Sort out my tyres for winter

I don't know what terrain you're on, but Dissector is no good for braking or drive traction in mud or soft ground, and the Aggressor will get clogged up.

Personally I'm going with Conti Xynotal front and Kryptotal Re rear.

For a year-round combo, I'd try Kryptotal Re front (clears mud better than the Fr) and Schwalbe Tacky Chan rear (see the comments too).

I ran minion dhf front and ardent rear year round for a long time. It was fine for everything and made road sections a bit nicer. I've been riding steeper stuff recently though so tried out a minion dhr on the back. Difference is mainly that I can actually slow down when needed...

Need to know your riding, but no matter what I wouldn't do a DHF, imo the DHR2 is better on either end than the dhf. Whether it's right for you I dunno though.

Can't believe Ben slates the name choice of the Tacky Chan, it's ace 🤣

I've got a Dissector (2.4WT Exo) on the back of my Rise with a DHF (2.5WT Exo Maxx Grip) on the front. Works well for me. You just need to remember to lean it over if you want it to bite on corners. 

I was running DHF/DHR but the DHR was so draggy on the back that I took it off. The Dissector doesn't bite quite as well as the DHR but still digs in well on loose climbs. Works fairly well in the mud too.

It's looking pretty rough now with some of the side knobs starting to tear but it's got 500 odd miles on it with several tips to Wales and the Peak District under it's belt. I'd happily replace it with another. Although, I'm not paying £70 for one so might look at something else. 

Found a DHF on the front a bit exciting as I clearly don't corner well. DHR2 seems a bit more confidence inspiring.

Well I was getting confused - for years I thought dhf was front specific and dhr rear specific! Just googled it

Well I was getting confused – for years I thought dhf was front specific and dhr rear specific! Just googled it

Well, put me in a dress and call me Davina -  I was 52 years, 1 month and 1 week old when I found out that wasn't the case also.....

gasper
Free Member

Well I was getting confused – for years I thought dhf was front specific and dhr rear specific! Just googled it

It's... complicated. They still recommend the dhf front and dhr2 rear. But at various points they've sold the dhr/dhr2 as "rear specific" or "recommended for rear" but also without end specifics at all, and likewise the dhf. Both names have been around for over 20 years and Maxxis's marketing has always been made of very soft rubber.

And then there's the whole "DHF means freeride and DHR means race" vs "DHF means front and DHR means rear" which seems at this point to be mostly internet blowhards having Strong Opinions (let's see if this summons GW...) and regardless of which is correct, is still just dancing on a pin about marketing bollocks, it's like obsessing about exactly what a tory meant and not asking if it's true. And the F and R are 100% definitely Front and Rear in the minion fatbike tyres at least.

But the old DHR wasn't very good, so the DHF both ends was a standard forever despite its flaws. And now the DHR2 is really bloody good so seeing it front and rear is also common even in OEM spec. Just use what you want and ignore the letters basically, if it ever meant anything it hasn't for ages.

(which for me means dhr2 on the front mostly, and sometimes on the rear, and dhf never- though the dhf does have a better range of carcasses and compounds still I think, ironically the dhr2 lacks the rear tyre combos I want!)

They may be called DownHill Front and DownHill Rear but that doesn’t stop some people running the former on the back and a lot of people running the latter on the front.

Thankfully it’s now so long since the awful DHR was replaced with the excellent DHR2 that the bad old version is forgotten - and I’m sure it never existed in 27.5 and probably not in 29 either.

Those tyres the OP has listed would not be good winter tyres anywhere where the trails are mostly dirt but may be fine in rockier places if the compounds are sticky enough.

If you don't mind mixing brands, Merlin have these at a reasonable price

https://www.merlincycles.com/michelin-wild-enduro-gum-x-folding-front-mtb-tyre-29-150343.html

And the magi-x version for 35.

I've got a front/rear combo in the post to replace some ageing maxxis.

It totally depends on your terrain. I run DHF front and rear all year as I got fed up with changing tyres all the time. But I don’t ride in really muddy conditions much anymore.
But I still ride them in the wet and the mud if I have to.

I run DHF on the front in summer, but it doesn’t inspire enough confidence for me in the winter. At the moment I have DHR II on the rear and Conti Argotal on the front. I absolutely love the Argotal - tons of grip on most surfaces whilst still having good rolling resistance.

bikesandboots
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Personally I’m going with Conti Xynotal front and Kryptotal Re

Good luck with that setup....

When it gets too wet for a DHF max grip on the front I swap it out for Magic Mary, the ultra grip one.<br />I have a DHR on the rear which just about works all year round

Yah, Argotals are bloody awesome. Like a Magic Mary but better at absolutely everything, and the Mary was already pretty damn good. ****ing expensive though!

Personally I’m going with Conti Xynotal front and Kryptotal Re rear

Good luck with that setup….

Ah, I mean Argotal front!

A lot depends on where you live, Maxxis Aspen's work well for me 

For me I’m quite happy to mix tyres and the dhf / aggressor / dissector aren’t going near my bike for autumn/ winter as they get overwhelmed with the mud I ride in. But it depends what kind of terrain you ride. <br /><br />
if it’s mostly hardpack trail centres then the dhf / dissector or dhf / aggressor will mostly be fine. Just make sure the dhf is at least a 3c maxxterra compound.
If you have a fair amount of mud then on the front a Magic Mary / Wild Enduro / Kryptotal Fr / Verdict will be significantly better.
If you ride in biblical mud than a Hollbilly / Shorty / Argotal are the next step up again.
On the rear if it’s muddy then the DHR2 or Kryptotal Re are decent. The 2.3” DHR2 is good to a point and rolls pretty well - the 2.4” DHR2 has much bigger blocks and is better in thick mud but rolls slower. The Kryptotal Re 2.4” is similar to the dhr2 2.4” I find.
Schwalbe Big Betty is said to be good in mud on the rear but it’s pretty heavy in any casing you buy it in.

Edit - that Michelin Wild Enduro listed at Merlin is a bargain.

With what you have, and trying to buy as few new tyres as possible I think your initial plan is OK unless you're riding anything super muddy. But if you can find them for a good price I've changed from a DHF to Assegai on the front instead and it's approximately 1 billion times better for me (Alps trip in the summer, plus local rooty/chalky/sticky clay trails).

Just seems to offer so much more grip at every angle than the DHF.

My staple for the past few years has been a DHR2 on the rear and an Assegai up front, when it gets a bit more spicy I put a Shorty up front.

Served me well at the local (Wharny) and various bike parks.

I was conti-curious so I'm currently one ride in on a Kryptotal rear/Argotal front setup, was good, front wheel seemed a bit more twitchy but I've also tweaked my suspension settings so I'll give it quite a few more days before I draw any conclusions on how it fairs (good as/better) against the above setup.

Hope you find your winning combo. 👍