Baja Divide

[kootenay]

I have a friend who is planning to ride the Baja Divide in January. Right now we are looking at tire options. He will be using 27.5+ tires. Curious what peoples thoughts are on the Maxxis Chronicle vs Minion for desert riding. We do not have that terrain locally so my knowledge is limited. He will be pulling his kids on trail-a-bikes as well as being loaded.

 

[Howard70]

Schwalbe Rocket Ron's

I'd run Schwalbe Rocket Rons in 3". Set up tubeless with Caffelatex sealant.

However, I'm curious about tackling the Baja Divide with kid(s) on trail-a-bikes. Is that a trail-a-bike behind the main bike and then a trail-a-bike behind that? Do you know if your friend has previously done soft-surface short or extended tours with that set up? No judgment implied, just curious. The early sections of that route can get pretty cold & wet in January.

Howard L. Snell

 

[kootenay]

Thanks for the reply. He tried Schawlbe in the past, and did not find they lasted as long as they needed. So he is looking at Maxxis or WTB at this point. But based on your experience did the Rocket Ron have enough traction and tough enough sidewalls for long extended remote travel in the desert? Based on that I can help guide hid tire choice in the brands he is looking at.

As for his experience I will attach a link to his website. Dan and his wife are true adventurists and are raising two more in their children. My daughters are friends and the same age as his daughter, and I cannot imagine doing the trips his family has done. So I understand your questions.
https://www.simplypropelled.com/simply-propelled

 

[Howard70]

Dan and his wife are true adventurists and are raising two more in their children. My daughters are friends and the same age as his daughter, and I cannot imagine doing the trips his family has done. So I understand your questions.
https://www.simplypropelled.com/simply-propelled

That's an understatement! Thanks for the link - if any family can pull off run of the Baja Divide with trail-a-bikes it would be these folks.

My experience with Schwalbe's Rocket Rons is with the "Snakeskin" version. I've found them to be great, durable tires for bikepacking & general riding. I have about 1,200 miles on my current set and they look good for at least a total of 2,000. However, I'm a bikepacker not a racer (any longer) and I never lock them up for slides - they always roll. I suspect more aggressive riding styles would not see that sort of mileage. I also run them at about 15 lbs pressure - higher than most folks on a 3.00". I like the low rolling resistance and great sidewall protection that pressure provides. I think the "Liteskin" version is considerably less durable.

Keep us posted, I would certainly like to hear more about this trip as it develops. Those are some lucky kids!

Howard L. Snell

 

[Co-opski]

I will be doing the Southern Cape Loop La Paz to La Paz this winter and I'm building up a set of 27+ for my Fatback and my wife's Helga. No plan on tires yet but this is from the website.

Invest in durable, high-quality, tubeless tire casings such as Maxxis EXO, Terrene Tough, WTB TCS Tough, Vittoria TNT, Specialized Grid (although the 27.5×3.0 Control casing is also durable), Surly 60tpi TR, Schwalbe Snakeskin, etc.

https://bajadivide.com/route-details/bike/

I've never used Maxxis so I cannot comment on the Chronicle vs Minion. But I personally would roll with the Chronicle. If the Surly ExtraTerrestrial came in a 27.5x3.0, not the 26x2.5 that would be sick.

Now for the Trail-a-bike! They come with a 20 inch wheel. And I'm a big Schwalbe Kool-aid drinker. If the Marathon Plus was wider than the 20x1.75 that they offer that would be the ticket. I would think getting the widest tire on the trail-a-bike would help get you through the sandy sections. Schwalbe offers the Blackjack in a 20x1.9 and it looks like a small Nobby Nic. The road balloon Big Apple comes in 20x2.0 and they roll like a dream. But if I had to drag kids on a bike through MX I would put the Jumping Jack on the trail-a-bike, it comes in a whopping 20x2.25 wide.

Specialized makes the Big Roller 20x2.8 and Maxxis makes the Creepy Crawler in 20x2.5 These are built tough for dirt jumpers and I would mount it up to a rim like Alex DM24 20inch by 32.2 mm wide, Sun big baller 20" x 32.5mm or Odyssey g Sport Roll Cage 20"x34mm to give that tire a nice flat profile.

 

[mfd]

Chronicle rolls much faster than the minion but doesn't have quite as aggressive tread pattern. For something like the Baja the Chronicle would be my choice. I ran one on the rear of my bike in April for the AZT and it held up great, no flats, never even had to add a pump of air over 10+ days of riding.