Sorry if this is a daft question but…. I can’t tell the difference from the pics on the Internet shopping sites. The tread pattern looks identical and spaced the same, and when I’ve seen them in the flesh on other people’s bikes I struggle to tell any noticeable difference. Maybe the HD tread pattern is slightly more open, but it is such a small difference i’m not sure. it’s the same with Racing Ralph’s and Rocket Ron’s. I obviously missing a subtlety!

HD are much more aggro than NN – beefier, and grippier, but draggier.
I don’t use RR’s as I like grip and I’m not a racer!!

HD’s go round corners, NN’s don’t.
HD
NN

That’s what I understood from research I’ve done on here, but was just struggling to see the difference physically in the tyre. I’m no racer too, but the Rocket Ron’s fitted to my bike from new have proved to be a pretty decent all-terrain/all weather tyre for me over the summer, but I’m just looking for a winter Jack of all trades, master of none setup. I ride varied surfaces and can’t be bothered having a set up for one specific surface type. Sounds like the HD up front with NN combo might work for me. Cheers.

Sounds like the HD up front with NN combo might work for me. Cheers.

yep thats what i’d recommend. the HD is damn grippy and a brilliant tyre, NN, well its not as good grip wise but lighter and faster. a pretty good little combo. worked well for me at the last gravity enduro round.

Jack of all trades, master of none

Well “Hans Dampf” is pretty much the German translation of “Jack of all trades”.

It’s prolly what I’ll try next (played with NN and highrollers) for the fractionally more hardcore trail bike. Will go back to RR/NN combo for the long fast gravel summer rides. Heard that HD is not so good in mud? but then that’s true for many all-rounder tyres.

NN are waaay thinner in the sidewalls and less draggy on tarmac. I pinched them (tubeless) several times so I hated them. Hans Dampf have been great for me, but they’re significantly less racy.

Thanks all. Good info as usual. Just one more question as I’m struggling to find it off the product descriptions. What is the difference between the Evo versions and Pacestar ones? The Evo ones seem to have the Pacestar compound but what else are you getting for the extra few quid price difference? I’m not bothered about weight over puncture protection (I have plenty to go at round my belly before worrying about tyre weight!)

Pacestar is the compound. Trailstar is another (softer).

EVO refers to the carcass and is the high quality of the two available (the other is “performance”.

Performance tyres come in a completely different compound anyway.

Pacestar is the rubber compound, it’s firmer/longer-lasting/less grippy/faster rolling compared to the Trailstar. The Evo part means the ‘better’ carcass, so it’s folding and tubeless-ready. The cheaper models use a different carcass and rubber IIRC so really the ‘Evo’ label just means they’re the premium version.

EDIT: Too slow.

You definately want the softer grippy ones if it’s for winter – and all year IMO

Given that the Pacestar version (I.e. the harder ones) of my Hans Dampf on the rear has worn out in 3 months use, I wouldn’t recommend using the softer ones. I’ve not tried it but I imagine the softer ones are draggier too, not ideal for an already-slow tyre.

Agree with the softer one on the front, though.

Superficial – How much and what type of riding you have you been doing in those 3 months? Much on the road?

Nope, not much on roads at all really. Just off road in the peaks and a week in France (which to be fair was responsible for a lot of the wear). If I spent any significant length of time on smooth surfaces I’d go for something else – they really are very noticeably draggy on tarmac.

Well, I had a fifty quid Evans Cycles voucher so decided to treat myself and take the plunge with the Evo versions of both – I wouldn’t normally spend that much on tyres. The HD are Trailstar but the product description doesn’t specify what compound the NN’s are. I hate that, but I figure either way they’ll be fine. I only intend to run through the winter as I’ve found my Rapid Robs to be fine over the summer and they’ve got another season in them. Given the variety of surfaces I ride on I’m not expecting them to be perfectly planted all of the time, but that just adds to the fun. We’ll see how I get on. Cheers all.

Rode this combo today round cannock chase Monkey Trail and am well pleased with the results. I’m running with tubes and set the tyre pressures to 30psi and they were great in some tricky conditions – polished pebbles and rocks coated in a thin layer of wet mud. I did notice ther were dragging than my Rapid Robs, but not that much. Definitely not the cheapest tyres around but they work well. And to answer my own question – HD’s are larger volume with a slightly different tread pattern with nobles that wrap fount the edge of the tyre more.

My HD’s really struggled on the polished pebbles at Cannock last weekend. Also found them really difficult to seat when going tubeless.

HDs went up a treat tubeless for me, the easiest tyres I’ve ever had the pleasure of fitting (yes, they were tight on Stan’s rims, but they’ll loosen up)

I use HDs on both my bikes, running tubeless on Stans Flows.

I really can’t fault them for grip in the dry or wet. I’ve never pinched them, had a burp or owt. Just fit and check the pressures regularly.

They aren’t the fastest tyres on the planet but the grip in corners certainly outweighs the slight drag.

Bikediscount.de are doing them way cheaper than anywhere in the UK, I think it’s about £60 pair.

DId I read something about Stan’s not recommending running Schwalbe tyres..?

They did, but now they seem to have changed their minds. It was something about the TLR beads not seating and sealing properly on Stan’s newer rims (Crest, Flow EX and Arch EX), leading to lots of burping.

Had no problem at all getting HDs to seal tubeless on 29er Crests. They’re grippy and, compared to the 2.25 Rocket Rons I ran before, noticeably heavier. My main reason for upgrading was this bike is rigid so I wanted a bit more volume under the wheels. I run the front about 18psi and the rear about 21 (if the pressure gauge of my pump is to be believed, not sure about that!). Anyway they’re pretty soft.