Spring is coming… Kryptotal Fr vs. Tacky Chan

Last few spring-autumn I’ve been running a DHR2 up front and Dissector rear (both EXO MaxxTerra). No complaints really but after switching the Dissector for a Kryptotal Re (Trail Endurance) for winter, I won’t be going back as it’s faster and better traction. Wondering what to use up front from this spring, with a DHR2 again possibly no longer being the best option available.

DHR2 aside, the default option is a Kryptotal Fr Enduro Soft. Don’t need that casing really but want the softer rubber up front, so unless they launch a Trail Soft soon it has to be that.

I read a lot of good things about the Tacky Chan though, and think it might be a chance to have something more distinct from my winter front given I’m making the effort to swap. They do have quite a gap between the centre and edge knobs, but reviewers and riders say they don’t have that floaty transition feeling inbetween like a DHF does (which I don’t like). I’m not sure how well it would pair up with the Kryptotal Re on the rear, as it seems I’d be running a less chunky (but softer) front. Should that be the case, I might have to put a TC on the rear too which might be slower as soft is the hardest compound available.

The usage is for a FS trail bike, northern England natural and rocky terrain including trail centres, bridleways, and mountain passes. With a Rimpact Original inside.

Or suggest me something entirely different.

Kryptotal Fr:

Tacky Chan:

I use the TC front and rear on my DH bike, and the Kryptotal f&r on my enduro bike. Personally I’d favour the Kryptotal in softer conditions and the TC in firmer/ rockier conditions. The TC is grippy but fast rolling and the tread height is lower, Kryptotal seems to be a deeper tread. They’re all fantastic tyres though, tbh you won’t go wrong with either.

I haven’t tried the Tacky Chan but loving my Kryptotal front (enduro / soft). Currently paired with a Kryptotal trail / endurance rear. Really really good – used it on hardpack and also on the tech off piste at Risca and it’s been superb. I’d say it’s somewhere between a DHF and a Magic Mary – probably in the same region as a Wild Enduro – but better.

I think this is going to be my most of the year round front tyre now – just swapping in a hillbilly for when it’s proper biblical sloppy mud.

My summer rear tyre on the fs is a Xynotal enduro / soft. Loving the Conti tyres so far.

If Conti weren’t so expensive I’d probably get some on my hardtail too – but can’t justify it. Got a selection of magic Mary / dhf / wild enduro for the front of that (all with plenty of wear left) and a hans Dampf or rock razor rear which were both cheap in the various Merlin sales.

You honestly expecting this year to have some sort of noticeable transition from “gloopy slop” to “sloppy gloop”?

anyway, krypto fr is my choice . Fantastic year round aggressive tyre that I’ve used up here in Co Durham, and also out in spain with Ciclo and the alps. Only run the Argos on the bigger bike as it tends to get used in the worst of the worst conditions in places like Dyfi, or Hamsterley when it’s -6 & snowing. My only gripe is the sizing 2.4 looks small and 2.6 looks too big. 2.4 Rides fine though.

the tread height is lower

Good point. Won’t dig in as much, and won’t last as long. Although with Maxxis I’ve found it’s cracked/torn knob bases that finish them rather than the knobs wearing down from the top.

I think this is going to be my most of the year round front tyre now – just swapping in a hillbilly for when it’s proper biblical sloppy mud.

My summer rear tyre on the fs is a Xynotal enduro / soft. Loving the Conti tyres so far.

So there’s a rolling advantage to Xynotal Soft over Kryptotal Re Endurance? I was wondering if they might roll about the same, by the softer rubber and faster tread pattern cancelling each other out. But in grip terms giving more adhesive grip by the softer rubber and less dig-in grip by the less aggressive pattern.

rock razor rear

I have one of these to try, grabbed one of the last ones before they were discontinued. Just to see what it’d be like, not as a contender to stay on all season.

anyway, krypto fr is my choice . Fantastic year round aggressive tyre

Yeah, there’s some attraction in having a year round combo up front like I’m probably going to do with the rear. My winter front is a Der Baron Projekt, it’s lasting long with the reduced mileage and soft conditions. It is worth the swap from a DHR2 when it gets muddy, I get a few warning hairy moments to remind me to swap.

I’ve been impressed with the kryptotal. I guess I’d like it to be just a little bit stickier, the “enduro soft” is sticky but not super sticky, and this time of year as speeds creep up but things are still basically nasty I think that little bit extra glom for surprise roots and green rocks and the wetter rides is really useful. Haven’t used the tacky chan yet.

So I’ll recommend something else entirely, the maxxgrip version of your dhr2. Barely slower than the maxxterra but imo much more allround useful, basically dh rubber on a trailbike carcass. Absolutely love these, it’s a very oldfashioned sort of a tyre, no doubt less clever or well engineered than the conti but no worse for that.

I don’t think a MaxxGrip would hold up very well on fast dry rocky Yorkshire tracks in summer. My MaxxTerra went from I’d say 7/10 to 4/10 in 5 days last spring there. Knob edges knackered, bases cracked and undercut.

I agree about the nasty surprises about this time, but I tend to swap in March and October so not much of a concern. A Kryptotal Fr would probably stick to that schedule or even extend that, whereas a Tacky Chan might shorten it leaving an awkward period each end of winter where neither the TC nor Argotal is right.

Ultimately maybe there’s more chance of me falling off my bike with a TC, and possibly a Krypto could stay on all year reducing hassle.

I read a lot of good things about the Tacky Chan though, and think it might be a chance to have something more distinct from my winter front given I’m making the effort to swap.

I’ve just swapped a front 2.4 DHR2 for a Tacky Chan on my FlareMax, mostly because I wanted something more ‘directional’ and precise feeling. Haven’t ridden it yet, so I can’t tell you any more than that, but for context, I live/ride in the Peak mostly and tend to run a Rock Razor out back because rocks and lack of proper mud and I don’t enjoy killing rolling speed. I’d rather have grippy up front, fast out back and, in fact, the RR makes that pretty much essential…

Fwiw, a lot of the tyres people are calling ‘trail bike’ rubber these days seem to be mostly downhill rubber, albeit with softer sidewalls. I do wonder if a lot of riders might be better off with trading a little outright grip for some added rolling speed – new gen Maxxis Forekaster, Bontrager XR4 etc.

You’ve cursed it now, winter will last until late May! 😉

I’ve just swapped a front 2.4 DHR2 for a Tacky Chan on my FlareMax, mostly because I wanted something more ‘directional’ and precise feeling. Haven’t ridden it yet, so I can’t tell you any more than that

I’ve seen a few comments that it’s like that, e.g. https://theloamwolf.com/2023/12/20/review-schwalbe-tacky-chan/

Krypto Fr is the safest bet, but I might have to get both to work out what I like.

I think the WTB Vigilante light/high grip would be really good for your needs.

Argotal front and krytotal rear for me

I think the WTB Vigilante light/high grip would be really good for your needs.

Any particular reason over a Krypto Fr Enduro Soft ?

It doesn’t haven have colourful hot patches!

Argotal front

For spring to autumn?!

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bikesandboots
Full Member

For spring to autumn?!
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The argotal’ll be perfectly good all year- grips well in the dry unlike some similarly spiky tyres, and isn’t drastically slow. I always end up saying the same thing, it’s pretty much like a Magic Mary but better at absolutely everything all the time, and loads of people use the Mary as a one tyre all year.

(but I’ll swap to something faster with better dry grip and less wet grip, personally)

Any particular reason over a Krypto Fr Enduro Soft ?

I haven’t ridden any of the new Conti tyres, so I can’t compare. The OP did mention alternative recommendations though.

I got the Vigilante cheap and wasn’t expecting much, but it’s possibly been the best mixed conditions tyre I’ve tried.

I’ve ridden it in local slop and Alps dust and it wasn’t too compromised in either.

I’d love to try the Conti tyres and the Tacky Chan, but I do have quite a big stock of very good tyres now anyway.

I use Argo’s between about October and March’ish, Kryptotal Fr both ends for spring/summer. Great tyres.

My Argotal seems to clear mud way better than other rubber, although that is on front not rear. But on the same rides I see others coming in with clogged up fronts and mine is clear. I’ve not fitted the Kryptotal yet.

I just ordered an Argotal DH soft for the rear of my ebike.

Spring, you say? Listening to the rain battering down onto the metal cabin roof here in sunny West Sussex, I think I’m going to order a Supersoft for the front!

To be fair the best trails here are steep and loose, I’d probably compromise a bit on tyre choice on an analogue

The OP did mention alternative recommendations though.

Yes yes, and thanks for it. I was just interested in why and if there was something particular about my needs that made it especially suitable – thanks for explaining.

My Argotal seems to clear mud way better than other rubber, although that is on front not rear.

You got it in Endurance IIRC. My Kryptotal Re is in that compound and mud doesn’t really seem to stick to it.

Why I remembered your tyre is because that particular combination of model and compound seemed a bit odd – pattern for max grip, but with a hard compound. You can’t get an equivalent e.g. Shorty Dual Compound, Magic Mary non-soft.

“loads of people use the Mary as a one tyre all year.”

An MM 2.35 Soft is my summer front tyre on my hardtail! The winter tyre is a Hillbilly T9.

Gone for a Kryptotal Fr. I think its characteristics probably suit my riding style better than those of the Tacky Chan, it’ll probably maintain my confidence over a wider range of “summer” conditions, and serve a longer season. In Enduro Soft because I want the compound, but I might try it without an insert.

For the rear, I’ve read that Xynotal and Tacky Chan are better Dissectors, but which is the best? The Xynotal puts a lot more rubber down with less open space, it seems more hardpack/dry optimised. So I’m thinking TC but if there isn’t much speed in it between TC Super Trail Soft and Kryptotal Re Trail Endurance I might not bother at all. But maybe the TC characteristics on the rear don’t really suit me, although probably less of a problem than when on the front.

Schwalbe doesn’t have the tyre suitability chart on its updated website, but it’s still in the 2024 PDF (page 37):

So there’s a rolling advantage to Xynotal Soft over Kryptotal Re Endurance?

I’d already asked you this hadn’t I and you’ve answered, sorry!

It’s hard to say on paper – faster tread, heavier casing, softer rubber … how much do each of those cancel each other out. We do know from the Bike Magazin lab tests that Kryptotal had a rolling resistance of 19W in Fr Trail Endurance, 21W in Re Trail Endurance, 34W in Re Enduro Soft, 36W in Re DH Soft, and 40W in Re DH Ultra Soft. How accurate it is I don’t know but there’s a huge gap from Trail Endurance to Enduro Soft here.

Going for a Tacky Chan on the rear in Super Trail Soft. For my riding in UK summer I think it’s the better Dissector.

The Xynotal has a specific hardpack intent, while the TC has a broader range. There’s a lot less open space on the Xynotal, it puts a lot more rubber down, and there isn’t much gap to the edge knobs so won’t dig in as much. In this I see it closer to an Aggressor. I was thinking how the TC’s more edgy characteristics would match with the opposite Kryptotal Fr, but from people’s comments it sounds like it’d be fine on the rear and the combo is similar to the Magic Mary / TC that has been mentioned. There aren’t many reviews of the Xynotal but off.road said it’s slower than a Dissector, and MBR said it’s much less grip than a Kryptotal but not much faster for it.

Fitted the Tacky Chan rear now. A bit early but I want to see how it fares in the mud as it looks pretty capable. Not been for a ride on it yet.

One thing I didn’t fully appreciate until seeing it next to other tyres with my own eyes, is those edge knobs. They’re right at the edge and stick straight outwards from the rounded profile of the tyre. I don’t think I’d want it on the front.

Compared to the Dissector it definitely looks less hardpack oriented, with less rubber down the middle. I hope the edge knobs are a bit stronger at the base as that’s what killed my Dissector.

Not sure where it’s (Super Trail Soft 1080g) going to come in for rolling speed amongst (slowest to fastest):

1. DHR2 EXO MaxxTerra (1035g)
2. Dissector EXO MaxxTerra (956g)
3. Kryptotal Re Trail Endurance (1040g)

I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t the fastest in which case (as I half expected) this will have been a bit of a folly. From the bike-magazin lab tests on the Kryptotal R, casing and compound seems to make a big difference to rolling resistance – 21W for Trail Endurance, 34W for Enduro Soft.

I’ve just bought a xynotal enduro soft to use on the rear to replace a nearly worn out kryptotal rear enduro soft.

I’m looking for more rolling speed for the drier conditions.

Haven’t ridden it yet though

@bikesandboots … let me know if you don’t get on with the TC, as I’ll take it off your hands.

First ride out today, TC rear, Baron Projekt still on the front to avoid changing two things at once.

Totally unscientific comparison as the trails have dried up considerably in the last two weeks and it’s 5 degrees warmer. The nice moist glued together slightly muddy gravel gravel has dried out, and it hasn’t had enough traffic yet to clean the loose layer off the top. Not very confidence inspiring.

It doesn’t feel noticeably different to the Kryptotal Re Endurance, maybe back to back in the same conditions I’d notice something. Braking grip, cornering grip, traction, rolling speed. That probably says a lot about how perceptive I am about rear tyres. Certainly not the wow factor of speed I had when switching from the Dissector MaxxTerra to the Kryptotal Re Endurance. However I did a few Strava PRs climbing and descending, likely helped by the dry conditions or impeded by the skittish conditions.

So in conclusion after comparing them in totally different conditions after enough time to forget, I couldn’t really tell any difference. Not sure if I can be bothered to switch back to compare in the same conditions. And yes it’s better than a Dissector at everything for me.

Got a bit more mileage on the TC rear now and over a wider range of conditions.

It does seem to have a little more traction on wet rock and roots. Felt I can brake harder on it without locking up, and less wheelslip plodding up rocky/rooty climbs. For pure mechanical grip digging into soft trails and mud the Kryptotal tread pattern looks like it would be better.

When it comes to cornering it appears I haven’t been approaching the limits of either tyre. The TC is noticeably more rounded than other tyres and the Kryptotal Re noticeably squarer, the latter probably suits my riding style better. I’ve never struggled for rear cornering grip with any tyre anyway.

Rolling when climbing fire road it’s a bit slower I’d say and slower to accelerate. It looks like a faster tread pattern but will be more than cancelled out by the softer compound. The Schwalbe Soft compound is about the same softness as MaxxTerra shoulder knobs (fingernail test), and is softer than the Conti Soft compound.

All about compromises in the end.

Starting from a Kryptotal Re Endurance, it depends what you want IMO:

• Faster rolling – Xynotal Endurance
• Softer compound year-round all surfaces alternative without sacrificing much speed – Tacky Chan Soft
• Softer compound hardpack oriented without (probably) sacrificing much speed – Xynotal Soft
• Softer compound and better at everything except weight and rolling speed – Kryptotal Re Soft

My Kryptotal Fr Enduro Soft arrived. It’s a bit overweight; 1215g vs. claimed 1125g (29×2.4). Trail Endurances seem to be on-weight (mine and r2-bike weight), so that’s 175g extra rather than the 85g extra I’d bargained for.

Also for anyone who didn’t see in another tyre thread, it’s been spotted that Trail Softs are definitely coming as we expected https://mbaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tirade-XX-Outdoor-2.24-2.webp . Probably soon now that I’ve bought an Enduro Soft.

I’ve now done a few rides on a xynotal enduro soft on the rear, it’s pretty good, seems a bit faster rolling that the kryptotal enduro soft rear I was running before but doesn’t seem any worse for braking grip, but it does spin out a bit when climbing up muddy inclines.

I’m holding out for a Kryptotal front trail soft to replace the current argotal downhill supersoft I currently have on the front, but not sure how long I can hold out for might just have to go for the enduro casing kryptotal front soft instead