I’ve switched to 29×2.5 Aggressor on the front, and 29×2.4 Ardent on the rear as my early summer / mid-season tyre combo. I have now tried the Aggressor at the front like this, and at the rear partnered to a DHF or Magic Mary on the front earlier in the year.
Generally I think the aggressor is best suited to hard pack and rocky trails. It has more knobs than a Minion, more closely spaced. I think it does roll better than a Minion on hard surfaces, and would attribute that to the more closely spaced tread. Obviously this is most noticeable on the rear. However the difference to a DHF is pretty small when off-road.
It does get ‘part-clogged’ in softer surfaces, which can reduce the bite available. It’s performance on roots has been ok, better than the Ardent, possibly mostly down to width, volume and area of rubber available. Performance in loam and loose soil is pretty rubbish compared to the more aggro tyres, but similar to the Ardent.
So overall… yes it works on the front when not too wet or loose. It has proved to offer similar or better grip than the Ardent in most situations. For me my preference lately is to ride steeper, looser trails, so I am finding the Aggressor / Ardent combo to be a bit lacking compared to Minions, but it’s ok as a middle ground offering. For most people I’d say a DHF is a better option front or rear. I suppose it is designed to sit between a DHF and the Arent or Ikon, and that was exactly my experience.
I haven’t got much experience of Schwalbe tyres, but the MM is ok, so perhaps I’ll try Hans Dampf next year. I’ve had two Maxxis tyres go wobbly in the last year (1x Ardent, 1x DHF), so I do wonder if Schwalbe might be tougher… but then the HD is pretty lightweight so perhaps not.
