So on the back you’ve got a tyre with relatively little grip until it’s leant over, and on the front a tyre with an abundance of straight line grip that falls off the edges too easily when cornering and washes out like a bastard!

Not been using the HD on the front very long but so far it seems very predictable and consistent. Using it specifically for dry-ish/rocky trails though.

Just took a Magic Mary off as it was way too draggy once the trails dried out.

Currently riding Magic Mary up front and DHR2 on the rear

Love the MM (great volume and grip wet or dry) and yes it is a bit draggy.

Think i may change to a Rock Razor out back to speed things up a bit – would love to try the aggressor but no 29er

Is there anything else that grips as well as the Magic Mary up front that’s faster rolling that i could use?

Was thinking a DHF but in 29er format can only get 2.3 (to skinny) and 2.5 (bloody heavy)

olibluegoat – I’m happy with a HR2 in 2.3 on the front of my 29er, but if you like something a bit wider maybe check out the On One Chunky Monkey?

That’s a 2.4in Exo carcass and comes in a nice dual compound version. Seems a similar girth to modern Maxxis 2.4 tyres too (made by them I think).

Wow. Chunky Monkey looks great – pretty good weight as well. Which one are people riding – dual compound or single

How does it roll compared to a Magic Mary?

I come to the conclusion there’s to many ruddy choices for tyres…

Which one are people riding – dual compound or single

How does it roll compared to a Magic Mary?

Dual for the front.

Much better, more like a Minion. Handles like a Minion too, but not quite so good in intermediate conditions due to shallower knobs I think.

Using one on front of my enduro biek for summer, Mary going back on for winter.

I have been using a hans dampf on the front and a specialised slaughter grid on the rear, and found it a nice combination.

The hans dampf has just given up the ghost (side knobs have started to fall off), so have ordered a butcher control to go on the front.

I really liked the hans dampf on the front, and the slaughter on the rear is excellent, I’ve been using it all winter with no problems.

I had previously tried a maxxis ardent race (exo 3c etc etc) on the rear, but found it way too fragile.

Do you go for the grippier one up front or on the rear? I’ve heard people debate both in the past.
Any suggestion to go with a 2.2 Conti Trail King for a bit less drag?

Butcher up front, bags of grip and rock razor rear ….. soooooo fast

Kenda Juggernaut up front, Geax Saguaro at the rear.
Fast and grippy combo

Not been using the HD on the front very long but so far it seems very predictable and consistent. Using it specifically for dry-ish/rocky trails though.

Predictable? I’ll give you that… Predictably it would try to have me off every ride!

Consistent? Yup the side knobs kept consistently ripping apart or even off, leaving me with a tyre that consistently tried to spit me onto the floor every time I rode it (see above for predictability!).

Just took a Magic Mary off as it was way too draggy once the trails dried out.

I’ll give you that it’s draggy, fortunately on my bike this doesn’t seem to make too much difference as it’s pretty raked out. Most of my local trails are still a bit damp though sadly, which is where the Mary comes into its own.

Is there anything else that grips as well as the Magic Mary up front that’s faster rolling that i could use?

Was thinking a DHF but in 29er format can only get 2.3 (to skinny) and 2.5 (bloody heavy)

Maxxis Shorty rolls a bit faster. Same skinnier carcass as the 2.3DHF though (albeit it’s not that skinny, just not as wide as a Mary). The 2.5 DHF comes in a folding 3C as well as a Dual Ply version. I’ve been running one for ages, only took off recently to try the Mary out. It’s still not light at 1kg, but that’s a lot better than the 1350g or so of the dual ply version. If you want one, let me know, have a new one kicking about at work.

I come to the conclusion there’s to many ruddy choices for tyres…

Quite… You wanna see my shed! More rubber than a fetish club on a Saturday Night, and that’s after a big cull… 😳

Do you go for the grippier one up front or on the rear? I’ve heard people debate both in the past.

For me?

Always grippier up front, and faster rolling the in the rear

front tire to really stick the corner, rear tire to slide the corner if required

effective braking through the front wheel, so grippier front tire has big benefit

For summer I use Nobby Nic or Trail King front and Rocket Ron on the rear. For scary fast Rocket Ron front and rear and you’d be surprised how well they grip until things get really gnarly.

So the general consensus is that HR2’s arent particularly good all-rounders? Perhaps I’ll go with the Nobby Nic Evo Snakeskins then.

So reading through this page keeping my Hans dampfs pace star on the front and putting on a rock razor trail star on the rear should be an improvement…

If I don’t like that combo I can then change out the Hans dampfs on the front for something less aggressive..

Watches with interest..
I’m running hd on front and rear (29er) and though it’s grippy, it’s soooo slow!
Great tyres, but I feel they lose a bike it’s spark a bit..

On my ss race bike I’ve saguro which roll super fast, but not ideal for tech dh/am stuff…

Might look into the specialized combos discussed here…

DrP

So the general consensus is that HR2’s arent particularly good all-rounders?

Excellent all rounder as a front tyre I think.

I like my HR2/Ardent combo but going to move the ardent to the front and get something else for the rear for when its proper dry. Like the look of the Maxxis Ikon 2.2

Interested to hear peoples views on semi slicks on the rear in the Alps etc on steep loose tracks. Do they offer enough breaking grip?

About to run a set of Thunder Burt’s down to Mexico. Loads faster than the SB 8’s I used last time. They don’t hold mud, I just wonder how long the tread will last.
Lets find out.

@paul123 I ran a Rock Razor during Trans Savoie a couple of years ago… a couple of others did the same. Coped pretty well TBH, obviously comes un-stuck on the steep slidy stuff so depends how much confidence you have in riding the front of the bike… I ran a nobby nic rear in 2015 and got away without any punctures, rolled well and had better braking grip (I have subsequently had mixed luck puncture wise with the NN though, possibly just got lucky with that particular tyre?)

So after a few more rides I have to agree the Hans Dampf is not for me as a front tyre either. Back to rear winter duties for that one.

But I’ve replaced it with an On One Chunky Monkey trail extreme on the front – which seems the perfect foil for the Rock Razor. Rolls better than a Mary, great cornering grip, good width and a pretty tough carcass.

Shame they don’t do a Supergravity-style version for my holibobs.

paulneenan76 – Member

So the general consensus is that HR2’s arent particularly good all-rounders?

I really rated it in 26, so I got a 29er but just didn’t get on with it. Not sure why, angle of approach or something or maybe just all in my head, it does happen…

paul123 – Member

Interested to hear peoples views on semi slicks on the rear in the Alps etc on steep loose tracks. Do they offer enough breaking grip?

It’s not the alps but I’ve used my Minion SS and Slaughter on some steep and loose, they work way better than you’d think but obviously they do have definite limits. One thing, they both slide well- it’s not like, say, an original minion dhf where if it slides it’s orrible, loss of grip is more managable. And also they don’t rip the up trail as badly.

I’m still on the fence; I like these tyres, they make climbing easier and they’re fun to ride on. But I’m still definitely slower on the way down, and it’s mostly because I just carry less speed- I brake earlier and more often.

Chapaking
I’ve just gone to your old setup, Hans dampfs on the front still and changed the rear to a rock razor.

Rock razor isn’t as wide as the Hans dampfs (2.35)
Goes up tubeless easily on a flow ex rim..

What pressure are you running In the rock razor?

I don’t really know TBH, mid-high 20s PSI probably.

Had to let a bit out yesterday as the rear was bouncing about too much in the dry.

rollingnresistance testing
Worth a read through some reviews from the independent test site.