Hi guys

I have been running a pair of ardents on my Saracen Ariel and I have just split the sidewall on one. I am going to keep one on the back but what is the best tyre on the front? I’m thinking a single ply minion dhf in 2.35 or a 2.35 single ply high roller. My riding style i would class as playful, mainly doing trail centres and the odd dh track and bits.

Cheers for any info

Tom

Ardent would be my choice..

Oops, just re-read your post..

But yeah, stick with the Ardent IMHO..

Ardent exo? Minion both worked well for me

I like my 2.4 HR2

Stitch with dental floss and boot? That or a minion.

or buy a brand that uses rubber on teh sidewalls and some decend threads to hold it together. All my Maxxis are showing threads on the carcass!

I would stick with the ardent. I fell out of love with the high roller when that big gap on the shoulder made do a superwoman off the front of my bike.

or buy a brand that uses rubber on teh sidewalls and some decend threads to hold it together. All my Maxxis are showing threads on the carcass!

most of my old Maxxis did this and ran fine for ages. Never really a performance issue. Exo side walls are very nice though tougher but not dual ply heavy

Minion 2.5 exo 3c for me. Matches my ardent 2.25 on the rear perfectly IMHO

High Roller for me, I have never noticed the “big gap” whilst riding and neither have my mates. I’m going to try a larsen tt on the front this summer, should be interesting…

Minion DHF 2.35 SP Supertacky is my preferred front tyre. Sometimes a 2.5 for DH days.

High Roller 2 currently on front and pretty good, grippy. I also had an Ardent 2.25 which I loved, 2.4 version is supposed to be better.

Highroller here too for 20 quid nothing sticks better. What roll over 😛

Another vote for 2.35 SP minion 60a MaxxPro. At sub £24.00 for both you can have it in super tacky guise as well for less than the cost of some single tyres for when it’s a bit more hairy. Ignitor 2.35 for dryer/tamer conditions if you feel,like being a tyre whore. Have found the Ardent in 2.25 guise at least a good way to end up with the front end sideways if you’re used to minion grip! Hear the 2.4 is better but haven’t tried it. Of course there is the specialised Butcher as a Minion clone (with improvements say members of STW hive) but haven’t tried that either…..worth considering by all accounts if you can step away from the Maxxis fix…..

I gotta try a minion. Wonder if it grips like the highroller.

Also stopped bothering with super tacky not really needed 90% of the time and is worn out normally before you need it.

Grips better in the dry but worse in the wet IME

+1 for minion folding 2.25 up front in the 60a compound had a super tacky before very good grip but trade off with drag on the fire road climbs. Have an ardent to try tho.
Still think minion front high roller rear is great all rounder, perhaps the ne’er treads roll faster??

Thanks for the comments guys. I think I will be going for the minion, I did like the ardent and will give it another thought.

HR2 Exo, served me well for the last 16 months.

Great grip shame my bottle goes before the grip!

Just out of interest, why only Maxxis?

Have been running a single ply 60a minion 2.5 on the front of the singlespeed for the past few months, it’s great, better than my old winter fave of the swampthing, even better on a nice wide 35mm rim.
Wouldn’t fancy the high roller on the front as the transition gap can be quite unnerving, fine on the back but scary on the front.

Will swap it for a x-king in the summer though paired with a small block eight on the rear.

Personally hate mixing hr and minion as one has a round lean which is very linear as you lean it over. The hr goes over an edge as its a much squarer tyre. Matched hr’s are fine just find the mismatch unsettling. The hr2 was better but dropped to ardents as its enough here and removes loads of drag

They’re made by Maxxis and I’m absolutely loving my On One Smorgasbords. A perfect mix of grip and fast rolling

Ok worth bearing in mind. Just like the tyres, good value and good quality, used to use them then went to schwalbles and others and just gone back to maxxis and love them.

I have tried minion front hr rear on a friends bike and it was nice. I have also tried hr front and rear and that seemed ok too but I have an ardent already which works well on the back so think an aggressive minion on the front would be good combo.

Another vote for 2.35 SP minion 60a MaxxPro.

is it just me being a lightweight or does this tyre last forever on front with no wear at all? which probably means the rubber is too hard but eh it works. not draggy either as everyone thinks. shame they don’t do a 60a/42a version or even just 42a kevlar (would be draggy though).

smorg on back is really nice can’t say for front.

why maxxis.. i dunno i just have more faith in them than anything else for some reason.

(recovering tyre whore).

Dam you boardinbob, I have just looked at the smorgasbord tyres and everyone is raving about them and they are so cheap. I could buy the pair for not much more than a single minion. Talk to me peeps, I am very confused. I looked at the butcher too but they are a little pricey in comparison. I bet the smorgasborgs last a lot longer on the sidewalks too.

2.7 DHF Slow Reezay 😀

As a front, i’m a fan of the Ignitor and High Roller. Both rock solid in my experience.
Maxxis are great tyres. I’ve never been 100% convinced by the Contis and Schwalbes that I own/have owned. Panaracer are out of the game these days, Kenda do a few good uns i guess. Michelin were never turned up…….what else is out there? No one else is going to give the huge choice that Max does.

is it just me being a lightweight or does this tyre last forever on front with no wear at all?

At 15 stone (moi) without riding gear on it’s not you being a lightweight. They are the only tyre i’d have on the front of my bike.

The Ardent? Only on the front of my worst enemy’s bike.

+1 for a minion. I run a HR 2.35 60a rear and a Minion 2.5 Exo 60a up front. Great results, and not as draggy as you’d think.

Ignitor for up front!!!

If you’re looking at the Minion DHF, the 2.5 EXO is just a really reliable front, just gets on with it. Because it’s the older Maxxis sizing, it’s actually more like a big 2.35 than a genuine 2.5 btw, is only a little larger than the 2.25 Ardent, which is a decent rear, but hopeless in anything soft up front . Fits fine in a Pike or Revelation too. The 2.35 is quite small, more like a big 2.1 ime.

The 2.4 Ardent is a slightly different beastie from the 2.25 version btw, much chunkier tread which makes it better up front but slightly draggier as well as being obviously heavier. It’s also taller than the 2.5 Minion DHF, but slightly narrower.

Have you looked at the On One Chunky Monkey as a budget Minion alternative up front? Haven’t used it, but that up front and a Smorgasbord at the back might work.

All personal taste though, what feels right to one rider won’t necessarily suit someone else etc. 🙂

I’ve always got on with High Rollers front and rear, all year round. Super tacky front and 60a rear…I find the fronts last ages. Never found them that draggy either, but maybe that’s just because I’m used to silly tyres having ridden DH for a long time on big silly bikes.

Also tried a Minion super tacky on the front, but I think I prefer the High Roller. Can’t quite put my finger on why, I just do.

I never realised how we they worked until trying a pair of none black chilli Rubber Queens. Evil, even on dry kitty litter at Parkwood Springs.

If you’re looking at the Minion DHF, the 2.5 EXO is just a really reliable front, just gets on with it. Because it’s the older Maxxis sizing, it’s actually more like a big 2.35 than a genuine 2.5 btw

This for me

As a more ‘xc/trail’ alternative though I really rate the Ignitor 2.35 as a front tyre.

Big fan of Maxxis tyres although I never got on with High Rollers

i’m happy with on-one’s chunky monkey up front. i am a bit ‘they’re black and round’ about tyres TBF, but i definitely like the price, and they seem pretty grippy. i’m probably not good enough a rider to differentiate between two ‘good’ tyres, but these are definitely not carp.