Goodyear Newton MTR vs DHR2 vs Big Betty vs Kryptotal

Newton is a great all condition tyre both ends, I prefer them to DHF/ R Minions and the front works well in the winter, rear not as grippy as a 2.4 DHR in the wet wet though.

Ah thanks - might give it a swerve then for now as I want at least 2.4” dhr2 grip or more I think

I love my michelin wild enduro. But the new continental looks awesome 👌 I may see if I can buy a pair to try

The rear wild enduro looks less grippy for slop than my dhr2.

I do have a front wild enduro magi x or worn shorty I could try on the back for free though 🤷‍♂️🤔

If I’ve got a 2.5 maxx terra dhf I could try on the back?

The 2.4 dhr2 is imo a lot better than the 2.3, it's as big a difference as you get between 2 different tyre models sometimes... The Newton doesn't seem as sticky, it's got great tread and makes good grip out of most things but on muddy rock etc it just felt skiddier. It's weird, it didn't feel like hard rubber.

Haven't used a kryptotal,but the argotal I have is bloody good, not the right tyre for your job but conti have made a big step forward with that one so if the kryptotal is as good then it'll be ace.

So the Newton doesn’t sound like an upgrade over what I have.

Toyed with putting the spare front Wild Enduro I have on the back and trying that out - but comparing the 2 tyres side by side the knobs don’t look much bigger on the middle of the WE than the 2.3 Dhr2 I’ve got (side knobs on the WE are significantly bigger though).

Big Betty seems monumentally heavy even in Super Trail - I just don’t need / want a near 1300g rear tyre. I want big middle knobs on a lighter casing than super trail is.

Found a dhr 2.4” exo / dual compound at tredz for 39.99 once you use the £5 off voucher and a Kryptotal trail 2.4” for £44.99 at CRC. Decided to get the Kryptotal just for a change of brand and to see what it’s like. Will see how big the centre tread is once it arrives - if not much better than the dhr2 2.3” maybe I’ll swap it for a 2.4” dhr2.

Tyre nerdery now ended here (for at least a few weeks) 🤣

I found that the big betty super gravity soft had more rolling resistance than the 2.3 dhr II maxterra DD, but not noticeably more braking grip, so have gone back to DHR II on the rear.

I always end up back on the DHR II, just because I like its balance of rolling speed and braking grip.

Currently running an assegai max terra on the front - seems fine to me. Have tried a magic mary - also seems fine, cant tell much differnce between them.

I often tend to end up back on dhr2 to be honest - if I’d found a 3c 2.4” for similar money I’d probably just have bought it.

The Hillbilly up front is just insanely good in the kind of conditions I was riding in yesterday - so much grip and didn’t slip once - even on slimy / steepish descents where other tyres I’ve run over the years have struggled (WE 2.4 gum-x and magi-x / 2.35 Magic Mary Soft / DHF 2.5” 3c max terra etc).

Previous Hillbilly in 27.5” flavour struggled and felt vague on hardpack - but this one in 29er feels more like a magic Mary does when it comes to hardpack.

I do have a front wild enduro magi x or worn shorty I could try on the back for free though

Put the Wild Enduro on the back and give it a go.

I'm doing it based on a couple of people recommending it for the wet, and I'm really impressed. I also have a Big Betty and DHR2 on the go at the mo, and I think it has a bit more bite than either of those. Doesn't pedal badly at all either.

joebristol
Full Member

Big Betty seems monumentally heavy even in Super Trail – I just don’t need / want a near 1300g rear tyre. I want big middle knobs on a lighter casing than super trail is.

Said it before but the previous generation of supergravity's one of the best hard-use trail tyres ever made. But the current Super crop, they just seem to have totally ****ed it. Carcasses are a tricky balancing act to be fair but they had it so right, and they also have a ton of experience with snakeskin of how to do it badly.

My take on this is stick with what works for most of the season and embrace the sketch for the other times.

If you constantly scale up tyres for the worst of the season, you'll be riding on heavy draggy velcro for the rest of the time unless you want to change tyres every 5 minutes.

unless you want to change tyres every 5 minutes.

I quite like a tyre change tbh!

Takes all sorts I suppose! 🤨

To update this thread I picked up a 29x2.4 Kryptotal Re in trail / endurance flavour. The softer compound tyres only came in heavier casings and I just don’t think I need them.

Much chunkier than a 2.3” DHR2 - I failed to get it on the rim with a rimpact in thought - just couldn’t get the final 8” of tyre over the wall of the rim. Tried working some slack round / lifting up the insert and stuffing it underneath / trying to get as much tyre into the middle of the rim etc.

So fitted it without (I’m sure this is burly enough without for what I rode in all probability) and it popped onto the rim well enough. Loads of stans in there - next day I went to have a look and it had gone flat. So I pumped it up again and bounced round the garden on the bike / have the wheel a good spin etc. Stayed up since then.

I’d say it seemed to leak quite a bit of sealant vs other tyres I’ve run - ended up all over the back of the bike whilst driving to the Mendips. Stayed up all ride though so assuming it just needed riding to settle it down.

In terms of performance it’s a good step above a 2.3” dhr2 3c max terra exo for the kind of conditions we have at the moment. It was a mixture of solidly frozen ground / breaking through big sheets of ice on top of puddles and mud puddles / slop on the actual bike trails in Rowberrow Warren.

Between the Hillbilly and Kryptotal I had fantastic grip today - could still lean into corners and just cut through the top layer of slush and it had brilliantly braking grip. Drive forward is also much better in the mid and on steeper / slicker bits of climbing.

Pretty happy so far.

How does the Kryptotal roll? I’m currently dragging a WTB Judge around which is amazingly grippy, but bloody awful to wind up. My summer setup of 2.3 DHR2 exo dual compound with a Rimpact is much lighter and much faster, but is no where near as confident in real muck.

Hard to say as it was a combination of ice and slop today. I think it was rolling alright up the fire roads - I didn’t notice it being particularly draggy. The enduro / DH casings must be properly heavy though and maybe the softer compounds might drag. Where my 2.3” dhr2 was spinning previously the Kryptotal was just powering through completely hooked up.

I avoided the judge due to the very heavy casing - even a super trail big Betty would be lighter I think. If I’d found a 2.4” dhr2 in exo / 3c max terra for a sensible price I’d have been tempted with one of those - but also fancied trying something different and the contis do that. Could be tempted with a front one for the spring / summer instead of the dhf I’ve got. Meant to be closer to an Assegai - but cheaper.

Another decent ride on the new tyre today - 25km and 630m of climbing. Some biblical mud - but the Kryptotal / Hillbilly combo were epic.

Got a few downhill pbs somehow and apart from the bridleway we found that was 3 or 4 inches deep (or more) of clay type muddy slop that actually stopped the wheels going round the rear tyre just gripped and gripped. Well happy 👌