Whilst I love my x kings they are expensive and split terribly. I only have a chunky monkey as a front tyre and was looking for something to replace the x king on the rear and the monkey on the front.
Was advised on here a racing ralph for the rear and am thinking 2.25 pacestar with a nobby nic 2.4 trailstar on the front. Will be a summer combo and will be doing afan bikepark wales and brechfa, apart from the usual riding here on the isle of wight. can get the pair for £60 which is more than I’d like to spend on a pair of tyres, what does stw think of them?
Or should i be going nic-hans dampf or ralph-dampf?
Will be going on a 160mm full susser so not needing massive volume out back.

I have tried a lot of tyres. I my current favourite are Minnon 2 DHR front and back.

I my current favourite are Minnon 2 DHR front and back

What size and compound?
Why a Rear on the front?

I read somewhere that the DHF front and back was the way to go.
Ilike the conti baron paired with the chunkey monkey for bad weather, but am after something less soul-crushingly draggy and heavy

650b 2.3, they don’t make a DHF in the minion 2. You can run them on both wheels.

Ah I’m still on old fashioned 26ers

Really need a new front tyre too… like the look of the Minion DHR or specialized butcher
OP.. they make the Minion DHR in 26″ too.

Anyone know Wheres cheapest for the Minion DHR 2??

I know they make them but can’t remember where but i read that the DHF is better than the DHR on the rear

Racing Ralph is a cracking rear tyre, if you’re having problems with x-kings splitting then go for the snakeskin or double defence sidewall. Maxxis Ardent is also a very good rear tyre.
Shame the same can’t be said for the Nobby Nic, which is a horrible tyre IMO, I found the grip to be all or nothing, and was prone to letting go and depositing me in the nearest ditch with little or no warning and the tread started to delaminate after about 6 months. I have also tried the CM and found the grip very good and the weight acceptable, however I’m currently running a Spesh Butcher and I find this almost as grippy as the CM but significantly lighter with decent volume.

Butcher is a great tyre- not the stickiest but a great tread, basically just an evolution of the Minion DHF. Wish there was a supertacky version, that’d be it, tyre war won for me.

I’m gonna throw a spanner in the works and say Hans Dampf on the front and a Rock Razor on the rear.

The HDs stick like shit to a blanket and the Razor rolls really rather well, even in super gravity guise

Cheers Dave
Hmm butcher looks good but how bout the purgatory? slightly lighter, might suit me better as I use the CM when it’s sloppy.

Although if it’s raining for my week in wales i’d really like something super tacky, not used to rocky stuff as it is down here..

Never tried the purgatory personally but I have 3 mates who use them on the rear and really rate them, don’t know anyone who has run one on the front. I think the butcher is a better sloppy tyre than the CM personally, a true ‘fit and forget’ tyre. Since I fitted mine the CM has been gathering dust in the garage.

Purgatory is ****-all use on the front imo, good grip but terrible when it loses it, really abrupt and unmanagable. Alright on the back but I’m not sure about it, it doesn’t feel that much faster than the Butcher and it’s a much less useful tyre. Haven’t decided yet, I need to put a load more miles on it.

(I think Specialized have got brilliant at treads but maybe not as good at compounds?)

Just bought a specialized butcher from freeborn for £26.99

Thanks for the recommendation Northwind.. arrived today.
Looks the perfect replacement for my minion super tacky which is just a bit too draggy.

High Roller, Dual Ply, MaxxPro, Front and rear.
New to me, but really liking it at the moment.

How about ralph rear and the Xking on the front? surely it shouldn’t tear on the front? anyone got on well with an x king on the front?

High roller II on the front Purg on the back here, year round. 26″ HT. Works for me!

I’ve found Hans Dampfs to be very disappointing, despite the reviews. They just don’t hold a corner well enough to be worth the drag.

For what you describe then this setup is brilliant. Maxxis Minion DHF 2.3″ TR/EXO/3X front and Maxxis Ardent Race 2.2″ TR/EXO/3C rear. Rolls fast and grips where it matters, and durable too.

When it starts to get wetter and/or the trails are steep then a Maxxis High Roller 2 2.4″ EXO/3C on the front with either a Maxxis Minion DHR2 TR/EXO/3C or a Maxxis High Roller 2 2.3″ TR/EXO/3C on the back is great. The 2.3″ HR2 and Minion DHR2 are very simila tyres, especially so on the back. The 2.4″ is a different beast though, with big, solid side knobs that really dig in and bite in loose conditions.

If I’m racing and it’s really, really messy then the new Maxxis Shorty goes on the front. Just grips and clears so well.

Onza Ibex’s sub £20 from evans at the moment. Bought myself a pair for t’alps, they’re supposed to be brilliant.
Another butcher vote here too! Ran one on the back all winter, and it’s pretty damn good in the wet. Gonna swap it to the front for summer, and try either a purg or rubber queen on the back.

Did look at the ardent and high roller but they are ridiculously heavy compared to schwalbe and conti..