do my tires suck, or is it just me

[cx]

i have panaracer XCpro 2.1" tires on my 4500c. until now, i've never ridden any trails with a lot of ruits. but i just moved and the trails here are full of them. i was constantly losing traction. and i ran into a tree for the first time ever when i lost control going downhill. can i blame it on my tires? or am i just the worst mountain biker ever?

[Colin]

Blame it on the tires obviously!

Throw loads of money at it and you're sure to be a better mountain biker...! <GRIN>

seriously though, I find tyres can be very individual to you and the terrain, I normally use tyres that have front and back specific treads and particularly like the Tioga Psycho Edge and TT, but they clog up a bit in the mud.
WTB Velociraptors are good as well.
http://www.wtb.com/products/tires_VelociRaptor.html
and the old classics Panaracer Smoke and Dart.

I've used Tioga DH tyres and hate them,  poor directional control and poor traction. And Specialized Crossroads are a dead loss on road or Off!

do you mean the "Fire XC Pro" tyres?
http://www.panaracer.com/eng/products/mtb/xc.html#e
if so, I think square knobbly tres on the front don't give good cornering, "V" shaped treads like the Dart work better.
Also, sometimes 2.1's don't turn as quickly as narrower tyres?
And finally, tyre pressure, I run them high to bite in, because they sometimes feel very imprecise at low pressures.

But that's all just my opinion!

Bottom line, is you will need to try a few tyres until you find the ones you like, then you'll probably find they don't work well in all conditions, I've got 4 pairs of tyres in the garage for different conditions/seasons....!  

You might need to re-tweak your suspension if the conditions are different to what you're used to..?

Spend loads of money!  

Ha ha ha.......... Col.

[jazclrint]

I used to run Fire Pro XCs.  In fact I still have a barely used set I'm saving for snow.  But, on the back they ROCK.  Tons of traction, but on the front they sucked!  The nobs were always grabbing at the edge of the trail dragging the bike this way or that.  I finally got fed up, did some research and got a set of Michelin Comp S Lites.  WAY better.  And the trails up here in Maine are really rooty, with wet often thrown in.  I highly recommend them.  But grabbing a front specific Panaracer tire to complment your fire pro rear is a cheaper and good way to go also.

Just my $.02

[Carbon_Angus]

i have panaracer XCpro 2.1" tires on my 4500c. until now, i've never ridden any trails with a lot of ruits. but i just moved and the trails here are full of them. i was constantly losing traction. and i ran into a tree for the first time ever when i lost control going downhill. can i blame it on my tires? or am i just the worst mountain biker ever?

in truth a little bit of both.   You aren't used to the type of balance skills for the new type of terrain...and you may need to adjust your suspension...make it softer and let a wee bit of air out of your tires if you can.

i crashed a lot on new trails, too, even fireroads, so don't feel too bad. [smiley=laughing.gif]

[smiley=beer.gif]

ps what kinda fork you running

[jimbo]

i have panaracer XCpro 2.1" tires on my 4500c. until now, i've never ridden any trails with a lot of ruits. but i just moved and the trails here are full of them. i was constantly losing traction. and i ran into a tree for the first time ever when i lost control going downhill. can i blame it on my tires? or am i just the worst mountain biker ever?

Riding on trails like those you described is good for you.  You're forced to learn out to ride them.  You didn't say which tire was losing traction.  I'm assuming the front tire.  

My goal in riding is to keep the front tire in control all the time.  9 times out of 10 I'll crash if the front tire slides.  On the other hand 9 times out 10 I won't crash if my rear tire slides out first.

As a general rule I'll try to weight the front of the bike in turning situations or if traction is limited.  This is ackward at first because the tendency is to slide to the back of the bike.  Here's a picture of Cedric Gracia in a turn.  Look at the elbows.  They are bent and out.  That means he's got a lot of weight on the front of the bike to keep the bike on line.

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/mtbr/gallery/pictures/802C6953.jpg

[xm]

lol. i completely forgot i posted this and posted again last night. need to cut back on those late night posts. but thanks for the feedback. i think the suspension is part of the problem. judy rox shox fork and stock noleen rear.