Hello again.

Just built up my hardtail and it came with some 2.1 ground control tires which are good but I am looking for something wider with a bit more girth. Looking at 2.4-5 front and rear. Does anyone know of any good tire combos that would cover me for the next few months. (i.e. transition into summer).

I have a pair of unused XR4 (2.35) experts but I am worried that if I use them they will lose a lot of their value and they are too much of a mud tire for the summer months, leaving me 40 pounds down with a pair of tires I dislike.

TIA

What bike is it?

You may not have enough clearance for some of the 2.5 tyres on the market these days.

@BillOddie On One Deedar

Specifically I looked at this thread:

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/on-one-deedar.1015502/

Where a guy seems to have a got 2.6″ (real width) tires in with not much issue. My fork is 2014 fox 34 which I can’t seem to find tire clearance specs for but should be about 2.5 max so maybe smaller on the front bigger on the rear.

On a hardtail a new big volume rear tyre makes the ride nicer – but you also always want a grippy front tyre.

I’ve just built a hardtail in the last week or so and I’ve gone for a Maxxis Forekaster 2.6” on the rear. Figure it’s classed as ‘aggressive xc’ so should roll reasonably well but still grip ok. My ride on the weekend was bridleways linked by road sections and some of the mud was pure slop. It did better than the 2.3 dhr2 I’m currently running on my full suss bike which I was surprised about. Planning to just leave it on all year round.

At the front I’ve currently got a 2.6” Magic Mary on there (fork is a boost Pike Ultimate) – but when things dry out a bit it’ll have a 2.5” Maxxis DHF exo max Terra on there that I’ve got. That tyre fits through a non-boost Yari on another bike I’ve got ok – but I think the 2.6” Mary would be pretty tight.

I picked up a pair of XR4 team issue 2.4/2.6 from ebay for £30. There seem to be a fair few pairs taken straight off new Trek bikes. Seemed an inexpensive way of trying out a larger volume than the 2.2s my Scandal came with.

I put the 2.6 on the back as it’s notably larger than the 2.4, and it gives a nice cushioned ride. Maybe a bit draggy on the road, but I need to play with the pressure more. The 2.4 on the front seemed fine on its maiden voyage in the Peak today. If and when that dies I’ll probably go 2.6 on the front too (coz OCD 😉 )

XR4 team issue 2.4/2.6 from ebay for £30

– I ran the 2,6 on the rear of my old Solaris and quite liked it. Maybe a little draggy but still got it around the Scott Marathon series in Wales, back in the day.

on the front it is great….unless the ground gets a bit saturated. Then it is sketchy AF. I’ve used it all winter mind!

Bump to ask if anyone has experience with the XR4 Expert 650Bs?

Thanks.

My hardtail has a 2.5 Maxxis Shorty on the front and a 2.4 Maxxis dissector on the rear.

In the summer that will be an Assegai on the front and a dhr2 on the rear.

2.5WT Minion DHF on the front and 2.3 Minion DHF on the back of my Chromag Rootdown.

Maxxis 2.5WT on a wide-ish rim comes up pretty big, big enough to make mudguard fitting an issue on a Non-boost 2018 Pike.