Racing Mayhem with Minions?

carvegybe

carvegybe

Well-Known Member
Hi Folks, I could use some wheelset/tire advice...thanks in advance.

So I signed up for my first race ever (Mayhem) and after a few rides with guys that have XC set ups, I'm seeing I might have a problem with the Minion collection on my bike (and my rims are very narrow). The two wheels with tires, rotors and cassette are over 10 lbs. I'm not looking for a podium placement or anything, but I also don't want to be last.

I have been thinking about another Boost wheelset to change out when conditions are wet so I can ride the flowy, fast, flat pine forest trails (they drain better). I imagine that the tire/wheel combo I would need for Mayhem is the same combo I would need for the wet days in the pine forests (let's assume it rains on or before race day).

So what wheel/tire combo should I get? I figured I'd start with the tire and work inwards:

Tires: currently thinking 29' Racing Ray/Ralph combo...addix, tle race, probably 2.25inch - tubeless
Rims: carbon (not because I must, but I want to try), no idea which make and what inner rim width is best for the tires, I heard of using a factor of 1.8 relative to tire width, which means 30mm rims...does anyone know what rim width is the sweet spot for the RR/RR 2.25 combo
Size: should I have a different tire width in front and rear? If yes, keep rims the same width?
Spokes: J-type to keep life simple in case of damage
Hubs: probably something that matches the rims, right? 6 bolt or centerlock? I assume minimum points of engagement is 50 and anything over 100 doesn't make much difference. But I also don't want a loud hub...any ideas?

What else do I need to think about?

Finally, my next bike is likely to be the Ibis Ripley V4 and I need those tires to work with that bike. Both bikes are have the Boost standard, so other than changing the cassette (Ripley is 12-speed and my current bike is 11-speed), I should be good, right? Whether the rotors are 6 bolt or centerlock shouldn't make a difference, right?

Thanks for helping out the rookie....
 
Juggernaut

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
carvegybe said:
Hi Folks, I could use some wheelset/tire advice...thanks in advance.

So I signed up for my first race ever (Mayhem) and after a few rides with guys that have XC set ups, I'm seeing I might have a problem with the Minion collection on my bike (and my rims are very narrow). The two wheels with tires, rotors and cassette are over 10 lbs. I'm not looking for a podium placement or anything, but I also don't want to be last.

I have been thinking about another Boost wheelset to change out when conditions are wet so I can ride the flowy, fast, flat pine forest trails (they drain better). I imagine that the tire/wheel combo I would need for Mayhem is the same combo I would need for the wet days in the pine forests (let's assume it rains on or before race day).

So what wheel/tire combo should I get? I figured I'd start with the tire and work inwards:

Tires: currently thinking 29' Racing Ray/Ralph combo...addix, tle race, probably 2.25inch - tubeless
Rims: carbon (not because I must, but I want to try), no idea which make and what inner rim width is best for the tires, I heard of using a factor of 1.8 relative to tire width, which means 30mm rims...does anyone know what rim width is the sweet spot for the RR/RR 2.25 combo
Size: should I have a different tire width in front and rear? If yes, keep rims the same width?
Spokes: J-type to keep life simple in case of damage
Hubs: probably something that matches the rims, right? 6 bolt or centerlock? I assume minimum points of engagement is 50 and anything over 100 doesn't make much difference. But I also don't want a loud hub...any ideas?

What else do I need to think about?

Finally, my next bike is likely to be the Ibis Ripley V4 and I need those tires to work with that bike. Both bikes are have the Boost standard, so other than changing the cassette (Ripley is 12-speed and my current bike is 11-speed), I should be good, right? Whether the rotors are 6 bolt or centerlock shouldn't make a difference, right?

Thanks for helping out the rookie....
Click to expand...

I run that combo on my HT. My front is 36int the rear is 30int. The 2.25 is a touch small for the front (36int), 30 would be perfect. Rear is spot on.
 
Magic

Magic

Formerly 1sh0t1b33r
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Wheels won't make you last.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but Stan's Crest with Schwalbe Ray/Ralph combo would be a great option. Relatively cheap and light. My race tires have typically been 2.25" front and rear, but many people may run a 2.35" front for some more turning traction and cushion.
 
stb222

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Unless you dont care about the $$, stick with alum rims as even the cheapest carbon rims are still twice the price.

Keep in mind that crests are a light duty rim, so you might want to consider something alittle more beefy unless you really get bit by the race bug.

For tires, you can try an ardent front and rear or and ardent race in the rear if you dont plan to murder it on some rocks . They are half the price of the Racing Ray/Ralph.

Consider just getting tires and mounting them to your existing wheelset for this race and go from there...
 
Last edited:
JDurk

JDurk

Well-Known Member
I agree with pretty much everything that's already been said. If I do race, high volume tires with low pressure is the ticket. My setup is Stans Flow EX with Maxxis Ardent 2.4 front and rear. I'm a Clyde that will be using a rigid SS, 18-20psi front and 20-22psi in the rear. No rocks to be found here, just roots.

Or just run what you got.
 
Rocksrgood4u

Rocksrgood4u

Well-Known Member
If yer having wheels built, you might consider the dt350 hubs from dt swiss. They’re not loud, are solid and have different pawl(?) options. Stock is 18 points of contact. You can spend $$$ and up that to 36 or 54 points (which I think is unnecessary). Also you can get a steel freehub body if you generate lots of torque. And they are simple to service. Multiple end cap options... I use these with Stans Flows on my xc mtbs.
 
Jmann

Jmann

Never gonna let you down.
I wouldn’t go out and change your setup just for your first race. If you need new wheels/tires that’s different, but when it comes to your first race, all preparation gets thrown out the window once the start whistle blows. I would recommend just doing the race and try to have fun, then reevaluate afterwards.
 
UtahJoe

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Question... What bike are these minions on? Racing Ralph's will be a noticeable improvement in rolling over minions at a smooth place like mayhem... But if they are on a Santa Cruz Bronson, I wouldn't waste my time.
 
pooriggy

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
carvegybe said:
signed up for my first race ever (Mayhem) and after a few rides with guys that have XC set ups,
Click to expand...
It's your first race, just have fun, go hard and do the best you can. Don't over think this and don't feel you have to outfit your bike with new, lighter xc specific race gear to be competitive. Like Magic said, Wheels won't make you last...but your fitness will. Ok, I added that. :)

carvegybe said:
Finally, my next bike is likely to be the Ibis Ripley V4 and I need those tires to work with that bike.
Click to expand...

Again, take it slow and don't let racing dictate what kind of equipment to buy. You are testing the waters to see if racing is for you, so just go with it. If after a few races you enjoy the competitiveness and want to increase fitness, which is 98% of racing, then start going down the road of putting together a race bike.

Like anything new we try, the hardest part is showing up. It's good to hear you want to try racing, good luck and have fun. We'll be looking for you out there;)
 
Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
5313b78b775e5_thumbCard.jpg
 
jShort

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
If you’re running a 10lb wheelset with minions now and switch to a stand crest or even arch with Ralph/ray or Maxxis icons....you will notice a huge difference.

I think you mentioned training in a previous post, so if you’re preparing yourself you may as well go all out and get a race wheelset:)
 
carvegybe

carvegybe

Well-Known Member
stb222 said:
Unless you dont care about the $$, stick with alum rims as even the cheapest carbon rims are still twice the price.

Keep in mind that crests are a light duty rim, so you might want to consider something alittle more beefy unless you really get bit by the race bug.

For tires, you can try an ardent front and rear or and ardent race in the rear if you dont plan to murder it on some rocks . They are half the price of the Racing Ray/Ralph.

Consider just getting tires and mounting them to your existing wheelset for this race and go from there...
Click to expand...

I think I will have to do that because a new wheelset in order to work with the new XT groupset would need a new hub type which isn't backwards compatible with the old XT groupset. So that's good advice...
 
carvegybe

carvegybe

Well-Known Member
pooriggy said:
It's your first race, just have fun, go hard and do the best you can. Don't over think this and don't feel you have to outfit your bike with new, lighter xc specific race gear to be competitive. Like Magic said, Wheels won't make you last...but your fitness will. Ok, I added that. :)



Again, take it slow and don't let racing dictate what kind of equipment to buy. You are testing the waters to see if racing is for you, so just go with it. If after a few races you enjoy the competitiveness and want to increase fitness, which is 98% of racing, then start going down the road of putting together a race bike.

Like anything new we try, the hardest part is showing up. It's good to hear you want to try racing, good luck and have fun. We'll be looking for you out there;)
Click to expand...

Thank you. I don't believe fitness will be a problem. The issue is that when riding pine forest trails I need 100W+ extra avg power to keep up with XC colleague who has probably a 30 lbs weight saving over me. His feedback is to dump the minions but I thought to address the narrow rim issue at the same time. Anyway, as was advised below I will heed the advice to just get racier tires for now...let's see what happens.
 
carvegybe

carvegybe

Well-Known Member
stb222 said:
Unless you dont care about the $$, stick with alum rims as even the cheapest carbon rims are still twice the price.

Keep in mind that crests are a light duty rim, so you might want to consider something alittle more beefy unless you really get bit by the race bug.

For tires, you can try an ardent front and rear or and ardent race in the rear if you dont plan to murder it on some rocks . They are half the price of the Racing Ray/Ralph.

Consider just getting tires and mounting them to your existing wheelset for this race and go from there...
Click to expand...

What width for 21mm inner rim?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom