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My FS bike has Nobby Nic 2.25 EXO pacestar front and back - i'm pretty sure - and the front has not been confidence-filling the last 18months of ownership. The rear tyre loses pressure over 24hrs due to a bit of damage, it seems, so I'm thinking bin that and put the current front on the back and get something beefier on the front? Maybe go to the Trailstar, or whatever Schwalbe call it now, or something else that qualifies as a bloody good all-rounder that wont let go and ruin my face even more?
Woburn, Chilterns etc., with occasional Wales, FoD, Cannock visits.
Thoughts? Oh and nothing eye wateringly expensive or hyper-draggy.
Thanks
My go to answer is normally anything maxxis but I got some bontrager xr4/ xr2 (front/rear) cheap from Rutland. Stuck them on my hardtail and have been pleasantly surprised with them.
Teenage boy?
Recently replaced my 3.0" nobby nics on my scott e-genuis with maxxis high roller 3c maxxterra 120tpi on the front and maxxis rekon exo tr 60tpi on the rear (both 2.8) and the difference in grip is very noticable, quite happy with them and i doubt i'll be going back to schwalbe anytime soon
Ooh, lovely bit of nostalgia, thanks Flashy.
My '97 Munimula came with Scatch and Sniff tyres.
Back to the OP, my default answer is always HR II's.
Currently running a 2.8 Minion DHF/DHR combo in Max Terra, the braking traction is quite eye bulging, especially compared to the WTB's they replaced.
The DHR is fairly draggy though. would probably go for a Rekon on the back if it wasn't an E-bike.
But on the front, the biggest Minion DHF you can squeeze into your fork would be my recommendation.
Hatter +1
Minion has transformed my bike. Can't get the damn thing to slip on anything. Weigh as much as a small planet but will happily sacrifice a bit of speed (like 0.05 mph), put in a tad more effort (burning up pies) and not have to worry at all about washing out.
Seriously grippy and predictable.
Quite different conditions though ...
I find the Magic Mary grips better on anything soft and 1cm thick but the side knobs are worse than a Maxxis Minion on hardback. (Apparently saw it on you boob so it must be true - though it was pretty balanced)
Since you ride FoD ... assuming you know the DH runs the Mary's are good on anything except Launch Pad .... where the Maxxis are better
(OK there isn't a whole load of turning required on launch pad but if you could do a magic tyre change then the hardback would be better on the Maxxis - whereas the deep loam on most of the others I reckon the Mary... and probably not much in it over Mr. Rooty ....
Last time I rode 417 my 8yr old pasted me on the corners of the blue... with his Maxxis ... (I'm sticking with the excuse)... I lost the front end and barely kept upright... but I'm not sure either tyre is really ideal for hardpack?? I'd be open to suggestions.
I'm running the orange Mary... wheres the kid is running the 3C with DH carcass....
No one else a bit disturbed by the thread title?
Ha yes chose to ignore it.
Shows how personal preference comes into play. I thought the magic Mary's were terrible! had them on the 29er before the minions (heck even before the nn / ikon) combo and they were very unsettling. Perhaps the compound was old generation but tread pattern was poor.
Found them terrible in the wet and anything remotely dusty (swinley / sh / Bedgebury rubbish se condition 's as that's all I have). I have not taken them to FoD so they may be superior for conditions there. Sold them after a couple rides and replaced with the minion. I do like to mix a minion / aggressor / bulldozer up a bit and sometimes shove the ikon on the back or the crossmark if I am feeling very dangerous 🙂
Any thread with tyre choice brings up strong opinions so recommend you just try for your self. There really is no right or wrong. What works for you may not work for anyone else.
I thought the magic Mary’s were terrible! had them on the 29er before the minions (heck even before the nn / ikon) combo and they were very unsettling. Perhaps the compound was old generation but tread pattern was poor.
Found them terrible in the wet and anything remotely dusty (swinley / sh / Bedgebury rubbish se condition ‘s as that’s all I have). I have not taken them to FoD so they may be superior for conditions there.
I find em pretty specific ... the review I saw the guy from Worldwide Cyclery reckoned he preferred the Minions all-round because he lives in SOCAL but only found the Mary's better in specific conditions...
It did make sense (at least to me) and I've no strong opinion except I have the wrong tyre for me... I rode pitch hill though on Sunday and it seemed pretty good on the loam. TBH Swinley doesn't have anything scary on the official trails but the Mary grips the loam on the natural stuff just fine but I'm sure the Minion does as well...
@417 on the artificial (like the Swinley orange grunge) except DH and tint fast berms I definitely felt the grip going... and listening to what the vid says on the side-knobs (perhaps that's the wrong word with the thread title)... that seems to be where it lost grip.. whereby the kid I was trying my best to catch didn't seem to have any problems on the Minions... but I still wonder if either are even good for the Swinley Orange/ 417 type stuff...
Sold them after a couple rides and replaced with the minion. I do like to mix a minion / aggressor / bulldozer up a bit and sometimes shove the ikon on the back or the crossmark if I am feeling very dangerous
Any thread with tyre choice brings up strong opinions so recommend you just try for your self. There really is no right or wrong. What works for you may not work for anyone else.
Grippiest tyre I’ve had was a 29+ Vee Bulldozer 3.25. The best plus tyre I tried. It was like something off a monster truck. The only thing I liked about plus. For normal to middle sized I’d echo the calls of Minion
TBH the best for years have been the On One Smorgasboards on my hard tail. I very nearly specced the HR2's when i ordered the bike, perhaps its those i sholdve gone with. I do FoD two/three times a year so as long as what i chose isnt demonstrably worse, all good.
Max grip tyre I've ridden other than a dh tyre- shorty!
It is very dragy.
I run dhr 2 front and rear on one bike and high rollers on the other.
Both excellent all-rounder. I'll have the shorty back on if it starts getting muddy again as it gripped harder than I could believe in the mud and muck of the peaks 🙂
Thanks Tell_Martin and are the High Rollers you have in 3c Max Terra version on the front??
No one else a bit disturbed by the thread title?
I might be, if I had a clue what it meant 🙂 I even googled the term, but all that threw up was this thread. Still not sure why a teenage boy would grip more than, say, a teenage girl, or what they'd be gripping for that matter. Maybe best not to think about it too much and I'm certainly not googling any more!
Not sure on the high rollers , I think they are the harder compound, they were 2nd hand.
The dhr are 3c on the front and not 3c on the back. Any extra grip helps on the front.
Hillbilly Grid.