Went to BPW on Tuesday with mini-DBW#0000002 and managed to put a hole in a 200 mile old Assegai on run 6 of the day and do the same with a same age Minion on run 7. I've run this tyre setup for yonks (can't remember the tyre compounds etc off the top of my head) and am happy with them but figured if I need a new pair of tyres, should I be trying something new? Usage is a mix of everything - general trail riding but also steep, loamy tech stuff and will be headed out to the Alps for big back country type trails in a few weeks which my current setup has done brilliantly but is there better? These radial things that are out now? Continentals sticky ones etc?
I can only recommend what I use. Before I switched to Conti I only ever used Maxxis. Same setup as you, Assegai/Minion.
When I had some new wheels built for the Slayer the shop offered me a discount on Kryptotals, I had heard good things so thought I'd give them a try.
The enduro casings have done a sterling job. I had an unfortunate slice at Dyfi that ended a day prematurely, but apart from that they have been great. best compromise of sturdiness, grip and rolling speed for the riding I like doing.
I do have DH casings on the Slayer now I have the eeb, it has become the uplift bike converted to single speed. I wouldn't run them for riding outside of the park, a little bit like pedalling in treacle.
I also have DH casing on the eeb as the enduro casing wasn't coping well with the added weight, but the motor compensates for the rolling resistance.
I have no point on reference on the trail casing, which might also be an option for you.
The Continenrtal Kryptotal is very Assegal-like, and the enduro casing one is roughly same weight as an Exo+, the DH one is same weight as a DD. I've been very happy with them and I do think they roll better than the equivalent Maxxis. Conti have got tubless sorted now too, unlike the years they spent with leaky tyres that blew off the rim
The Schwalbe Radials I have on the Ebike, they are genuinely excellent, have a damped feel and loads of grip. Most people think there's a penalty in terms of rolling, I've only had them on the eBike so don't care.
You're kind of spoiled for choice, really. All three manufacturers on top of their game
I've been running an Enduro case Kryptotal 2.4 on the back for the last couple of years. Roll pretty well, excellent grip, last very well too. I've had a couple of pinch flats, but on the whole been reasonably tough.
(I did run a trail casing with an insert for a bit - the grip was fine, and it was nice on natural trails, but the casing was too flexible for any high speed berm stuff and would roll over rather disconcertingly).
WTB Verdict 2.5 Light/Grippy on the front. Amazing tyre.
I replace an Assegai with the High Roller 3 on the front. Both Eco+ Maxxgrip. I find it a much better tyre for all round duties in all weathers. In fact, I'm not sure where the Assegai beats a High Roller 3
Saw some comments that the High Roller 3 is very slow rolling -How is it for pedalling?
I'm not quite sure how, but I've never managed to actually own a High Roller over the years, and they're now on version 3
I've just got some Kryptotals to replace some wild enduro, I've only put the front on so far and the wheel is still off the bike.
Compared to the wild enduro the front has:
gone on easier, seated easier & sealed easier on an ex571 rim. The wild enduro fought back.
The High Roller 3 is also my first HR tyre as well.
Perhaps it's just me, but I don't find rolling resistance makes an awful lot of difference on the front. I've certainly not noticed it. But my mindset is that I'll happily trade grip for rolling resistance anyway.
Running Schwalbe radials on the HT - MM Ultra Soft front, Albert Soft rear, both trail casing 29 x 2.5
Finding them ok - seem tough enough, roll ok - have to run at higher pressures but still get the level of grip as though you were running lower pressures.
Hutchinson Griffus on the Stanton FS - roll pretty well, grip well and are really nicely damped. No good in mud.
Kryptotal DH Supersoft/soft on the Levo - absolutely brilliant tyre. Pig to get on Roval carbon rims though.
Schwalbe Eddy Currents on the Kenevo. Grip fairly well - soft front is obviously not as good as an Ultra soft
Thanks for the comments so far. I'll look at a HR3 but head says sticking with what I know at the minute... think I'm just pissed that I wrecked two almost new tyres in the space of an hour!
Schwalbe Albert Gravity and possibly a Tacky Chan at the back. Ultra soft on the front and soft on the back.
I've stopped using Maxxis having been a die-hard Assegai / Minion / Dissector (for bike park) user for years. Schwalbe radials really do it for me these days and are a million times easier to get on, and don't have the Maxxis wobble.
BPW is pretty hard on tyres ime, that combination of fast and pointy. Plus you tend to get to know the tracks and doing lots of runs means speeds come up. I ride there like twice a year and yet I think probably 4/5ths of all the tyre and rim problems I've had this decade happened there!
I think the contis have a better carcass but I'd much rather have a dhr2 than a krypto on the rear. They're really close performing til you get to the edge of the grip, when the krypto gets pretty abrupt and snappy, while the dhr2 has basically the best sliding manners ever, dead rpedictable and managable. Which makes not much difference most of the time but an absolutely huge difference when you're pushing it or shitting in your pants, ie where it counts.
Supersoft krypto is excellent on the front. Argotal better- can deal with more different stuff- but slower. Highroller 3 is very similiar to the argo, both absolutely superb uk tyres. IMO the Assegai was never quite the right tyre for us just because of its sticky mud problems, if you want a tyre to do the job everyone in the uk seems to want the Assegai to do, it's the highroller 3 imo.
I'm another long time Maxxis fan (decades!) thats converted to Schwalbe.
I've found better availability of the variants you want (softer but lighter fronts, harder but tougher rears), better build (no wobble treads as above) and excellent durability.
Super soft Magic Mary Trail Radial on the front, and a Soft Albert Radial on the rear, Trail or Gravity depending on how hard your going to smash it into stuff.
Kryptotal was an absolutely swine to get on whatever rims I was struggling with, possibly hope fortus. When I eventually managed the casing was twisted. Absolute swine to get back off again. Sent back after at least an hour's fight and not a pedal turned.
My dh argotal was the worst tyre I've ever fitted to a wheel 🙂 Not so much tight, just stiff and sort of slippy and squirmy and always wanted to come off more than it wanted to go on. I haven't even attempted to take it back off.
Decided to stick (kinda) with what I know - HR3 up front and a DHR out back in MaxxGrip/MaxxTerra Exo+ flavours.
Was at BPW recently and ran Maxxis for the first time, DHF + DHR. They were fine although the Magic Mary is miles better up front.
WTB Verdict, WTB Judge. Tough carcass, soft compound. Mega. But on an e-bike. Otherwise heavy and draggy AF
I run specialize as they used to be cheap.
Hillbillies f/ butchers r in the heavier weight compound in the bike park.
Hillbillies f in heavier compound with a lighter butcher I. The rear outside the bike park.
I'd run either set up at bpw.
I run specialize as they used to be cheap.
Hillbillies f/ butchers r in the heavier weight compound in the bike park.
Hillbillies f in heavier compound with a lighter butcher I. The rear outside the bike park.
I'd run either set up at bpw.
I get some people are fine with Spesh tyres (I don't like them), but on a bike I'm chucking over gnarly terrain, the last bit I'm cheaping out on is the bit that's in contact with the ground tbh
Nowt wrong with Specialized tyres. I run them on the rear of my bikes, previous generation Eliminators. They get a proper hammering on the Tweed Valley Enduro trails.
The Eliminator on my Levo has been a nice suprise. Apart from spinning out a bit over winter when climbing I haven't had cause to give it another thought. For reference, I'm also DHR 11 user.
The radial rear Shredda I have run up front over winter is nothing short of amazing so when the standard Butcher runs out I will probably go radial MM.
I'm definitely more fussy about front tyres over rear but over the last few years I think Maxxis rears have become more delicate.
The tyres that came on my Levo (Butcher/Eliminator??) were definitely better than the first generation, but I wouldn't class them as good tyres, there is much better out there. I definitely wouldn't buy them just because they are cheap
I’ve hardly seen a tyre as well reviewed as the current Hillbilly T9 and my experiences with it on the front vs Maxxis, Continental and Schwalbe tyres I’ve used concur that it’s a great year-round UK front tyre (if you value grip- it’s not an XC tyre!)
Regarding the original post, it totally depends on the casing. The old Exo+ seems to puncture more easily than Exo did but the new Exo+ should be better (for the new one they kept the TPI the same and add protection instead of increasing TPI (more flexible but less tough) and adding protection). DD and DH versions are way tougher.
Nowadays I run a tougher casing or an insert on the back as that has the hardest time, with a harder compound so it lasts. Stickier and lighter front.
My general preference, for a whole host of reasons, is Assegai MG on the front and DHRII MT on the rear, Exo +! I also currently run combinations of Kryptotals, Tacky Chans, Michelin Wild Enduros and Magic Marys on other bikes, no complaints about them really but they just don’t quite hit all the spots like my favourite tyres! 🙂
I have so many other tyres as I fell out with Maxxis for a while after a few issues, but they seem spot on now and have four pairs in use!
I’ll be keen to try the new Specialized radials when they come out in hillbilly and cannibal treads. Tried the Mary and Albert radial combo over winter and they were ok but now it’s dried out I’ve found them to have quite a bouncy feel so gone back to double assegia
<ot really but I love how post-radial Specialized were just like "oh yeah we've been messing with ply angle for years, we just didn't really think it was marketable so we never mentioned it, there's literally no reason for a bias ply to be 45 degrees". I wish they'd tell us exactly what and when, their tyres are so up and down in performance that it makes total sense if they had something stealthy going on. I loved my old Controls and I never could explain why, makes me wonder if that was part of it.
I think this is sort of a weird time tbh because whoever gets the first really good radials out is probably going to be the winner for a lot of us. The carcass works for sure, I just want something exactly like an argotal or hr2 and a dhr2 on schwalbe's carcasses if I'm honest. Like, today is still the best time ever to buy a tyre, cost aside but tomorrow could suddenly be pretty different.
Obviously the op has made their choice. Sticking to tyres you normally get on either side is sensible.
Theres a lot to be said for putting on some heavy casing tyres just for uplifting then swapping back.
Banana industries had, last I looked some heavy sticky Vittoria tyres for £20ish, perfect temporary bike park tyres to save your expensive trail tyres.
whoever gets the first really good radials out is probably going to be the winner for a lot of us.
Id say Schwalbe have managed that.
Been running the new Specialized Grid Gravity radials (butcher/eliminayor) for the last month and I think I they are great. No way of knowing if it’s the gravity casing vs trail that I had before or the radial(ish) nature of the new tyres, but they are a definite step up from the grid trail casing. A lot more support at the same pressures, but without feeling harsh.
Kryptotals.
@Northwind - do you run a DHR2 on the rear with the HR3 up front? What compound/casing do you favour for the DHR2?
This thread is timely for me, as I'm about to replace a pair of Kryptotals (DH/SS, front and rear). Bought them for a trip to the Pyrenees last year and just ran them through the Winter and Spring. They've been pretty great (durable, supple, grippy in anything other than deep mud), but I'm about ready to give my poor legs a rest (@relapsed_mandalorian ain't lying).
And, yes, they are not fun to get on and off. Tyre-equivalent of passing a kidney stone.
really can't fault the assegai but I'd be tempted with a radial tyre of some sort next. Otherwise I feel like its nitpicking these days
@Northwind- do you run a DHR2 on the rear with the HR3 up front? What compound/casing do you favour for the DHR2?
This thread is timely for me, as I'm about to replace a pair of Kryptotals (DH/SS, front and rear). Bought them for a trip to the Pyrenees last year and just ran them through the Winter and Spring. They've been pretty great (durable, supple, grippy in anything other than deep mud), but I'm about ready to give my poor legs a rest (@relapsed_mandalorianain't lying).
And, yes, they are not fun to get on and off. Tyre-equivalent of passing a kidney stone.
I'm not Northwind, but I am running that combo. HR3 up front in Maxxgrip Exo+ and DHR2 in the rear, MaxxTerra DD. Not too much for bashing around the Peak and were fantastic for a week in the Pyrenees.
@Northwind - do you run a DHR2 on the rear with the HR3 up front? What compound/casing do you favour for the DHR2?
Yah, it's really a lot of tyre tbh, pretty slow but it's the first setup I've ever had that I went "I could just leave these on all year", they're just basically really good and super predictable and confidence inspiring and I'll trade sweat for that.
Maxxgrip on the front and maxxterra on the back, I went with Exo+ but I am really light and basically not hard on tyres so I can't say if that's a good recommend for everyone else... Exo+ is a wee bit lightweight for me on the back but I can just get away with it, it ends up "good enough" rather than "super dependable"
(I'll be honest I have no idea what's better, an argotal or a hr3. Both bloody awesome though. But dhr2 is just the best rear I've ever used)
Cheers, both. I've had a DHR2 before and got on well with it. Now just pondering casings, compounds and front pairings.
And, yes, they are not fun to get on and off. Tyre-equivalent of passing a kidney stone.
I really like the new conti tyres, but they are a PITA especially the DH tyres as they just want to keep popping off the rim as you work your way round. I bought a cushcore bead bro (the little screw on clip that hold the tyre in place at one end) as I'd had enough of constantly chasing the bead around the rim and my god it makes it so much easier. Probably the best £15 you can spend.
“HR3 up front in Maxxgrip Exo+ and DHR2 in the rear, MaxxTerra DD.”
I can see this working very well - I run the Specialized version of Hillbilly T9 Grid Trail front and Eliminator T7/T9 Grid Gravity rear. Front sticks, rear has just the right amount of drift!
One thing nobody’s mentioned is how they wear. Life of the Contis is really impressive given the grip and because they’re single compound the side knobs don’t rip off in the way I find they do on Maxis 3c tyres.
