Yep, and then very quickly moved away from Schwalbe! The NN has a great tread pattern but I have found the sidewall to be very thin and weak - I tore a sidewall within two rides and have also punctured between the tread pattern. It's only 675g odd so has to be slightly more vulnerable than heavier ones. Now back on WTB Vigilante front and Maxxis DHR2 rear and had no issues at all, including hammering them in the Alps. Bye bye Schwalbe.

New Nobby Nic is a great rear tyre, it's faster rolling than the HD, and just a little less grippy.

My other recommendation would be the Maxxis DHR2.

Also, have a look at the Bontrager SE3

Yes, generally works well with an HD upfront. However, they don't seem to like rocks. Both of mine have ripped through from one of the side knobs when they hit rocks which has never been a problem for the HD's.

The NN version I have are the expensive Evo ones so yes I was a bit miffed at having to patch them up after a couple of rides.

Mine are 26 run tubeless.

Thanks for the responses so far.

Does anyone know how the 2.3 Minion DHR2’s size up compared to a 2.35 HD?

Also has anyone used the Double Defence sidewale Schwalbe tyres and had the cut up? Touch wood I’ve not had any problems using Schwalbe in the past with both Magic Mary and HD.

And finally are the 2.25 really smaller than the 2.35?

Cheers

The maxxis 2.3 is smaller than a Schwalbe 2.35. The side walls don't stick out as much, so they're less likely to get smashed up by rocks.

The dhr2 is a really great rear tyre, I'd go for the Exo sidewall, tubeless ready, and dual compound, not the 3c, as it wears really quickly on the back.

Acycles too, they're french, fast postage and like £24 a tyre. Win.

The 2.3 DHR 2 is a lot narrower than the HD 2.35. I have both and the exact same frame rub problem on my Five. I need to swap the rear HD to the DHR tomorrow to test it so I'll measure them up for you and report back.

It's a fair few mm. The HD come up very big. Great tyres though. I prefer the grip from the HDs than the DHR2 on the rear. They can get knobble rip but different sets for me have lasted a lot longer than others have as if not all HDs are created equal. For the money though one of the best tyres out there.

I went for Conti MKII 2.4 when I had the same problem with the HDs. The width is significantly narrower so they no longer rubbed on my chainstays, and the tread pattern is similar. However the grip probably isn't as good (on rock) and they're heavier despite being a smaller volume.

I'd echo the above about Minions though, they seem great to me. Definitely a bit narrower than HDs, grip is better and the sidewalls are beefier. They are also heavier though.

From a pure volume:weight ratio, I don't think anything beats the HDs.

Measured them up at lunchtime.

Approximate widths:
Hans Dampf SS TS Tubeless on Flow EX = 63mm
Maxxis DHR II TR EXO Tubeless on Flow EX = 57mm

Flow EX has an internal rim width of 25.5mm.

HD 2.35 is massive, more like 2.5, good for the front.
I use a 2.25 trailstar on the rear of mine. Wanted a pacestar really for the rear, but lets see how it lasts.

Purdy gud as a rear with a Hans up front. Used in Chamonix, no loss of pressure, punctures and it lasted quite well. I had a Mary to slap on the front with the Hans up the rear should the heavens have opened, but they hadn't for 3 weeks so it was bone dry.