Currently on Reckons non race. They're fine but want to experiment with a light tyre for both front and back. Weight target around 1500g.
Is this any good?
Alternatives?
Maxxis Aspen?
What's a dry trail 😂
I've never used Goodyear tyres on a bike, but had plenty on the car.
My typical dry weather/XC type tyre is the Schwalbe Rocket Ron/Racing Ralph combo, I used to run the Ardents and Ikons before that but I found the Schwalbes a bit quicker and more predictable in grip than the Ikons.
I've heard really good things about the Spesh Ground Controls, but they always seem suspiciously cheap to me.
Bontrager Xr2's, if you are brave? only ever used mine with an XR3 up front in the summer and it was quite a combo
I have a Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph combo and I really rate them. Very light and fast, but nowhere near as sketchy as I was expecting either. Probably the fastest you can go without resorting to Aspen type tyres and really reducing grip for that final little percentage of rolling speed.
Suddenly had a flashback to when "Panaracer Fire XC Pro" would be the perennial answer to this question 🤣
Bonty XRs for me. XR3 is about as fast/ dry as I'd go personally, but as alan1977 says, XR2 could be good
Vittoria Terreno XC TLR?
Very light, very supple, very fast. I used them as an experiment in gravel-ifying my hardtail. A bit drifty in corners if you weren't paying attention right enough...
I used Bontrager XR2s 2.2s for years as a summer tyre but now run Vittoria Barzos 2.35s.
Some nice new Pirelli scorpions for sale on classifieds
How aggressive a rider are you and what's your cornering style? The trouble with sticking something fast on the front is obvious if you like leaning it over and testing the edge of grip.
I've ridden with an XR2 up front, but I'm pretty conservative when it comes to picking lines. The closest thing to a compromise I found was a Vittoria Peyote which had much bigger edge knobs to catch you, but a small centre tread for straight line speed. Another option in the front is the Forekaster which is meatier all round, but still pretty quick.
Currently have a Vittoria Mezcal on the front and the Aspen which came with the bike on the rear. Aspen up front? It's a no from me, mine had absolutely bugger-all grip and would let go without much warning.
Maxxis Ardent race are great
Recommend what you have:
Ardent Race on the front, Ikon on the rear. 😊
Vittoria Barzo's are light and fast but actually have some grip and clear a bit of mud too, I think you can get a 2.25 and 2.35?
They have a nice rounded profile too so they work quite well on off-cambers and don't have a sketchy breakaway. Expensive if they're not on offer though.
I run a pair of Barzo's on my hard tail and they work surprisingly well in most conditions other than sticky mud, are fairly fast, light (~750g), tough enough, and can even be found really cheaply.
I was gonna say Bontrager XR3 Team Issue but it looks like they've been discontinued so maybe a Bontrager Vallnord RSL XR TLR instead.
Another vote for the Racing Ray / Racing Ralph combo if you want really light. As above, they are surprisingly grippy and go like the proverbial poop off a stick.
I'm currently running Specialized Ground Control Grid T7 front, Fast Trak T7 Grid rear for a bit more bite and sidewall protection but that comes in at 1,700g so slightly over your weight limit.
Another vote for XR2s or whatever the current equivalent is.
If you can find them I ran Wolfpack Speed F&R, mucho rapido with huge volume in 2.4" @ 1280g a pair.
2.25 x 29″ (56×622) – 590g
2.40 x 29″ (60×622) – 640g
Another vote for ground control F and fast track R. Could go fast trak F as well if you are really XC and it's really teally dry, but not too dusty.
Other popular combo is barzo mezcal
My Scalpel wears Racing Ray/Ralph and I'm very happy with them.
I've heard really good things about the Spesh Ground Controls, but they always seem suspiciously cheap to me.
I wouldnt be suspicious of the pricing, they're bloody good, if not a dry XC tyre, far too chunky for that!
I'm on Spesh Fast Trak 2bliss T5 in 2.35 front and rear and they have more than enough grip for all weather XC duties, when it's drier I put a Spesh Renegade 2bliss T5 2.35 on the rear and they're mega fast.
Avoid the Sworks carcass tyres unless you're either pretty light or a very smooth rider.
Vittoria Barzo's are light and fast but actually have some grip and clear a bit of mud too
Correct about the first two, - although I don't think they're particularly fast. I'd dispute the third 😉 I'm moving away from them as they seem challenged by even toe-path puddles.
I'm on Spesh Fast Trak 2bliss T5 in 2.35 front and rear and they have more than enough grip for all weather XC duties, when it's drier I put a Spesh Renegade 2bliss T5 2.35 on the rear and they're mega fast.
I wanted some fast rolling tyres to see if it'll bring my Scout alive, I was going to go Racing Ray and Ralph but they seemed spendy, I ended up just looking at what tyres come on the Spesh Epic and picked a Fast Trak and Renegade new cheap off of Marketplace.
Happy to read the quoted post that they're nice tyres! Now to fit them and get out!
Specialized Ground Control is a great 29 tyre. The Fast Trak (which Apple autocorrect made into “fart attack”!) has a good rep too. Their tyres have always been great value.
it seems many bikes are sold with cheaper copies of well known tyres. (Eg the Maxxis with white lettering) it’s kinda like the plastic pedals that often come on bikes and are simply bin fodder.
It’s hard to know why tyre manufacturers sell such crap to go on new bikes, thus risking their brand/model reputation.
However, what comes on Spesh bikes as original equipment seems like the proper versions.
Ardent 2.4f/ 2.25r
Ardent f/ Ardent face t - the transition blocks stop short of the show!red on 2.25 but extend across on the 2.4
Currently on x king 2.3 f / race king 2.2 r. Better than the ardent combos in the dry but not as good when that rain appears.I
Another vote for XR2 if you are sure it will stay dry.
Mrs Sims has Goodyear Peaks on her bike. Turns in well and fast rolling. She uses it for riding in to town and country rides along paths etc. Not used them in anger so can't really recommend .
Barzo front, Mezcal rear. All yr round. Rear gets s bit twitchy in the wet but nothing that’s not saveable.
Maxxis ikon or Rekon Race?
Are you trying to curse us to the wettest summer on record with this sort of talk?
I'm buying a new winter road bike in March with mudguards, 32c tyres and extra low gearing.
This should appease the cycling and weather gods sufficiently to guarantee that it'll not rain, all the potholes will be fixed and I will become a racing greyhound and never trouble that 1:1.06 bottom gear.
DO NOT RUIN THE SUMMER WITH THIS CRAZY TALK OF DRY WEATHER TYRES. Or at least offset it with the purchase of some new mudguards and an expensive rain jacket.
No idea why Specialized tyres are so cheap - possibly because they are single compound, unless you go for the pricier S-Works versions?
The last GC Grid / FT Grid pair I bought were £30 an end, and I also picked up a pair of GC T7 skinwalls for £40 in last year's Bike24.com sale. Haven't noticed a difference in performance to the Maxxis 3C stuff I was running before.
No idea why Specialized tyres are so cheap
I suspect because they are OEM as part of the biggest bike brand in the world. I'd be surprised if they don't sell more of some tyres internally than a lot of other brands manage to sell comparable tyres aftermarket.
Ikon front. Aspen Rear. Finding it a good setup. Fast with plenty grip.
I have been running WTB Ranger TCS Light/Fast Rolling tyres in 29 x 2.4 on my hardtail for the last 3 years and they have been very good. Fast but still have decent grip.
A bit over your weight requirement at about 1650g a pair but worth looking at.
I'm running some sort of Wolfpack on the front - one of the grippier ones, sorry, I can't remember which, a mate gave it to me as he hated it - and a Racing Ralph on the back on a spare set of lightweight wheels for my FlareMax. They seem pretty good to me, particularly once I'd got used to the idea that they actually gripped quite well on dry to damp-ish stuff.
Running something mad fast on the front has always seemed a bit pointless to me. The bulk of the rolling resistance is from the rear, so you can get away with something with a little more grip, without losing a load of speed and significantly reduce the chances of the front washing out easily.
If I were the OP, I might leave the Rekon up front and go for something faster out back, maybe a Rekon Race to stay on brand?
i have fast Trak T5 on my Chisel, and whilst i like them, each tyre has a couple of bacon strips in them as they seem to puncture really easily. Are the T7's more hardy? Or the Schwalbe rocket ron / racing Ralph combo more hardy?
OP here. Thanks so so much for the replies. The choice is bewildering.
Some excellent suggestions. I might have forgotten to say I was a tight git. So I have now bought:
x2 Wolfpack Cross 29x2.4. New. £50/pair. eBay
x 2 Ikons 29x2.35. 3C Max Speed 120tpi. £45/pair. Vinted 😂
I still don't know which to use. The idea of keeping the front Rekon (albeit perhaps unnecessarily wide at 2.6) is a good idea perhaps.
Are the T7's more hardy?
Quite a bit tougher but heavier. And the T7 compound is sticker / grippier so you loose some rolling resistance.
The only time I've needed to reach for the bacon / anchovy plugs on a ride with the T7s was when a 6 inch rusty nail went through the top, hit the carbon rim, deflected, and came out of the sidewall (two big holes, two plugs needed). 🤔
The rim was absolutely fine - not a scratch on it. Also Specialized (Roval Carbon Control).
it seems many bikes are sold with cheaper copies of well known tyres. (Eg the Maxxis with white lettering)
White Maxxis are just OE versions of yellow Maxxis, the compounds etc are the same.
T7 spesh are just a grippier compound, the carcass is the same as the T5 versions, if you want tougher you'll need the GRID version of the carcass.
Steve_b77 the T7 have side wall protection and different compound over T5 (the grid version is extra protection under the tread) but grid versions of spesh tyres are not available on XC tyres ie fast track
I have used Fast Tracks, Ground controls, Barzo and Mezcals on my Chisel and the Mezcals are my go to tyre for now. They are fast yet grippy enough for fast xc rides. If I rode bigger hills or more rough trails then the Ground Controls would win over for the extra grip.
The Mezcals with a little more air in are also amazingly fast for a paved commute.
it seems many bikes are sold with cheaper copies of well known tyres. (Eg the Maxxis with white lettering)
The only difference with Maxxis is the logo, I guess it makes them easier to spot if they end up on the grey market on mail-order sites.
I think it was Conti that used to make some really poor OE tyres, but these days most brands seem to at least make it identifiable with the compounds and construction in the model name on the sidewall, e.g. I think you can still get non black-chili Conti tyres, and Schwalbe do "Addix-Performance" tyres which are the older compound not the newer Addix.
I got the Wolfpack Cross 2.4 and fitted them to my new 27mm Rovals.
They only come up 2mm narrower than the 2.6 Rekons on a 30mm rim at the same pressure, and that's without a few days to stretch...
Really impressed as they are 1,470g a pair.
It makes for very light wheels as the Rovals are 1,700grams with tape and valves.
No sealant yet and they're holding air nicely. They were super easy to fit and inflated straight away with a track pump.
Thanks to whoever recommended that brand although obviously not ridden them yet.
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For those using/used Fast Traks...were they an absolute PITA to get in the rims, never mind seated and inflated?? FML...I've never sworn so much ever. And just when I did seem to succeed, I couldn't stop air escaping from the valve hole, even after re-taping one of the rims. Hateful, ****ting, wheel/tyre combo. 😥
For those using/used Fast Traks...were they an absolute PITA to get in the rims, never mind seated and inflated?? FML...I've never sworn so much ever. And just when I did seem to succeed, I couldn't stop air escaping from the valve hole, even after re-taping one of the rims. Hateful, ****ting, wheel/tyre combo. 😥
Nope, dead easy on my Hunt Proven Carbons.
Nope, dead easy on my Hunt Proven Carbons.
Bloody typical! I have Hunt alloy rims - honestly felt like I was trying to get a 27.5 tyre onto a 29 rim and treble checked just to be sure I wasn't 🤣
For those using/used Fast Traks...were they an absolute PITA to get in the rims, never mind seated and inflated?? FML...I've never sworn so much ever. And just when I did seem to succeed, I couldn't stop air escaping from the valve hole, even after re-taping one of the rims. Hateful, ****ting, wheel/tyre combo. 😥
Also no, went on fine to a DT swiss wheel!
For context for summer time I've previously used Wolfpack Speeds 2.4" & Bontrager XR3 2.4" for local doorstep XC trails in and around the Stroud valleys.
I've just fitted:
Front: Schwalbe, Wicked Will, Super Race, Addix Speed, tan wall, 29/2.4"
Rear: Schwalbe, Rick XC, Super Race, Addix Speed, tan wall, 29/2.4".
Digital kitchen scales weighed them at:
Wicked Will: 833g
Rick XC: 752g
Awesome combo, they roll really well, much quicker than a XR4/XR3 combo, Rick F&R is WC XCO fast, I'm glad of the added front grip of the Wicked Will with little lost in terms of rolling resistance.
I've never understood the Schwalbe range as it's always seemed very confusing, in summary:
Performance = plastic do not buy.
They have 4 carcass strengths, the Super Race are the lightest.
They have 4 compounds ranging from hard and fast to soft & sticky.
The Rick is the hardest & fastest compound, the Wicked Will is next in line.
Trails are tinder dry at the moment, it'll be interesting to see what they're like when it gets damp / wet out there.
Highly recommended, definitely worth releasing some of the equity from your home to purchase.
Maxxis Ikons
I'm not a fan of Mezcal on wet rocks, but as the OP asked for dry tyres, then Mezcal.
Barzo/Barzo; Barzo/Mezcal; Mezcal/Mezcal, depending on conditions.
I've just bought some Aspens at Merlin, half price because I clearly have a death wish