Bones Over Metal Freeride and Downhill Video Blog

At the last Mt Hood race, I met Nils “Gus” Gustafson the founder of Arrow Racing. He and his wife always travel up there from Grants Pass, Or. They bring along their pit trailer full of tires, wheels and other items from Arrow Racing’s stock. Gus eagerly talks about racing, bikes, and tire technology. We had a quick conversation about his racing past. Gus has been involved in everything from nitro burning go-karts to bombers, but his passion as he spoke to me, was about bikes and tires. He was proud that his US based and manufactured tires gave young people the chance to go fast in all sorts of conditions. For video and more story

I took away a pair of Arrow Racing’s Savage tires. These tires had much stiffer sidewalls then the Maxxis Minions I was running and they were heavier. I took them away, because I was intrigued with the possibility of a tire that ran firm with less PSI. The Savage tires are supposed to be best for muddy tread and rock. They are more open and are designed to clean out the mud and packed-in organic more than a tire with a tight cleat pattern. At first, I had a difficult time getting the tires on my rims. The Savages have a seated bead and are difficult to mount on a deep wall rim. I got the right kind of rims, proper time for an upgrade, and took the tires down to my next race. This one was at Port Angeles, WA. For video and more:

It was dry and dusty on Saturday for practice. I began to feel that the tires were not right. I was not hooking up the way I wanted. I then realized that I was running near 30 PSI. This is where I ran my Minions. I liked them firm and felt that I would rather bounce or slide a bit, then get a flat on a race run. On the side wall of the Savage tire, it says, “15-20PSI.” I dropped the tire pressure down a bit, not all the way, that would seam too flat, for sure. The tire hooked up better, especially on smooth, decaying wood and hard pack where I was previously having difficulty. But, I still wasn’t sure I understood the tire. I talked with Jared Hobbs, winner of this years Ashland ‘Spring Thaw’ DH, about it, he runs Arrow Racing tires, as well. He reminded me that the tire can be run with very low pressure. It’s got a thick sidewall!

I took the pressure down to 20PSI. The tire looked as though it had a slow leak when I sat on the bike. To be honest, I was so used to a firm tire, I couldn’t trust the Savage. But, the tire hooked up smart. I could feel the tread caressing the chunder and sticks. The sidewalls held up firm when I pushed the wheel into turns. In fact, I never felt the loss of wheel energy that comes with a flat or low tire. Then on race day, it rained. It rained hard! I ran the Savages with confidence, as if all weekend I’d been preparing for the rain by practicing with the Savage tires from Arrow Racing. I was reminded that I’d always felt that the Minions never cleared well in the mud. The Savages cleared really well. I had a good clean run and took 2nd.

I don’t think I would run the Savage tires in every situation. I don’t think Gus would suggest that I do. I would run them in muddy or rocky courses. I’d have the confidence that the tires would hold up and run firm, even when the PSI is lower than 20PSI. I’m glad to have this set in my quiver. I look forward to testing out their Ramped Bite tires. The Arrow Racing website describes them as having a ramped center and aggressive side knobs. They also have a special sidewall to help in preventing pinch flats. See you at the races.

Words and Video By Mark Brent

Video and Photography Help by Dawn Brent