Maxxis Raze and Notubes

I tried a new tire with my notubes setup - the Maxxis Raze.

The tire felt really good, but there are some caveats. Keep in mind I'm about 195 pounds, so some issues exist for me that might not exist for someone much lighter than myself...which seems to be most of the peleton.

First, you can't go too low with the air pressure, because the tire will collapse on itself when you hit big turns on the pavement. It's not as bad as with Conti Twisters, but it's still notable. So minimum pressure isn't just enough to keep the rim from bottoming out, but a little more. Actually, this is true for all clinchers I've tried running Notubes.

Second, I experienced more "burps" with this tire than others. I'd do a sloppy superman remount on a hard surface or hit a big rock and I'd silently loose a little air. And as I said above, you don't want the air pressure too low. And what that told me was I can't bank on the tires staying on the rims during a race. I don't necessarily know that's a fair assumption, but I'm not up for racing on a tire I'm not confident in.

After two rides of having the tire on rear-only, I decided to switch back to Michelin Mud2. I know they'll stay on, and they seal great.

I've heard the Maxxis Locust works great for notubes, so I might try that next. I'd also like to try a pair of Hutchenson tires as well. But it's getting kind of expensive so I'll wait and see.