[Closed] Actually hate myself for asking, but... What tyre???

Crossmark 2 are great, but not as fast as say the Aspen.

I saw a set iirc of new in the classifieds Panaracer Driver Pro TR 29er ones which I was tempted by for £35 posted but were strictly a dry season tyre.

I'm personally going Maxxis Forekaster in preparation and the fact they'll be setup tubeless not wanting faff of changing when I will be needing that mud shedding and grip ability. 😉

-High(ish) volume

-Fast rolling but NOT a Semi slick

-Tubeless ready

-Predictability preferred over outright grip

-Emphasis on dry weather performance though must be a bit more versatile than a Rock Razor or Minion SS

Vittoria Barzo 2.25 currently on offer at Probikekit.

Running an ardent race on the back of my 29er 'xc' hardtail.

- Fast rolling

-Copes with a bit of mud (it clears well), run it from March through till october/november, then swapped to something knobblier.

-Its not a minion exo type casing, but certainly tougher than a normal xc casing. Haven't punched a hole in it yet.

Hutchinson Taipan as reviewed by STW? Can't imagine any 2.25 Maxxis being high volume.

Just resurrected an old WTB Trail Boss Light/Fast 2.25 tyre for the bikes first ride, forgetting how much I liked the tyre. It’s great, but… They’re too flimsy

Just get the Tough Fast rolling version. Have one on the back of the RocketMax, as a rear tire for all year use,  i can't fault it (not great in mud but hey - it's a rear 😀

Hans Dampf?

Got a Bontrager XR3 on the back of my bike at the mo, been going well for the last 12 months.

Specialized Ground Control Grid 2.3" @ £40

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/ground-control-grid-2bliss-ready/p/132128?color=228283-132128

Hans Dampf?

Priority number 1 satisfied... How about number 2 (fast rolling)...?

Vittoria Barzo 2.25 currently on offer at Probikekit.

Have heard mixed reviews (especially in dry dusty conditions, which is what I'm prioritising here, got my mid/soft conditions tyres sorted) and not bothered about the price. Will happily buy the most expensive tyre if it's the right one.

Crossmark 2 are great, but not as fast as say the Aspen.

Fair bit tougher and grippier than the Aspen I suspect! May have to give it a try, was a fan of the 2.25" original Crossmark in 26" flavour at least.

I saw a set iirc of new in the classifieds Panaracer Driver Pro TR 29er ones which I was tempted by for £35 posted but were strictly a dry season tyre.

Looks fast! Also looks like there's naff all grip there at the expense of going fast. If I wanted a fast XC tyre would probably go with Racing Ralph still...

I’m personally going Maxxis Forekaster

Hmmmm good shout. Forgot about them! Although not the largest volume as comes up about same as a 2.25" Schwalbe sadly, but they're light and pretty quick at least.

Running an ardent race on the back of my 29er ‘xc’ hardtail.

2.2 or 2.35"?

Hutchinson Taipan as reviewed by STW? Can’t imagine any 2.25 Maxxis being high volume.

The review said they were quite slow rolling, NOT what I'm after. Also Hutchinson 2.25's measure barely bigger than 2" from experience, their 2.35's usually come in sub 2.2"... Maxxis 2.25's aren't the biggest for sure, but they're normally a solid 2.2" or so depending on internal rim width.

Take the slant 6 off the list, it was alright in the day but it's really in the semislick camp only with less corner grip.

2.2 or 2.35″?

2.35, its a big tyre, much larger volume a 2.3 forekaster.

As much as I would have suggested the Trail Boss (I have a tough/fast one you could borrow, I used to pair it with a Vigilante up front) it doesn't corner anywhere as well as a Minion. Now I've gone to Minions for 3-season riding, I can't switch back to my Trail Boss on the rear.

Mark

i got a 2.3 aggressor exo you can borrow for a week or two if you fancy it?  Running a 2.5 now which I find has more grip but is slightly draggier...make of that what you will.

Russ

On-one Smorgasbord? Always found these very predictable on the rear.

Having said that, I run a Minion DHR2 all year round, as I appreciate the extra grip and braking it offers.

Emphasis on dry weather performance though must be a bit more versatile than a Rock Razor or Minion SS

Have you ridden a Rock Razor? I've run Ardent Races and Ikons and I'd take the Rock Razor over either. Not only is it faster rolling, the big side knobs mean that it gets deceptive amounts of grip both in the corners and when things get a little softer. They sort of dig in like paddles.

So while you may think you'll have 'no traction at all' on the wet bits, the reality is somewhat different especially as the race-type alternatives you've listed give knob all traction on softer stuff anyway. Not great on the brakes on very, very steep stuff, but that's about all and they are proper quick.

I would agree with badlywireddog, the rock razor is fast rolling and has more grip than you'd think.

Vittoria mezcal tnt G+ 2.25

rear tyre: strangely not a sooo difficult question to answer. At least for me.

I hate punctures. And max rear tyre size is 2.3 inch on my frame...

For my 29 er hardtail I use 29 x 2.3 Continental Mountain King Protection.

Shit front tyre. As rear tyre great. Fast rolling, no punctures yet. Expensive so.

Maxxis are very narrow in 2.35 compared to WTB and Schwalbe

im using a minion ss on the back and I don’t think it’s worth the small rolling improvement over the grip of the dhr ii it replaced, which I’m gonna put back on.

Mate has just got the new nobby nic addix and he loves it, much better than the old so maybe a good choice.

A bit left field but I’ve just taken a punt on a set of vee tyres that I picked up cheap from the Malvern bike show thing, £20 a pair!

I’ve gone for a crown r and crown f. Haven’t ridden them yet but they look fast and should have decent grip as well as they have decent side lugs.

Stanton spec them on full builds so while they’re relatively new they seem to have some support. I’ll let you know what they’re like when I’ve ridden them!

pedal addiction cycles in norwich have just advertised they they’re selling them for £40 a pair now.

Ardent race or forekaster. Both of which are available in 2.6" if you want really big volume

Also i think the minion ss is more versatile than you'd think. You dont have to lean it to get a bit of the huge side knobs to dig in especially when they arent on an overly skinny rim

Also the dhr2 is in the dual compound ive heard is supposed to be quite fast.

-High(ish) volume

-Fast rolling but NOT a Semi slick

-Tubeless ready

-Predictability preferred over outright grip

-Emphasis on dry weather performance though must be a bit more versatile than a Rock Razor or Minion SS

-Some level of durability/toughness but without going for Super Gravity style sidewalls (bike is ridden as general XC/trail bike rather than winch and plummet style riding)

I'd say you've just about described a Specialized Slaughter there?

Slaughter is good, but semi slick. Aggressor is better in my opinion. Great all round tyre on everything except soft wet grass. Fast and tough and will for your frame.

WTB Breakout is really really good out back, trail boss is more towards semi slick but not quite. Only issue might be the tough sidewall is very hefty in 29, not tried the light sidewall version. I think wtb tyres are fantastic.

I rode with Ardent Race and Ikons on a recent 3000km bike packing trip the length of New Zealand on a 29er hardtail. Both performed fine on a mix of tarmac, gravel, beaches and singletrack. Ardent race probably the more aggressive and slower rolling of the two but I'd recommend the Ikon.

I've been pretty impressed with the Forekaster so far, especially on soft/loose stuff over hardpack.

Liked the Minion DHF/Ardent Race combo I had on the T130 all through last summer, but absolutely loving the 2.35 Forekasters front and rear at the minute! The front isn't quite as grippy as the DHF (which to be fair is a 3C, the Forekaster is DC) but my god the speed is unreal! The bike now carries speed so much better than before and they seem good in the wet too, dealing with deepish mud and wet rocks/roots well. Now if they did a couple of 3C versions of the Forekaster, Maxxterra for the front and Maxxspeed for the rear, now that would be incredible!

that new rekon race on the front page?

forekaster is a good all round rear tyre but it isnt fast. i keep meaning to change it for a minion SS i have in the shed but i think the weather will break if I do so i'm still rocking a shorty front and forekaster rear.

Slaughter is good, but semi slick

It's not quite a semi-slick more like a low profile centre tread, the tread blocks are more pronounced than the Minion SS (IMO)... it's definitely a "dry weather Gnarr" type tyre...

Have you ridden a Rock Razor?

Yes... And I love it! In fact I'm fast coming round to the fact it's the right tyre for me for most conditions again, just really after the holy grail which is a Rock Razor that just has that bit more bite in the changeable conditions. But that said, I'd rather deal with the Rock Razor's short comings that most others...

i got a 2.3 aggressor exo you can borrow for a week or two if you fancy it?

Cheers Russ, got one here I could fit. I'm not after trying various tyres, I'm after a fit and forget "The One" if that makes sense...

On-one Smorgasbord?

Worst tyre I ever tried!

A bit left field but I’ve just taken a punt on a set of vee tyres that I picked up cheap from the Malvern bike show thing, £20 a pair!

Yeah had looked at Vee Tyres before... Nobody had any experience of their MTB stuff though. I've used their road tyres and been impressed. Thing is though, I just want to chuck something on and leave it there...

Crossmark 2 are great, but not as fast as say the Aspen.

I've looked at Aspens and wondered a few times but always shied away because no-one ever seems to use them.

What are they actually like / how useful for UK conditions, say Dark/White Peak?

If Rock Razors are under consideration but a bit more flexibility is desired, Trailboss?  I find the Trailboss beats out the Razor in the dry and keep going longer once conditions become less ideal.

If Rock Razors are under consideration but a bit more flexibility is desired, Trailboss?

That's what I'm using currently, and I agree... To a point. The Trail Boss in Light/Fast has incredibly weak sidewalls, and the Tough version weighs about as much as a DH tyre! Ideally they'd do a version inbetween but they don't seem to.

Don't you work in the bike industry, so why not get on the case and design a pair that suit.

I see the problem and agree.  The Fast/Light is insanely fragile.  I generally suck it up with the Tough/Fast as a rear because it's so good at what it does.  The conversation is heading toward 'strong/light/cheap' but in tyre terms...  The Tough/Fast casing is enough to shrug off almost any accidental sidewall damage, but that comes at a cost in weight.

Short of revolutionary new space age strong but lightweight layers plyed in, I'm not sure the weight issue of doubleskin sidewalls as a construction technique will ever go away.

the wtb AM version they did before the tough was better for me, it was just double sidewalls not the whole casing or something like that, it was quite a bit lighter and still pretty tough. CRC were flogging them for £15 a tyre I wish I'd bought a load of them

Hans Dampf?

Priority number 1 satisfied… How about number 2 (fast rolling)…?

I was gonna suggest a nobby nic. Both roll surprisingly well for a full knobbly, particularly if you go for the faster compounds. I swapped a Specialized Slaughter out for a Nobby Nic Pacestar and the NN rolls faster (with far better grip in soft conditions).

The Vittorias roll really well too, so I'd go with the Barzo suggested above on the rear, too. I did get a set of Geax that were the older compounds that rolled really well and gripped well in almost all conditions - I had one ride that was a total nightmare, sliding all over the place where everyone else was just finding grip, it wasn't on my normal trails, the roots and mud there just seemed not to get on with the tyres. Newer ones might be better, but even if not, a bit of movement at the back doesn't matter.

p.s. I actually hate myself for answering. But tyres do make a big difference to a bike!

Conti Vert Pro

How does a 650b 2.4 Trail Boss size up? Thinking of pairing it with a 2.3 Magic Mary.

I'm still running my Specialized Hillbilly/Butcher Gripton combo from winter!

Will probably switch the Butcher to the front and chuck a Slaughter on the rear at some point.

Can't remember the last time i had a puncture with the Grid casing (generally run around 21psi front, 24psi rear - i weight about 81kg) and ride a mix of rocky/rooty/loamy stuff

There was 7 punctures on my last Thursday night ride - all tyres with lightweight sidewalls!

Have heard mixed reviews (especially in dry dusty conditions, which is what I’m prioritising here, got my mid/soft conditions tyres sorted) and not bothered about the price. Will happily buy the most expensive tyre if it’s the right one.

I've been running a non G+  aka the less grippy one - race & trail and haven't had an issue in the dry dust.  In fact its significantly more grippy than a Rocket Ron in that regard and I've been able to push into bends a lot harder since I swapped.  Sidewalls a lot stronger also.