I have two pairs of 27.5″ tyres

Assegai 2.5WT 3C EXO TR, and DHRII 2.4wt EXO TR (not 3C).

Currently running the Assegai tyres but winter is coming in and the climate here is cold, and reasonably dry in the mountains where there’s a lot clay. Accellerated wear assumed. Would swapping the rear tyre to one of the slightly smaller DHRII be a sensible option? Or would the lack of 3C compound make it not worth the swap (serious difference in stability/grip?)

The Assegai are £43 each here, this model of DHRII £22. Theyre primarily backup tyres that were on another bike that’s not used now. Whilst thinking about saving one of the Assegai tyres until next summer, safety is more pressing than cost.

On the rear I don’t think loosing 3c would be a tragedy!
Slightly less grip but far more longevity out the tyre

Yeah, dual works really well on the rear.

DHRII 2.4wt EXO TR (not 3C)

Is my choice of winter rear, 3C would be a luxury I don’t want to pay for on the back

OK, thanks. On it goes then. I think it’s going to get some real abuse where I am from hard pointy things. Don’t really have to deal with mud in the climate in these mountains, unlike back home.

Some local chinese riders have been digging in a DH track at a location they’ve been keeping to themselves, using pickups to take the bikes back up. They’ve invited me along and I really don’t want to tear my rear tyre to shreds on the first run with them.

Well, exo’s not tough… I can usually get away with it but I’m not hard on tyres at all. But I get teh feeling it’s what you’re using and it works for you normally?

I’m using an Aggressor 2.5 WT DD on the rear, first maxxis rear tyre for along time, suitably impressed thus far.

Update: I want that DHR2 off the back ASAP!

There are several places to go ride here. Most I have to pay a van to take my bike there (25-35km away) but I have a couple of places i could ride to with the Assegai in the rear.

Yesterday I blew through my stamina resources after approx 20k of riding to a site. A distance I could previously make, combining fitness with fun at the return point. I had 16km back and had to walk about 5 or 6km of that as it was uphill and I literally had nothing left in me. If I lift my bike up on the front wheel, it rolls. Put it up on the rear and it drags. And I couldn’t emergency brake as the tyre in the rear just locks (32psi in it). No grip on the roads. Almost came a cropper twice due to idiots overtaking and turning in front of me, and then a red light jumper at a crossroads (I was going downhill and didn’t think I’d stop skidding with that one! Time didn’t slow down, but it seemed to go on forever!)

IMHO These tyres are for downhill offroad riding, not the journey there. Nor any uphill riding.

I’ll do some reading on drag with the Aggressor mentioned above.

Michelin DH34/DH22 more grip than any Maxxis tyre and with the added bonus the carcass is not made of cheese.

You saying a dual compound DHR2 caused you to not be able to pedal the bike??
I’ve ran DHR2 tyres for years in 3c and Dual compound and never thought it stopped me pedalling
Even ram a wild enduro front on the rear
Max grip and slight rolling resistance
I would have thought 3c being tackier would have caused more drag that the Dual compound

I am in the mountains though. There’s a lot of climbs here. One climb is a curving 1.9km long soul killer. I walked that one!. The group I was in had tyres more appropriate for XC hardpack riding, but I could catch them up offroad and downhill. I guess I was just spoilt by my previous tyres and tried to ride further than I should have on these things on a first ride out. There is a very noticeable difference in drag between the two in the rear.

I would have expected a 2.5 3c assegai to be draggier than a 2.4 dual compound dhr2.

That said the 2.4 dhr2 is much draggier than the 2.3 version of the same tyre. I run the 2.3 most of the bad weather and only stick the 2.4” one on when it’s really sloppy.

I wouldn’t want to ride 20k each way on the road to any mtb tbh – let alone a 2.4 dhr2 with those big knobs on.

32 psi seems a lot too – I’m often running the 2.4 in the slop at 24psi but you’re on very different terrain to me.

Rock razor or similar with an insert? Pump it up for the ride there and drop the pressure when at the trails, lower pressures with the insert to offset the lack of knobs maybe

So if it’s a big pedal and dry conditions then The aggressor or Dissector Mibbe better suited

I think, for now, I’m going to separate my ride types completely. Either the touring/gravel type riding with one group of riders, on my Schwalbe super moto-x tyres, or completely offroad days with the downhillers with the assegai/dhr2. I can fit f2.8/r2.6 knobblies in the bike. But can’t find a middle ground and don’t think there is. Although I’ve admittedly not tried loads of modern tyres out there.

The moto-X I’ve got are 2.4″. They were fine on the 29mm rims I had before. But now I’ve replaced the wheels with Duroc SD42 (37mm) and a touch worried about the sidewalls. They don’t look bad, seems round rather than light bulb shaped.

Just not sure whether to spend £88 getting a pair of 2.8 versions, plus several inner tubes, and dealing with the lowered protection of that model. Particularly when I can buy and build my own skinnier boost wheels for £125 here (tyres expensive, wheels not so much)