[Closed] Looking ahead - dry weather tyres

I picked up some Maxxis Crossmark 2 last year for my 26er, bought direct from Maxxis uk. Didn't get much riding in but they were fast as on the dusty trails of summer! 2.25 so nice and cushioned too (rigid bike).

There's a fair bit of choice and every answer is a compromise, so maybe also try to work out how much compromise you are prepared to make on grip in return for fast rolling. Also if you want a particularly tough tyre or a light one - that will affect your choices available.

But you did ask for 26" suggestions! So as you like your Maxxis, Ardent or Ardent Race? They always seemed "fine" to me but the Ardent is a marmite tyre for some people.

Or Schwalbe Hans Dampf or Rocket Ron? The softer compounds still don't seem to last well if you ride them aggressively. I always quite liked RoRo's but they are very XC.

Maybe keep your DHF on the front and stick something quicker on the back? I like DHF front / Hans Dampf rear, but many folk hate brand mixing... 🙂

Rockrazors are bloody brilliant on the back. Super fast, but still grip better than you'd think in mud and leaned over because of the side knobs and pretty good rubber, and come in a good range of carcasses. I used to use more traditional fast tyres but I really wouldn't go back from semislicks these days and the rockrazor's the best of all the ones I've used.

Front, I just use a dhr2, it doesn't make <that> much difference to go with a less draggy tyre on the front and the tradeoffs get big pretty fast. Depends what level of capability you want really.

My summer tires are an Assegai at the front and a dissector at the back.

I never got on with the 'semi slick with edge grip' tyres like the RockRazor. Lovely and fast for sure, and grippy in corners too if you bank properly, but they were horrible braking in a straight line or gentle curves on loose scree, dust and a fair few other marginal surfaces.

I had one particular episode involving a straight, steep, loose, slatey roller with a tiny run out that needed a 90 degree turn at the bottom just before you fell off a 30ft cliff. It was proper squeaky bum time and I was never really confident with it again.

Fast though.

I have butchers on the front and purgatory's on the rear of my hardtail and full suss in the winter.

The rear's change to slaughter and wtb riddler in summer. The riddler has made it through 3 summers now.

There is the odd bit of changing back and forth if there is a load of rain in summer and in spring and late autumn one bike might have a semi.

but they were horrible braking in a straight line or gentle curves on loose scree, dust and a fair few other marginal surfaces

I guess its location dependent. I cannot remember the last time I had to brake in dust or shale. It's mostly dirt/ sandy dirt/ peak District grit and limestone/ very occasional trail centers for my riding.

You need to say where you live, and ride, as that has a bearing on what tyres more than anything else.

Frinstance, tall_martins tyre choice for winter would be nearer what I use in summer, 2.6 Butcher front, Rockrazor rear. Front grip can give as much speed coming out of corners as a fast rolling tyre will, not as important on the rear.

I once tried running a rock razor on the bike and then ended up going over lots of corners as they didnt brake aswell as what was on there before!

I have moved from running dual Magic Marys all years round to a MM front and Big Betty in the back, after seeing Cathro do it I am tempted to try BB front and rear once it drys up a little more.

I switch from winter mud tyres to faster summer tyres on my 26" hardtail. The past few years there's been good deals on vittoria or michelin as they weren't the trendy tyres to have. I think both those brands have come up in peoples perception and combined with the move away from 26" there doesn't seem to be either much choice or bargains this year.

oikeith
Full Member

I once tried running a rock razor on the bike and then ended up going over lots of corners as they didnt brake aswell as what was on there before!

Well, yeah- there's always a tradeoff. (and also, you tend to arrive in corners going faster than you thought, when you've just swapped to a super fast tyre). But tbh what that's usually saying is that you should be using more front and less rear brake- certainly was for me, the "fix" was just to readjust my braking a bit and use the front better in those situations.

(it's pretty interesting, I thought- I definitely don't overuse the rear in steep braking, technical stuff etc, I guess because frankly you can't get away with it. But I was doing it in less stressful situations, straight line braking in trail centres and the like. So it's not so much a skill thing as me not applying the skill-it's more like I was only using the skill when I had to, and riding less well when I didn't have to ride well)

Maybe best example I can think of was riding date night at innerleithen in the wet- it's not super steep, but it's quite continuously steep and there's corners and stuff to deal with. Anyway, I made an absolute arse of the straight, flat, fast section at the top and thought "not enough rear grip, then I rode down the steep slippy bit and didn't ever think "not enough rear grip" just because my monkey brain was dealing with that for me.

I too found that much as I liked a semi-click (Minion SS) on flatter trails, as soon as it got steep and loose I was a bit too rubbish at using enough front brake to cope. I run a DHR2 or Eliminator (which is a bit like a DHR2/Aggressor halfway house) on the back all the time now, but I am curious about the Dissector...

I've only used the dissector in 2.4 WT guise. Its faster that the 2.4 DHR2 and is a bit rounder and has a bit less edge grip - I like my tyres with a nice aggressive edge and I'd not choose to run one on the front, but on the rear it's fine. Brakes nearly as well as a DHR2 2.4 too.

I'd rate it overall as feeling like the DHR 2 in its 2.3 guise, which is actually quite a lot different from the DHR 2.4.

What you get with the Dissector though is a 2.4 carcass.

Lots to think about, I've not considered having different pairings front and rear before.

I'm in the north east, so riding can be mostly local bridleways made up of old railway lines, trips to Hamsterley, Chopwell and other local woods. However in 'normal' times I travel a bit for work and will take my bike with me so I can hit the odd trail centres as well as trips to the lakes camping.

“ I’d rate it overall as feeling like the DHR 2 in its 2.3 guise, which is actually quite a lot different from the DHR 2.4.

What you get with the Dissector though is a 2.4 carcass.”

That’s v useful! I noticed the same with the DHR2 2.3 vs 2.4 - the smaller one is a lot quicker whilst the 2.4 is much happier with gravity helping it roll, and the difference in grip when it’s loose is similar.

No idea where my post went but, obvs just my opinions:-
On one Chunky monkey and rock Razor rear is a brilliant trail centre and general dry riding setup, shame you can't get the Chunky monkey in 26" anymore.

Specialized Eliminator isn't bad on the front if they do a 26"?

Specialized Slaughter prob fastest on the back but not as good an all-rounder.
Maxxis Minnion SS, not as fast as the slaughter or as grippy as a Rock Razor.

Conti RaceKing if you can find them in the right size. Rapid.