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I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, 27.5+ flavour. Currently it has Maxxis Rekon 2.8 both front and back, and I think they are kind of draggy.
On my 29'er hardtail I have a Nobby Nick up front, and a Rocket ron in the back, both 2.4 wide. That combination is pretty much ideal for the type of rinding I usually do. I ride about 7 miles of tarmac before I get to the trail, and the same distance back.
Once I get enough cash saved up, I will build a 29 inch wheelset for the Tallboy, but I was kinda curious if anyone had tried changing 2.8 Rekons for 2.8 Rocket Rons? It might tide me over for a while, especially since DT Swiss hubs are in pretty short supply at the moment.
Woth giving it a go, or waste of money?
Maxxis Rekon 2.8
Least draggy 2.8 I’ve tried… and they size up more like a 2.6 … not sure the switch would be worth it. Perhaps look at 2.6 not Maxxis tyres.
I went the other way on my old solaris. The Ron is a decent rear tyre if you're light on tyres but I found them too fragile. It is slightly faster rolling and slightly bigger in volume than the rekon at the expense of durability. You need to decide what is most important to you.
One thing I found is that a maxxterra rekon is notably draggier than the dual compound version so that may be worth swapping if yours is the maxxterra.
2.8 Icon is also worth a look, useless in mud though.
WTB ranger 27.5+ 2.8 here, not draggy at all.
Good points!
I have been running Rockets for a while on the hardtail, no problems so far.
The knobs are smaller, but there are more of them than on the Rekon. When on tarmac the Rocket Ron sounds like a swarm of bees, the Rekon is much louder... In my head, that means more drag?
Hmmm... I am still confused, but now on a higher level.
minion ss or spesh slaughter on the rear? i got the slaughter as they were doing them for 22.50 for a while and it made a massive difference compared to a DHR, believe it or not... 😀 have DHF on the front.
2.8 Ikon+ Maxxspeed is what you’re after. Been running one on the rear for over a year now. Only swapped back to a Rekon in the depths of last winter.
Ikon actually holds on pretty well in the wet, up until the point of standing mud. On trail centre surfaces you could probably run it all year round.
The Ron was a waste of time. Very fast rolling and lovely and supple. BUT it would puncture almost every ride on the south downs. The final straw was when it punctured in an offroad duathlon. I'd go for the Rekon or a Bonty XR2 or XR3 in either 2.6 or 2.8 - They are bang on size too.
Yep, I ran a Rocket Ron for a couple of weeks on the back of my Sonder Transmitter and just found it fast but fragile as in flatting several times pretty much every ride. Switched to a 2.8 Rekon, which I found a pretty good balance between grip and rolling resistance.
If you want fast, there's a 2.6 version of the Rock Razor which should do nicely.
No trouble using the Rons on my Cotic hardtail. Usually at about 15 psi. Did change to a better front Bontrager XR5?. Only issue was after 1 - 2 years use the sidewalls go & then you enter puncture city, even running tubeless.
No trouble using the Rons on my Cotic hardtail. Usually at about 15 psi. Did change to a better front Bontrager XR5?. Only issue was after 1 – 2 years use the sidewalls go & then you enter puncture city, even running tubeless.
Were you running plus sizes? My impression is that the 2.8 Rocket Ron is proportionately lighter and more fragile than smaller versions.
Isn't the Forkaster more akin to a Rocket Ron ?