Anyone using kenda hellkat /nevegal 2 tyres??

Hi all,
So I’m looking for a new pair of tyres for the Bird and after years of maxxis dhr2s and Aggressors, I’m looking at other options. I’ve read nothing but praise for the Hellkat, especially as a front option, supposedly an improved Mary that rolls quicker and weighs less. I’m tempted to get one for the rear too now summer has gone and done one!! Anyone tried them as a rear?? Also casing wise, they do an enduro casing that’s on par with dd but like maxxis, only in softer compound which I’d rather not run on the back. Atc casing looks very light, but read a few reviews saying it’s surprisingly tough, more exo+ I’m thinking with a rimpact could be up too the job? Nevegal2 is another option for the rear, faster, less grippy, but can get it in their ebike casing which is more robust than atc, and comes in harder compound too. Shame the hellkat doesn’t offer the same option, only in 2.6 it seems in the UK.
So yeah, opinions please, any feedback on the hellkat on the whole and obviously being stw, other options I might want to consider 😉 cheers

Oh, and my riding consists of a bit of everything, loamy steep offpiste, dart and exmoor all dayers, bpw etc and a bit of enduro racing. I’m quite hard on tyres, been running dd rear for last few years without an insert, but wondering if I might get away with lighter casing, but with a rimpact as I usually pinch Puncture rather than slash sidewalls.

Had my first ride on a Hellkat AEC as a rear today in the slop.
Paired with a Hillbilly up front it was great. Plenty of bite and good over roots.
Not been out for a while so can’t really comment on rolling resistance (everything felt slow uphill!) But heard the same as you ref faster rolling MM.

AEC casing seems very robust, before mounting I could drop the tyre and it’d bounce.

Nice. Yeah, I was considering a pair of aec hellkat for winter grip fest, and the burlier casing for my less than subtle riding style 😉 good to hear it grips well as a rear too, plenty of forward drive? Why did you not go for one up front too? Or were you already running the Hillbilly? Also, are you on the 2.4 or 2.6 HK? Wondering how the 2.4 blows up on a 30mm id rim, heard they are pretty true to size. Bigger than a dhr2 2.4 wt?

I’d also considered the Wild enduro combo as seem to get good reviews from most users, but have also heard reports of fast wear and slow rolling speed. Look bad ass though 🤘

Yeah already running the Hillbilly as my winter tyre and whilst I’d run a Hellkat 2.6 as an all-rounder on the front, I can’t imagine much better than a Hillbilly is the local slop. It’ll stay on the back and will swap the Hillbilly for the Eliminator which has a similar tread pattern.

Certainly plenty of forward drive but then it’s the

I’ve got the 2.4 which is true to size on my 35mm rims and still reasonably round in profile. I can’t fit anything wider in the rear triangle. Not had a DHR2 WT to compare to.

I’d have liked a harder compound for wear rates but wouldn’t typically pick something like this for a rear anyway so can see why they don’t offer it on the thicker casings. These days though I think there’s as much need for thicker casing with harder compound than the other way round outside of racing.

I’m only running 30mm id DT rims, so not dure the 2.6 would be a good shout for up front, might be a bit lightbulby, think it’s optimised for 35mm+ rims ideally. Generally I like the 2.4 to 2.5 range for more accuracy and less bounce. I’m thinking 2.4 HK either Atc or aec up front and might go for the 2.4 nevegal 2 emc ebike casing on the rear as it’s supposedly much faster rolling, akin to an aggressor over the dhr or dampf over double Mary’s. I really think more company’s need to supply firmer compound but heavy casing rears, maxxis are terrible for it, apart from aggressor and minion ss all the doubledown or dh casing tyres are 3c or even maxxgrip in dh!! I think they’re missing a trick really, unless they just want to sell more tyres as they only last 10 rides in the softer compounds! Saying that, if the weather stays like this, I think I may want all the grip I can get!!

Well I’m hoping my AEC will last a good while on the rear but we shall see. Wouldn’t bee too bad having a worn down version by next summer 🙂

Ran a 2.6 hellcat ATC I got off eBay for £12 briefly on the front last winter. Grip is insane, wear is better than MM it replaced, rolling resistance is similar.
Not sure if it’s a true 2.6 but it looks massive and leaves little room under a mudhugger.
Keep looking on eBay for a cheap nevegal 2 to match it for this winter, very underrated tyre in my experience.

And how was the atc casing? Did you find it supportive enough and decently strong? How would you say it compares to maxxis offerings?

I ran a pair of hellkats all 2019 in ATC, only suffered on puncture which was a pinch in Morzine, other than that they’ve been great, now have a Nevegal2 on the rear, rolls better without a large loss in grip, does clog up in loamy dirt though.theyre a great combo.

Thanks for the input guys, I ended up going for HK atc 2.4 and nevegal 2 emc casing rear also in 2.4. Arrived today, not fitted them yet, but look good. HK looks well toothy and atc casing seems stiffer than exo to me. Nevegal 2 has quite ramped lugs, should fly, but not sure how it’ll handle in the sloppier stuff… Look forward to finding out 🤘

Where did you order them from?

I found this place
https://www.probikekit.co.uk/referrals.list?applyCode=PETE-RHG
for the hellkat, best price I could find, under 35 quid with free postage. I was a little dubious as I’d not heard of them before and their prices seem really cheap in general, but they exceeded expectations. Ordered monday morning, recieved this morning, all good. They had good deals on maxxis too, I almost got a dhf exo + wt too as the price was so good. Anyway, if you do go for it, I get a referral reward if you go through this link, be appreciated 👍 The nevegal I got from velozone, another unknown, but cheapest around for emc casing and it arrived this morning too, so very efficient service. I think Kenda are on the come back with these new designs and casings, the new Pinner looks like a beaut of a summer tyre too. Ahhhhhh…..summer 🙄

Cheers – no 29in ones though.

At the advice of the LBS, I have the Hellkat/Nevegal2 pairing coming on the new toy on Monday, several of them said its the best combo for mixed riding currently. (Time will tell, lol)