Anyone ever ridden with a front ribbed tire? If so, what are the pro's and con's?
I know this is an old post but I thought that I could add some info on the qoute above.
I have always and only used the King's ribbed front sand tire (the matching front tire for the rear King's Turbo Paddle). I have ridden other friends bikes in the sand with nobbies and definately notice a difference. Your specific suspension settings will definately effect any tire you use in the front, especially in the sand. But with all things trying to be equal, the ribbed tire has a few pros and cons.
Pros: It has great curving/cutting characteristics. Holds very nice at 45 degree angles. Does not throw up alot of sand.
Cons: Sometimes will add headshake at speeds over 50 mph in a straight line (not a common riding style in the sand). Sand that has recently been rained on and is drying out, the different textures will be a little more noticeable (i.e. turning on ridge or face and cutting through the dry sand and hooking up on the wet sand will be a bit more dramatic than a nobbie. And the most dangerous, when jumping or doing wheelies, you need to be careful setting the front tire down off angle, you might get tossed off because the tire will hook up.
The cons sound a bit overbearing, but the pros are 4 to 1 in my opinion over them. Most people definately have a hang up on the looks as well (I guess that could also be a con. lolol)
Anyway, hope this helps some people.
FuriouSly