[Closed] What’s the best all round 29er MTB tyre?

Minion EXO triple compound on front
High Roller EXO dual compound on rear

Retro I know but I just get on with them all year round.

Ikons front and rear. Or XKings.

Thunder burts fastest, race kings almost ad fast but a bit sketchy at 20mph on gravel bends. Ikons just carve corners with confidence at high speed. Slightly slower but the confidence is worth it. Tried the new Ray/ ralph and nearly as good but not quite. Tried an aspen rear and fast but not quite the same high speed confidence as a front and rear ikon. These are 2.2 all the letters tubeless on a 29er Swift. Also amazed by xkings-alot of grip with little resistance penalty but too reluctant tubeless. New ones might be better. How much tyre you really need is a personal thing depending on where you ride though and where you get your kicks. No knar in the New Forest, biggest legal kick is down hill high speed gravel...every maker has a decent tyre, some makes might fit your rims better tubeless and make a better experience. Not tried the Rekon.

I find the bigger contact patch of a 29er tyre does make a hig difference in slop and you can motor through poor conditions even with an xc tyre that would spin out on a 26. You’ve got to keep weight down still if you want fast xc.

Depends on width, but if you can go up to 2.8f & 2.6r, then Vigilante 2.8 and the new Trailboss 2.6 rear.
The new TB had MUCH bigger side knobs than of old, and is a great all rounder tyre, even in the wet.
Vigilante 2.8 is amazingly grippy, but still rolls well.
On top of that, WTB have strengthened the sidewall of the light carcass tyres, so they're much less prone to punctures.
I'll happily run their newer light/fast rolling tyres front and back now.
Previously I'd only have put the Tough ones on the back, but they were really heavy.

Depends on what your local woods are like - how steep, how rocky, how muddy etc.

Something from Specialized... Eliminator front. 2 main reasons - easiest tubeless setup, best price (ie. not ****ing ridiculous, like a lot of tyres are these days!). Also very good sidewalls in the GRID vers. Rear depends how much grip you need.

The XC trails will be a mix of mud, gravel, fields, canal tow paths then at the end of the ride I have the option to transition into the woods

Some quick segments that includes gap jumps, kickers etc and lots of rooty quick fire sections too

So, the Tyres have to be jack of all trades! Somewhere in the middle of XC and aggressive trail

I have the revamped nobby nic 2.6 on my 27.5 rims which are fantastic and will do the job in the woods . I may well just opt for 29er version of these in smaller width to help with the XC pedaling and more long distance rides

Another option I’m thinking is Maxxis ardent or forecaster in the front and rekon rear

I've tried a few different options - my Top Fuel came with the Bonty 2.4 XR4 tyres which were pretty good, fast but ultimately fragile as anything.

I moved to a Minion DHR Exo up front in 2.4 guise and a Specialised Slaughter Grid - that combo gave for a really nice balance in speed and grip - the Slaughter held on in the winter slop waaaaay more than it ever should have.

In full #downcountry style, I've now moved to a set of Vittoria Mazza Graphene 2.0 Trail tyres. These actually roll pretty well given they stick to wet stuff like shit to a blanket. Their grip over wet roots is out of this world, and have transformed the steep descending braking grip of the bike massively.

Just a few options to consider from one end of the scale to the other.

For the last couple of years I have used 2.6 Rocket Rons on 27.5 inch wheels. They suit my style of riding (XC / trail) in the local woodlands. Been happy with them as they offer a good combination of lightish weight, lowish rolling resistance, and adequate summer grip. Rarely any punctures. I like the bigger air volume to get rid of the chatter

Just moving to 29 inch, and was hoping to use the same, but find that there are not many 29 x 2.6 XCish tyres out there. The largest RR is only 2.25. Is the logic large diameter wheels = larger volume without the need to increase type width?

I seem to recall reading a rolling resistance test report that wider tyres reduce rolling resistance which led me to 2.6. This is bit counter intuitive but I think the larger tyres with low air pressures absorb and roll through small bumps rather than raising the bike over them.

I'll step forward with a negative answer and just say: whatever you pick, not an Ardent

I’ll step forward with a negative answer and just say: whatever you pick, not an Ardent

whats wrong with an ardent? obviously everyone has their own opinions based on their riding locale but for the OP's use sounds ideal.

The XC trails will be a mix of mud, gravel, fields, canal tow paths then at the end of the ride I have the option to transition into the woods

Some quick segments that includes gap jumps, kickers etc and lots of rooty quick fire sections too

sounds a lot like my local riding on my hardtail, for which I find ardents to be as good as can be expected for a multi terrain 4 season application.

I also use minion/aggressor, or double minion on the full suss, but thats intended for just singletrack - eg, trail centres, "trails in the woods" and downhill-on-a-trailbike. Its terrible on "xc mud, gravel and fields"

I'll step forward with a positive answer, for all but the muddiest mud XC trails mentioned by the OP, Ardents.

Minion SS on the rear for the win.

I picked up a pair of the mavic crossmax quest in 2.35" about a year ago and fitted just before the snow came. I was blown away with how much grip they offered on ice and snow. Little draggy, but i was running them very soft.

What are people running on their set ups?

A Hans Dampf front and Racing Ralph rear suits what I do. But what you do might not be what I do.

Minion DHF Front and Rear.

Tailor width and compounds to suit. (Bigger and stickier on front)

I don't think there's anything about Ardents that Rekons won't do better, by a long shot. Heck, in the rear an Exo Minion SS will roll better, be tougher and corner better than an Ardent. Even an Exo Aggressor will roll the same and do everything else better, and I'm no Aggressor fan by any means

Nobby Nic front, rocket ron rear. Schwalbe blue stripe ones.

They seem to work well for me with similar conditions and priorities, but I'm running 29er 2.35's.

By the sounds of it Panaracer Gravelkings would do (DYSWIDT?)

I used to run Ardents on my hardtail pretty much all year round until I picked up a set of cheap Hans Dampfs from a PSA on here. They roll nearly as fast on tarmac and are better everywhere else. So I'd go Hans Dampfs with maybe a Nobby Nic out back if you want a bit more speed.

Front: Schwalbe Super Trail Magic Mary 2.4 - soft compound
Rear: Schwalbe Super Trail Big Betty 2.4 - soft compound

I rate the Schwalbe MM (2.35, snakeskin, soft)/On One Smorgasbord (trail extreme) F/R combo on my 29er.

The WTB Trail Boss rolls reasonably, the tough casing is heavy but bulletproof IME.

I also rate the Bontrager SE4 which I find rolls well and has decent grip.

Hans dampf. Ive got HD Rear, MM front on my proper bike but i would imagine they would be pretty unpleasant if you had to cover any significant road miles.
Pickedup some WTB breakouts for cheap for my rigid 29er and theyve been ruddy brilliant. small block so lovely and fast on the road, or dusty to firm going. Attrocious when its muddy, but on a rigid im holding on and trying to stay loose anyway, so no great shakes.

Any "all rounder" is going to be disappointing when the going gets interesting.

I've been a Minion DHR/DHF guy for several years but the new-to-me wheels for my new 29er came with Specialized tyres and I'm quite impressed. Can't recall the names: the rear is a semislick and the front is obviously less aggressive than a Minion but knobbly. Still plenty of grip and rolls very fast thanks to the semi rear.

If by 'all round' you also mean all year round. I just leave a Magic Mary on up front all the time now. The rear I'm undecided on and currently have a Spesh slaughter grid at the rear, maybe something else come summer, but the MM just works for me all year round in all conditions.

I’d take an Agressor over an Ardent. Roll just as quick but better at everything else. Ran one on the rear this summer and into the winter with a DHF up front. I kept it on much longer than expected once the trails started to turn as it coped pretty well. Eventually they succumbed to the slop but mostly through not having enough braking traction and spinning out on climbs, so the DHR went on.

I’d be interested to try the dissector actually though.

As blitz said I like an aggressor rear through the drier months. Seems to roll fast but loads of grip. Come winter that gets changed to a dhr. If I’m particularly lazy the dhr stays on the summer too! Dhf up front unless it gets real wet then a shorty if I can be bothered to change them!
Hardtail or enduro bike my riding is the often the same type of riding so I just put up with slower rolling on flatter xc so I have the grip I want the rest of the time

DHF on the front and a Dissector rear, fast rolling and loads of grip.

The Dissector is what I hoped the Aggressor would of been like.

I really rate the Bontrager SE5 as an all-round rear.
It's tough enough for most trail riding but light & fast rolling enough for me. In fact an XR5 front, SE5 rear would be pretty good. But they'll still be slower than a semi-slick or XC specific tyre.
Other good pair would be Spesh Eliminator as they have a good treat pattern for mixed use.

I looked at the new Big Betty for a tough rear tyre recently but everyone said it rolled slower than the MM which is basically a boat anchor on the rear so I went with something else. There's loads of choice and everyone has there preferences.

I've been through loads of tyres over the last few years for various reasons and find very little difference in performance between brands now they all offer quite similar tread patterns across their ranges.
My favourite front tyre for all-round use was a Hutchinson Toro and rear the SE5 but I run neither now as they don't do them in the size / casing to suit at the moment.

Maxxis Forekasters? Find they are pretty good in most conditions. Faster rolling than minions and Aggressor. Found the Aggressor to be sluggish and quite heavy.