having bought a Hans Dampf at the weekend to get me out of a pickle, I can confirm it’s very grippy but far too draggy for my local trails.

So it’s going on the front.

But what to put on the back?
2.25 Fat Albert, 2.25 Nobby Nic, 2.35 Wicked Will?

How fragile are Racing Ralphs in 2.25 Double Defence format?

Don’t really want to mix tyre brands really as I’m a bit of a tart.

I’ve got HD now on front (replacing a Fat A) and another new Nob Nic rear. Like it!

See other recent posts for the knowledge base

How fragile are Racing Ralphs in 2.25 Double Defence format?

Not fragile at all ime but then again the DD derivative is not really a Racing Ralph it’s more like a Maxxis Ardent – the light weight and compliance goes out of the window with the extra layers.

As above a Nic works quite well but as we head into Spring (!) I’d use a regular Ralph

Cheers chaps!

I had Rocket Rons front and rear on my XC hardtail. I swapped over to HD front and NN rear for winter. This setup is so good with little or no noticible increase in drag i’ll probably stick with it instead of faffing around with a seperate winter and summer setup.

Any particular reason why people stick the to same maker F&R?
Why not try a different brand of tyre?
I’ve got a conti baron on the rear, mainly because the small knobs of a Hans will likely get stredded quickly on the rear.

Any particular reason why people stick the to same maker F&R?

Looks factory/tidy.

Factory? Tidy? REALLY?

Form over function then.

Form over function then.

Ummmmmm maybe but most manufacturer to tyres that compliment each other and work well as a system.

Hans Dampf Rear
Nobby Nic Front

Order subject to change depending on saturation of trail.

Ummmmmm maybe but most manufacturer to tyres that compliment each other and work well as a system.

Hmm, the front and rear do different things, so I’d say its more a marketing thing so that you buy both F&R tyres because they work as a “system”.

Ive found the same, been using a HD on the front for a while and just bought the pacestar HD for the rear but its very draggy.

What NN is best to use on the rear ?

Pacestar
Evo snakeskin pacestar
Double defence pacestar

Snakeskin seem to be the best on paper.

DD is heavier but snakeskin are still pretty robust in the sidewall dept.

I’ve got snake skin NN’s and the side walls seem much better than the thin flimsy standard ones. They’re about a year old and no real signs of wear, unlike the standard one’s I had which lasted about 6 months before it looked like someone had sandpapered them!

DD are supposed to be a bit crap from what I’ve read.

Hans Dampf front, purgatory 2.2 rear FS (although HD rear was much more grippy, but very draggy)

Hans Dampf front, Crossmark 2.1 rear HT (although not actually tested as yet)

Depends where your riding but Hans Dampf front and snakeskin Racing Ralph rear works for me for rockier trails/centres – great grip on the front but still good rolling on the back. NN on the back if it gets muddy.

Hans Dampf front, UST Rubber Queen 2.2 rear. Grippier than a grippy thing in the wet yesterday, rolled well.

UST cos I couldn’t be bothered getting a Protection to seal.

Ive just ordered a snakeskin Racing ralph to go with my HD – are RR snakeskin ok for tubeless setup?

Am using a Racing Ralph tubeless with a Roval wheel, but they are TL ready tyres on a UST rim.

Rubber Queen Rear