Hi all,

I am trying to get my head around tyres for Spring/ Summer…

I have ridden Bontrager MudX this winter for the first time and have found them something of a revelation over my previous tyres (Trailraker etc)- I can see what the hype is all about!

I love:
– Great on wet roots and rocks
– Fast rolling
– Cheap
– Hardwearing
– 0 punctures/ good sidewalls
– Tubeless ready

Not so great:
– Heavy for the size
– Narrow/ low volume can be a little harsh
– Must be faster rolling tyres for when the thicker mud disappears.

MudX are great in Winter but I feel I could do with something bigger in volume (or lighter) and a little faster when the worst of the Winter mud disappears. Mud never disappears in the UK and I don’t like to be constantly changing tyres so the “Summer” tyres I am after need to be all-rounders rather than specialist Summer tyres.

I ride a 22lb SantaCruz Superlight in rocky, rooty south Wales so puncture protection and genuine grip are my priority in all conditions.

So…

Schwalbe
F: NN,RaRa, RoRo?
R: NN,RaRa, RoRo?

Bontrager
F: XR4?
R: XR2?

Specialized
Ground Control/ Purgatory/ The Captain

Maxxis
F: Ignitor, Advantage, Ardent
R: Crossmark, Larsen, Ikon, Aspen, Monorail

Conti seem very expensive and seem to lack genuine grip despite being generally lightish and fast rolling by all accounts- not so keen.

What would the STW massif recommend?

Many thanks in advance, DanW

I’ve just chucked my Nobby nic 2.25 snakeskins on. I’m after the same as you and find they do the trick. Oh, and they’ve replaced my mud x’s

I keep coming back to Nobby Nic’s but the sidewall stories, cost and short wear life put me off…

Tyres are to fit ZTR Alpine rims by the way if that changes anything (i.e. nothing super big)

I really like the old XR4s – loads of cushioning, roll pretty fast, grip well, usable all year round and go tubeless easily. I gather the new ones are a little less huge, roll faster and grip better, especially in the wet, which sounds like the perfect tyre.

To be honest the Bontrager or Specialized tyres are the most tempting from my list- I just don’t know anyone who rides them! Good to hear about the XR4 experiences, ta!

Maxxis all year
Winter f- swampthing r-minion
Spring/autumn f-minion r-ardent
Summer f-ardent r-aspen

Bontrager TLR and Specialised 2bliss just work, especially with Stan’s rims. After my last tubeless fight with standard Maxxis tyres I shan’t bother with them again and I’m not paying extra to haul round UST tyres. I wouldn’t bother with Continental without black chili but they’re expensive and apparently hit and miss going tubeless (though the MK2 looks good).

Best rear tyre bar none (and I’ve tried pretty much all of em) is the 2.25″ Maxxis Crossmark IMO. It’s no good in the mud (you’ve got the Mud X’s for that), but for everything else it’s sublime! Conti Rubber Queen in a 2.2″ Black Chilli compound is also excellent as a rear tyre, though not as quick as the Crossmark and probably drifts slightly more readily, though it has slightly better climbing traction.

Front tyre choice is a little harder. I’ve been running 2.2″ XR4’s up front on both my bikes, and they’re great in a number of conditions, but not perfect on my local trails I’ve found. Their volume is a bonus, as is the fact they’re tubeless ready, and they do grip well in many situations it’s just I find they slide a little too easily up front though it is totally predictable, but I prefer a tyre with more bite up front (and a slidey one out back).

I’ve been running the old XR4’s on my Fuel EX8 for the last 12 months & just put one on front of my Ragley Piglet with a mud X on back, as i ride that bike more in the mud. They seem to grip well on rocky/rooty stuff at 25-30psi (tubeless).

Main reason i went for them was low price (£25) & tubeless ready.

If I go down the Schwalbe route which version of the NN or RaRa is the one I want for sidewall durability, grip and volume on a ZTR Alpine rim?

2.25, Triple Nano compound,with Snakeskin protection?

These ones?
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCRALFSS/schwalbe_racing_ralph_evo_snake_skin_folding_tyre

What about the “Pacestar” compunds? Just newer version of “Triple Nano”? Should I be looking for “double defence” sidewalls over the “snakeskin” sidewalls? Any hope of running any of them tubeless on the ZTR Alpine rim? Would a 2.25 be too wide for the ZTR Alpine?

The Schwalbe line of tyres is very confusing for my tiny brain!

Yep snakeskin Schwalbes are much tougher.

I’d go for Ralphs.

How about the compounds and 2.25 width on Alpines Njee?

I’ve read your posts in the past about tyre choice (which have been very helpful) and am inclined agree and go for the Ralphs over Nics also.

What’s the difference between the old and new XR4’s?

I’m using (I asusme new style) XR4 2.2’s on the 456 Ti and 2.35’s on the Pipedream, which has better tyre clearance.

They’re both the TLR Team Issue ones so are more procey but loads of grip (softer compound on the shoulder knobbles).

They roll ok, grip ok and don’t seem to have any drawbacks. Go up tubeless great.

Can’t knock them.