so I have ran 2.4 TK front 2.2 TK rear and it was pretty good then ran 2.5 DHF front and 2.4 TK and it was really good. Trails are a bit drier thinking of trying Butcher front and 2.2 TK rear as I already have a butcher. Has anyone tried this?
Depends on local conditions naturally, however, don't get on with conti's myself.
What is it on - DH bike you won't be wanting a smaller tyre - minion dhrii?
On a trail/all-mountain bike my preference would be either for something a bit faster rolling like an ardent race, or x-king, or a tyre that allows you to really hoof it up the trail like the old nobby nic.
Yes, ran that exact pair on my Soul. Very good! I also now have a Minion DHR2 2.3 (like a stickier Butcher with better braking centre knobs) up front and a Trail King 2.2 rear on my Spitfire which is a bloody brilliant pairing.
It's for my AM bike. My usual riding areas has a bit of everything; sand, big rocks, loam, roots, slabs, little loose rocks and hard pack.
The combo wirked really well the butcher really bit into the loose stuff and cornered well on the hard pack. You could feel the 2.2 TK step out a bit on the sand but quite manageable. They were way faster which is what I wanted. I ran a DHR 2 at the rear autumn and winter think it is a bit tired for a front tyre.
I love the RQ/TK 2.2 as a rear tyre. It rolls improbably fast for something with so much braking grip and when it gets greasy and sloppy if you drop the pressure it'll crawl up slick climbs better than most mud tyres. It needs leaning hard to get it to bite well in turns but it's very progressive on the limit, starts drifting as the smaller side knobs give way first whilst the big ones keep tracking. Surprisingly friendly on wet roots. Lasts ages as well.
I now have a Baron up front on the Soul because that's mostly the winter bike (and the Baron is way better than the Butcher in the wet) but I prefer the RQ out back to any mud tyre I've tried (why are trail/XC mud tyres so useless in rooty woods?)
Couple of rides in definitely a good combo yes it has a bit less grip but more than makes up for it by rolling fast. You are right about it being very predictable on the limits you can really feel what it is doing. Once this butcher is dead I Think I might get another 2.3 DHR II 3C to use as a front tyre.