I hated my Kenda Nevegals, super sketchy at the likes of Whinaller/ae/mabie/keilder etc ie the wet slatey & rooty conditions that you mention ( we dont do dry weather in Cumbria! )

Moved to single ply high rollers. 42 super tacky upfront and a maxxpro 60a on the rear and have honestly never looked back.

@ pjm1974
yeah i had the same problem with small block eights.also true that minions clog more than high rollers.
i was also considering the ardent r ,high roller f combo but ive been told that a ardent 2.25 is larger than a H.R 2.35. not too keen on having a larger rear tyre than front, can anyone confirm sizing and as anyone got this combo.

Yes, the Ardent 2.25″ is larger than the HR (or Minion) 2.35″. I asked this on here myself a few weeks ago, and apparently the way to tell for Maxxis is that anything 2.25″ is the new, larger casing, anything 2.35″ is the old, smaller one.

thats a bit strange,it would have been better to make them the same size but give the new ones a true size.at least they would work better in combo with existing maxxis tyres.

Nevegals are available in a “SWS” version: Side Wall Shield. Works well with a Stan’s tubeless conversion and has eliminated sidewall cuts for me (had been an issue previously). Haven’t tried any other version, but the sidewall protection stops the Stan’s fluid leaking. I’ve not noticed any issues with running 20psi front 30psi rear (2.35 & 2.1 Fr & 2.1Rr) regarding rolling over etc. suspect the tape stiffens them up. Where did I ride them: predominately Chiltern Hills – perpetually soft, so needed something to dig in & Afan trail centre, I’m not into changing tyres, so have to be all round performer. I’ve always managed to go quite fast enough to keep up/scare myself so haven’t been aware of any unwelcome rolling resistance. Would a better roller not be a compromise on bite from the knobs? Which (if you need that bite) is where the fun starts for a an all terain bike. I always seemed to find somewhere that I was glad of the bite, even in the “dry” in the UK. I like to push hard all the time and not mince over fun bits for a bit of extra speed over the easy bits. I like the idea if plenty of knobs to protect the carcass too. Mine always seem to get pretty cut up.

“stu1972 – Member

I hated my Kenda Nevegals, super sketchy at the likes of Whinaller/ae/mabie/keilder etc ie the wet slatey & rooty conditions that you mention”

Mine were fine at Kielder, Ae and Mabie 😕 And mabie was under water when i went there.

With Nevegals it’s like riding through slippery toffee. If you want a workout then these are the tyres for you.

HR 2.35 SPC: 56mm
Ardent 2.25 SPC: 55.5mm

Have the above combo on both hardtail and FS, works well for me. The 2.35HR lust is also 56mm, not sure about the rear Ardent Lust (can’t be bothered to lift it down!).

Hey guys! OP here, thought I’d give you an update. I think I’ve decided on moving my prowler out back and putting an ardent up front (so neither high roller or nevegal after all!) thanks for everyones input, it helped me look outside my two options and ultimatly choose something else. Thanks!

My twopenneth:

Kenda Blue groove 2.35 DTC up front and nevegal 2.35 DTC on back, run tubeless on stans flows, never needed another tyre for 12 months, coped well with snow, ice, mud, wet roots, wet rocks, dry rocks etc, never had an issue with rolling resistance but when current tyres wear out will go back to these

HR 2.3 front and rear, tubeless as above – much narrower and much draggier than kendas and as I am not an aggressive cornerer?? found they washed out loads, need to get the bike over on the bar ends to get the most out of them and that’s not my style

Rampage SC 2.3 front and rear – couldn’t get them to seal on the stans so run with tubes, roll better than the kendas and HR’s, very similar performance to the Kendas but not as good in the mud or snow, come up about the same size as the HR’s

Nobby Nics 2.2 F&R – again running with tubes as couldn’t get thenm to seal ghetto’d on red metals, so far they are ok at most things but no good in the mud or on wet roots

Bonty XR4 2.3 F&R – run tubeless on stans flow, worst tyre I have ever used although need to try them again when it dries out, even down at 12-14psi they had no grip on roots, rocks or in mud although others swear by them, tyres are huge too, even bigger than the kendas.