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Anyone have an opinion on these tyres?
My newest bike came with these on (29" x 2.4" EXO) and I have never ridden a bike that has felt like it has had less grip.
They seem to bounce off every tiny little pebble without deforming at all, they feel like they want to slide out rather than grip every time I lean the bike over and they don't even roll well to compensate for this.
I have ridden them in the dry, in the wet, on rock, on mud, on sand - you get the idea - always the same result, I have yet to find anything they do well.
Now to my point, obviously I have never ridden the bike with any other tyres on so there may be problems elsewhere - but to me it feels like the issue lies in them.
Obviously if everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread they are likely not to be entirely at fault so would love for an opinion from anyone using them.
If it matters, they are on 21mm internal, 25mm external rims and tubeless - I have tried all sorts of pressures but currently use between 23-26 psi.
I have always got on with High Rollers in the past so if it seems like most people agree that Ardents are crap then I'll most likely try them unless anyone has any better suggestions. I ride a bit of everything so would want a sort-of do-it-all tyre but with more focus on grip than rolling speed.
No idea how I've managed a post that long about tyres but would love to find some grip and stop sliding out and ending up on my arse every time I turn the bars!
I dunno, I've got a 2.25@ x 26" on the back of a hardtail at 25psi, and I've found it to be great, you just have to accept that it's going to slide absolutely everywhere. I'm not sure I'd want it on a long travel bike, and definitely not as a front tyre. Having a supertacky minion on the front means assured cornering with a fun slide on the back, which works pretty well.
High rollers have some incredible cornering blocks if you're ok with the dead zone when you transition, so maybe try something a bit meatier on the front?
Running 2.25" front and back in Oz over summer, on 21/25mm internal rims. Great tyre, rolls well grips well to a point, it's not as aggressive as a HR/HRII/Minion but it's not meant to be. Happy to drop it into corners, off big rocks and it grips on hardpack really well. Running about 30-32 tubeless and I'm happy. Mate has the 2.4" on his 29r and was complaining they gripped too much and he was having problems getting the back end out.
Had one on the back when I was back over Christmas with a HRII on the front, no real issues round Eastridge (wet slop), Peak (Frozen & mud & Rock), Lakes (Borrowdale bash with the exception of trying to turn/brake on green slimy rocks).
Whats the bike, whats the suspension setup?
Awful in deep mud as you'd expect, great, ggrippy & fast rolling on everything else. "race version for dry trails is even faster
Used them on two bikes exclusively for a couple of years. Found them fine. A really good compromise, which ultimately is what any tyre is.
Swapped to butchers recently just to try something different.
Used the Ardent 2.4s on on the back of my old Orange Alpine for a long while and found them to be a good balance - roll really well (for a big tyre), pretty tough (with an Exo casing) and good cornering grip. In line braking wasn't as good as a High Roller (or similar) but still OK. Never tried on up front though - always used a sticky Minion DHF.
Use to use them as a front down south, now run them on the back as I live in Scotland.
Never a problem with them, although are yours some OE compound oddity?
Back tyre only for me, the 2.4 comes up large and makes for great cushioning on a hardtail.
Drop your psi more?...you may have a crappy OEM rubber compound like the original fitment Continentals some bikes come with which are like hard plastic!....buy one of the new dual/triple compound ones (for the front at least) and try again?
#double post#
I have a set, think they are OK, not great but OK. I found they are very sensitive to tyre pressures, maybe because they are 'kin huge?
Unless you're 80kg + that's higher than I like mine to be, but not so much that it'll be a real issue and if it's rocky where you are it'll be fine at mid-20s. I like these tyres in dry or loose conditions but only use the Ardent 2.25 on the rear when it's soft/wet and I want it to slide out easily. It's simply not a great wet-weather tyre at all, especially up front in the 2.4 size.23-26 psi.
Great tyres, until you hit peat/deep mud. Nice balance of grip, rolling resistance and I found them supple.
But, I ran into mud lots, so now have the grippier, slightly slower and even more supple XR4's on.
<gross generalisation>IME Ardents grip at two lean angles - vertically for pootlers and when cranked over at the limit. Everything in between is a scary, scary place to ride.
You either need to be James May or a riding God to appreciate them.</gross generalisation>
I like to think I am the latter, but probably am the former...
I've got one on the front of my rigid. It's a 650b in 2.25 at ~20psi, any lower than that and it starts to get squirmy. I've found it perfectly fine for my local stuff although it does tend to pack up with mud.
No issues
2.4 front 2.25 rear
Got me down a soggy Megavelanche last year without too much trouble
Its rubber - it rolls.... what else you you want it to do?
Thanks for all the replies - seems like a fair few use these tyres then!
Hotflat - that seems like quite a good summary based on my experiences, they do grip when really flying and getting leant over but are totally terrifying up until then
Jameso - I am around 85 kg in riding kit but might give them a go at a lower pressure
The bike is a 140mm / 130mm FS and these tyres did come on it so may be a strange compound but would hope not
The rear is more manageable/ less awful than the front so might try swapping out the front for something grippier and see how that goes
I like them, great all-round tyre and fast rolling for the level of toughness they provide. Can get a bit scary in high speed berms and yes not good in mud.