Which tyres if Minions are overkill?

no one ever said “what I need is less grip over those slimy rocks and roots and heaps of under-steer; that sounds just right for me”.

Tru dat.

But they might have leaned less aggressively into the corner, or slowed down to accommodate the reduced capability, or chosen an easier line.

Peculiar time of year for words like overkill and step down to be mentioned about tyres.
But this forum needs a like button even if it’s just for highlandman’s comment.😃

^ but it isn’t that binary, is it? I have had less draggy tyres that were still very good on slimy rocks and roots.

I measured! 2.5 Minion on a 20mm int. rim – 2.513
2.5 Aggressor on same – 2.45something
My penis – 2.528 so way bigger than a Minion.

The Ardents I’ve tried have been hateful things. Not light, not robust, not fast rolling, not grippy and can break traction quickly.

Fine for summer dry trails, but then so are most tyres.

My Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph combo are so much better for summer and trail centres, so fast!

I’ve bought a pair of Nobby Nics that I’m looking forward to trying out. 2.4″ front and 2.25″ rear, I’m quite impressed with how the tread actually differs on the different widths.

I run a DHF up front and a Highroller 2 on the rear or a shorty in its place if it’s really mucky and the high roller slips out.

As long as you don’t need to pedal through horrible mud, I’m a big fan of the rockrazor rear/dhr2 front combo. rockrazor works better than it should in the wet, since once the ground’s soft it sinks in more and the side knobs come into play. Still not grippy, and really not good for paddling through swamps, but frankly that sort of riding sucks donkey balls regardless of your tyres. And having such a fast rear means you can put a lot of grip on the front and still be quick rolling. It just needs a bit more commitment if you’re dealing with muddy steeps!

There’s not much I’d choose on the front over a dhr2 maxxterra unless I want to go really fast or really far. If specialized’d do a new Captain, maybe in a 2.5, that’d do it. Nobby Nic and Dissector are popular but imo give up too much grip for not enough speed. Highroller and dhf are both imo irrelevant, the dhr2 kicks their arses.