I'm on is a rocky one like the Seven Springs race course or some of the technical trails up on Laurel Mountain here in PA, I can see calling in a big tire like the Panaracer Ramapage 2.35 for duty.
Ok, 'nough blathering stay tuned in the future for some ride impressions and a full review. For now here are some picts of the tires mounted up so you all can check out the knobs and see the tire clearance with the Dos Niner.
Thanks for reading.
Jason
"The Soiled Chamois" |
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