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Bontrager Big Earl Tyre


ben_travis

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Righty Hoes....

My previous tyres have always been maxxis high roller or minions in a dual ply, and always felt fine with these tyres - great price, great puncture resistance and stable on the back wheel on off-camber objects - which always made me return to them. I have always run app. 20-25psi in my tyres, which led me to never really getting a pinch puncture, brilliant all round tyre.

After seeing that Stan Shaw was now using a continental rubber queen rear tyre - a 2.4 incidentally (not quite as wide as a maxxis) and came in at a reasonable 850ish grams, which is pretty darn reasonable if you ask me. (Further to this, the tread looks really good as well and more information can be found out about that tyre here - Continental Rubber Queen) I wanted to find a decent light tyre with good grip for a very good price.

A trip to the LBS led me to the bontrager big earl tyre. The version I am currently using is 2.5" wide, with a very good grip (that i have found so far), although I am yet to find out the tyres performance in the wet, however i do feel that it will work pretty well. The tyres weight is shown as 726gr, however i cannot confirm this, while there is an option of a wire bead tyre which comes in at a mere 1035gr, which still is not too bad for the weight weenies. Furthre to this the tyre was only £22.50 from Alpine Bikes, however i reckon you will be able to get the tyre through any TREK dealer (or anyone who might deal with Madison).

So far i have ridden natty and street on this tyre and am yet to find any problems with the tyre really!

Really impressed and thought i would bring this to the front as a possible future tyre for some of those interested in saving some weight.

Some more information on these tyres can be found here - Bontrager Big Earl - Folding

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b*****d, I only just got my Rubber Queen, which is amazingly bouncy and grippy, and doesn't pinch all that easily.

I also reckon that the Rubber Queen is bigger than a Minion, because when I was running my minion it had massive knobbles compared the the rubber queen, but had more clearance in my frame.

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Mine is a wet compound. LIke i say, i am yet to try it out in the wet or anything, but i am hoping for some good results. *fingers crossed*

I am running around 25-30 psi in this tyre, and it feels really good, sidewalls seem stable enough, and was barely rimming out when i was doing rail gaps yesterday. I would say its pretty stiff, although due to the obvious weight difference i would say its a single ply (but considerably thicker than a single ply maxxis).

I am by no means a tyre know-it-all, I just thought i would give my thoughts, so do not take it as gospel, nor should my post be interpretted as - you will not get any punctures, and this will be the best purchase you have ever made - as i have not tested the tyre intensively enough as yet.

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This website (bikeradar) is a really good tool, and has loads of tyre reviews to boot! (Y)

max

true...but a tyre suitable for mtb might not be suitable for trials...so i would take their reviews with a pinch of salt.....

we, for instance, need far softer compunds, far larger carcass tyres, and a lot more puncture resistance than is normally necesscary

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b*****d, I only just got my Rubber Queen, which is amazingly bouncy and grippy, and doesn't pinch all that easily.

I also reckon that the Rubber Queen is bigger than a Minion, because when I was running my minion it had massive knobbles compared the the rubber queen, but had more clearance in my frame.

even stan pinched his rubber queen...

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  • 1 month later...
How is the tire going Ben? Still got it?

still running it aye :). had one puncture on it. but that was glass....

Really liking the tire and would definitely recommend one to anyone really :).

fair amount of tread left on it as well!

Edited by ben_travis
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wait a sec

details from dexter

big earl

  • Big tires for maintaining momentum and controlled landings
  • Gum-Bi compound gives stellar grip without premature wear
  • Edge knobs are reinforced under the outer tread to maintain stiffness
  • Condition specific design for traction on any surface
  • Stability Control Casing (SCC) reduces squirm at low air pressure
26 x 2.5 (64/55) 1035g

Bontrager Big Earl Folding

  • Big tires for maintaining momentum and controlled landings
  • Gum-Bi compound gives stellar grip without premature wear
  • Aramid bead makes these 2.5" tires lighter than their SCC versions
  • Wet and Dry condition-specific tread designs
26 x 2.5 (64/55) Dry 725g

Bontrager Big Earl TLR ARC

  • Mid-volume version of the class-defining Big Earl series
  • Condition specific tread patterns for traction on any trail
  • Tubeless Ready delivers reduced weight and the ability to run low pressure for better traction
  • Abrasion Resistant Casing (ARC) makes this tire durable while adding minimal weight
26 x 2.35 (54/59) 860g Edited by Synergy
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I haven't tried the Big earl tire, but it seems nice. However, I have had a few Bontrager Earl(model beneath big earl) 2.4 tires. They were quite soft, had good bounce, excellent grip, but I found they pinched on everything. Good price though.

I really liked the tread design, if it had better sidewalls this would be an excellent tire.

http://www.bontrager.com/model/02869/en

Edited by Jason222
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still running it aye :). had one puncture on it. but that was glass....

Really liking the tire and would definitely recommend one to anyone really :).

fair amount of tread left on it as well!

Ta Ben, good to see people trying different tires to Maxxis. I've still got the Rubber Queen on and I love it, the wear rate is astonishing considering how grippy it is. Also got a "different" front tire on the way that I'm hoping will be good! :shifty:

Is the one you have the lighter one at 750 grams ish? That is very light for a rear tire!

Also have you tried a Rubber Queen and how does the Big Earl compare to it? :)

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