• This topic has 19 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by gonzy.
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  • What 26" tyres?
  • isitafox
    Free Member

    Coming up on the last couple of bits for my Rockhopper rebuild, just need a chain, BB, cassette and tyres the latter I have no idea about.
    I’m hoping to get riding locally in the High Peak, any rubber recommendations??

    shoogly
    Free Member

    I need new tyres as well so will watch this with interest. Whatever you do, don’t get maxxis crossmark… They’ve been terrible on the back end of my bike. Ardent on the front hasn’t been much cop either.

    orangespyderman
    Full Member

    Ardent on the front hasn’t been much cop either.

    I think the 2.25 and 2.4 Ardents are quite different, to the point of being different tyres, and I loved the 2.4 as a front tyre (though 29er), set up tubeless.

    I now run a front Ardent Race and a rear Ikon, both tubeless, and happy as Larry with both. Not 26, so totally off topic to some extent (to every extent?), but I enjoyed the Ardent 2.4 so much on the front I had to pipe up.

    *gets coat*

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    devash
    Free Member

    I use;

    Spring / summer / autumn – Specialized Purgatory Grid front, Ground Control Grid rear.

    Winter – Specialized Butcher Control Front, Purgatory Grid rear.

    Very happy with this setup. Would run the Butcher front all year round but its a bit overkill.

    All set up tubeless.

    stevenmenmuir
    Free Member

    Summer? What’s that? Butcher year round for me, don’t rate the Purgatory as any better than average. Just put a Continental Baron on the front and the Butcher on the back although I’d prefer something a bit faster rolling even for winter but my old favourite the Captain died and not decided what to replace it with so using up what I have in the shed.

    bowglie
    Full Member

    Magic Mary in Trailstar Snakeskin variety for front paired with a pacestar compound Hans Dampf worked well for me on my 26er (Eastern Moors/Dark Peak riding). Also Minion 2.35’s front & rear – less volume than MM & HD though.

    p.s. Still have a spare nearly new MM 26″ in the garage if you’re interested, drop me a line. (Just sold my 26 bike)

    RicB
    Full Member

    I find Purgatorys to be really good, although the control casing is a bit floppy and not strong enough for the Lakes.

    My summer go-to tyres are Butcher grid front (grippier compound and stronger casing than controls) and Purgatory rear.

    I’ve heard a few people say they can’t tell the difference between a Butcher and purg on the back but I can; purg is faster rolling – I only weigh 65Kg with gear so it might be weight dependent.

    I also like WTB Vigilantes on the front, which are somewhere between butcher grids and control wrt grip and sidewall strength. They’re an absolute swine to get onto certain rims though, which is why I went back to Butchers

    In winter I tend to run a Shorty front (incredible tyre!) and Minion DHR2 3C 2.3 on the back, which is a brilliant year-round combo too.

    For uplift days I whack a Butcher DH on the front; the increased grip and lack of roll is a huge confidence booster and ego massager!

    docrobster
    Free Member

    Wow, a 26″ tyre thread!
    It’s like we are back in 2012!
    Anyway my bikes are currently:
    purg 2.3 f and ardent 2.25 r on hardtail
    Minion dhf 2.5 f and ardent 2.25 on fs
    Would never put an ardent on the front
    Purg is good on the back too. Ran high rollers and advantage too for a while but ardents are less draggy than HR on the rear and a minion is loads grippier at the front. Hr2 maybe better all round.
    Maxxis single ply sidewalls tear too easily in the dark peak though so if I was buying again I might go magic Mary front hd rear in whatever tough carcass they do.

    isitafox
    Free Member

    MM front and HD rear is looking good to me!

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Nobby Nic 2.25 Pacestar on the rear and Hans Dampf 2.35 Trailstar on the front.

    Works for me, but then I’m probably not as rad as the HD/MM crew 🙂

    pickle
    Free Member

    On One Smorgasbord on mine and they’ve been great

    votchy
    Free Member

    On-one Chunkey Monkey/Smorgasbord combo cheap as chips and work well for me on rocky terrain
    other tyres that I use in 26″ are various Geax ones from on-One, all tubeless ready and around 12 quid each, no issues with them so far and have used Datura, Gato and Sagauro.

    jimwah
    Free Member

    I don’t spend more than £15 on a tyre, only buy Schwalbe, and run tubes so my advice might not be at all relevant 😀 but Rapid Rob on the back and a Tough Tom (in reverse) on the front is a nice combo – I really like the Tom on the front in anything loose. If things are a bit more choppy then a Nobby Nic on the rear is a bit better at paddling through crud.

    canopy
    Free Member

    was running specialized ground control front n back which were fine.

    just switched to purgatory 2.3s front n back for the winter (the biggest my santa cruz superlight will take on paper..)

    really happy with em so far. i paid 20 each from somewhere I can’t recall online 🙂

    Kojaklollipop
    Free Member

    Sigma Sport are doing the Purgatory Control 2Bliss for £19.99 each, just got some myself, and if you sign up for newsletters or something you’ll get a £5 off code 😀

    Ooo, just looked and they’ve got the Purgatory Grids for £20 too!

    canopy
    Free Member

    ah thats where i got mine too! (i got the 2bliss)

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    Just tried a Schwalbe Rock Razor on the back, so far, impressed. £15 at On-one too.

    Chunky Monkey or Smorgasbord on the front again, love them, £15 each too.

    Finally, the 26″ payback! Cheap tires… 😆

    nickjb
    Free Member

    On-one Chunkey Monkey/Smorgasbord combo cheap as chips and work well

    +1

    andeh
    Full Member

    Currently running Magic Mary Snakeskin front and a Hans Dampf rear. Slung them on for a trip to Canada and have been very pleased overall.

    Before that I had Hans Dampf front and Rock Razor rear, which was great for the sandy soil around here. Will probably stick the Razor back on and leave the MM front soon.

    If I lived somewhere less sandy, I’d stay away from the Hans Dampf, it doesn’t clear very well in thicker mud. Also, the side nobs do rip very easily compared to the RR or the MM, which is a pain.

    gonzy
    Free Member

    i have 1 set of wheels running the spesh butcher at the front and a conti baron at the rear
    the other set of wheels run a muddy mary at the front and a hans dampf at the rear

    my spare tyres used to be the panaracer fire fr but i blew one off the rim and destroyed it 6 weeks ago after a tubeless conversion went wrong…now trying to figure out which tyre to run it with. reasonably light tyre with good rolling resistance and very good but predictable grip

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