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hi everyone, need 2 new tyres for my cube hardtail, was wondering whats the best fast rolling xc tyre to go for, cant buy rapid rons anywhere, ( thats what it came with ) ??
Conti speedkings are light ad damn quick
Try a racing ralph? A little slower but quite a lot grippier
I've got a pair of nearly new Conti X king Racesport 2.2s and supersonic tubes for sale at the moment. Brilliant tyres and weigh an average of 450grams each, tubes are 100g each.
Only selling as I've split the bike they were fitted to and am buying a new complete bike.
Let me know if you're interested.
E-mail in profile.
Cheers,
Alan.
I was going to say Conti Xling super sonic 2.0". Race kings are prety good as well. Never tried the speed king.
Hutchison tyres seem less popular on tyre threads here, but the mosquito or scorpion are v fast rollers and good race tyres. Design's been around for ages - not a versatile tyre though for general xc - the mosquito in particular has a very shallow thread.
cant buy rapid rons anywhere, ( thats what it came with ) ??
Because they don't exist... It's either Rapid Robs or Rocket Rons. The former have the same tread pattern as a Racing Ralph, in a harder compound on a heavier carcass. If you were happy with the grip you can do far worse than Ralphs. I've got a pair of brand new boxed 2.1" ones for £55 if they're of any interest. Rons are slightly lighter, but more fragile.
Rons or Ralphs are good, I own both, relatively fast rolling, grippy and lightweight.
Do you want a race XC tyre, or a tyre for XC? I'm incredibly impressed with the new Kenda Slant 6- it's too heavy and probably too big for a race tyre but it's fast as you like, surprisingly grippy even in the mud, and pretty durable to boot. Superb bit of kit, it'll be a 3-seasons number for me.
I found the conti speed kings supersonics and schwalbe racing ralphs Evo to be very similar for just straightforward XC riding, the RRs have a bit more grip on cornering. If tubeless is an issue, then the SK supersonics sidewalls I found to be too thin and gave up. The RR Evos were easy to go tubeless with. SK supersonics weigh 400gms each, not sure about RRs, a bit heavier.
For a rear tyre, you could do worse than try a Hutchinson Cobra. It's faster even than the Schwalbes mentioned, and it's surprisingly grippy too, though I wouldn't run one on the front as I like something with a bit more tread up front.
There's also anything from the following that would suit...
Maxxis Crossmark
Conti Race King
Schwalbe Rocket Ron
Schwalbe Racing Ralph
Michelin Dry2
Kenda Small Block 8
Maxxis Aspen
Maxxis Larsen TT
I've got a Specialized FastTrak (front) and Renegade (rear).
Scarily fast but as soon as it gets damp prepare for lots of sideways action, not always in a good or expected way
If you want reall fast on the back get a Furious Fred, they're mentally fast. Not much grip though.
"Maxxis Crossmark"
These came as stock on my bike, but I've swapped them out for Nobby Nic 2.25's for general riding.
Just put them back on the bike for a race at the weekend, but everything I have read about them says they are very sketchy in the wet..
i'm running rocket ron / racing ralph on my yeti which is well proven.
on my cannondale ht i am running michelin wild race'r advanced (2.25" front, 2.1" rear)... wickedly fast tyre and very light... bought mine from chain reaction for a very good price... seem to be far more expensive on the continent where they appear to have a better reputation (whereas schwalbe tyres are cheap on the continent and moon money here)