if you run dual ply and decent tubes it's pretty hard to snakebite. I've snapped a couple of rims with hard landings, and still not had a flat

smoooove 8)

No I meant bars as in bar height as well as bar width? and overall height of the front. The HR's are quite tall tyres to boot as well arent they? If the rider is quite short your already on the backfoot so to speak.

Why are you using a Tubeless tyre with a tube btw?

I've periodically tried HR's- really can not get on with them at all. Just make me feel nervous when they are amazing tyres.

I think she should could back to her previous ASAP. Some products work for some and some not for others.

I love Ardents- mental about them however I know others will disagree.

14 stone, always run 21-23 psi front (DIY tubeless). I also prefer wider rims such as 5.1's or Flows, which give a better tyre profile for cornering, especially on 2.2-2.35 tyres.

fair point, I still think the average MTB has its bars too high for fassion reasons rather than people thinking about where to put their bars on they just stick a 10deg stem, mid riser and 15mm of spacers and leave it at that as its astheticaly what everyone does so looks abotu right.

A low front end has plenty of advantages, mainly;

*keeps the wheel down uphill
*increaces girp in corners (i.e. works downhill as well)

You should have your bars as low as your hamstrings/back will comfortably allow, so yes I would flip my stem back up if I knew I was going out for more than 4 hours, but for less than that I'd keep it as low as possible.

I've not seen the OP's bike, but I stand by my comment that they might benifit from a lower (and possibly wider) front end if they are struggling fro grip.

Why are you using a Tubeless tyre with a tube btw?

Because it was 'The only tyre in the village'.
Slashed the previous tyre in North Wales & Betws Y Coed is not exactly blessed with choice – it was this or a semi-slick 🙂

Ta for all the advice – bar height is not an issue – bike set up is spot on (as said before, the position was tweaked by the Dales Bike Centre and seems to be working fine for climbing and descending).

Back tyre is a Purgatory, which is very high volume, so no issues there.

One LBS recommended a Minion DH F Supertacky which I fitted last night.

Once on the bike it seems to have a similar gap between the centre tread and the side knobs as the HR: I'll try it myself before letting Sue loose on it, but seems stickier than a fat kid in a sweet shop and has much deeper tread than the HR, so we'll give it a go.

Ta for all the advice folks, much appreciated.

Thats another tyre I cant get my heard round!

Which one Hora, the Purgatory or the Minion?

TBH, I'm not convinced by the Minion (which seems to have a similar tread pattern to the HR), but it's on now, and I'll use it if it doesn't suit.

Chaps in the shop (people I trust) assured me it would grip like a very, very grippy thing. Will be running it at 25psi, so fingers crossed and lets see what happens.

Don't forget that the slight stiffness and nervousness you get when you lack confidence (in this case confidence in the front tyre) tends to lose you grip in itself. You become more sensitive to the slightest sensation of slip, which causes you to be tense and react to the ground, and that's a negative loop which just keeps on reaffirming itself.

I reckon you should just let a bit of air out of the tyre and try really hard to relax and keep looking further ahead and ignore the bike under you – break the negative circle.