I've always been reluctant to discuss tyres much. Or engine oil. Or suspension. I suspect many of us can't ride well enough to guage some incremental change in suspension or tyre pattern. But if you do think a tyre can dramatically improve your riding here you go - a comparison of the 80/100-21 90/90-21 and 90/100-21.
The dream tyre! Soaked in the urine of Wade Younge and Graham Jarvis. Each knob polished with cup cakes excreted by unicorns. And side walls strengthened with public hairs from Graham Jarvis.
So lets look at 80/100-21 90/90-21 90/100-21 front tyre profiles. For years the 80/100-21 has been the standard front knobby profile. It's the go to for motocross riders, and some dirt riders are happy with this as it turns nice and fast. For enduro riders, if you like to flick your bike from side to side easily then it's probably the tyre for you.
The 90/90. Sometimes called the chubby (at least by Goldentyre), the 90/90-21 is proving very popular for enduro riders. It's wider for more traction, but the rolling diameter is the same. A good all rounder for the everyday dirt rider.
Then there's the 90/100-21, or the Goldentyre fatty. Wider and taller. Very popular on the hard enduro scene. Great in line stability, it's like having a bit of extra suspension and plenty of grip.
It's taken a while but I've finally managed to try all three tyres. First up, it's hard to make a mistake with your front tyre profile. The changes are noticeable but not huge so I doubt you will regret any particular choice.
Personally, out of the 80/100-21 90/90-21 and 90/100-21 I love the fatty and most of the guys I ride with use the same profile. It's great for slow technical riding, and when running TUbliss you can run very low pressures but still avoid dinging the rim due to the high side wall. If you ride a lot of sand this tyre is much better at riding on top instead of digging into sand. Also many agree it's perfect for two strokes as it can also settle down that slightly twitchy feel they can have compared to a four stroke.
The potential down side? The tyre itself is a bit heavier if you are freak about keeping your bike light. It does increase the seat height slightly, if you are a short rider. The slower steering may not suit some four stroke riders, although very few complain about this. And if you ride a lot of ruts, some say it's actually too wide and they go back to the standard 80/100-21.
And now the 90/90 or the Goldentyre chubby. It's kind of an intermediate profile so I guess you could call it a semi chub. Hmm, that's disturbing isn't it? I've been using a Goldentyre Chubby for a while now and I suspect this could become the default front tyre profile for enduro riders. The extra width is great for traction but with the traditional rolling diameter the bike should still be quite flickable. For short riders, it doesn't make the bike any higher. And I think the Goldentyre chubby will be a clear winner for four stroke owners who don't want to alter their steering geometry with a higher front end.
For me? I'm happy with the Goldentyre chubby on the front end but I think when it wears out I'll go back to the fatty, as the Xtrainer is definitely a twitchy bike once you are up into third gear and beyond.
To finish up with Goldentyre 80/100-21 90/90-21 and 90/100-21 front tyre profiles, I get heaps of questions about tyres which usually I don't answer because I know so little about them and can barely tell the difference between one brand and another. But most of us have settled on Goldentyre because they seem to grip well and they just last so long. They cost a bit more but the little buggers just go forever, at least with our half arsed style of riding lol. Stay rubber side down guys and good luck with choosing 80/100-21 90/90-21 and 90/100-21 front tyre profiles.
Cross Training Youtube channel:
Cross Training Facebook page:
Our enduro vlog series:
Cross Training website:
Like to support our vids?
Traction eRag:
#crosstrainingenduro #enduro #tractionerag #dirtbike
0 Comments