What is the best enduro tyre? looking for low rolling resistance, 26″, and good grip in slightly muddy conditions (Scotland lol)

Worst enduro question

Jontykint, helped alot cheers

Hans Dampf Super Gravity

I use a Maxxis Ardent 2.4 on the rear with a Maxxis Shorty 3C on the front, the trails I ride are in the Tweed Valley, I find the Shorty gives fantastic grip in the muddy conditions while still rolls well enough, the Ardent gives good rolling resistance without sacrificing too much grip.

loving my wtb vigilante , loads of grip . Butcher is great to , not quite as grippy but definitely rolls easier .

Bonty 29-2 was pretty good on last weekend Dyfi Enduro………… oh, hang on

Are you allowed to ride enduro with 26″ wheels and tyres?

There have never been any enduro tyres made, enduro was invented after the demise of 26″

Magic Mary up front, Hans Dampf (pacestar) out back if it’s wet. Rock Razor if it’s dry. All snakeskin, but I’ll probably ride super gravity Marys in the Alps this summer

26 != Enduro

pump your 26 tyres up enough and it’s about the same as 27.5…
to be honest it’s less about the size of wheels and more about the power of the engine 😉

Conti Baron in Black Chilli flavour for front and Hans Dampf pacestar for the rear.

Low rolling resistance and good grip in mud!?

26″ and enduro?!

I think you’re asking too much!

Shorty on the front- grips in anything, not too terribly slow. It needs to be pretty dry or lots of hardpack before they stop being mind.

Something else on the back- I like butchers but they’d not be tough enough for a lot of people I think and they’re not that quick.

(Vigilante might be as good as a Shorty, from reviews, mine is a 29er so can’t really compare. Magic Mary isn’t even in the same league)

See, I like the Magic Mary. Not tried a Shorty yet, but psychologically the Maxxis 2.3 on a 29er looks too cyclocross for me.

The Maxxis DHR2 on the rear is a great all round tyre too in dual compound.

The Maxxis DHF in 3c is good in most conditions, just not as good as a Mary in wet loam. (Or I’d assume as good as the shorty in the same conditions).

i use maxiss hr2 3c up front and exo at the back

I have some Specialized Enduro tyres on my Enduro. Most of our other bikes are run with Butcher front and Purgatory rear.

Not sure if running Enduros on an Enduro is classed as enduro

I race Enduro (beginner level) on 26 inch with tubeless tyres.

Hans Dampf Trail Star Snake Skin out front. Brilliant tyre on the front.

I’m running Maxxis Minion DHR II TR EXO Dual compound out back now because the Hans Dampf wears out way too quick out back and tread starts to fall off. Ok, it might have been Antur Stiniog that ripped the tread off the back tyre and not an Enduro race! LOL.

I get them for £25-£30 each online.

I ride that combination for pretty much everything. It rolls really well too.

For moderate mud I use Maxxis Ardent 2.3 on the rear with a Maxxis Shorty 3C on the front, if it’s really bad (we have very sticky clay like mud near Winchester) I will run a Maxxis Shorty 3C front and rear.

Summer tyre running is usually either a Maxxis Ardent 2.3 or an Ardent Race on the rear with Maxxis Ardent 2.4 up front.

Since getting my Whyte T-130 I’ve been converted to Maxxis Ardent’s as they offer enough grip, go up tubeless easily, wear OK and roll reasonably well.

If you follow the ews unless you’re changing for every race the most common combo (even blacked out by sponsored riders) is magic Mary / dampf

Like any riding, it all depends on the conditions young Jack. As said above, shorty are brilliant in the slippy stiff often seen at the likes of the tweed valley enduros, but they wouldn’t be my choice for the likes of grizedale or ardrock enduros.

If you follow the ews unless you’re changing for every race the most common combo (even blacked out by sponsored riders) is magic Mary / dampf

I wonder if non-sponsored riders using them is more to do with the Super Gravity carcass than the tread?

Not used a Mary, but there’s nothing special at all about the Hans Dampf tread-wise.

Pro racers will be even keener to avoid flats than the rest of us and the SG carcass really is tougher than Maxxis Exo and the likes.

continuity – Member

If you follow the ews unless you’re changing for every race the most common combo (even blacked out by sponsored riders) is magic Mary / dampf

I had a good long look last year, that wasn’t the case then, actually a pretty wide mix. And there’s more/better choice now. Schwalbe and Mavic were the only companies actually present though IIRC.

Low rolling resistance and good grip in mud!?

26″ and enduro?!

I think you’re asking too much!

ha ha ha ha ha

I’ve currently got conti barons F&R for the slop, will swap to my bonti XR4 and mountain king for less slop. I don’t really care about RR for the downs, I need grip cause I lack skill 🙁

Mary / Dampf is a pretty common combo in the Tweed. There’s a bit of a slant towards Shorty / DHR2 now though.

Both those combos do similar things, and are pretty good for most of the Tweed riding.

Never really got the HD tbh. Cloggy, fairly draggy for its grip, needs a wide rim to make it a decent shape, and wears pretty fast too (loses a fair bit of grip ones the knobs lose their edges). For 650b it made sense, since schwalbe were an early adaptor and it was one of the first half-decent hard use tyres out- dudes enduro was hilarious for this, people scouring the highlands for absolutely any tyre they could fit to their bike, that wasn’t a nobby nic…

Shorty rear ardent front for me. Thought te shorty rear would be silly but it’s grand, and therefore enduro

Shorty rear ardent front for me. Thought te shorty rear would be silly but it’s grand, and therefore enduro

Do you cycle backwards? 😀

“Like any riding, it all depends on the conditions”

I can’t think of any conditions that would dictate having less grip on the front than on the back.

2.4 Ardent front until I discovered the Magic Mary. The Ardent isn’t a fan on Mud…or sand, or Loam, or grass.. I couldn’t get on with the Butcher front. Purgatory rear is a good choice. I’ve just put a Slaughter on the rear & with only one outing under its belt it’s too early to tell.

Tracey – Member
I have some Specialized Enduro tyres on my Enduro. Most of our other bikes are run with Butcher front and Purgatory rear.

Not sure if running Enduros on an Enduro is classed as enduro

It gets cancelled out (like a double negative) so in fact its not Enduro ;D

Thank you guys, as you probably figured by my question I am very unexperienced in this field, but thanks for patience etc helped alot!

Not sure if running Enduros on an Enduro is classed as enduro

Depends what colour shorts and helmet you wear.

Love a Magic Mary up front, out back i’m not so fussed about choice….this year i’ve used a Minion DHF which has been good, a Wicked Will which is getting old now but still pretty good….yet to try the new DHR-2 but will probably order one this week.

One tip though, dont put a Rock Razor on the rear thinking that because its been dry recently and today is sunny that you’re a canny tyre choice expert who’ll get one over on the rest of the field with their draggy chunky rear tyres….first practice run today at a local DH race was a frankly terrifying experience, went to use the rear brake….nothing. Actually thats a lie, the rear brake worked fine but the rear tyre had absolutely no bite to it whatsoever and left me slewing around all over the place before i took on the role of a human pinball as i ricocheted down the hill between trees….

….rode straight back to my car and changed it for a DHF out back instead, much better.