Maxxis Ardent 2.4

[Dee Hubbs]

So my Mrs. Hubbs' bike is very well maintained. My previous life I was a service manager in a bike shop, I'm up to date on new product and regularly updated her parts. Carbon cockpit, XTR drivetrain, fresh chainrings and chains at 40% wear, you could eat off her drive train and you'll never hear a creak or a ghost shift from her bike.
She rides a 27.5 FS 140mm and 140mm trail bike. We ride in Colorado where its dry and smooth. She enjoys climbing as a means to a good downhill, but she is not all that aggressive on the down.
My dilemma is that she needs a new front tire. She is currently running a 2.0 Ardent Race in the rear, and a 2.3 High Roller 2 in the front. I'm all out of 2.3 High Rollers in my stash and I'm not really wanting to give her a used DHF or used 2.4 Higher Roller take off from my bike.
I do have a brand new 2.4 Ardent, 775 gram, Dual Compound, EXO, TR. I would never dare run an Ardent on my bike, but am I an asshole if I put this tire on her bike?
Is there as much hate here for the Ardent as in other bike forums? The issue I have with the Ardent is the side knobs arn't supported and fold over to easy, and at high speed it provided zero confidence when you lean into a turn.
With me describing her as not being that aggressive on the down, am I talking myself into the idea of putting the Ardent on the bike, or should I sell that tire and buck up and buy (I'm out of hook ups right now) a new Highe Roller 2 for her? I know my riding buddies would snicker at me if they saw this tire on her bike.
Any Ardent love here?



775 gram, Dual Compound, EXO, TR.

[Conundrum]

I ride Ardents, 2.4 Exo front and rear on a Spartan. Call me crazy... we have really sandy and decomposed rock stuff here. Seem to do fine. I used to be faster than I am now. Maybe that's why I don't mind them.

[greasyslope]

I have run Ardents in the past. While they have their shortcomings, I say give it a shot.
Based on your description of your riding zone and your wife’s proclivities, she might actually really like it. What do you have to lose? If she doesn’t like it, then buy her a new tire.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I feel like in some ways tire selection becomes less important with less weight of person and maybe higher end wheel/bike. It's probably fine. I don't see how it wouldn't at least brake as well or better than a High Roller.

[ACH]

How long has she run the High Roller up front?
Would you say that she is used to it and will feel the difference?
To me the Ardent has a really round profile, shoulder knobs are pretty small.
For where and how I ride, I would feel the difference immediately.

For anyone interested, I have a new in package 27.5 x 2.4" Ardent EXO/TR - $30 you pay shipping.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Just get a DHF. Or even a DHR.

[Dee Hubbs]

I feel like in some ways tire selection becomes less important with less weight of person and maybe higher end wheel/bike. It's probably fine. I don't see how it wouldn't at least brake as well or better than a High Roller.

I appreciate you assume the Mrs is light weight, because she actually is. The rim are fairly narrow compared to todays popular push for wider rims, which leads to ACH's point of the Ardent being a round profile.

How long has she run the High Roller up front?
Would you say that she is used to it and will feel the difference?
To me the Ardent has a really round profile, shoulder knobs are pretty small.
For where and how I ride, I would feel the difference immediately.

She has gone through 3 or so HR II on this bike, so ya she is use to them and would feel the difference, although she probably couldn't describe the difference she is feeling.
The round profile scares me as her lighter rims are 23mm internal width. This is why I have previously been going with the 2.3 HR II. (which I also sometimes use as a rear).

[Jonny Snow]

I'm running a 2.4 Ardent TR (non-exo) in the front of my hardtail, with a 2.35 Ikon Exo/TR in the back. Seems to do pretty well, fast and fun to ride, but very loose compared to a DHF or DHR2 in a Maxxterra compound. The casing is VERY large, so I don't see how it would be a good match to the 2.0 in the rear.

Best deals consistently for tires right now are finding the cheapest on ebay, then waiting for a 15% or 20% coupon.

[Jonny Snow]

Best deals consistently for tires right now are finding the cheapest on ebay, then waiting for a 15% or 20% coupon.

Speak of the devil - ebay coupon code PRIMO119 gives $25 off any $119+ order, which should cover two or three tires, etc. Expires 11pm PST today.

Amazon is also having a 10% off maxxis prime day coupon on some tires.

[smmokan]

Buy a new DHF or DHR for her front wheel, and use the Ardent on the back. I've never personally run one up front in Colorado, but that's mostly because all of my riding friends hated theirs so much I didn't dare.

Is $40-50 really worth the chance? You could also check out the new 2.6" Hans Dampf for the front (which is really closer to a 2.4").

[caulfield]

Is $40-50 really worth the chance?

This is my stance too. Front tire arguably has the most safety impact of any component, $50 is cheap to avoid a sad game of what-if, should things go sideways. I broke my collarbone running an Aggressor that I knew should have gone on the back, and even though I'm pretty sure the crash would have happened regardless, it's not a fun thought process. Anyway, 2.4 is too wide for old normal rim width, so yea, don't run it

[AugustWest]

I almost lost my life due to Ardents. I'm not kidding. 4-5 rides, and the side knobs were 100% gone. Vanished, nowhere to be seen. Well, perhaps the little fragments could be found if one had the technology and desire, but perhaps I'm digressing into something totally weird and irrelevant to the point, so let me get back on track.

Yup, Ardents almost killed me. Yes, I should have looked over my bike and noticed the vanished side knobs, but I did not. Instead, I went down on a benign trail on a benign corner, and smashed my face into a boulder. The surgeon at the ER said "had the brunt of the impact been less than 1mm closer to your sinus cavity, you would have died right then and there". Then strict orders to refrain from blowing my nose in any way for 2 weeks, or I could have perished from shooting my sinus cavity out the nose.

1.5 years ago, and completely recovered. I'm completely, 100% normal, nothing out of the ordinary to see here. Yes, I insist that there's been no lasting effects. I'm possibly the most incredibly stable, normal person anywhere.

Moral of the story? Don't use Ardents ever, for any reason. Sure, they'll probably hold up fine if riding on non-rocky trails and rarely if ever leaning the bike over on solid rock, but why chance it. They just might kill you. If they do kill you, you won't be able to talk about how they killed you in this thread, which would totally suck.

[funkendrenchman]

Just broke my leg because my Ardent lost traction on a semi loose corner on a green trail. 2.6 DHF on order even though I know it will roll slower.

[sethschmautz]

My ardent ate my homework.



My current bike came with a 2.3 Ardent on the front and a 2.25 ardent race on the back. Changing to a DHF on the front and a Minion SS/Aggressor on the rear was one of the best things I did for it. I haven't ridden one for about 1.5 years, but I don't have any desire to go back.

Seth

Sent from my Pixel 2 using TGR Forums mobile app

[Schemeboat]

get spendy. whats a game worn DHF run now? $40 cad?

[bagtagley]

I ran the 2.4 Ardent up front for a little while. Just never felt like I could push it as hard as other, more aggressive Maxxis tires. I suck at describing tires, but I was never comfortable really laying the bike over and digging into a corner. The tire likes to push. It gave some warning that it was losing traction, but it was always sooner than I’m used to. Replaced it with a DHF and instantly wondered why I waited as long as I did. The Ardent isn’t bad as a rear. That sort of loose, drifty feeling is kinda fun in the back.

[zion zig zag]

Just as a side note, I never loved the High Roller on the front. It never felt all that confidence inspiring to me. DHF for the win.

[Jonny Snow]

I appreciate you assume the Mrs is light weight, because she actually is. The rim are fairly narrow compared to todays popular push for wider rims, which leads to ACH's point of the Ardent being a round profile.

She has gone through 3 or so HR II on this bike, so ya she is use to them and would feel the difference, although she probably couldn't describe the difference she is feeling.
The round profile scares me as her lighter rims are 23mm internal width. This is why I have previously been going with the 2.3 HR II. (which I also sometimes use as a rear).

For an all around combo with high grip and good rolling resistance, I always recommend a 2.3 DHR2 3C MaxxTerra/EXO/TR in the front, 2.3 Minion SS EXO/TR rear. Works good on narrower rims and is reasonably light for what it is.