Panaracer Fire XC pro

[mfgp]

Anyone have experience with these tires?  I'm looking for something with good all-around XC capabilities.  I often ride in areas with sand and sometimes slippery roots/rocks.  Haven't found a tire that performs well in both conditions.  

Any input is appreciated.  

TIA  

[RED5]

It's one of the best performing do-everything tire made for XC.  [smiley=nod.gif] Personally, for a tire that weighs under 600grams, I have found none better. The Fire makes an exceptional tire front and rear, but if you want a real good setup try combining the Fire front with a Trailblaster on the rear. I use 2.1's front & rear for both, awesome. One tip thought to running the Fire front & rear, run both in the direction specified for the rear use. It cuts down on the rolling resistance on the front quite a bit. Good luck.

[Matno]

I doubt you'll find a better all-around tire. That seems to be the consensus of a LOT of riders, not just me. I love mine. Even slightly better than my beloved Ritchey Z-max/Omegabite combo! Plus they come with cool sidewall colors...

If you're looking for a tire that will do well on both sand and rocks/roots, forget it. Such a tire does not exist. In fact, there isn't a tire made that works well in sand. When it comes to sand, you have the choice between bad and really bad.

And I have my doubts about tires that claim to stick to slippery roots too. Maybe studded tires, but rubber just won't stick to some roots. Period.

The Fire XC Pro works well in loose dirt and hard pack, and marginally well in mud. Hard to ask for more in a lightweight, cheap tire. Be sure to get the 127 TPI version, not the 66 TPI. There is a HUGE difference in ride quality, traction, and durability. (And not much of a difference in price - $22 for the good ones, $15 or so for the cheap ones).

[mfgp]

Thanks for the input, folks.  Looks like I'll be ordering some shortly.  

[GrimJack]

I've found a number of tires that stick very well to everything except slickrock.

Michelin wildgrippers, Maxxis Mobsters and Highrollers in the Super Tacky variant, and Intense makes one that is really good as long as it's dry out.

The Michelins seem to wear better than anything else while still giving the traction I need, and I use them for riding the shore here, which is usually wet.  We have roots and other slimy stuff to spare - let me know if you don't have any, I'll ship you a care package.

The only downside is that all of these are NOT XC variants - not sure if they make super sticky XC tires at all.  The Maxxis gives the absolute best traction, but they wear out fast - a few months of weekly riding is the best you'll get.

All of these are so soft that slickrock will tear them apart in a few hours.  

[Dennis]

although I ordered Schwalbe tires for Blue Crush, since reading this thread and mtbr.com, I think the FireXC pros are worth looking into.
also, I found the Soma Inferno XC 2.1, Its made by panaracer and is identical to the Fire XC, except its got some material called "hypertex" added to it to give it better pinch flat protection.
also, its got a white band on the sidewall, pretty unique looking.
[smiley=groucho.gif]

[Mike_Farris]

I don't know if anyone's interested, but Performance Bike has the good version of the Fire XC's on sale, in blue wall, for $18 each. The only thing is that they're narrow... 26x1.8. Based on the description from their site, they HAD 2.1's, but don't have them anymore. Anyway, I ordered a set last week, and have them in my hot little hands right now...  

Considering that when I DO get my fat posterior off of the couch and go ride, I usually ride XC trails... so I don't think the narrow width will make much difference. The tires I have on my primary ride are 26x1.95, so the new treads aren't that much narrower.

Can't wait to get my bike built... red 856, electric blue fork, blue walled tires, blue kevlar on the saddle, yellow decals...  

[zulu]

  Sounds like a good looking rig be sure to post pics when you get it finished.
The Fire XC are the way to go for XC riding they work well in a lot of different conditions and are forgiving when they need to be.

[mfgp]

Hey Mike,

That sounds just like my rig!  Red with blue fork...and probably blue tires.  Just got the frame last night.  Getting ready to transfer the parts off my old rig tonight.  Should be ready to go by Thursday.  

[Mike_Farris]

Well, I've had the bits and pieces for a while... but I've been busy remodeling my kitchen, and the wife wants it done before a party we're planning for the 26th of April. So, I haven't had much time to get the bike together. Combine that with another bike I'm working on for a friend, and it gets real interesting...  

Anyway, here's some basic specs:
• 856 frame, purchased NOS from eBay. Looks like new. Beautiful.
• Stratos Helix Expert rear shock, used from eBay.
• Manitou SX fork, electric blue. Perfect condition.
• ESP 9.0 rear mech and shifters, Deore LX front mech, 8 speed for the time being... I'll upgrade to 9 when I get some more cash...
• El-cheapo Coda Crank, which will probably be upgraded to a Truvativ sometime soon as well
• WTB Speedmaster rims, LX hubs, double-butted DT spokes, built by me a couple of years ago. These are the second set of wheels I built, and seem to be pretty good.
• 1st generation LX v-brakes, Avid SD levers. The Avid levers make even the crappiest v-brakes perform like champs. Maybe I'll upgrade to discs, but not for a while.

Most of these parts are on another bike, whose frame will be put up for sale when I get the 856 done. My main bike is a 94 Specialized S-Works that I built, and I originally thought that having a clone of that bike with a rigid fork would be pretty sweet. Well, I got the rigid S-Works together, and rode it twice. It just beat me up too badly. Hence, the desire to go full-suspension and hang out with you guys...


Anyway, I'll definately have it done sometime in May at the latest. After doing all this remodeling work on my house, and getting married/planning my wedding last year, and NOT RIDING for about a year and a half, I'm starting to go nucking futs. I need to ride in the worst possible way.  [smiley=coolfrown.gif] [smiley=furious.gif] [smiley=upset.gif] [smiley=bleh.gif]

I'll be sure to post pics when it's done. Jeez... I can't wait...