[Closed] Bestest ever tyre design?

Ground Control S.

I've tried lots of other tyres, but always seem to go back to panaracer fire xc pro's. Not sure if they're the best, as I've not yet tried every tyre design, but I like them anyway.

thinka alot of us agree high rollers are great, though not light.

As a combo, the dart/smoke was hard to beat ( especially in nineties white)

thinka alot of us agree high rollers are great, though not light.

Highrollers are a copy of the Michelin comp 16. The Michelin is the best tyre design if all you want is grip in moderate to wet conditions - pretty much the ideal UK dh tyre you can almost use all year.

+1 for the HR's (the LUST ones are light)

Spesh Ground Control Ummagumma

Also the old conti survival pro's for heavy winter riding. Why oh why did conti pull that model?

80s ground controls + 3

Onza porcupine in white...

closely followed by their 'octopus' spring weather tyre...

😉

Ritchey WCS Z-Max. I've never found anything to suit my riding style better.

Fat Alberts !

tioga - Farmer johns
panaracer smoke n dart combo
ritchey megabites in a Huge 2.1
onza porcupines in white

no recent tyres have inspired the same level of geeky tyre worship in me!

WTB Velociraptor - ace grip, but damn draggy on grass. Had a few pairs on 26" and some on 29er.
Conti Vertical Pro - not perfect at anything, but has probably got me up/down/round more miles than any other tyre without complaint.

hutchinson cross comp air lights...

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I think as suspesion and brake technology has improved it's getting harder to design an all-round tyre.

My vote best ever goes to some Michelin tyres that I had around 1999. They worked brilliantly on what me and my Rift Zone (V-brakes, 80mm fork, 100mm rear) could haddle. I think they had a different name at the time but they it's the same tread as on the Expert XCR Dry. Just seen they are on offer on CRC...

I was lucky enough to see the Onza Octopus when I did work experience at MBUK, strangley it was in the staff changing rooms 😀

IRC Mythos. Design must be about 15yo now, still an awesome all-round tyre.

smoke/dart. end of thread.

Michellin Hot S...in red!

Bonty jones acx 2.35 is the best tyre i have sued at just about everything apart from trail centre hard pack

Smoke / Dart here, too.

Quite liking Jones ACX front / XCPro rear at the moment.

I'm a fan of the maxxis rendez but can hardly be called a classic. Never used High rollerz but they are super popular. I like the velociraptor and WTB as a company are very underrated but if i remember their tyres are a bit weighty

Also the old conti survival pro's for heavy winter riding. Why oh why did conti pull that model?

Wonderful tyre that grip better than anything else & roll quite well too.....

I've still got a pair as well 🙂

got to be anything by tioga.

2.4 Nobby Nics

Goan - Member
got to be anything by tioga.

You clearly never rode on Farmer Johns or Cousins, then!

For me, Ground Control or Smoke/Dart.

Smokes front & rear for me, never could get a Dart to work well on the front. 1.9 Smokes were just made for the Essex mud. If we were to try them now tho' wonder how they'd compare with the more up to date rubber?

The Michelin Comp 16/Maxxis High Roller design.
Smoke/Dart was good, but outclassed now IMO...

Ground Control or my current Big Earls (which seem about faultless, albeit they do drag on hardpack).

Continental Cross-Country 1.9s. Worked in all conditions, light and fast. Updated to modern dual compound they'd be great.

Fat alberts 2.3 -Never let me down, doing crazy turns

Michelin mud 2.1 -bigger rear tire, very fast, grippy -see for your self at mtb.review:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=419392

very techie tire thread !

speccy umma gummas in grey.........now theres a tyre

smokes, frony and rear.
conti xc 1.5 for polaris duties, quite a few years ago.

Found a Ground Control S in the garage yesterday, maybe I'll resurrect it.

Still use Velociraptors from time to time too. Did they come wider than 2.1in? Wonder how they be in 2.3 or 2.4?

Another vote here for the Ground Control.

I've still got a knackered old pair of smokes 'n darts on a hardtail. They were a class apart when new, far more robust than wildgrippers etc but I reckon modern designs would outdo them in cornering grip and drag. Still, it would be interesting to see how the recently relaunched SnD combo would compare with modern ramped designs.

minions

Another vote for Ground Controls here.

Loaned a bike to my mate a year or so ago, and it still had the original GC attached. Must have been nigh on 20 years old and had furry sidewalls due to all the threads withering. Still held air and had plenty of tread left.

Tioga Psycho front / Hound dawg rear

Smoke and Dart

Michelin Comp 16 front / Comp 24 rear

Onza Porcupine - in white 😆

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or the tyres I used to ride on 1.9 inch Panaracer Smoke (sh)Lite

Maxxis Swamp Thing

I've been running HR front Mich 16 rear for years now & they're the best grip I've ever riden.

+1 for IRC Mythos. Front + rear specific. Utterly awesome tyre..

Everyone knows that Onza Octopus was for slickrock! Honestly... some people.

+1 Smoke/Dart, so good that not only do I still use them, but they are still available, in folding with fancy modern dual-density rubber.

schwalbe ice spiker pro, 700grams each of 361 carbide spike enhanced grip :D. You wont find a tyre that gives that much grip for that much weight.

Smoke and Darts were great back in the day, but super tacky HR's and Minions are better. Wet screams are sweet also.

Another vote for Ground Control.

Mimo's all day long... quick, light and you can really stuff them in to corners!

(paypal gift payment please Maxxis! :wink:)

I'd second the ice spiker as the ultimate grip absolutely anything tyre. 🙂
Plus smoke and dart, not the best now, but still the best.
And conti xc's, not the best general purpose tyre, but fantastic at what it does.
Oh, mud mads, great tyres that seem to last forever.