So, my new Giant Trance arrives tomorrow and I have a few questions/thoughts ahead of the new arrival:

– It comes with Schwalbe Nobby Nics (2.25): Are they as bad as people make out?
– Assuming the answer to the above is “yes”, what alternatives would you recommend? I have been out of the xc game for a while, mainly doing DH, so I kinda lost track of what’s hot and what’s not in this field.

Riding will mainly be Surrey Hills, Swinley etc.

Th th th that’s all folks.

Why don’t you just ride them and see what happens?

I have done Nobby nics on a 29er hardtail and a SS 26 as well as on the 26 full suss……grip wise there not a touch on the old named Conti Rubber Queen in black chilli compound but they go round, grip in a lot of conditions but can slide easily on wet roots and slippery rocks where the Conti BC compound would hang on for that bit longer……am I going to swap them out before they’re worn out, no, they’re tyres, I adaptt to whichever bike tyre set up I’m riding.
Sidewalls may not make them last as long as the tread either.

They’ll be shite, as they’ll be a cheap, hard compound tyre. Give them a bash though, you never know.

Why don’t you just ride them and see what happens?

I will, just thinking out loud.

So…. moving on to the second question?

Conti Rubber Kings in black chilli compound 😆

Rubber kings? Do you mean the Trail Kings? Mountain Kings?

If they don’t grip that well, take the front one off and just use them on the back with a better tyre on the front.

I’ve got a high roller 2 on the front at the moment and it grips well in some pretty slimy conditions and doesn’t drag too much on the way to the trails either. I’d say be prepared to try a bunch of different tyres before you feel like you want to settle on a particular setup though. Maxxis seem to be consistently good though unlike the continentals I’ve had, although obviously that might just be a bad experience on my part.

Depends on which Nobby Nics – the old ones weren’t great, ran one on the back, didn’t roll that quickly but not particularly gripy. The new ones look alright though – like a slightly lighter/less aggressive Hans Dampf. Might give one a go when my HD wears out.

If they’re the proper, top-end Nobby Nics, they’ll be sort of alright. If they’re the OEM spec or even the Performance model, they’ll be gash.

They are: Schwalbe Nobby Nic, 27.5×2.25″ TL Ready Performance Folding

So I’m not expecting much.

They are THE worst performing mountain bike product I’ve ever used. Outright junk.

High Roller II at the front Ardent at the back. I’m not a tyre swapper though – the Ardent’s not too good in the goo.