My High Roller 1s have had one gouge too many so, with customary apologies for a tyre thread, what tyres for N.Wales?

Riding is typically gravity oriented as I have DH trails near the house (lots of sharp slate and hardpack) and longer rides at the weekend. If a trail centre it’ll probably be Penmachno or Antur. Schwalbe Magic Marys seem be looking good in reviews, but real-world experience always appreciated. Definitely looking for trail-friendly rather than pure DH.

Edit: required for Alpine 160 in 26er flavour 🙂

Mary’s are quite draggy and tread wise compare with a shorty.

Minions (Exo Casing) and Butchers (Grid Casing) would be my suggestion front and back. For the summer you could look at a Minion SS or Slaughter for the rear.

Same location as you.

Magic Mary are a good choice, in the right casing/compound. You could go super gravity for added protection but the normal reinforced casing ones are fine. I wouldn’t run them front and back though as they aren’t the most pedal friendly. Definitely a good front tyre though and at Antur they are superb (ran them front and rear on my old bike for DH stuff).

Rear is a tough one but something like an exo DHR maybe? I personally have an exo Shorty but that isn’t the best in terms of rolling resistance, and a Rock Razor. They’re heavy but Conti Trail King in black chilli are good too and roll ok. Rode those round the Panorama and Antur and they were fine.

Food for thought there. Have a Minion upfront on another bike which works well. Never tried Spesh tyres, but the Butchers seem to come up on here a fair bit in similar threads.

Magic Mary’s are coming across as a bit too draggy. Antur is a few times a year rather than a regular thing, so perhaps OTT. Conti Trail King in black chilli an interesting option.

Still not convinced magic mary is ever the right option unless you’re sponsored by schwalbe, shorty does the exact same job, better. More expensive. But still, basically either is a bit pointless if you don’t need to deal with quite a lot of mud.

If you want one tyre to do it all, I’d stick minions on it. Not fast but pretty good at everything. I’ve found over the years I don’t really need a dualply for dh, tough singleplies and a little more air is enough for me but ymmv o’course, I’ve never been a tyre ripper even in slate country, don’t know why.

TBH if you do some dh and some trail it’s always going to be a compromise unlses you just get more tyres, which as a tyre fetishist, is what I’d do. More tyres are the solution for everything.

Same location too.

I used MM and Minions on my DH bike and a combo of Minion front and Geax Lobo Loco rear on my Trail bike.

The Geax are cheap. Plus its always the rear that gets slices so I am happy to spend less cash on a rear. The loco Lobo is actually pretty good (which is more by chance than anything else!).

I second the MM being draggy but since its on my DH bike its ok, was great in a very muddy revolution bike park recently. For Blaenau I would probably go back to a minion front and rear combo. I actually run a Geax rear Tyre on my HT too and its pretty good.

Like I said I bought them as they were cheap and looked ok, turns out they are pretty good. They come off the On One website.

More tyres are the solution for everything.

Not when you struggle like a gurning loon to get them off! 😆

@rhid, do you mean this one? Cheap!

Leaning towards a Minion upfront.

Yeah that one.

I want to sell my 26″ before long so wasn’t bothered about spending a lot on tyres so got that one just before the CYB enduro in November and it was really great!

I have a Saguano (or something) on my Ht and again, thats great!

Northwind makes a good point. More tyres are the best solution, but I also HATE changing them over, especially tubeless. It’s just a massive PITA.

It actually just occurred to me that my hardtail has Minion DHFs fitted. 26″ and probably 2 years old now. Not 3c or anything fancy and only one of them is exo. Didn’t use them for 18 months as I had a 29er and then 650b, and they were on wife’s bike for a bit. Anyway .. point is, they’re ace., and I’ve only just realised it. Rode them at Moelfre in gopping mud and they were fine. Round Llandegla they’re bloody great, especially in the damp. They roll OK too.

So, yeah, as an absolute all-round tyre, maybe Minions. That said, Shorty in anything remotely muddy is just cheating.

Still not convinced magic mary is ever the right option unless you’re sponsored by schwalbe, shorty does the exact same job, better.

I realise that arguing over tyres on the internet is pathetic, but this is just wrong.

The Magic Mary is a godsend for those of us who ride mainly rocky trails but still want grip in the mud. The Shorty is far more compromised on firm surfaces, but is better in mud.

To the OP, maybe Hans Dampf super gravity pacestar rear and snakeskin trailstar Mary front… or a HR2 if you don’t ride much mud.

A pair of Minion EXO’s would be my first choice. As a substitute when I couldn’t get hold of a pair I happily ran Butcher Grids for a bit this summer, which included a wet trip to Antur and N Wales. I didn’t puncture them no matter how hard I didn’t try to be careful.

I’ve just take a Magic Mary SG off the front of mine as it was proving to just too draggy and heavy 90% of the time. But for the riding you have on your door step I’d say it would be a sensible option for the front.

Minion DHF EXO Minion DHR 2 EXO.

Mud has never been a consideration when choosing tyres for North Wales as its mainly bedrock.

Argh, so complicated! Have a Minion (super-tacky/2.35) on the way now as I have one another bike, and a Geax cos it was ridiculously cheap and will function as a back-up whatever I end up doing!

On the Hans Dampf – got those on a hardtail. I find them OK, but a bigger fan of High Rollers and Minions.

Keep tips coming though!

Conti Der Baron Projekt, thread closed… 😆

If it’s not all downhilling at Antur, then single ply Minion EXO. Those tough sidewalls are key for the flint, as I learnt in Wales. Just DH and hitting it hard then I’d consider dual ply. Likewise the super tacky. Not so sure with ST if running regular trails.

HR2 would be another choice, or at least is what I run on the rear with Minion at front.

The one I’m always happy with is the Minion up front, whatever the conditions.

Same location. Ride everything from XC, AM, DH.

I use Magic Mary SS TCS up front on a 26 inch Five and Alpine and it’s by far the best front tyre I’ve tried (been through quite a few inc HRII + HansDs). I’ve never used it on the rear though.. It rolls really nicely up front though.

I have Minion DHR II 3C EXO on the rear and it’s been excellent. It’s climbing up muddy bits and finding grip very well and clears fast too. It’s fast rolling and lighter than it’s competition.

However before I put the Minion DHR II 3C EXO on the rear I tried it up front for a ride paired with a DHR II TR EXO and I HATED every minute of it – it gave me no confidence at all. I couldn’t find the corner grip at all on the front.

I just don’t think the Maxxis 3C is as sticky as Schwalbe TrailStar compound. I’ve tried them both on ice riddled rides too and the contrast is even greater. Or just try a wet road grid and brake… I find the Schwalbe grips better where the Maxxis just wipes out. Hardly scientific or off-road applicable but there’s a marked difference between them.

I’m trying to stick to the lighter Trail / Enduro tyres from both. Less then 900g range. If I was doing only DH I’d give the SuperTacky a go. Schwalbe then have the VertStar too. Not tried either.

All tubeless run on 25mm internal width rims.

Everyone is different. Personal choice. I’m convinced the Schwalbe TrailStar compound makes a better front though. Don’t touch PaceStar or EVO though… unless you want to die.

I also rode around last year on TrailStar Hans Dampfs SS and they’re solid. They do clog bad in mud and snow though compared to any of the above. I had no cut tyres from the slate or rocks though on them. Even Antur Stiniog didn’t kill them so they can’t be too bad. They’re on my spare wheels ATM unused since May. I just prefer the MM / DHRII setup now.

Schwalbe then have the VertStar too. Not tried either.

I have a supergravity vertstar Mary that I got cheap off a DH racer.

I’d only recommend it for uplifts or if you know that you’ve been bad and need to be punished.

Damn! Revisiting my Tyre Choices after puncturing a rear Minion DHR2 3C EXO TR at an Enduro race at Coed y Brenin and a few weeks prior doing the exact same thing at Coed y Brenin on my new 2015 Nobby Nic rear. Tread puncture from rock. Running 30+ PSI too. Both pissed all the sealant everywhere. Not a big hole either.

The Minion DHR2 had been on since October and hadn’t had a single issue. It’d done Coed y Brenin perfectly fine a number of times so it was a no brainer for the race or so I thought.

I’ve not had any sidewall problems with any EXO or SnakeSkin tyres.
The problem I’ve had has been tread punctures on rocks not sealing up sufficiently within ride time.
Thorn punctures have not been an issue at all.

I couldn’t find a decent tyre with tread protection that isn’t over 1kg.

With a significant weight increase (400g rolling weight) over standard Mary / Minion DHR2 I’ve upgraded to Super Gravity Trail Star Mary / Hans Dampf and I’m attempting to man up the fitness to get back to where I was speed wise before the next race. They seem to roll amazingly well when gravity is on your side though so on a good day I should be ok.

Super stiff sidewalls mean they need lower PSI to function properly. 30 PSI is totally rock hard. I’ve settled on 20-22 PSI. Been for two test rides. Local mountain rocks and Llangollen DH. Both fine.

Llandegla next for a fitness check. Then Marin and Penmachno in the next couple of weekends.

Only DH tyres left after these suckers. If I break them too easily I’ll probably go back to Trail tyres and find a different / better sealant.

Anything with big pointy nobbles on the tyre seems pointless and probably a hindrance in N Wales. It just seems to be dry rock or wet rock with brown water on it.

Sticky compound all purpose tyres are much more suitable. I use On One chunky monkey both front and rear. Have previously used Conti TK but the casings kept going. Maxxiss high roller and minion also would work well.

Hard to see past Minion/High Roller combo so HR1 is now a HR2. Got a Geax for when the inevitable happens and I slice another rear tyre.

Gelert, do you reckon tubeless is worth it for these parts? I’ve been thinking about converting but had bad early experience of not sealing properly.

@saxabar when I started MTB in 2013 I was getting punctures on tubes a lot. I got some Slime tubes and that eased the problem somewhat. I then ghetto’d Tubeless back in early 2014 and it was great and when my hub bearings went (cheap nasty hubs) I bought some Stan’s wheels on Hope Hubs. Since then I’ve had 2 punctures I knew about seal up with a tiny bit of air loss and come home to find 10+ big thorns sticking out of my tyres many times but no loss of air whatsoever. I also came home to find a slashed sidewall to the canvas but no air lost on a Minion DHR2 EXO TR. So overall having done 4000+ miles on tubeless all over North Wales I’d say yes, absolutely worth it.

It’s only recently now in my 2nd season of racing beginner Enduro (but I have done some XC races [3rd place this year] and a DH race last year [27th or last!]) that I’ve started breaking tyres or having issues again.

Friends who come top 10 at the Enduro’s have had similar issues and are now on much more heavyweight tyres to prevent the same kind of issue.

I guess once your speed exceeds what a single ply casing can take against a rock you’ll make holes in them. If the sealant doesn’t fix it it’s annoying.

I like riding trail / xc and enjoy going up as fast as I can so I can get to the DH fun bits. I don’t want a heavy tyre but it seems to have become necessary on my Enduro bike. I’m going to stick to tail / xc tyres on my trail bike though.

If I bimble around I’ll get away with trail tyres. I don’t want to bimble at a race, I want to do my best and not be worrying about tyres.

I use WTB Vigilante, on my bike. It has good puncture resistance.
is a good price. Also simple to set up tubeless.

DH bike at Antur i have MM up front and a Kaiser on the rear.
A lot riders have Minions and High rollers but the Kaiser is very good,blooming expensive at £55 though.
Tubeless up front and DH tube on the back,i’ve had a few burps but no punctures.
Shorty for Revolution.
Dan Athertons new bike park! New set of balls on order! 😀

Bonty Team SE4 upfront and an Ardent on the rear on my trial bike for CYB and the other trails around.
Always run tubeless,to many long walks took care of that decision.

Tyres is a can of worms and everyone is different. Tubeless is a must. It saves a lot of long walks from thorn punctures, that’s for sure.

@beiciwr64 do you not puncture the Ardent at CyB? I killed the Minion DHR2 rear there too easily. I love the DHR2 too… one of the nicest tread patters for the rear. Brilliant grip when you need it (in 3C, not so fab in dual comp) and controllable drift but so thin under the tread 🙁

The Bonty Team tyres look great. The SE5 is tread protected for “Enduro” too which sounds perfect for me… but they don’t do 26 inch.

The WTB Vigilante was recommended to me in Tough Casing High Grip but they seem really difficult to get hold of and it looked like a clearance fire sale for 26 inch was going on. Where do you get them from?

At least Schwalbe do seem to support 26 inch, Maxxis too (well, except for new models and their new Double Down Enduro casing, sadly which is annoying). I don’t want to ride around a few months on a tyre, find it’s great and then want to buy a new one and can’t pick one up because they stopped making 26 inch.

A friend of mine rides around on Conti Mountain King 2 ProTection Black Chilly and an X King on the rear (swaps to MK2 for wetter days). Both tubeless. He’s never had a puncture and rides everything I do. How he gets away with it I don’t know. I’ve ordered one for my trail bike to try on the rear… see how that goes.

Maybe I just had bad luck… twice.

I’m going to ride the Super Gravity tyres some more now I’ve got them setup. See how it goes. I can always go back to my previous setup at the last minute. Or take my trail bike’s wheels with me for practice.

I guess I’m looking for the experiences other non pro Enduro racers have had with tyres and what they run to make sure they get to the end of a race day.