Hi,
I have a 26 inch Five with a Chunky Monkey on the front and an ardent on the rear.
I have loved my 2.25 EXO ardent. It has great survivability, pretty good rolling resistance and has had enough grip in most conditions. However at this time of year braking and off camber stuff results in slides when I least want it.
I ride the lakes (rocks), Hamsterley (mud, wet roots and some man made stuff) and some cheeky trails around Durham (tarmac, woods and fields).
I am looking for a tyre to stick on the back that has more grip but does not drag too much. I am considering a smorgasbord in 60a(cheap, a bit unknown to me but with ECKSO sidewalls), a HR2 2.3 in the harder compound (should be grippy, has EXO sidewalls BUT does not seem to be in stock anywhere) or a HR 2.35 in 60a (tried and tested by many friends but maybe a touch narrow and weaker sidewalls? . . ).

Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
Si

Ardent I see as a skinny High Roller. Lower tread, less grip but faster rolling. I run it on my hard tail for more XC-ish/trail duties. The Ardent does me okay in the winter also, just a little less power in the slop. I wouldn’t run it on the front though. Likely to slide, but seems okay on rear.

High Roller doesn’t drag too much and grips better. Just if you’re blasting around on smoother stuff the Ardent will still run faster. I’d run a HR on more trail to AM style riding. Or High Roller II… a lot more grip, but it is draggy. I run the HRII on my bouncy bike with a Minion up front, and really like it, though got fairly chunk 2.4/2.5 EXO tyres set up more for the Alps and might slim it down.

EXO if you’re doing flinty stuff. A little heavier though, but helps prevent sidewall slicing.

And yeah, the 2.35 HR is smaller than the 2.3 HR II.

Pacestar 2.4 nobby nic if you can find them. Come up huge. Low rolling resistance but plenty grippy in the big size.

Or a purgatory 2.3

How about a 2.25 Beaver?
Same carcass as the Ardent EXO but a tread more suited to winter use. I know a few people who run Purgs and rate them so also worth a look.

Didn’t want to make another tyre thread. But I run Advantage 2.1 front and rear on a Hardtail. Should I keep these for winter or run something different?

Beaver +1

I’ve got a 2.25 front and the 2.0 rear.

The 2.0 is rather skinny looking but both great tyres, plenty of grip and clear mud very well.

Black chili Conti Baron. The one tyre I wish was available in 29er size. Not sure if it’s going to be fast enough rolling for you but I never had any issues with them.

I will be shortly replacing rear nobby nic with specialized purgatory for similar winterising reasons.

Suggestions appreciated

For the same reasons have recently swapped an Ardent for a part-worn Advantage. Working well atm

The Purgatory is still the best all-round, all surfaces winter tyre I’ve used in places where the Ardent 2.4 is my summer tyre, used at times when it’s not wet/claggy enough for a 2.0 Storm Control. Sometimes use the Purg with an Ardent 2.25 on the rear in mixed spring-autumn conditions or where speed / back wheel slides are a good thing.

Purgatory is a great tyre but doesnt last that long, sidewalls are too thin.

The Purgatory Grid is one of the best tyres you can get tho with not much weight penalty over the non-grid. I don’t see why you would buy a non grid over a grid version tbh.

Exo beaver in 2.25, job done.

sidewalls are too thin.

I’d agree and good point, I’d get the grid versions now, though the std ones I’ve had a while have been no more cut-prone than most non-UST or Conti Protection types based on riding flinty trails locally.

I use a Maxxis Ignitor all year round, partly because I love it partly because I’m too lazy to change tyres. I feel it copes quite well in the winter, copes with wet roots a bit of mud and the side knobs have enough height to bite into the ground on off camber sections. I don’t tend to ride in stupidity muddy conditions but for typical British winter conditions in woods I find it copes quite well.