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Hey -
Picked myself up an EX8 the other day, loving it! However - the bontrager's that come stock with it are proving a bit lacking on some terrain (trek seems to think everyone lives in california).
Can anyone recommend a set-up that will work well on trails such as Glentress (my local trail), Innerleithen and at times Laggan over the winter?
I like to have a super-planted front end, so was considering mismatching the front/rear. Budget is around £50/60.
Cheers 🙂
p.s. tyres are so hard to choose and I can't try them all!
I had great success on mine with Conti Vertical on the front and Maxxis ADvantage on the rear, but now running Rubber Queens both ends and lovin' them, but they are pricey and I do run tubeless.
My mate is running Advantage front and rear, after the Bontys and getting on well.
Maxxis Advantages for me for the last couple of years. Fancy a change soon though (just for the sake of it), maybe the new Conti Mountain Kings when they come out.
I know that they are not everybody's cup of tea, but I have run Panaracer XC Pro's for the past 18 months on my EX9 and they seem to suit me and the bike just fine
I'd like something a bit chunkier than the advantages preferably.
The 2.2 mountain king looks nice for the rear, but quite a lot of people saying it doesn't hold up too well in the wet. Thinking maybe a 2.2 MK on the rear and say a high roller on the front?
advice always welcome!
High roller 60a 2.25 front. Crossmark 62a 2.1 rear.
how about Rampage 2.35's front and rear - the perfect allround GT tyre IMO
Kenda Nevagals on mine!
with iainc on this. Had rampages on my ex8 2009, mind you also ended up chnging the wheelsets to hope hoops also with pro II hub.
Was as good around flat thetford forest as they were on welsh trails.
Obviously just and opinion
Summer- XR front, larsen TT rear, rest of the year nobby nic 2.25
nobody seems to mention the specialized tyres.
i run eskars on my enduro, they seem excellent.
and 2.0 "captains" on the rear and 2.2 purgatorys on the front of a 456.
so far they've been excellent.
Wife had the fuel ex8 tyres, they are terrible.
Eskars on my EX9, they're the best tyres in the world.
I'd go with the 2.2 Spesh Purgatory on the front & 2.0 Captain on the rear.
Came as standard on my bike when I bought it and definitely a good combo.
Specialized tyres as standard on a Trek? 😯
I ran a Nevegal F & SB8 rear on my Remedy round a wet glentress, surprisingly grippy and fast.
Yup specialised tyres are my first choice. 2.2 captain on the front and a 2.0 on the back would be good.
£46 for the pair.
rOcKeTdOg - Member
Specialized tyres as standard on a Trek?
Erm - nope, they came as standard on my 2010 Stumpjumper FSR Elite. 😀
Anecdotally - when I test rode the Stumpy & the EX9 on the same day at Cannock, the Trek had way less grip than the Spesh, which i put down to the tyres...
Right - so I decided on a high roller 2.35 60a on the the front. Stock bontrager on the back.
What a difference! the front feels planted and sure footed round everything I've chucked it at - oodles of grip. However I still haven't ran in the rain where I think the rear bontrager is going to give me some real problems.
The 2.1 small block 8 looks promising - but thanks for all the advice guys. It's been a nightmare choosing!