Tire Suggestions?

[sethschmautz]

Hey guys,

I'm currently running a maxxis Ardent (2.25) front and an Ardent race (2.20) on the rear of my Santa Cruz Tallboy. The majority of my riding is hardpack, with some wet, and a little loose over hardpack. I need to replace these tires and would like to take advantage of some of the winter sales. These are my first Ardents, and I've liked them the vast majority of the time. On dry hardpack they roll and corner well. I'm considering sizing up a bit on this next purchase (2.3-2.4 in front, 2.25-2.35 rear), and am open to other, similar tires. I've been reading up a bit about the following tires. Would love to hear other experience and other suggestions if they warrant a look. I don't want to go backward on cornering grip. Currently looking at:

Front:
1. Ardent 2.4
2. Nobby Nic 2.35
3. Continental Trail King 2.4

Rear
1. Ardent race 2.35
2 Ardent 2.25 (old front tire, maybe trip center knobs)
3. Racing Ralph 2.25 or 2.35
4. Continental XKing 2.2

Ultimately, I love the idea of an all arounder - something that the Ardents seem to do pretty well until it gets wet or muddy. Might be the narrow Ardent Race in the back.

Thanks,

Seth

[radam]

I personally don't like Ardents because they get sketchy when it's wet, but if you like them in spite of that and just want a tiny bit more grip then yeah.. go 2.4 Ardent up front and either 2.4 Ardent or 2.25 Ardent (not race) in the rear. The Race uses a harder rubber compound so it won't be terribly hard to improve on the grip moving to something different.

If you want a setup that prioritizes grip, my combo of choice is a Bontrager XR4 front and rear, although on a 29er I've been able to get away with an XR3 on the rear, with the extra contact patch making up for the less aggressive tread.

[sethschmautz]

Thanks Radam. I'll take a look at the XR series!

[toast2266]

If you want grip, the Ardent and Nobby Nic aren't great options. I find they tend to release somewhat unpredictably in corners. The Trail King is better for grip, but Continental's casing sucks and is super prone to tearing.

If you really want good grip in the front, look at a Maxxis DHF or DHRII. If you want something a little lighter / faster rolling, look at a WTB Vigilante for the front and maybe a Trail Boss in the rear.

[Pegleg]

I just went to a 2.3 Specialized Purgatory Control in the front and 2.3 Ground Control in the back on my 29er. So far I'm digging them, significantly better cornering grip than my previous Nobby Nic/Maxxis Crossmark combo with what feels like similar rolling resistance.

[smmokan]

If you really want good grip in the front, look at a Maxxis DHF or DHRII. If you want something a little lighter / faster rolling, look at a WTB Vigilante for the front and maybe a Trail Boss in the rear.

I agree... the Maxxis DHR2 is a great front tire- not too beefy, but still has plenty of grip and is fairly fast rolling. I prefer either an Ardent 2.4" or Ikon 2.35" in the rear for CO riding, they both seem to be popular choices.

[sethschmautz]

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll do a little research. If anybody has any great sources for good deals on any of these tires listed, please send them my way.

Seth

[plugboots]

Second the Bontrager Team XR series. I like the Team cuz they're lighter.

[Eluder]

Tall Boy or Tall Boy LT? Personally I can't stand Ardents as the just break loose at speed cornering and never hook back up. The Specialized Ground Control is a good tire for that all-around category. If the your on a standard TB look there if your on a LT listen to Toast.

[sethschmautz]

Standard TB. Ground control both front and rear?

[Eluder]

Standard TB. Ground control both front and rear?

Ive never run them front and back at the same time. But it worked well as a front on my xc hardtail and is better than a ardent for the rear on a trail bike and fast rolling. I would do a Butcher up front it but maybe thats overkill for you.

[toast2266]

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll do a little research. If anybody has any great sources for good deals on any of these tires listed, please send them my way.

Seth

You're in the Flathead, right? If so, shoot me a PM. I've probably got something lying around the garage you could grab.

[Pegleg]

Ive never run them front and back at the same time. But it worked well as a front on my xc hardtail and is better than a ardent for the rear on a trail bike and fast rolling. I would do a Butcher up front it but maybe thats overkill for you.

If the Butcher is overkill on the front then you could try Purgatory. Basically, Butcher = more aggressive Purgatory and Slaughter = more aggressive Ground Control. Purgatory + GC is a good set, or Butcher + Slaughter would be a more aggressively cornering (but also not as fast rolling) version of the same.

Nice thing about the Specialized tires is that they retail for $55, so you can get them cheap.

[Edgnar]

I've got the ardent 2.4 up front on my 29er. Coming from the stock purgatory, its a huge improvement. That fucking purgatory always seemed to cut loose unpredictably in loose dirt and gravel. With that said, I don't have a whole lot of tire knowledge. The 2.4 does feel really heavy and not terribly fast rolling. I think I've got a ground control on the back at 2.1 which I like so far. It cuts loose in corners, but its predicable and I don't mind a little drift in the rear tire.

[2clue]

WTB 2.5 Convict up front and 2.4 Trail Boss in the back. Mind as well go all the way with large tires.

[gravitylover]

27.5? Consider Terrene. They're working on becoming a name you'll recognize with good product at a reasonable price.

[sethschmautz]

27.5? Consider Terrene. They're working on becoming a name you'll recognize with good product at a reasonable price.

TB is a 29er. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

Take that back. Looks like they make a 29er tire also. I'll take a look!

[bagtagley]

Is it just me or is there a pretty big difference between Maxxis 2.3 and 2.4 offerings, beyond .1" of width? 2.4 tread seems beefier and the casing is much more stout. I hammered a set of 2.4 HRs to death with few issues, but I've been pinch flatting the hell out of my 2.3 DHRs.

[SJG]

Nobby Nic is a bad move IMO, they weep sealant like crazy, and wear way too fast.

Continentals are good, but you MUST make sure you only get Black Chili (made in Germany) for Conti.

Trail King is a good choice for the front, as is the Mountain King.

The X-king wears too fast for me, was only good for 500mi in Utah riding. It's also poor on kitty litter loose over hard, it breaks loose far too easily for me. Would be find if you liked the Thunder Burt style of rear tire (I don't).

What about DHF and DHR? Maybe that's too burly for what you are doing?

Hope this helps.

Front:
1. Ardent 2.4
2. Nobby Nic 2.35
3. Continental Trail King 2.4

Rear
1. Ardent race 2.35
2 Ardent 2.25 (old front tire, maybe trip center knobs)
3. Racing Ralph 2.25 or 2.35
4. Continental XKing 2.2

Ultimately, I love the idea of an all arounder - something that the Ardents seem to do pretty well until it gets wet or muddy. Might be the narrow Ardent Race in the back.

Thanks,

Seth

[sethschmautz]

What about DHF and DHR? Maybe that's too burly for what you are doing?

I've heard/read good things about this combo, but I end up at that same question. I've not ridden the tires, so all I'm judging by their specs and others' experience. My gut says they're more tire than I need, but I'm open to other suggestions.

Seth

[SJG]

for 3 years I ran light/fast tires, but simply had too many failures (pinch flats) from thin sidewalls. Even with Nobby Nics. The only Schwalbe that didn't pinch flat for me was the Magic Mary, but that thing is super slow and heavy.

Last Summer I ran the X-king rear and front, but switched to a Mountain King front around July. I switched to a MK rear also in September. It is a little slower rolling, but has to last 3x as long as the X-king. I can also run a lower pressure without pinching. I have yet to pinch flat the MK, but pinched the X-king 3x in a year. But I ride what I'd consider to be burlier terrain than that tire is really designed for, so I can't blame the tire. Tire would have probably been fine with a Huck Norris liner, but the remaining problem is the treadwear, AND because of the short knobs it would break loose on any hard braking, which we have a lot of here due to the steep descents.

I am not skilled enough to take advantage of a "loose rear tire" like that, so I prefer traction. The MK F&R did that for me, though it is a little slower pedaling.

[sethschmautz]

Anyone running the minion SS on the rear?