Just got a new bike in 27.5, Probably done to death but is there anything better than a Minion up front and Ardent rear? High roller? Hans Dampf trailstar.

Doubt you’d need more than that, unless you’ve found a tech-fest hidden somewhere near Malham. Fastest you can get away with is the general rule for me, which seems to be Bonty XR4 front, Ground Control rear.

Similar to Martin, I’m XR4 on the front and XR3 on the rear. Did have an Ardent on the rear to begin with but didn’t get on with it/

Minion DHF on both front and rear works well, although Ardent is probably enough.

Fwiw I found using a High Roller II on the rear was like riding with the rear brake on, compared to a Minion DHF on the rear.

I thought a high roller might have that effect. Used to run a crossmark on the rear and really got on with it but coming into winter…. Might try minion front n back

Never used bonty. So they seem to work well then?

Bring back the Panaracer Smoke and Dart! 😥

My LBS reckons if they had Maxxis on the side then they’d sell little else. Whether true or not they are pretty good tyres, I’ve not had the front wash out and I’m not the best descender on loose material. They last a good while as well: 3000Km for the rear and the front is still fine after 4300Km of riding though I might change it shortly.

Dales are pretty dry at the moment, I know tyres are a personal thing but I ride there most weeks and get away with an Ikon on either end.

When it gets sloppy bung a high roller on the front, if it gets really sloppy then put an ardent on the back.

If you’re not used to riding on natural trails or downhill on loose rocky surfaces then err on the side of caution and bung something grippy on the front.

Edit: In the interests of fairness I have also been happy with Nobby Nics (f&r) Geax AKA (r only)