Getting new Hope Tech 29er Wheelset this week so going to get some new tyres fitted while I’m at it,

Always been a fan of Schwalbe and I’ve used most brands but like these better, I ride all year round in all conditions and terrain also I’ve got a few enduro events coming up so what do you recommend tyre combination wise ?

Thanks

Nothing. Sorry! Closest is maybe a pair of Hans Dampfs but they’re not that good, blocky in mud, slow on hardpack, fastwearing. But moderately suitable. Nobby Nic pretty useless for a typical enduro course with handcut sections, Magic Mary too draggy, and not that grippy on anything that’s not soft and just generally totally not as good as a Maxxis Shorty… (imo if you buy a Mary trailstar now, you’re a tube)

One tyre for all is hard to do, mostly it depends on your “all” being pretty limited or you being willing to just crack on with pretty much anything fitted… but with the typical enduro course having a bunch of rough built handcut mud sections and some harder hammer it’s a harder ask than usual for any manufacturer and schwalbe don’t have an answer for it imo, you’d want a choice of tyres. Ideally with a different name on the side 😉

Changing tyres is better than spoiling rides though IMO, I cannot be arsed to drag around big knobbles and I don’t have the skill to ride sloppy enduro on stuff that’s good at trailcentres and xc.

Northwind

Nothing. Sorry.

True dat.

Agreed with Northwind. Rocket Rons do it for XC use (certainly fine in the Surrey Hills year round), depending on how muddy your trails get, but I’d want something tougher/more aggressive for #Enduro.

Using Magic Mary front at the mo and yeah grips well in certain conditions but very very draggy and its was total shite on my last ride where it didn’t shed the mud and had to carry the bike of the trail as it was unrideable !

Pinkbike seem to like this combo:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Schwalbe-Magic-Mary-Review-2014.html
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/schwalbe-rock-razor-tire-reviewed-2014.html

Best Schwalbe for year round use? Maxxis Minions. Dhf 3c and Dhr2 dual. Buy from acycles for some great prices, about half what Schwalbe cost.

My honest opinion is that it really is better to switch tyres for different conditions and different places.

I really like Maxxis Tyres DHF 2.5 3C front and and DHR II 2.3 at the back have done pretty well in the peaks for me this winter. Though sometimes I think I would have been better off with something like a Maxxis shorty.

At the chase I have been running the Chunky Monkey front and DHRII at the rear but to be honest the CM is too slow in winter conditions so and the DHF has less grip because it is a spikier tyre. Going to switch to the faster combination of Butcher and Purgatory for trail centre stuff.

If you have an Enduro race that has lots of fresh cut stuff then you will want a spikier tyre than if you are racing on trail centre rock or hard pack.

Northwind – Member
Nothing. Sorry! Closest is maybe a pair of Hans Dampfs but they’re not that good, blocky in mud, slow on hardpack, fastwearing. But moderately suitable. Nobby Nic pretty useless for a typical enduro course with handcut sections, Magic Mary too draggy, and not that grippy on anything that’s not soft and just generally totally not as good as a Maxxis Shorty… (imo if you buy a Mary trailstar now, you’re a tube)

Find the Mary brilliant, love them – have a mate who’s properly quick and he’s blown away by how good they are, he was struggling to get them to lose grip.

Cheaper than Shorty for me too. MM front, HD rear, thanks.

Rocket Ron on the rear and a Nobby Nic on the front. Nice handling and reasonably quick rolling, not bad when it’s dry and still works well when it’s wet and muddy.

Rocket Ron on the rear and a Nobby Nic on the front.

For enduro racing?

The Rons are paper thin and wouldnt last a race, and the Nobby Nic is one of the worst front tyres around for anything renotely technical.

Id hazard that no one in the EWS runs any Schwalbe tyres other than Magic/Muddy Mary in SuperGravity and maybe HansDampf in the same.

‘Nobby Nic’ and ‘wet and muudy’ – not a good combination IMO.

Thanks for the heads up lads,

Finally gone for HD trailstar front and pacestar HD rear .. needed to order quickish as I’m getting my new wheelset on wednesday and need to get my arse back out on the bike.

Agreed I love my Magic Mary thats on my front but just trying out a different combo just for now

Are people describing the old nobby nic or the new one? Have just bought two of the new nobby nice for my new Sherpa build, 2.35 f + r and going on hope tech enduros.

Beano, i go against the grain on this one. I love the Hans Damph front and rear as a decent all round choice. Never had a problem even in mud and they have taken a lot of punishment with no ill effects. Magic mary contrary to others opinions is a belter of a tyre IMO, even on rocky descents. Mine started to show signs of cracking along the side nobbles not long after fitting but it never got any worse and its still gripping and rolling along nicely. How a front tyre can be described as draggy i dont really understand.

Maxxis and a pot of Tippex 😉

Sorry, not helping really, just had bad experience with Schwalbe, not seating or gripping.

Hi mactheknife, I’ve heard some people saying the same thing about the MM cracking but luckily I’ve had no problems with them yet even had a huge thorn go thru it the other day and the sealed straight away ..

I’ll more than likely stick the MM back on for Ard Rock as the front end grip is outstanding and gives you bags of confidence.

My HD were absolutely **** useless in the Peaks because they had no sidewall stability pinched on rocks all the time and they just float on mud. At trail centres I would describe them as average at best.

Magic Mary trail star snakeskin up front and rock razor pace star at the back. Use that combo all year round and won’t be changing

mactheknife – Member

Magic mary contrary to others opinions is a belter of a tyre IMO, even on rocky descents

I think the trailstar Magic Mary’s a good tyre fwiw. It’s just that it does the exact same job as the Shorty, only quite a bit less well. So it’s a good tyre but a bad choice. (I’m yet to find anyone who’s used both and doesn’t agree, could be wrong…)

Looked at the Rock Razor as well which had very good reviews when paired with the MM but isn’t it only for dryish conditions ? always a good option for a summer tyre but saying that .. British Summers

Northwind, is the shorty a mainly a mucky weather tyre? I am about get some new tyres front and rear and i am open to suggestions. Might even dip my toes into the maxxis tyre family further with an ardent for the back, now thats a can of worms been opened

Soft conditions tyre really- I’ve not had a chance to try it in loose loam, dry duff and the like but I reckon it’d be good at that, lots of spike. Bit slow and growly on dry stuff but grips better on hard pack than other spiky tyres I’ve used, sometimes they can be pretty skiddy when they can’t get their teeth in

It’s pretty full on, I think probably for a lot of riders it’d be almost too much but I like the safety net it gives me, there’s just a shitload of grip and I trust in it more than most. Still will use the Baron for less dirty conditions I think though.

Cool, good info. Cheers for that 😛