[Closed] All round 29er tyre combo

Youd be surprised what that mezcal can deal with.

When it gets bad i swap it to another Barzo out back. I havent tried it but a Forkaster / Barzo is supposed to be good albeit not the fastest in the wet.

Summer = spec ground control
Winter = dhf and dissector

Racing Ralph.

I recently replaced the 2.6 mezcal on the back with the 2.35 vee flow snap I took off in April. I’ve got a 2.6 flow snap up front which I leave on year round.

Summer XC, South Downs
Me: F Spesh Ground Control / Rear Spesh FastTrak
Lad: Mezcal/Barzo combo

Winter XC Gloop
Me: Spesh Ground control /rear Nobby Nic (ground control sometimes feels a little waheee 👀 in the mud)
Lad: Nobby Nic F&R

I'd be happy to stick with the nobby nics year round if my distances aren't too great. If you're covering lots of miles keep the mezcal/barzo for the summer and prob have something grippier for the back in the winter.

If I was forced to pick one pair of tyres and never change again, DHF front, aggressor rear.

DHR front for me, just think it's a better allround tyre than the dhf. In maxxterra it rolls decently on the front- not xc race fast, but fast enough, and there's tons of tradeoff- you lose tons of capability to get just a little bit more speed.

On the back I like a semislick, rockrazor is the best I've tried. Works better than I can really believe it does in the mud.

Currently running Vittoria Goma F+R. When I can find time to sort the new wheels out I'll be running High Roller 2 3C EXO as previously High Rollers just worked in the sandy ground at Woburn and surrounding area where I ride most.

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews

I signed up and bought a tyre (Strada Bianca) based on that. I would never have considered it otherwise and it's really very good.

With the UK weather and the places i ride on my hardtail (Southdowns/QECP so mud, roots, chalk and flints, along with be very loose when dusty dry)

I run a DHF EXO 3C on the front and a DHR2 EXO Dual compound on the rear

They work all year round in all conditions up until it becomes really sloppy and then only a Shorty will do

I used to be a serial tyre swapper but as the UK conditions can change so much quite quickly (look at the weather this year, QECP was flooded!) i got fed up of keep changing my tyres to suit the conditions and dealing with the mess of swapping the tyres and scooping the sealant out to transfer over also

I've been tyre fiddling this year.
Currently on dhf/aggresor on one set of wheels. Love it but prob a bit draggy for what you want. Trying xr4/rockrazor on the other. The rr is fast and feels ace for any road/canal path sections but did scare me in the steep mud in the woods - absolutely no straight line braking traction! The xr4 in 2.4 is light (and reasonably priced I think) and feels pretty good, I ran it on the back for a bit and gives good traction and seems to roll reasonably so xr4 f/r would prob be a better set and forget. Similar to a nobby nic setup I'd imagine.

Also based on the bonty xr4 I tried an se4 in 2.6 up front but it came in heavier than the 2.5 dhf, felt a bit more balloon like and cumbersome and so for me just wasn't worth it over the dhf.
I also looked at the new nobby nics but they're bloody heavy compared to the xr4, prob 200g heavier (actual weight, they were consistently well over the stated weight so I sent them back.)

I've been running a Dissector/Rekon Race through the summer and absolutely loved it, will put a normal Rekon on the back for winter in North Wales, seems to work well. If I rode steeper, loamier trails, I'd be happy Dissector front & rear. Did try Rekon/Rekon Race for a few rides and it was OK, just felt the minimal speed gain was outdone by the reduced grip up front.

It depends on your local terrain and expectations really.

On my Hightower I have for a long time run DHF/DHR2, in Winter and DHR2/SS in the Summer. All in old school 2.35 flavour.

DHR is better on the front than DHF, so if buying again I'd go DHR2/DHR2 (Except I wont be buying Minions, see below)

On my hardtail I have Forekastet/Ardent Race in Winter(3 seasons really) and Ardent Race/Ikon for ultimate dusty speed trails. Again, all in 2.35 flavour.

The Forekaster is a really, really good all round tyre, one of my favourites in recent times as its properly XC style fast but does still have 'bite' in the softer stuff and natural woodsy type trails, grassy stuff etc.

I''ve been tyre hunting for a while now for my Hightower, as I'm sick of dragging Minions round. A few people on here have mentioned similar in the past and even some bike companies seem to be going with bigger, but lighter tread tyres. Especially now I have 30mm rims and still using old style 2.35s.

Scotts XC race bikes are using 2.4 wide trail tyres now.

A 2.6 Forekaster, for instance, weighs lesss than a 2.35 Minion. I reckon it actually make more sense.... Bigger, but more racey, I reckon its the future.

Ofcourse, the problem is, stock. I've been lookin for a 2.4 Dissector and a 2.4 Ardent for a while, like rocking horse...

Barzo/Barzo, copes with most stuff apart from really wet n muddy, ive just got some pireli scorpion XC S which i'm going to try over winter ie oct-march and see how they do, ps didnt like forecasters

I run a Nobby Nic front / Racing Ralph rear most of the year. Mind you, get the new Nobby Nic as its miles more grippy than the outgoing version and rolls just as quickly.

This is a great setup for non-competitive XC / light trail duties. I've tried other combos but always come back to the Nic / Ralph. I do have a Racing Ray for the front but the the speed increase is negligible considering the noticeable loss of grip. IMO the new Nic design has made the Hans Dampf redundant in Schwalbe's range, it really is that good.

I have a 2.6 Aggaro on the front and 2.35 Aggaro on the rear at the moment. They seem to roll well and have decent grip.
When its time for the sloppy trails i will swap the front to a Martello 2.6 for more grip and keep the Aggaro on the rear.
Been running this combo for the past year or two and it seems to work pretty well.

I’m a bit of a serial tyre swapper - but if I had to pick any of the tyres I’ve used for all round and general trail riding I’d be tempted to put on a pair of Maxxis Forekasters.

Better than the Nobby Nics I’ve ridden and the Conti MK2s. Less rolling resistance than minions of all flavours I’ve used.

I run one on the back of my hardtail all year round - can’t be bothered to change it as it does most stuff well. Usually run a DHF in the summer up front and a 2.6” Magic Mary in the winter - but I like loads of front end grip. I think the Forekaster would actually make a decent fist of things on the front if I wanted a one tyre approach all year.

It depends on your local terrain and expectations really

Absolutely this, those Mezcal look like something you'd get on a hybrid, but I'm sure for some folks terrain they're fine.

fit and forget: Magic Mary Super Trail 2.4 Soft on the front and Big Betty Super Trail Soft 2.4 on the rear.

Would have tried Big Betty's front and rear this summer if it wasnt for injury.

I have been running DHF 2.5 on the front and a DHR 2.4 on the back. In this mornings post a new Shwalbe magic Mary 2.6 turned up. That's going on the front as I have heard good things about it. I liked the DHF but it didn't fare too well in the wet. Hopefully the new set up will do well all year round.

Its horses for courses. I reckon I'd by sliding sideways on my face pretty quickly if a ran a Forekaster up front on most of my local trails. For my trail bike its DHRII 3C 2.4" on the front and DHRII DC 2.3" on the back. I'll swap the rear for a Rekon if its been dry a while.

Hardtail which gets used for paths, lanes and easy trails has a HRII Front and Minion SS rear.

Thanks for all the replies. Lots to consider!!

If I was forced to pick one pair of tyres and never change again, DHF front, aggressor rear.

+1, as a fit n forget setup that's a good allrounder for the sort of use mentioned. Erring on the side of draggy for XC summer, but compromises. I have this setup on my trailbike in summer, switching to a Shorty (F) and DHR (R) combo in winter, but my trails do get gloopy.

Have no experience of the DHR and DHF tyres, but don't they seem a bit hardcore for OP who want's some light trailriding, gets there by road, and doesn't jump?

While we are at it ..what sub 1kg 29 tyre for front mud duties.
Must cut through mud like my 2.0 bonty mud but in a 2.3 / 2.4

Forekaster 2.3 as per post above for Mud on my hardtail. 784 grammes in 29x2.35.

For proper, full on mud plugging, even the new Shorty V2 in Wide trail flavour is only 1032 grammes.

but don’t they seem a bit hardcore for OP who want’s some light trailriding, gets there by road, and doesn’t jump?

Yes, but the OP did ask this to be fair

Interested to hear what front and rear tyre combos for all round riding people would recommend

Full suss
Summer
Butcher slaughter
Winter
Shorty purgatory

Hardtail 1
Butcher purgatory all year

Hardtail 2
Dhf dhr2

I run a Nobby Nic front / Racing Ralph rear most of the year. Mind you, get the new Nobby Nic as its miles more grippy than the outgoing version and rolls just as quickly.

@devash Have you tried the Rocket Ron? I've been running a Ray/Ralph combo all summer for light track/disused railway line duties and they have been fab. Went out after some heavy rain the other day and decided that I needed something a bit grippier so swapped for Rocket Rons front and rear. They seem to be pretty good but haven't been out in anything very damp yet as the weather improved as soon as I got them on so hard to tell but they seem like a good halfway house between the Ray/Ralph and the Nobby Nics. I've got a couple of Nobby Nics ready to go on when the Wx gets rubbish later in the year but I will see how long I can last with the Rons on.... I quite like the idea of a Rock Razor/Nobby Nic combo but that means buying yet another tyre... 🤑

OP - the Rocket Rons might suit you actually...

@oceanskipper - I've never tried the Rons myself but they're well-respected and before Schwalbe brought out the redesigned Racing Ray front / Racing Ralph rear combo, it was very common to see Rocket Ron front / Racing Ralph rear as a good mixed conditions XC race setup. The Rons do have more grip than the old tread Ralphs but as claimed here , when pressures are set up properly the Ron actually has less rolling resistance than the Ralph.

It would be interesting to see how they stack up side by side with the Ray in terms of grip, since the Ray is supposed to be an all-out XC race front tyre and the Ron an XC / light trail tyre.

Really like the Bontrager XR4 Team issue, good grip in most conditions, roll well, easy to set up tubeless and relatively light. Not too expensive either.

I like that comparison website. Good find. 👍 Thanks for sharing.  I’m definitely liking the Rons so far. I don’t do anything at all gnarly though but they deffo seem good.

susepic
Free Member

Have no experience of the DHR and DHF tyres, but don’t they seem a bit hardcore for OP who want’s some light trailriding, gets there by road, and doesn’t jump?

I'd say not- the dhr2 maxxterra on the front is a brilliant trail tyre. Front and rear? I'd say yes, too much for the OP's job but front, it's a good 'un. Partner it with something quicker on the rear and, well, that's exactly what's on my trailbike.

I think people overlook tyres like this because as you say they seem hardcore- same name and appearance shared on everything from trailbike to downhill tyres. But the trailbike minions- the exo maxxterras and the exo dual- are just well mannered allrounders, with a lighter carcass and a reasonably balanced rubber.

How would a HR2/Ardent Combo be?

had a hr2 ardent combo on my HT initially.. wasn't wowed in any particular way
swapped to double dissectors on the HT Feb- Aug and was loving that combo, i had toyed with the idea of chucking a dhf up front for winter... but now gone 29 and trying out a pair of Kenda nevegal's, only 1 ride in.. no comments either way yet, but the Kendas were 2/3rds? price of whatever maxxis i would look at (which are also limited stock)

My FS runs a dhf/dhr but i do put a shorty up front for winter, just because it gets used off piste in British slop
Unfortunately, i tend to try and ride the HT where i ride the FS, meaning when winter comes round i most likely swap the front Kenda to a Kellkat or pinner...

so, in short, because i do ride of piste slop, i feel the need to swap front tyres... you.. may not however

Well I now have a lot of tyre reading up to do thanks to all the above!

For reference I am not an aggressive rider, I’m a bit of a look for a fast smooth route rather than the harder routes! I mean I still do trails, but they are mainly smooth (or muddy) with mainly roots but rarely rocks. But I would say 60-70% of my riding is more smoother trails and over the hills of the South Downs. Hence looking for tyres not super draggy!

Would a DHF/Ardent combo work? Or is that an odd mix?

I had a 2.25 ardent as a rear before and found it quite good for my riding.

South Downs riding round Lewes and Eastbourne. Ardents, possibly Ardent Race in the Summer and Beavers in the Winter. Works for me.

What ardents are you running? 2.4s or 2.25?

I might just try another Barzo out back to match the front. But can’t find a 2.35 29 anywhere!

Plenty of 2.25s. Will I notice smaller size? Or maybe its better having a 2.25 out back?

Could try a Peyote for not many funds.

I’ve just put two on my rigid bike and will be riding it for the first time shortly.

https://bananaindustries.co.uk/collections/tyres/products/vittoria-peyote-cross-country-tyre-29-x-2-35