Looking for a new rear tyre, anyone got experience of these two? They seem similar in many respects apart from price.
Is the Conti tyre worth the extra money or is it just hype?
*Pulls up chair*
A [i]lot[/i] of people are raving about the Conti's.. so would be interetsed to find out...
Ardent is a much more fair weather option IMO. Excellent in the dry, quickly gets sketchy in the Wet. Only tried RQ in 2.4s Black Chilli but based on that I'm expecting a much more all weather performance than the Ardents, but the Ardents are likely to be faster.
Take your pick.
Forgot to Mention, Ardents were 2.25 but they're pretty big tbh, as big as a 2.35 HR anyway.
Where do you ride? Ardent are pretty evil in mud however on technical/mixed trails they are brilliant. (I run front and rear Ardent)- winter I run Swampthings.
I ride mainly round the Peebles area so, Glentress & Innerleithen, the occasional trip up north.
If I'm being realistic its 90% man made scottish trail centres, 10% natural trails. Not really into swapping tyres around so looking for the best all rounder.
There's a £15 difference between the two, leaning towards the Maxxis.
Is the 2.25 Ardent wider than the RQ 2.2?
Did you get your forks fixed Hora?
Gnnr, Ardent still could be dodgy, Brechfa is very stoney slatey on the ground and they felt suicidal there when the rain came down even though there was no mud.
What about the Maxxis Advantage?
Aye an Advantage is closer to a RQ IMO (although still dicey in mud).
My 2.2" rubber queen was a bit bigger than my 2.25" ADvantage, which i think is the rear equivalent of the Ardent.
The non-black chilli rubber queen UST on my all day bike has been a revelation, feels like a motocross tyre and is a brilliant climber.
the black chilli version was noticeably grippier, seemed to feel faster, but is a little more delicate (i say this only because the sidewalls felt thinner, and its lighter).
Not tried ardent, but Rubber Queen 2.2 folding seems good so far. In comparison to the other tyres I have:
Sheeds mud about the same as captian control 2.00s (i.e. not great at all)
Corners better than above
grips better in all conditions than above
grips better than Racing ralph in all conditions (not surprising really)
About the same as mountain king, maybe better on dry rocks, but MK is much better on loamy forest tracks (cornering and clearing).
In summary, racing ralphs were the most stupid purchse I have ever made, Rubber Queens good, but I prefer my MKs.
Hope that helps!
Kev