3.0 fireball on dirt?

Does any one use the fireball for muni rides? If so how do you like it?


I've always thought that huge tread on mountainbike tires was overkill.
I'm in the market to replace my original kh-24 tire and I'm hesitant to
go for the infamous gazz.

Comments are welcome from non-fireball users as well.

-Eric


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onefiftyfour - Eric
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I really love the Gazz tire, it does amazing things, Eric. I have a
motto: In Gazz We Trust. It does great on rocky surfaces but it does
not turn well compared to a smaller tire. However, I think the problem
can be overcome with proper technique.

BTW I have a used Gazz tire with worn-down knobbies (mostly in the
center) that you can borrow to get a feel for it on your frame or
whatever. It's just sitting in my garage collecting dust.


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unibabyguy - Hunter-riding Municyclist
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here's what I use: -

http://tinyurl.com/m0s2

It's a 3" knobbly but slightly smaller/lighter than the Gazz.


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onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

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The Fireball is a decent ride in the dirt. I've done a few 3-4 hour
rides with the setup and enjoy it. I actually began enjoying it more
than the Gazz... maybe I'm a weirdo.
[image:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/.../fcacee93.jpg]


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Why are you hesitant about the Gazz?

The Fireball is a great street and trials tire, maybe even good for mild
cross country. If you aren't riding agressive gnarly turf the Fireball
might actually be preferable.

However, If the ground is damp, wet, or greasy, you have to use a lot of
caution - the fireball becomes dangerous since it slides so quickly when
things get moist.

Even if you were applying some solid torque up or down a smooth sandy
hill of you could spin out.

Ironically, I put my fireball on last winter and kept to the dry streets
doing a lot of trials (offroad wasn't happening in New England due to
the snow cover). And don't try to tell me riding in the snow is fun.
It sucks, even with a Gazz.

What kind of terrain are you riding around Austin?

Joe


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merrill - Confinement Loaf

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merrill wrote:
*And don't try to tell me riding in the snow is fun. It sucks, even
with a Gazz. *
I think riding in snow can be lots of fun. Don't focus your frustration
in the wrong place: WINTER SUCKS! Snow can suck when it's in the wrong
place, such as a driveway, or between you and work. But I had a lot of
fun years ago riding in it, especially during my first few winters as a
unicyclist. We used to ride down snow-covered hills, bust through drifts
and plow-piles, and ride on top of giant snow piles built up in large
parking lots.

http://www.unicycling.com/winteruni/


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johnfoss - Now riding to work

John Foss
the Uni-Cyclone
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"Where's my unicycle?" -- Andy Cotter
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Actually, I like winter a lot.

Snowy hills could be fun, but when there's rocks lurking just
underneath, it can get pretty dicey.

I just get frustrated in winter since I can't do the Muni/Trials I'm
accustomed to.

If this winter is like last, I might finally build a studded tire out of
an old Gazz.

In any case, those of us up North have a few more months. ENJOY!


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onefiftyfour wrote:
*the trails here are varied. it is usually dry. can be hilly or
flat. there are alot of rocky sections of different types - loose or
secured babyheads and slabs of limestone.

ive ordered the fireball and i'm going to see how it works out. my
experience with wet rock is that it makes even knobby tires very
slick. i like the idea of a lighter tire. and there are times i'll
be on the pavement riding the neighborhood hills. there are nights i
can't get to the trails, but can get a quick workout in the
neighborhood after 9PM.

by the way. i'll be at the camuniwkend. will i regret taking a
fireball there? i can take the old tire as a back up.

-eric *

In theory shouldn't a slick have better traction on rock, for the same
reason that slicks are better than knobblies on road i.e. more rubber in
contact with the surface?


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onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
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onefiftyfour wrote:
*
by the way. i'll be at the camuniwkend. will i regret taking a
fireball there? i can take the old tire as a back up.
*

The trails are likely to have dry dusty dirt that would have very
minimal traction with the Fireball. I'd put the old knobby tire on the
rim and bring the Fireball as a backup.

You could likely borrow a used Gazz from someone at the CA Muni Weekend
(probably one of the California guys). That would give you a chance to
try it out. Give a shout-out before the muni weekend so someone will
remember to volunteer to bring a used Gazz with them. I could bring a
used Gazz but I'd have to fly with it which gets to be a little
inconvenient.

One of the great things about the CA Muni Weekends is the opportunity to
see and try new and different equipment. It's like a toy store with
free demos.

I'm not actually a fan of the Fireball tire. I don't like the way it
turns. You need to pump it up real high to give the tire a somewhat
roundish profile so it turns somewhat. If the tire is not pumped up
high enough it is almost unrideable.

I like the Hoggy G tire much better. Unicycle.com has them but they're
not in the catalog yet. You would have to call them to order one. The
Hoggy G is a fat slick. About 3mm less wide than the Fireball, but it
has a round profile that makes it a joy to ride on pavement. It's a
true slick (no flame tread) so it would have even less traction than the
Fireball on dirt. The Hoggy G also has a thicker sidewall than the
Fireball which means it behaves better at lower tire pressures. It's
actually fun to do turns on pavement with the Hoggy G.


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john_childs - Guinness Mojo

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[i]
*In theory shouldn't a slick have better traction on rock, for the
same reason that slicks are better than knobblies on road i.e. more
rubber in contact with the surface? *


I would think so. That would indicate that a Fireball might be better
in a dry slickrock situation like a Moab. Anyone experienced this
firsthand?

It would be cool to ride in challenging "Muni-like" conditions where
it's actually drive enough that the Fireball would be preferred, even
for an off-road situation. Sounds like this could be the case in
Austin. Let us know how it goes.

One of these days, I will have two rigs, one with a Gazz, the other with
a Fireball. It ain't happing anytime $oon, but that's my goal.

Joe


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