Just a quick straw poll really..

Front tyre for the Heckler…

Conti Rubber Queen?

Or

Maxis Ardent?

Thanks all… 🙂

Maxxis minion

maxxis advantage

Kenda Nevegal.

Of your two I like the Ardent more, Rubber Queen was pretty disappointing- fast rolling and huge volume, and good in a straight line but fairly heavy and pretty sketchy in the wet or in flat corners (I don’t do flat corners fast yet I still had a fair few nasty slides where I know even a 2.1 nevegal would have held on)

High Roller. Just because.

Northwind – Member
Kenda Nevegal.

Really??

That’s what I’m getting rid of… Fed up of getting the “Kenda Suprise”…

😐

Just now, Swamp Thing.

Which Nevegal is it you have? I went back to them (2.35 stick-e on the front) from Rubber Queens for the more consistent grip and better cornering, I don’t mind a tyre that slides occasionally but I don’t like it when it feels so much like an ambush! The Nevegal’s slower, but lighter, and seems tougher too.

Ardent is a really nice tyre too but it doesn’t have the same outright grip (it’s a lot faster though)

Got Nevegal 2.35 (wire bead) front and back OEM on my Heckler. Not unhappy with them; they roll fairly well for mid/large volume tyre but my only gripe is getting the ba5t4rd things off/on the rim when I get a puncture. Thankfully it’s not that often but last time it took two of us and a full set of Park Tool levers half an hour (and a broken finger nail!) to change a tube! I used to do Panaracer XC Fire Pro in 15 mins with one lever. Has anyone else had trouble getting them on and off their rims? Mine a re OEM WTB Laserdisc Trail.

fat albert!

Highroller.

I mustn’t have been using the same Ardents as the rest of STW. I find them utterly terrifying as a front tyre. Fast rolling, but extremely low grip, and once they let go, there’s no catching them. Perilous.

I’d totally say Highroller if they came in a sensible size/weight, but with the 2.35 being so skinny and the 2.5 being so heavy there’s no middle ground. Wish they’d put the Highroller design onto the newer carcass, love the DH versions but I ain’t pedalling them up no hill!

2.35 HR skinny? Bit of artistic license there. My mate ditched his Nevegal after comparing them to the performance of my High Roller at the start of the winter. His front wheel was all over the place compared to mine. Tyre choice is very subjective so it really needs to be a case of try before you buy. What do others you ride with use?

Rubber Queen for the 5th time 😡

Just to add i prefer RQ’s over my previous HR’s and they are miles ahead of the gash nevegal/blue grooves i had before then

2.4″ Nobby nic

To continue helping with the straw poll: Bontrager XR4 2.35 – much overlooked, probably because it’s standard on many bigger bikes.

http://www.imbikemag.com/kit_tests.php?q=2010%20Bontragger%20XR4

Avoid Ardents on front if any mud / wet —absolutely lethal from my experience 🙁

Minions are ace, roll and grip better than high rollers (which imo and ime are ****)

Any thoughts about the frame nick?

stevenmenmuir – Member

“2.35 HR skinny? Bit of artistic license there.”

It’s a 2.35 that comes up massively under its claimed size, therefore, skinny. But a good tyre still.

+1 for minion on the front. i keep mine there all year round.

dont get a kenda nevergrip 😆

I always wonder how many people who slag off nevegals were using the OEM spec (which is horrible) or had a DTC on the front (which is silly). I figure any XC tyre that can get a knobber like me safely down a world cup dh route does have some grip 😉 But only the aftermarket spec folding ones seem to be good. The 2.5 DH one is pretty damn disappointing…

“Cynic-al – Member
Just now, Swamp Thing.”

+1

RQ when spring comes.

None. Fat Albert! It’s a v personal question so you won’t get your answer.

Northwind – seeing as the only WC DH track we have here is Ft William I’ll assume that’s where you mean, pretty much any tyre will get you down there in one piece (yes, even XC single plys if you run them high enough pressure). apart from the 10 or so seconds that is WC woods (which is only open for the WC and the odd SDA, NP/BDS) and if it’s wet, it’s neither a very technical or steep DH track, even compared to other UK tracks nevermind WC tracks.
You’ve banged on about Nevegals on here for years now (I have tried them in stick-e compound BTW) where exactly do you ride that you find them to be so good?

GW – Member

“Northwind – seeing as the only WC DH track we have here is Ft William I’ll assume that’s where you mean, pretty much any tyre will get you down there in one piece”

You underestimate how much of a knobber I was maybe 😉 I gave the 2.1 a hard job that first time, I was a bit out of my depth in the wet and needed a bit of a compensator

The reason I’m still talking about them is that some of the reviews are so different from mine and I know they come in some crap versions. Kenda are stupid with that, people try the piss-poor OEM version then write off the quality versions. And the DTC’s a rotten front tyre too. They’re not wonder tyres but when someone says “Nevergrip” I just think that’s not the tyre I know. There’s hardly any quality tyres I’d say something like that of these days.

Also, I’ve not been on here for years to bang on… Thinking of someone else? I’m not the only person rates them 😉

Have run BG/Nevegal combo, XR4’s, High Rollers, Rampage SC’s and Nobby Nics on my 5, all tubeless on stans flow and without doubt, for my style of riding the BG/Nevegal combo, DTC and 2.35″ are the best all rounders I have used, cope well with mud, roots (wet and dry), rocks, tarmac etc. XR4’s are the worst tyre I have ever ridden (lots of rave reviews for them so must be me although I did spin 180 degrees riding flat singletrack in the wet with them and had no grip on any surface even when pressures dropped to 14psi both ends!!), Rampages OK but come up smaller than the Kendas and not so good in the mud, NN’s about the same as the Rampages and High Rollers too draggy and my cornering technique is allegedley not aggressive enough so found they washed out easily (need to get the bike over on the bar ends for best cornering grip).

NW – maybe not years then but pretty sure it’s you I was thinking of. Any tyre with a decently designed tread patern and stiff enough knobs in the first place will still be a good tyre in even the hardest compounds. if you need the softest compound just so they aren’t utterly shit I’d suggest there’s something lacking in the design in the first place, wouldn’t you?

i have kenda blue groove up front

GW – Member

“if you need the softest compound just so they aren’t utterly shit I’d suggest there’s something lacking in the design in the first place, wouldn’t you?”

Nah, not really, a tyre’s a package. There’s plenty of tyres that work well in one version but not the others. Also the DTC isn’t a bad tyre at all, it’s just not ideal on the front. And it’s not like it’s just different compounds here is it? Stick any design on such a stiff carcass and it’s going to perform differently. The awful slippy compound just finishes the job.

Big Apple. Man up.

With your FACE!