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I've got a 2.35 Magic Mary Trailstar on the front of my 26" Five, which I'm very happy with. Currently it's paired with a 2.25 Nobby Nic Pacestar on the back, which has worked well over the summer but I could use a bit more grip/traction now the trails are a bit more sloppy. The obvious choice would be a Hans Dampf, but I can only seem to find 2.35 in 26" flavour and with the flex in the swingarm of the Five even the 2.25 Nobby Nic rubs from time to time.
So, I'm looking for a 26" tyres around the same width as a 2.25 Nobby Nic, with a bit more grip and traction but that still rolls well. Riding is North East Scotland mainly natural trails. So, rock, roots and peat bogs just about covers it.
I run a 26x2.25 ardent on the rear year round in the peak. Not much mud room for me either (blur 4x frame). It's smaller than a purgatory 2.3 and I'm sure a HD 2.35 would be bigger still. Grip is ok. Never had a NN so can't compare to that.
Thanks. As far as I can tell an Ardent would be pretty similar to the Nic in terms of grip and speed. I guess I could stick with the Nic, go for a softer compound and accept that they'll only last about as long as a Scottish summer, which was a Thursday this year, I think.
2.3 DHR2 works well with a MM up front, in 29er guise.....mainly riding HOF, Scolty, Bennachie etc.
Thanks. DHR2 or High Roller 2 seem to be the obvious choices. I seem to recall that a Maxxis 2.3 is narrower than a Schwalbe one, so I guess that should work.
I've just downsized from a 2.4 Baron Projekt on the rear of my 26" Five.
I've replaced it with a 2.3 DHR2.
The Projekt used to rub so hard during cornering than it acted like a brake...
I happily used a DHR2 BEFORE and it was a great tyre for winter.
DHR2 will ONLY beat the Nobby Nic TrailStar for winter grip at the rear if it's a 3C version. The Dual Compound DHR2 won't touch the TrailStar for grip - I have both.
I ran Nic / Nic Trail Star 2.35s on my Five / Alpine last winter and the grip is good but they pick up quite a bit of the mud on the side walls. A LOT less than a Hans Dampf 2.35 TrailStar mind. That fits the rear of my Five 26 inch fine and doesn't rub. It only rubbed when my rear wheel wasn't straight.
I've got DHF 3C / DHR2 3C this time with a Mary TrailStar on standby.
Plenty of Nics and Dampfs hanging up in the garage too.
Thanks. I've always assumed that trailstar would be too draggy on the rear and stuck with pacestar. I guess if I want more grip I'm going to have to accept more drag though. I do actually have a worn hans dampf trailstar 2.35 that came off the front. Maybe I should start by sticking that in the rear and see how it goes.
trailstar is only draggy on the road. Elsewhere its better.
pacestar is utter rubbish imo
Any compound DHR2 will have far more grip on soft ground than a Nobby Nic. The compound only matters on rocks and roots.