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Vague title right, but bear with me.
I’m a reformed downhiller, my trail bikes of the past have been as heavily built as possible with big travel, burly wheels and 2.6-2.8 tyres, but this is a new year and I’m a new me…
I’m just going to ride my bike more, up hills more, along trails more, and generally more just “mountain biking” rather than my old style of going for uplift days.
I ride on the Quantocks, Mendips and the FOD usually, with occasional BPW uplifts. My soon to arrive wheels are 23mm internal, on 29’s.
Can you recommend a tyre? I rode today on my Big Dog and the Panaracer Firesport 2.35’s weren’t horrendous, but they weren’t great either. I’m replacing them to go tubeless and they are wire beads, but I quite liked climbing on less massive tyres than normal.
Anyone able to recommend a 29 x 2.33-2.4 (I guess 2.5 might be ok for the front?) for the sort of trails I’ll encounter at the aforementioned locations?
Will probably get an insert in the rear because old habits die hard and I don’t want to kill my rims on rocks now that I ride a hardtail. If that makes any difference.
Help for an old time rider with a new found appreciation for lighter stuff would be appreciated!
I run assegai front, minion DHR 2 rear for that sort of thing. 3C exos with cushcore Xc inserts.
Magic Mary front, Hans Dampf rear . Super trail front and Super gravity rear. Never used an insert on the back.
I take it from this post you’re actually going to ride your bike rather then just make it all shiny and pretty at home in your garage? 😝
You could go 2.4 wild enduro front and rear. Gum X is softer than Magi X but the latter is said to rebound slower.
Maxxis maybe the ubiquitous DHF front / dhr2 rear (or DHF at both ends). Both in 2.3” - fro!t exo 3c maxx terra / rear dual compound and either exo or exo+ for me.
Schwalbe Magic Mary front / Nobby Nic rear. Super Trail would probably be the casing with addix soft compound. I don’t like the hand dampf much and the Big Betty is heavy.
Wtb Vigilante front - light / high grip. Not sure on the rear - trail boss is a decent summer tyre but less good in winter as the blocks are too close together. Judge swings the other way and is rather heavy like the schwalbe Big Betty.
Conti - Kryptotal at both ends. I think Trail is tough enough for me but enduro has softer rubber compounds
In the above I’ve assumed you’re a tart and want matching brands at both ends. If not I’d go DHR2 on the back and possibly a Magic Mary on the front for all round riding where you don’t change tyres at all during the year.
2.4 Mary/Dampf combo on my full suss 29er. Spot on IMO.
I've been riding the Vittoria Syerra for a couple of months and seems a decent balance of speed, grip and protection - well worth a look at some of the reviews.
I take it from this post you’re actually going to ride your bike rather then just make it all shiny and pretty at home in your garage? 😝
Sorry Joe, missed this yesterday! Yes, basically I had such a blast "just riding" at Rowberrow on Sunday that I can't understand why I don't do it more often - there will be a real sense of irony in me using this cheap bike significantly more than any of my more expensive ones over the past few years!
I'm not really a tart in terms of matching tyres - I'd draw the line at gum wall front and black rear - but I did had a grey sidewall rear and black front on my Bird and didn't like that. Happy enough with different brands.
I've not had much experience with Schwalbe, but a friend I was with on Monday had an MM front and HD rear and looked to be struggling more than I did so I'd probably err with Maxxis on the basis that I've used them for years, I just don't know what all the labels mean!
Trying not to bankrupt myself with new tyres so odd's at either end will probably make more sense as you can't find matching tyres in any online deals! 😝
I run assegai front, minion DHR 2 rear for that sort of thing. 3C exos with cushcore Xc inserts.
Presumably in 2.3 size?
@pimpingimp - I like Rowberrow - maybe we should plan a ride there!
Magic Mary is great this time of year - but the Hans Dampf isn’t a great tyre so he was probably struggling with braking and drive. Would recommend the magic Mary though. Big Betty is a better schwalbe rear tyre - although it’s heavy.
Assegai is meant to be good when the mud isn’t too cloggy - otherwise it doesn’t clear mud very well. Probably a great 3 seasons tyre though. Like a better DHF.
DHR2 is good on the back - the 2.3 as an all rounder - the 2.4 is better in mud as it has bigger blocks - but it’s draggier.
You could go Mary front / DHR2 rear and run that all year round no problem.
I’m not riding with you until I’ve got some semblance of fitness, I nearly died on Monday! Put on nearly a stone since the summer and have done so little exercise since the same time I’m useless. Been on a steady programme to get back in shape though so we’ll sort something out for Spring.
Ta for the tyre advice, I’ll see what I can find.
I’ve had a chest infection and then Covid back to back since the start of December so I’ve put on 3kgs and lost a load of fitness. I don’t think I’ll be that fast for a few months yet - and even then I’m no xc whippet fast anyway.
Good luck on the tyres:
This Mary doesn’t seem too badly priced:
This dhr2 also not too bad - I run the 2.3 for less rolling resistance but 3c maxterra for more grip on wet rocks and stuff:
They only have the 2.6 MM annoyingly and I’m not trying to go that wide.
I’ll find something, anything will be better than what I have right now!
Hope you’re on the mend, saw on Insta the other day you had covid - hope you recover quicker than I did last Jan.
I'm still rolling about on a pair of old 2.3 butchers on my stumpy (25mm int rims) for "just mountain biking” duties, wee bit draggy with one on the rear so I've been mulling a lighter, less aggressive tyre on the rear maybe a Vittoria barzo(?) which is apparently an XC tyre, might be a bit too lightweight but I like the idea of a more XC rear tyre (with an insert) and keeping some chonk on the front.
I didn’t like the butcher when I tried it - picked up the newer T9 grid trail version in 2.3” and found it washed out easier than the 2.5” DHF I’d previously had.
2.6” Mary is 650b is great - not tried it in 29er though. I’m currently rolling round with a 2.6” Hillbilly on my bike and it’s excellent at this time of year.
Currently running Vittoria Mazza front & rear, changed to them from Nobby Nics.
Seem to roll just as well but plenty of grip in the soft stuff - happy enough with them.