[Closed] 29er tyres du jour?

recently put some wtb tough trail boss on my cotic.
it came with conti trail kings. when cornering they felt like they were rolling off the rim.
the trail boss are well boss. 😀

Nothing wrong with sticking with what you know...

That said I can also highly recommend Schwalbe Magic Mary's up front and either a Rock Razor or a Maxxis Minion DHR2 on the rear depending on conditions.

dhr2 on both ends is working well for me. Shorty 3c on the front when it's manky, minion SS on the back when it's not.

(also I have to admit I just like the irony that after years of DHFs on both ends now I have DHRs on both ends)

Thanks guys.

My riding is mostly around Kent, it's very flinty and I've seen even Specialized Grid tyres lunched in one outing, so strong sidewalls and decent protection is a prerequisite here. Plus, I hadn't realised how draggy my previous Butcher/Purgatory setup on my 27.5 bike was until I swapped.

Do you need them to be rock proof?

DHR2 60a Exo 2.3in is probably the best all-round rear tyre I've used in 29in, but I usually have a tough/fast Trail Boss on instead because the Exo casings are too easy to put holes in when riding fast over rocks.

Front I like the HR2 exo 2.3 3c, the Chunky Monkey 2.4 dual compound (summer) or the Magic Mary Snakeskin 2.35in Trailstar (winter/slop).

Shorty on the front if your local trails are a mudfest.

Yeah, I get on well with exo but I'm not puncturey. And even then, I did manage to flat a dhr2 exo literally the first time it saw a rock. I reckon you might want something tougher tbh.

I have run Hans Dampfs front and rear in the snakeskin tubeless variant for the last year or so, never had any issues with burps or slices, I did have some sketchy moments when they clogged with mud though.

Moved to a super gravity rock razor on the back and am enjoying the difference in rolling resistance from the Hans. Just picked up a Magic Mary Soft for the front and thinking about putting a Specialized Butcher Grid on the back for the return of winter.

Northwind, why the change for you from DHF front and rear to DHR's?

Not tried a minion in years, so can't comment. I rode a 650b bike with 2.4 high rollers front and back for a while and they were great, I bought a set for my 29er bike and they're not the same. Carcass is narrower at 2.3 and the knobs all appeared to be scaled down significantly too so I found it not as grippy, especially on the front. Plus the 3c version fell apart quicker than a Hans Dampf does. Which is saying something.

WTB Trail Boss here too.
Magic Marys look the business, but aren't they a bit draggy? (no experience of em, just going by how they look compared to other tyres)

Thanks Trusty, that's extremely useful to know.

@oikeith - thanks for that, I've no experience with Schwalbe tyres at all, except for anecdotal comments about longevity. I was looking at the Magic Mary up front, with a Hans Dampf on the back, it gets properly gloopy here during the colder months, so I usually put my bikes away during the winter and spend my riding time in the gym instead.

oikeith - Member

Northwind, why the change for you from DHF front and rear to DHR's?

DHR2 rear is just plain better on the back, I reckon, it's not drastically slow and it's grippy enough but when it slides it slides really nicely- like the specialized butcher. dhf I always found doesn't slide so well, less managable/predictable...

On the front I'm actually still on the fence, I have a 2.5 dhf and a 2.4 dhr2 and they seem pretty similar. Maybe the dhr is better in the dry and the dhf in the wet but I've not really got it sussed yet.

Minion/Minion SS for dry
Minion/Minion most of the time
Short/Minion if its been raining a lot

Ride in Shropshire/FOD, so plenty of mud and wet roots.

I have way too many 29er rear tyres, drop me a line if you're interested in a part-worn Hans and/or DHR2.

Had a Minion DHF 2.5 maxx grip. It was stupendously heavy being the DH casing variety and strangely didn't find it that grippy, certainly less so than a 26' super tacky version.

So it has been replaced with a magic mary trail star which I also have on the 27.5 hardtail and find it much better. Definitely my new go to front tyre. Very versatile. Only trouble is the sidewalks aren't massively tough but I have never damaged a front, only rear so that doesn't bother me on the front.

As for rear depends how tough / fast rolling a tyre you want. I went for a 2.4 exo ardent which rolls well but isn't very grippy. Wish I hadn't been such a cheap skate and got a 2.4 DHR2.

Magic Mary front
High Roller II rear

May cause OCD to go into overdrive due to different brand logos on tyres. Otherwise a very good year round combo for FoD where I ride.

HRII with Ardent Rear.

XC bike....Maxxis Ikon 2.2 tubeless

Trail bike...Rocket Ron rear, Nobby Nic front both Snakeskin tubeless both 2.25

I've a £50 store credit with Hargroves, so my tyre upgrade is pretty darned cheap. I went for a High Roller II in the end, matched with a Minion up front. I figure that if it's a disaster then it's actually cost me very little.

Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread, in particular chakaping - I may well be in touch to take you up on your very kind offer.

Procore to stop punctures.

Rocket ron/racing ralph (fast compound - compounds have all changed recently so not sure what they're called now) for fast stuff (grip OK in the slop too to be honest)

Magic Mary/Nobby Nic for winter/gnarr.

Loads of people have moaned about Schwalbe sidewalls, but I've ridden plenty of rocky trails with a Racing Ralph on the front in the lightest sidewall and no problems with sidewalls (probably helps that it's on an HT so the back wheel takes far more abuse). It is noticeably low on damping though, you need to keep pressures low.

Oops should've read the whole thread. Enjoy your new tyres!