[Closed] Another tyre thread. Sorry!

Vittoria.

You could try the Martello on the front and Agarro on the back.

Or the new Mazza on the front, Agarro on the back.

Before I had the minions on I had gato front and rear and loved how they rolled and gripped but I went through 2 tyres in a month from sidewall damage. Have the agarro and Marcello got a little more protection?

The Gato is a more XC tyre, with the Agarro, Martello and Mazza their trail tyre, they have inserts in the sidewalls for pinch flats, they'll be a bit heavier but more robust than the XC tyres.

They roll well too.

Depends how aggressive you wanted to go, Virttoria seem to do well for fast rolling tyres that also have a decent amount of grip.

Looking for something in between trail and xc.

After a previous thread I inspected my Ardents closely and have observed that the intermediate tread on the 2.4 extends all the way across to the shoulder blocks whereas there is a gap on the 2.25. I think the Ardent/ Ardent race would be good, just go with the 2.4 on the front for that extra security when leaning over.

Ardent Race Rear, Forekaster Front. Sorted.

Schwalbe rear. Much lower rolling resistance than Maxxis.
Rock Razor if you got on well with the Minion SS, Nobby Nic if you want more climbing and braking traction.
Then Something lightweight but moderately aggressive grip-wise on the front with moderate compound rubber. Recon exo Maxxterra? Or indeed one of the Vittoria, or another brand. Schwalbe Hans Dampf? Specialized Purgatory?

I've got butcher/slaughter (summer) purg (winter) on the full sus which I really like.
Of the schwalbe tyres I've never tried rock razor rear, is it a lot better than minion ss? Maybe with a rocket Ron?

Now you've mentioned nobby nic I've got 30mm rims I could put a 2.8 nobby with a rock razor. That's pretty high grip and lightweight

We've just had a huge box of Specialized tyres arrive. Silly cheap Specialized UK sale.

All our bikes will be wearing Butcher / Purgatory, Butcher / Slaughter or Ground Control / Slaughter this year...

All Grid or BlkDmd casing, all 2bliss, all £15-24...

I put 6 new tyres on yesterday, across 4 brands of rim, every single one mounted tubeless first time and have held overnight.

My only negative is they come up small, I should have bought another couple of pairs of 2.6's for one of the lads bikes.

I love slaughter rear, but folks I know reckon the rock razor is better.

2.6 butcher black diamond up front has surprised me, miles better than the old butcher I used to ride years ago, think the compound is the difference, much grippier.

I’ve got butcher/slaughter (summer) purg (winter) on the full sus which I really like.

+2 same on my hardtail and full sus.

Was gonna say, Specialized have some dirt cheap tyres in their sale. Ground Control front Fast Trak rear for dry to mixed XC / Trail goodness. This setup is equivalent to Nobby Nic front Racing Ralph rear which I run all year round on my "slightly more XC focused than trail" XC / Trail bike.

Ground Control front and back if you want to give up a little speed for more rear grip. Purgatory front Ground Control rear if your bias is more towards pure trail.

I've got a 2.6 butcher on the front of the rocketmax, love that tyre.
Never used a ground control. Specialized tyres do seem a bit weighty for a light xc ish bike.
Hmmmm. So many choices!

Butcher is as 'fast' a tyre I'd go on the front, fast rolling tyres lose their advantage in corners, I'd much rather have something up front I can trust at speed.

Main reason the purg never lasted long on the front of my bike. Never even attempted anything as daft as a NN or Ardent. 🤣

Nobeer - as ever I think the where and context is vital with tyres...

I can put my summer Saguaro's on a rip around Glentress as fast as most...However Saguaro's on my usual loop of steeps, peat over clay-ey rocks is like Bambi on ice for 99% of the year...

I would love to go faster rolling, but experience says it's a recipe for frustration and crashes around here.

@jree, I would not put a NobbyNic 2.8 on a 30mm rim.
I had that tire on a 40mm (internal) rim, and it was pretty bad, on 30 it would be a nightmare.
The problem is that the Standard Nic has the row of cornering knobs (like kost tires), and they are moderate size, so it grips pretty well. The cornering knobs are slightly offset in-out every other knob.
When they made the larger sizes, they kept the same size and number of knobs. In order to cover the casing they moved every other knob much further in. So now(on 2.8) you only get every other cornering knob, because every other one has become an intermediate knob. There are huge long stretches of sidewall that are bare.

@Jree, I don’t know that the Rock Razor is better at grip than the Minion SS, never tried the latter. I suspect it’s fairly similar. Their are some tests online that compare them.
The reason I suggested the Rock Razor was simply rolling resistance. Every rolling resistance test I have ever seen for XC tires, Maxxis rolls slower than the equivalent Schwalbe model, including in those semi slick with side knob models.

Easiest place to start looking is:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews

Here is a decent overview too if you read German or want a laugh with google translate:

https://www.bike-magazin.de/service/kaufberatung/testsieger-2019-mountainbike-reifen/a39833.html

Agree with Rickon. Forekaster front ardent race rear, tried all sorts for local XC trail riding and settled on this setup and use dhf/dhr for peaks etc

I'm using Specialized Fast Trak's on my Soul at the moment and am finding them good for summer use, and would be happy enough using them at a trail centre.

Been on various maxxis tyres for about 20 years. Just tried bonty xr4’s and wish I had sooner. Got them f & r, pressure difference is enough to make the rear brake first. Compound is brilliant, much more feedback, tons of grip still. Can’t speak to use in mud, longevity or if 27.5 is diff than my 29ers. Used exclusively on local trails (dark peak).

Vittoria.

You could try the Barzo on the front and Mezcal on the back.

Or the Martello on the front, Barzo on the back.

“We’ve just had a huge box of Specialized tyres arrive...

My only negative is they come up small”

Strangely the Eliminator 2.3 is true to size, actually closer to a 2.4” on the ruler. But yes, all the other Specialized MTB tyres are a bit smaller then they should be.

Any opinions on the WTB Trail Boss as a fast tyre? And is the 2.4 a real 2.4?

my bike came with 2.4 trail boss tcs light in 29. They are big tyres, I didn't measure but filled the frame as well as the 2.5 maxxis that followed them on 30mm rims. From memory they rolled well, lacked a bit of bite and the light casing felt flimsy. I looked at the tough version recently but not worth the massive weight penalty (1200+gm compared to 776gm on the xr4's).

Aye, light fast casing is shite, tough casing is bloody heavy.

Tah, I'll probably pass. These may be the same ones you mention Kula as they are OEM.