HRRacing wrote:typeone wrote:Hammer wrote:The Arena screams Ok on all types of terrain. Not great for anything.
raced a Sprint Enduro yesterday with the Arena mounted... i didn't like it at all. it's tall and skinny which messed with my brake/gas switchback cornering feel. it did better when the terrain dried up a little and you were climbing in a straight line, but in the morning when it was wet, it was slipping more than i thought it would. ran 5-8psi throughout the day.
going back to my preferred do-it-all the Tractionator Enduro S/T.
What size Arena did you try? What was trail conditions; roots, ruts, rocks, log crossings? Hill climbs? Do you think it's not a good "race" tire but good trail tire? Just looking for more detailed feedback. I'm interested in trying one.
tried the 110/100-18, it is noticeably skinnier and taller than the Tractionators, maybe the 120 would have been better? not sure. i suspect that riders that like trials tires would maybe like the Arena more than i did.
yes, terrain was mixed from wet, slick switchbacks, roots, rocky up/down hills, few ruts but nothing deep, no log crossings. the race was held at my local riding area so i know the terrain well and how other tires have performed. it's not like the tire was crazy terrible, it just didn't seem to perform as well as i was used to.
as the trails started to dry out (a little), it did better on the rocky hill climbs but the corners is where i really felt the most difference. it would slide very easily when leaned over a bit. that bugged me a lot. it made me lose confidence on sections i usually feel great on. to be fair, it was very slick in the morning but i've ridden that area in pouring rain a few times before. Tractionators always did great.
i'm an upper-mid pack C-level rider so 'race' and 'trail ride' end up being pretty similar
i don't putt around and can have some great days but i'm not an A/B level ripper.
if most of your terrain is rocks, roots, trees and generally straight rather than leaned over a lot, i bet it would do better.