Haha, now the old forum is dead (long live the new forum!)I can post a topic about tyres without withering under the weight of a million search hits and we can do tyres all over again.

I like to ride mostly woodsy single track and occaisional trail centre. I own Nevegals stickees and thats it, 2.3 on the front, 2.1 on the rear, got 130mm FS, never rode anything else. Like to go along and down more than up.

Is there a tyre that will give me similar grip with less rolling resistance when its bone dry? I was thinking about Michelin Dry2’s. Your words of wisdom would be appreciated ladies and gentlemen.

Try some conti twister supersonics on it… you wont even know they are there… 🙂

Racing Ralphs. Cracking tyre. If you ride in rocky areas (which it sounds like you don’t) you need the Snakeskin versions though

I am still a big fan of Bonty Revolt Super X’s. Look like they have no grip but are amazingly good and fast as you like. Often on sale too.

Dry2’s are awesome tyres but still a bit weighty. Try Vredestein Killer Bee, or Conti RaceKing Supersonics, in the bone dry their about as good as they get, and if you need a little more grip, in case of slimy sections, downgrade to speedkings and Vredestein Black Panthers for a little more tread/edge, for hardly any weight disadvantage. Tubeless i’d look at Racing Ralphs too, in fact they can be used all year if youre careful. imo.

I have got some Michelin XC dry terrains for when it is really dry. Normal summer condtions I also use the racing ralphs.

In the centre the Michelins are pretty smooth with just some lateral ribbing and a bit more blocking on the shoulders.
They roll super fast in the summer. 😀

I’ve yet to try Furious Freds but until now had no punctures on the Michelins and am very happy….

The conti twister was a joke…. Maxxis crossmark looks good, not tried it, but does look right.

Are High Rollers any good in the dry?

High rollers are good in all conditions, but they’re not the best in any

Conti Twister, mmm.. i’ve seen tougher looking cond*ms, I need something beefier than that. Theres so much choice this is worse than shampoo. Whoever gets the most nods wins!

I said I was kidding about the Conti, take a peek at the Maxxis crossmark, my pal rented a demo bike from Skyline cycles in Afan and it had one on the back, dont think they would put one on a bike theyre hoping to show off in its best light if it was no good..

If you like Nevegals, try Small Block 8s. I have Maxxis Larsen TTs which are similar, not too weighty, grippy in a surprising range of conditions and supposedly tough enough to take the pain of a 4X race.

+1 for RRs

I also like Conti Speedkings. Not as fast tho.

Leave the Nevegal up front and run a 2.1 Small Block 8 on the rear – it’s what I run for trail centres except I have a 2.35 Blue Groove up front (much better as a front IMO than Nev)

Specialized Fast Traks are ace in dry conditions and bulky enough for comfort while still being light. Don’t even think about using them unless it’s bone dry though, they’re utterly unbelievably useless in the wet!

Two thumbs up for 2.35 High Rollers here. I like the super tacky on the front and Maxxpro on the rear.

Or, you could try Panaracer Rampages: They are really good too.

Highroller semi slick for the dry. Or a Larsen TT. Or a DMR Moto. Or Racing Ralphs. Depends how hard you’re going to abuse them where there are rocks or or sharp roots around. Personally I’d have a HR SS on the front and a Larsen on the back. Until it rained.

At the the end of the first lap with four nods, Racing Ralphs ahead by a nose…

maxxis hollyroller, big and heavy but very quick on hardpack.

just need to find something equaly huge for the front.

Maxxis Crossmarks (2.25″) are where its at for trail centres & ‘dry’ trails. Super fast rolling & loads more grip than you’d think.

Give them a try.

Another vote for the Maxxis Crossmarks here! Absolutely fantastic tyres.

Blue Groove front in DTC and Nevegal rear in DTC, never found them slow rolling myself

sorry for the slight hijack, but how do the maxxis crossmark and the larsen TT compare? they look quite similar but these things are never simple 🙄

I’ve been looking into this too and cant find a concensus when trying to find a light-ish decent grip summer tyre. I’ve been riding DH mud tyres all winter and they’ve sapped all the speed out of my riding lol, I looked at the Conti Vapours but they have a recommended inflation pressure of 50psi, that suggests to me that they’re made of paper and will feel horrible.

Ardent (and another one in the mix. So many to try and so little time…!)

Racing Ralph. Good when it’s wet too frankly, until it gets really muddy.

Or perhaps a Furious Fred on the back if you really want to save weight, and don’t mind crashing a fair bit!

I wouldn’t touch a crossmark with a bargepole after watching a decent rider slide off the grippy Golspie rock a few times.

The problem is people argue too and fro all day, people use differing pressures, different rim widths etc. I’ve been in the market for new tyres for about 12 months but never been able to identify the best option so just gave up lol. Anyone who recommends a tyre really should specify pressure and other previous tyres tested or it’s just pointless opinion.

In my limited experience, very rarely are tyres terrible. A soft compound, knobbly one will grip in wet conditions, a less knobbly, harder one will be fast in dry conditions. There is no “perfect” tyre so ultimately you just have to take the plunge. Fortunately, tyres are relatively cheap and easy to sell on 2nd hand so if you buy ones you don’t like it is an easy mistake to correct.

easy to sell on 2nd hand

That’s something I never consider, something to do with a hoarding mentality, but its a good point – buy and try. Dont slag them off until you’ve sold them through ebay… 😀

got some LUST (UST version) 2.1 crossmarks here in excellent condition for £30 posted (the pair)

jfeb you are annoyingly correct I suspect, it seems thanks to lack of consensus I have to make a leap of faith. Racing Ralphs it is. Thankyou one and all, may we all get to use them this year.

racing ralphs here too.

though i have a pair of conti race kings to try out, should be awesome!

Don’t worry, I am also correct about Racing Ralphs being great 🙂

On-One are doing them pretty cheap at the moment by the way.

what is this “dry” that you speak of?

For dry conditions on FC type trails n tracks another vote for small block 8 type tyres, I also like Tioga yellow Kirin for dry armoured trails.

In my limited experience, very rarely are tyres terrible.

The only ones I’ve used that I thought were terrible were Continental Gravitys – they were so bad they were dangerous.

The only ones I’ve used that I thought were terrible were Continental Gravitys

And oddly, I like Gravitys, at least on the rear wheel (and not in sticky mud)

The problem I found with gravitys was that the tread pattern is very square which meant that they gripped well in a straight line but lean them over into a corner, or hit an off-camber section of trail and you suddenly go from having grip, to having none whatsoever.

At the moment I am using a Panaracer Rampage on the rear and a High Roller Super Tacky on the front, which seems to work well in the damp, loamy trails of the North Downs.

Racy Ralphs are on the way from Merlin. Stonking deal at £46 for the pair including post. I’ll let you know…

Continental gravitys have the least “square” tread pattern I can think of? the treads are little triangles? I agree though they’re rubbish.