Comments on: Specialized Expands 29″er Tire Line

By: Dan0

Dan0 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:57:04 +0000

Ive just put the 29″ eskar sworks on my flow rims, no soap, sealed and pumped with a floor pump no problem and held air for several hours. I find the grip and feel very similar to the Bonty Jones acx ( which has the worst sidewalls Ive ever seen, lasted 5 rides on the rear.
this is the first tire that I havent had to soap and pump like a madman to seat. Hopefully the sidewalls hold up. I see on their website that they now have an arnidillo version thats supposed to be more puncture and tear resistant

By: Tjaard

Tjaard — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:16:25 +0000

For 2009 All of the 29er tires will be @Bliss.
They also now have 29er tires in Armadillo Elite, so if you live in rocky/thorny terrain, here’s your solution. I have run Armadillo’s for a long time on my road bike and they are awesome protection. There’s a guy who rode 11000 miles on one(one the front) with no flats!

There has been a long discussion on the Eskar 26″ on here:
http://www.leelikesbikes.com/followup-specialized-eskar-tires.html

By: grannygear

grannygear — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:12:58 +0000

I should be putting the 2.2 Captains on for this weekend’s ride. I just weighed all the samples and I will be taking what I hope are meaningful measurements when I get them mounted up. They will be replacing an Ignitor/Crossmark combo.

By: sthrnfat

sthrnfat — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:27:40 +0000

Ran a set of 29er S-Works Captains that were good, but a friends control version (a little heavier) held up much better. They must use a different tread compound too, cause the treads on the S-Works tires wore quicker than his tires on basically the same terrain. Grip and handling of the Captain has been really good in my opinion – very predictable handling in a range of conditions. Good tire to just mount up and leave mounted. The 2.2 should be a great tire with extra volume and 2 Bliss beads. Lookin forward to trying them.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:13:24 +0000

Will do, thanks. Let me know how you like this tire, so far I think my favorite front is the Ardent 2.2. If I had an Ardent 2.4 I think it would be even better. If you could compare it to the Ardent in your review that would be great.

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:31:00 +0000

Trailrapist: Incidentally, I consider a tire/tubeless system a failure if I can not get it to seal up with a quality floor pump. So far I’ve had success with the Mavic/Hutchinson combo, the Bontrager system, Stan’s with a few different tires, and my own borrowed “ghetto” tubeless solution/system. (No- I’m not going to share what that is )

So, yes, I realize using a compressor is much easier, but I feel that a standard bicycle pump should do the trick, otherwise you are tied to a compressor in cases of field service, and that is not optimal in my mind.

By: Trailrapist

Trailrapist — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:53:07 +0000

2bliss tires work, but I’m not a fan of the 26″ version of the Eskar – actually I felt very nervous on this tire, it rolls great – but cornering was sketchy! I’ve had great success with Stan’s No Tubes Strips – the key is laying down a layer of rimstrip first to build up the Stan’s strip. Doing this helps the tire bead and the rim make a tighter seal. After pouring in the sealant, I usually spray my tires and rim down with soapy water before and after using an air compressor to inflate my tires (IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SUCCESSFULLY install and inflate any tubeless system with out an air compressor to start.) As the tire fills with air you need to tap it to get the bead to seal completely. Anyhow I’ve all ready written too much – Going tube-less is amazing… No flats, better traction, smoother ride.

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:30:09 +0000

ss: I have heard that the top end models were the ones that were prone to the weaker sidewalls but that the non-racer/non-weight weenie models of 2Bliss tires are much tougher.

In fact, I have it on good authority, and saw the tires being bragged about, that the 29″er versions are some of the best trail tires out now.

Look for an upcoming test on these treads coming soon here!

By: SS

SS — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:14:09 +0000

The 26″ Eskar sucked for east coast hard pack – don’t expect the 29″ to be much different. The 2bliss concept sound good but in real world application it sucked too. The sidewalls are too thin, causing squirming while riding and prematurely worn out or ripped sidewalls.

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:14:46 +0000

Greg: Well it is rather simple, really. With any Stan’s set up, you need an appropriate tire that will not only seal up, but not blow off because of a weak bead, oversize bead, etc. So the “2Bliss” concept is that here is that tire. It is designed to be run tubeless with sealant from the get-go. No wondering if your tire will weep sealant, or if the bead will degrade and fail. Of course, nothing is fool proof, so it isn’t a guarantee, but it is a better solution than trying to make a tire designed for a tube to convert to tubeless use.