The places that intimidate me are where its a little bit steeper and going downhill, and there is a 6-9"" drop on the far side of the rock (or root) from erosion. The coordination of riding the brakes to hold speed and not locking up the front tire as it does that 6-9" drop is still beyond my confidence level.
I hear you....and ditto for me. I have encountered a few spots like that recently, inadvertently....ca
me up suddenly around a blind corner kind of situation.....12 to 18 inch drop over large rocks...you know the scene. Cursed loudly, clenched rear cheeks, body rigid....but luckily didn't lock the brakes, so miraculously made it through without falling. Still don't know how that worked (must have had my eyes clamped shut) but blessed my tires for holding their grip.
As an aside, I continue to be amazed at the kind of terrain that the 29er can handle without a blinking or skipping a beat. This is really the first season that I put the new bike through its paces on single track. Those bigger wheels just smooth out the roughest terrain, and make the really knarly stuff seem like child's play. At this point, any limitations are definitely in the mind of the rider, and not with the bike, as I have not found any terrain around here that the bike can't handle with aplomb.
Speaking of tires -- thanks for the advice on the SB8's. Good stuff to know. She has Maxxis Ignitor on there now, which are actually quite light....about 550g or so....but she finds the rolling resistance a bit of a nuisance. She is quite light (115lbs) and is only 12 years old, and is riding a solid bike (not heavy per se, but built for climbing and to take a beating, so not the fastest in straight line acceleration and speed). She could use all the advantage I can give her wrt. tires and bike fit, etc.
Previous tires on her bike were Hutchinson Python which had a solid center bead and rolled smoothly over hard pack. Drawback with those was poor grip on roots and rocks -- she was slipping all over the place, in spots where our other bikes were holding fine. Knowing that there is no such thing as an ideal tire for all conditions, I would like to get her something with low rolling resistance, light underfoot, but still have great edge hold on off-camber slopes, roots, rocks, etc.. The Karma might do the trick very nicely. Also on my short list are Maxxis Larsen, WTB Exiwolf, and the Geax Saguaro. Lots to choose from, and your insight is most helpful.
Anyone else have any experience? Josh, are you tuned in to this thread? You probably eat these tires for breakfast every day
Let me know if you have any advice to toss in here.
Cheers,
Svend