Mountain Bike Tyre Recommendations

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  Hybroid on 16/03/2021 - 13:17

  Kenda Nevegal tyres are pretty popular for 29"ers. Never had an issue with them off-road.

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  frondono on 16/03/2021 - 13:53

  Are you running tubeless? If not you should be.

  Probably just stick to Continental, Shwalbe or Maxxis.

  Get a lower rolling resistant tyre for rear grippier for front.

  I'm running Continental Race King and Cross King protections (F&R) and from what you've described it sounds like you could probably run the same. Works well for hardpack, cross king has enough grip for what I need, race king has not much, but it's good for the rear, i like it a little slidy, doesn't like boggy climbs.

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    Bartemaus on 18/03/2021 - 16:55

    I run tubeless at the moment.

    I'd agree that the primary aim is to add a grippier tyre up front. I've done a bit more research and looking at a nobby nic or a specialized butcher up front and possibly keeping the ardent out back or changing to an ikon.

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  TheBilly on 16/03/2021 - 16:18

  Maxis High Rollers

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  Tee Rex Arms on 16/03/2021 - 19:10

  +1

  2.5 Maxxis Minion DHR II front and 2.4 Maxxis Assegai rear

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    Telios on 17/03/2021 - 13:21

    Minion DHR II

    Yes run a mullet bike!

    And Minions are awesome.

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  [Deactivated] on 16/03/2021 - 19:37

  +1

  Ardent race is really an XC and light trail tyre.

  Assegai front and Dissector rear seems to be the new gold standard for enduro. Another option is the trusty old Minion DHF and DHR combo.

  There are heaps of great tread patterns and tyre combos, including from other brands (ie. Michelin, kenda, Onza, contis).

  I think the biggest question is what casing to go with which will depend on how hard you ride and whether you dent rims and tear sidewalls.

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    Bartemaus on 18/03/2021 - 18:07

    I'm riding a specialized epic (100mm front and rear) so it's very XC focused with a 71 degree head tube angle.

    I don't hit huge drops or big jumps but prefer the more technical climbs and descents.

    For reference i tend to stick to blue runs with the occasional black climb or descent.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 18/03/2021 - 18:36

      This is good to know - a few more questions would help.

      1. how much do you weigh;
      2. in what circumstances do you lose grip - front wheel, rear or both; and
      3. how fast are you riding down 'technical descents' and are you riding over sharp rocks or edges?

      Trails are usually grades against other trails at a specific location. A black diamond and Lysterfield is a blue trail at Red Hill, and a double black at You Yangs can kill an intermediate rider.

      If you aren't worried about tearing or puncturing tyres, you might as well go with an aggressive tread in the lightest casing (ie. regular minions, high roller, etc). They tend to be much cheaper than the heavier casing options too.

      Something like a minion DHR for the front and Ardent for the rear would probably do you well. A 2.3 tyre will ride a better through rough terrain however if you go wider on XC rims you will need to run them at super high pressures to avoid having the tyres roll, which kinda defeats the point.

      Happy riding.

      • 

        Bartemaus on 19/03/2021 - 08:43

        1. 75kg. 180cm. I ride on a large frame.
        2. Mostly front wheel on flat corners
        3. Not riding particularly fast down the technical descents. Ride over plenty of rocks, not particularly sharp though. Yes to riding over edges, but again not hitting any sharp rocks on landing.

        For reference I rode the blue runs at thredbo last weekend with little issues. The times i felt uneasy were on the semi flat traverses where i could feel the front tyre on the edge of washing out.

        Good to note regarding the casing. The ardents are 3C EXO in 2.35 width. I can't (and wouldn't) go any wider.

        Yeah i think the general consensus is to keep the ardent at the rear and upgrade the front only. DHR/DHF seem to be the popular option so I think i'll give that a go. Have you had experience with a specialized butcher or the schwalbe nobby nic?

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          [Deactivated] on 19/03/2021 - 09:09

          @Bartemaus: I agree with the suggestion that a minion (either DHR/DHF) would probably be the most cost effective / sensible thing to try first.

          For your kind of riding, I think a Nobby Nic on the front would be fine. A few friends run a butcher and have since changed to less aggressive tread. My old trail bike came with a Nobby Nic on the front and rear. On the front it wore well and never held me back at that time, including threadbo and worse.

          I wouldn't go with anything with a lighter casing than an EXO on the rear for the riding you have described.

          A lot of people run 2-5 psi less on the front to get a bit more traction - you might want to try 23 F / 26 R or something like that. I find that the front tyre can roll under hard cornering, but that's only on the fastest hardpack DH tracks.

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  Rob-4x4 on 18/03/2021 - 10:28

  Also consider tyre size as well.

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  Euphemistic on 18/03/2021 - 12:06

  How aggressive do you ride? Is your tyre pressure low enough to provide grip with what you have?

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    Bartemaus on 18/03/2021 - 18:04

    I'm running between 25- 30 psi front and rear.

    I could drop it slightly on the descents.