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Not been active in looking at the market for tyres suitable for general UK and Irish conditions- after a lightweight, reasonalbe volume (2.1 size) tyre that does not cost the earth.
Specialized Captains?
Nobby Nicks?
I've not bought tyres in years!!
I've got a Captain on the back of my bike - 2.0 and a Spesh Purgatory 202 on the front. That is a good all round combo I reckon.
Speed Kings are a pretty good all round tyre. It's what I have on my Inbred front & rear & they do the job well.
They don't last well though if a lot of your riding is on rocky ground.
I'm using rocket rons at the moment and find them ok, also cheap at on-one
Maxxis High Rollers... eXCeption series!
Light, Fast and Grippy... ridden them since Nov 2010 and love them... better in th dry than the wet but still good all-round 🙂
Summer - Maxxis Crossmark, stupid fast and sticky too.
Winter - Bontrager Mud X's, they've coped with every terrain and condition I've chucked at 'em so far and don't get clogged up.
Any tire you want in a 29er format as even racing slicks work really well with bigger wheels...... Hang on you have midgets bike don't you 😉
just got myself a specialized sauserwind 2.0 on the front and a fastrack 2.0 on the rear. Pretty good combo...rolls fast and the front has a little bite on loose stuff.
Maxxis Ignitor 2.1 are gr8 IMO, I don't rate Racing Ralphs, too expensive not up to much for the money..
Continental X kings, all round black rubberey wonders.........
I don't get on with the Specialized Captains but I like the Purgatories, Storms and Eskars. A couple of my bikes have Purgatories on the front and Storms on the back and that works well.
Mud X unless it's really dry, which round here it rarely is.
I have been really enjoying Maxxis Rendez in the 62a Exception series:
http://www.justridingalong.com//shop.php?product=196
They are ridiculously light and grip like nothing else. I have left them on from wet Feb right through the drier months and am still on the same set now.
The central section is not as high as it looks in the photos so rolling speed is really great. Sure they are slower than Crossmaks as the review in JRA says but then Crossmarks are a very specific tyre. I also think that the description on JRA is a little misleading- these are in fact great in the dry. Don't be put off by the look of the photo!
These are the best tyre for [i]true[/i] all round use I have found and have always been very picky and underwhelmed by some of the other offerrings mentioned here.
Tyres are very subjective but hopefully this gives you something else to consider
Just double checked the reviews for the Rendez and they seem to echo my thoughts. There is even a thread here on STW where someone compares them to Maxxis other tyres.
Do not trust the Bikeradar review- it says they are useless on the back as the tread does not work well reversed. They are not designed to be reversed and this is even written on the tyres! Keep the tread facing the same way front and rear and you'll have no problems. Wear is definitely not a problem either. Numpties 😆
Ignitors are good and last ages.
Sure they are slower than Crossmaks as the review in JRA says but then Crossmarks are a very specific tyre.
Rubbish. Got a 2.25" Crossmark on the back of my hardtail, it's the best general all round tyre I've used I reckon. Grips in almost any conditions it seems and is pretty quick and hard wearing. Not used the 2.1" version myself though.
Personally, I find all Schwalbe tyres very fragile, and the knobs lift or tear off very easily. Wouldn't recommend them for anything except XC racing.
Mud X's are my default winter tyre though, from November til about March they pretty much stay on.
I don't think Crossmarks can be considered good in mud for the majority, especially on the front, but they are indeed nice on the rear when it is a bit drier.
I guess it depends on the interpretation of 'all around' tyre and what the OP is looking for. For me this means can ride any trail I'm likely to come across, in any conditions, any time of the year. "All around" is a bit of a vague term, but I wasn't meaning to criticize Crossmarks!
Dare I say 2.1 Crossmarks for the summer (again) as they are sketchy in the mud and wet, and 2.1 Panaracer Fire XC Pro's the rest of the year.
Conti Race Kings. Awesome.
The Rendez is really as are Schwalbe RaRa or RoRo.
my award for the year round tyres goes to the Bontraiger XR1 team issue - it's very sandy where I ride so no mud/grinding paste to contend with.
currently liking conti x-kings. wondering if i'll ever get round to putting rubber queens back on.