UKC

Got the mtb out for the 1st time in years on Saturday. The tyres are not good, she was ridden on the road lots prior to taking up climbing so need some new ones. But having been out of the scene for ages I have no idea what are good any more.

Need to be 26inch (she's 10 years old now!) and good for everything with an emphasis on having fun pointing downwards.

In reply to fire_munki:

Cue lots of "I use X so they are the best"! Depends on where you ride, etc. Until you get to the more esoteric end of the market (fat and semi-fat tyres) most tyres are available in 26", 27.5" and 29".

Maxxis High Rollers seem to be pretty decent. A lot of folk reckon Maxxis Ardents are good but I didn't get on with them - I think they are fine for trail centres but if you venture away from the hard-pack ... . I currently run Bontrager XR4 on the front & XR3 on the back, both tubeless.

Current thinking/strategy is to use slightly larger volume tyres on the front than rear but make sure that the frame/forks will take them. The same tyre can have different profiles depending on the width of the rim you put it on.

In reply to fire_munki:

I really rate Schwalbe Hans Dampf. Run them front and back just now. They cost a fair bit though.

Maxxis minions or high rollers are always a good shout for fun going down too.

Mind that any tyre that grips really well/ preforms well downhill will generally have a high rolling resistance as a trade off.

In reply to fire_munki:

Minions and high rollers were what I used to run prior to this set.

Thought they might be outdated by now.

In reply to fire_munki:

They might have the same name but be several iterations further on.

ChrisJD and Chris the Tall might have input as and when they see this thread

In reply to fire_munki:

I'm riding with a Bontrager XR4 Team Issue 2.2 on the front, and a Maxxis Ardent on the back. It's a combination which works quite well for me in the Peak District. Big fat knobbly front tyre gives me some kind of control over where I'm headed, while the Maxxis seems to let the back do sprightly things. Both tubeless. I really love my front tyre.

LOL, let's get the popcorn out and wait for lots of opinions!!


Deffo +1 on that one.

It doesn't matter what you ride, where you ride .... just ride!!

In reply to fire_munki:

Hans Dampf here, run them all year round and work well for everything except mud and slop, which I prefer to avoid anyway. They can be quite draggy on damp trail centre type services when flat or climbing (so who cares) but are fine once gravity kicks in. Run the trailstar compound on the front and pacestar on the back. Slightly faster rolling option is to put a Nobby Nic on the back. These are not cheap option tyres but they do last well.

I have been a bit disappointed with Maxxis (Minion, Ardent etc) as the side walls seem to be formed from the rubber equivalent of Rizla paper and are easily wrecked. I find the gap between the centre and side knobs on the High Rollers a bit worrying as one leans the bike over in a corner, grip, no-grip, lots of grip; the middle bit can by rather unnerving.

Also recently had some Bontrager XR3(I think) which were pretty good as an all rounder.

In reply to fire_munki:
I'm just a casual mtb user so just regular trails/mtb courses, but recently got Nobby Nics (used with tubes) and must say they feel an big improvement over what I've used in the past which have been all run of the mill ones. They shed mud and dirt very easily, roll very easily and smoothly on most surfaces, have no problem at all in handling the braking forces of large rotor disc brakes, and quiet (for mtb tyres) on tarmac. Too early to say if they have the longitivtiy of some other models, but happy with purchase for my level of mt biking. Certainly they have given me more confidence to push harder than any other tyre I've used. They are also cheaper than say the Hans Dampf tyres. Worth checking out depending on the performance your looking for.

In reply to fire_munki:

Just look what the guys on the EWS all ride.

Usually blacked out magic mary's on the front, something slicker like a hans dampf on the back.

However, if by "all mountain" you actually mean "trail centres", try a trail king front and something semi-slick on the back?

In reply to Bob:


More "re-thinking" - I was running a 2.1 on the front and a 1.8/1.9 on the rear 20 years ago

In reply to LastBoyScout:

What goes around comes around! A lot of the "new" stuff actually existed a long time ago in one form or another and got lost in the "progress".

In reply to fire_munki:
How much space have you got under your front fork? If you are running Fox forks, then you should be able to get a really nice big volume front tyre on like the Conti Trail King 2.4s (go for black chilli compound). Having a nice big volume tyre on the front can make the difference on descents, especially if you are running relatively little front travel.

As others have said, tyres are personal. I've got on very well with Conti Trail Kings (previously known as Rubber Queens) in all mountain conditions, as a good general use tyre.

Maxis tyres get plenty of good reviews, but be carefull to pick the construction/compound that suits you the 3c (3 compound) versions seem to get good reviews for general use, super tacky for shorter life grip-critical stuff etc. Personally didn't get on with the High-rollers as I found them a bit vague until really leant over, but Minions are much more to my liking.

Your best bet is to try a different ones, but this is expensive unless you can find some mates with old ones or are willing to let you have a go on their bikes!

In reply to Bob:


Me ? I was reading this thread to get some good advice !

Well obviously the first thing to say is that 26 is dead, so rather than buy new tyres you might as well just buy a whole new bike ! Not helpful ? OK then I've been quite impressed with Specialized Ground Control recently, and was very unimpressed with Nobby Nics, which seemed to puncture/rip too easily (a shop in the lakes told me they nicknamed them "Nobby one-rides"). Bontrager XR4 are also quite good, but be careful as I've found that they were too big for my forks on both bikes, and for the rear on one (it is 2.35 tyre, not sure if they do smaller).

Another thing to say if you have been out of the sport for a time is that tubeless is a great innovation in recent years. However unless your wheels are tubeless ready then there is probably no point in getting tubeless ready tyres. Setting up wheels for tubeless can be very frustrating at the best of times. But at the same time the lack of punctures - particularly snakebites and thorns - makes it worth it once you've got them set up.

In reply to fire_munki:

Plenty of width at the front, 1st gen Rock Shock Domains, I know 2.4 Maxxis will fit unless they've changed a lot in the last 6 years.

Won't be just on trail centres, although my visit to Haldon is what prompted this, I used to get up onto Dartmoor fairly often.

And yes I agree "progression" is cyclical, as I've run larger front/narrow rear for years. Guess I missed out the matching sizes this time round!

In reply to Chris the Tall:
LOL - I got a puncture first time out with the front one! Maybe unlucky, or maybe I've wasted my money! Time will tell!

In reply to fire_munki:
OK. So my garage is full of tyres that failed to live up to it for going fast on DH bits and still be able to ride up stuff.

Now riding Super Gravity Hans Dampf 2.4 at the back and Super Gravity Magic Mary 2.4 up front (these SG's are >1 kg each, so not for weight weenies). Been riding these from Nov 2014 and all winter through everything that the Peak & N Wales can throw at them.

All running tubeless

I've have been through all of the following:

- High Roller I
- High Roller II
- High Roller II DH (these were tough but impractical for AM use)
- Ardent
- Cont Rubber Queen/Trail King 2.4 Black Chilli (these were good traction, but split side walls on 3 tyres using on the rear, so not durable). And hard work to pedal
- Onza Ibex 2.4 - too lightweight
- On One Chunky Monkey 2.4 - too lightweight
- and no doubt more (would have to delve deep into the garage!)

The Hans Dampf / Magic Mary Super Gravity combo is the best set of tyres I've ridden by far in terms of grip and durability (not for going fast on tarmac though)!. Still managed to split (small tear side wall) a Hans Dampf the other day though.

Heard nothing but bad about Knobby Nics.

Heard good things about XR4?

Heard good things about WTB Breakouts


Hope this helps your quest!

In reply to ChrisJD:

I've the XR4 up front and like it, but ...

TBH I've nothing really to compare it to, having gone from a low volume tubed tyre on my old bike (no idea what it was) to a 2.35 tubeless XR4 there's too many things that have changed to say it's the tyre or otherwise. It (and the XR3 on the rear) does me fine for most things I throw myself down.

If anything in the system isn't up to scratch it's the lump of lard stuck between the handlebars and saddle!

In reply to Bob:


James at the Bike Garage in Bamford runs the XR somethings and has been impressed by them.

In reply to fire_munki:

Bob makes a good point. One of the biggest advances in mtb tyres in the last 10years is running tubeless. For this you might be lucky if you have a decent set of rims and get a ghetto tubless system up and running. Some people have had plenty of success with older wheels, others found it not to work for them. If you can do it though, the advantages of being able to run lower pressures is probably bigger than the difference in tyre treads and compounds available. (all modern tubeless tyres work perfectly well with a tube so its not essential)

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Decent rims?! They were once upon a time!

My rear is an mavic ceramic 321 which is somewhere around 15 years old and front is a mavic d521 of approx 10 years young! So ghetto tubeless is out of the question.

I thought about trying ghetto out back in the day but never tried, Stan's might be worth a play.

In reply to fire_munki:

The important bit is the lip of the rim...depends how many dings theyve had, but a stans kit with tape would be worth a go

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

Thought I would give an update on the Nobby Nics - I'm begining to regret the "Nobby one rides" as I'm getting punctures at least once a week and have had a side wall cut also - I don't do that many miles nor hard rides! Maybe I've just been unlucky, but their puncture resistance seem poor. I'll be looking to some of the other suggestions on this thread for my next tyres.

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

thats what most of the reviews say!

Ive just got some On-one smorgasboard tyres, and initial results are impressive, theyre made by maxxis but branded and priced differently, Ive got the dual compound xc on the front and the enduro on the rear. nice an wide and work as tubed or tubeless.

In reply to Pesda potato:


Should have read the reviews then and not listened to the bike shop guy! I'll check out the recommendation given, thanks.

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

Are they the 2015 Nobby Nics? Reviews I've read for those say that they're much improved on the reliability/durability stakes.

I'm currently running Bontrager XR4 Team Issue Front and XR3 Team Issue Rear, both in 2.35 flavour. No complaints and they seem great all-rounders. You could run XR4 F&R for more GRRRRRRR at the cost of a little rolling resistance.

In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:


They were bought last month but other than that I wouldn't know if a 2015 model or an older one.

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

The lugs look different - like here: http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/pressereader/the-new-nobby-nic-a-true-all-mounta...

Just interested as I was considering them as a next tyre.

In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:
Mine are as per photo in the link, so presumably the new version.

I do like them for grip, braking, rolling resistance, etc, for someone at my (lower) level of mt biking. It's just either I am having a run of bad luck with punctures or they do not offer that much puncture resistance. Often at this time of year punctures are more frequent due to hedge cuttings, etc, so I'll see if things improve over the summer.

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

Yeah, interested for an update because, as I said, most of the reviews of the new NNs were pretty positive as a great all-rounder.

Are you getting the punctures consistently both front and rear, and are you riding a hardtail or full bouncer?

In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:



Both front and rear, equal numbers so far, on full susp.

I've limited knowledge of bike tyres so took the bike shop's advice and the owner did say there were good all rounders, but he also suggested the Hans Dampf if I wanted a better tyre but with increased rolling resistance. He has been running on NNs a lot last year he said - there again he did say he changes his bikes a lot - the privilege of owning a bike shop! I'm going back to the shop in a couple of weeks anyway, so will mention the punctures to him and see his reactions!

Meantime, whilst repairing last night's slow puncture this morning, there was no obvious intrusion through the NN, nor was there with the one earlier this week, yet there were obvious cut type marks on the tubes. I am thinking today maybe the inner tubes could be the weakness or part of it. Both tubes were new last month along with the NNs and both are Schwalbe tubes. I've now put a new Continental tube on the rear since I've used C's on an older bike and rarely got punctures on that one; admittedly a different tyre, but worth trying to narrow down "cause" of the punctures.

Time will tell.

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

<unhelpful>Go tubeless!</unhelpful>

In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:


(Oops deleted my own post!)
Possibly and probably should, but that would mean new wheels, etc, and a whole lot of googling and new learning .

Off out now for a trial on my new tube! Fingers crossed.

In reply to fire_munki:

you can go tubeless or put some sealant in the inner tube, Joes Eco sealant seems to work ok and doesnt seem to set in the tube like stans sealant would.

In reply to Pesda potato:
I'll need to investigate going tubeless or adding sealant to the tube as a priority now - only got just over an hour's ride this afternoon before I got that all too familiar sinking feeling again! My new tube got punctured. The fact that the ride was on a typical cycle trail with little real roughness just makes me think it's time for something different - I've seen road bikes using the trail so hardly mtb territory!

No obvious cause stuck in the tyre, no evidence of any puncture mark through the tyre, no dirt or anything inside, so I'm baffled as to the cause. Coincidence or not all the punctures have been within 1 cm of the centre of the rolling section of the tyres.

Anyway, time to change something. I'll retract any suggestion that the op should try out Nobby Nics!

In reply to Climbing Pieman:
This might be a stupid question, but are you sure they aren't pinch punctures? Are you running very low pressure?

In reply to Monk:
Can you get a pinch puncture in the middle 1-2 cm section of the rolling surface? I thought it was when the tyre was hit down to the rim?

I am currently running them at 40 - 45 psi, though the bike shop said I should run at 30 psi. Got the first puncture first time out when at 30 so upped them after that. Personally I like them harder, and with my older bike I rarely got punctures running them harder (different type though).

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

I've managed to get a pinch near the middle before but that was from hitting a big rock quite hard! Sounds like that isn't your problem. Amazing to think Tyres can be that crap!

In reply to Climbing Pieman:

Another option is the old double bagging - slit an old inner tube and fit it over the new one

In reply to fire_munki:

Describing the tyre as a "Nobby Nic" is only a partial description because there are many variants see:

http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/offroad-reader/nobby-nic.html

The better tyres are the ones in the Evolution series and the Snakeskin option gives the best puncture resistance the Lite skin the least; these tyres also come with different rubber compounds (Trailstar/Pacestar/Gatestar). Evolution series are also likely to cost something like £40 to £50 a go. The Performance series will be cheaper but are a much simpler tyre, they will have Lite skin.

You can tell which tyre you have by looking at the sidewall and seeing what features the tyre has. This is printed on the tyre next to the Nobby Nic logo either in words of logos similar to those at the bottom of the page linked to above.

Mine are Evolution series, Gatestar triple compound, snakeskin, Tubeless and thus far seem no worse the my Hans Dampf up front.

In reply to fire_munki:
It has to be maxxis high roller 2 even better if you run it tubeless nothing comes close