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Soooo, after about 25 years away from mountain bikes (and being a roadie in the meantime) I'm dipping a toe back in and bloody hell things have changed a bit. I used to race a little bit and rode bikes like the Marin Pine Mountain and Cannondale M2000. All fully rigid bikes with 500mm wide bars, cant brakes and 1.8" tyres (when you just lobbed on something like a Farmer John and that was it). Due to the increasingly hostile environment of the roads now I'd been thinking about trying off-road again and was very honest with my LBS about knowing nothing. I'm never going to be one for bug jumps or drops and instead favour single-track, woodland trails, and farm-tracks etc. I'm in North Hants so have lots of access to that sort of terrain. Never a climber as I'm 6'1" and 83kgs anyway.
I've ended up with a Trek Roscoe 8 which is so hilariously different to what I knew I almost dropped it on the first ride just getting used to the geo (having spent the intervening time in a head down, arse up position of course). Yes I know that Trek will get some heat here but I picked it up for £1500 rather than £2200 due to a tiny paint nick on a seat-stay and it seems a pretty decent bike to me. So far I've changed the grips (to PNW Loams), the dropper lever (also a PNW Loam), saddle (SDG Bel-Air 3), added Hope Union TC pedals and I have cut the bars down from 780mm to 760mm (and may go to 750mm) - the 780's just felt too wide for me after a few rides (not particularly wide-shouldered). I've tweaked the cockpit set-up in terms of lever angles etc, and also dropped the stem down a couple of spacers as I run my saddle quite high (long legs).
One question I do have is regarding tyres because this seems a particularly confusing area with even the same tyre having various compounds and sidewalls etc. The Roscoe comes with 2.6 XR4 Team Issues and they seem fine but I can imagine wanting something a little faster rolling once the drier weather comes around. They are set-up for Tubeless and it does seem that the MTB world is now far more adventurous and keen to try new things than the road world which is largely hamstrung by UCI regs. So, looking ahead to Spring and Summer, what would be ideal options for tyres for the sort of riding I'm going to be doing. I ride from my house as I'm straight into countryside and it's unlikely that I'm going to be hitting any bike parks or trail centres in 2023 as I'm keener to work on re-learning old and new techniques and skills on the hardtail more locally.
Any help, thoughts or advice gratefully received! Be gentle.
Soooo, after about 25 years away from mountain bikes (and being a roadie in the meantime)
My sympathies
I'd leave the xr4 on the front and go for an ardent/mezcal type tyre on the back XR2 to keep it on brand
Personal preference though innit
Roscoe is a + tyred 29er, I believe? 2.6 and up? Personally, I find XR4s a pretty good all year round tyre (though not great in mud, so I avoid mud 🙂 ) Plus size has gone out of favour, so bit limited on the 2.6 front - could go WTB, like the Trail Boss. I liked them, but pretty heavy.
Shame Bonty's XR3 don't come in a nice fat 29 x 2.6
OK so the +tyre thing is new to me. Does that mean I can't run something like a 2.3 for dryer summer riding?
Honestly, I wouldn't change anything.
Just ride it and see how you get on.
When it's drier you can get away with slightly higher pressures which helps with rolling.
But anyway, seems silly to change things before you've really got a feel for them.
I used to race a little bit and rode bikes like the Marin Pine Mountain and Cannondale M2000. All fully rigid bikes with 500mm wide bars, cant brakes and 1.8″ tyres
One of my bikes is a rigid Pine Mountain, albeit a 2017 or so model, with 2.6 tyres, disc brakes and 760 bars. Love it. Perfect for the riding you describe.
Welcome back anyway. 😊👊
Does that mean I can’t run something like a 2.3 for dryer summer riding?
It'll be fine, you might just have a slightly lower BB than intended. I'd go the other way round though - a blocky 2.3 for the winter (with masses of clearance) and a fast XC tread 2.4 to 2.6 (or full 29+) in the summer, at lower pressures to roll easily.
I love the XR4 as a fast summer tyre actually.
If you're not riding anything too challenging then a semi-slick rear might be good for the summer though.
You might want to consider something slightly more toothy on the front if you move into more technical riding in the mud as well.
I'll be honest, I thought the "thoughts" would mainly be: "HOW MUCH!?!"
Yes that is a plus tyred bike intended for use with plus sizes. You probably could run 'normal' sized ones. I use 2.3 Racing Ralphs on my rigid bike and they are great even in relatively muddy conditions. Run tubeless at 22.5 psi for my 90kg weight. I find Schwalbe tyres have better carcass construction and can be run at lower pressures for more grip without bouncing around when you pedal.
Maxxis ikon and Bonty xr2 both come in 2.6 and sound like what you are looking for
Yeah, if the rims aren't too crazy-wide, you could go down to 2.3s - I wouldn't though (especially on the rear) - nice fat tyres on the back of a hardtail are great. An XR2, as mentioned above 2.6 would be well rapid 🙂
Effectively a 'what tyre?' thread but with a good cover story... nicely played 👌
Magic Mary 2.6 on the front if you do decide you need something more winter-friendly BTW.
😉
I would certainly echo the suggestion of a Vitoria Mezcal. I’ve got one in 29x2.6 and it feels like free speed compared to more winter friendly tyres. Loads of volume for comfort. Won’t be fitting it again till after Easter though I would think.
Thanks all - this is much appreciated. So the XR4 is a pretty decent tyre and something like an XR2/Mezcal could work for the summer if I lean that way after a few more months riding.