Advice on Tire Choices

[Quadzilla]

OK, I should study the postings on the tire thread but....Lazy. Anyway, I have a Hightower gen 2 with Ibis 29x35 wheel set. Currently I am running 2.5 DHF front and 2.5 Aggressor rear. Front tire in good shape rear is 60% gone. Bike is CC XX1 build so light. My first set of tires on this bike were 2.35 Nobby Nics and overall I loved those tires especially climbing but they fell apart(sidewalls) in 1/2 a season. My current tires are durable and starting third season. But, I think I want to drop back to a smaller tire for uphill gain and don't want to try Nobby's again. So, considering 2.4 Recons for reasonable weight and durability. I ride trail with lots of up and some rocks. Does this make sense? or better options. I am experienced but not savy on the newest.

[XXX-er]

Just get a smaller aggressor ? My Yeti came with the 2.30 Aggressor which moved around alot in the soft but it ran pretty fast

[toast2266]

You're a bit limited by those rims. Like XXX-er said, the obvious answer is to just go to a narrower tire. But a 2.3 Aggressor on a 35mm rim is pushing it a bit. It's do-able, but that tire is going to be very squared off.

[Quadzilla]

Looking at dumping both front and rear. I could just dump the Aggressor and replace it with another new one in 2.5 or maybe a 2.5 DHR. The bike works well with those but not the climbing machine like it was with the 2.35 Nobbys, like maybe 1-2 cog difference climbing steeply.

[skaredshtles]

Sounds like what you want is a NN with a beefier casing? I haven't checked... but perhaps they make such a thing?

[sethschmautz]

I concur with the idea of leaving the DHF up front.

You could consider either the Minion SS or rock razor for semi sick options. They should roll faster (maybe not climb better though) and still have knobs for cornering.

I have run an SS in the past and liked it although there was a definite angle where the knobs would engage. Up until that point it was pretty loose.

I have a new rock razor that I purchased last year that I haven't put on yet that might fit your bill. I was originally planning on trying the rock razor but I'm not sure that will ever happen at this point. If you want it, let me know and I'll get you a price. I'm also not sure of size so I'll check that tonight also.

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[adrenalated]

Sounds like what you want is a NN with a beefier casing? I haven't checked... but perhaps they make such a thing?

They make a few different casings for the Nobby Nic.

FWIW a few bikes I've demo'd had Rekons on them and I hated that tire. Just no grip at all. Why not try a 2.3 Aggressor? 2.5 is a lot of tire for the rear.

[El Chupacabra]

OK, I should study the postings on the tire thread but....Lazy. Anyway, I have a Hightower gen 2 with Ibis 29x35 wheel set. Currently I am running 2.5 DHF front and 2.5 Aggressor rear. Front tire in good shape rear is 60% gone.

You live in Washoe Valley, don't you?

I've never destroyed a tire so fast as a Nobby Nic - pretty much put me off Schwalbe mtb tires permanently. Riding at Peavine tore off a bunch of knobs really fast.

[Tailwind]

I have run Rekon's and didn't really like them...

On the rear, the Ikon offers more grip (yep) and seems to roll better. You honestly might try an Ikon... underrated rear tire. For a brief minute they made one in DD as the EWS riders would use them on some dry courses.

Then for the front, I would try something different just for kicks. For 'lighter' and 'faster' than a DHF the Dissector is actually pretty darn solid up front.

So here is what I would do:

If you watch to make a noticeable difference climbing and maintain a bit more grip than the Schwalbe:
Dissector Front - Ikon Rear

If you want to make things a little faster but not knock the boat:
Dissector Front - Ikon Rear

Interested in something new?
Dissector Front and Rear

Point being, check out the Dissector. I used to run DHR's front for fast rolling bikes (Santa Cruz did this too) but the Dissector is noticeably better than the DHR up front.

[D(C)]

Minion SS

The Minion SS has a very square profile, particularly in the 2.3 versions. I can't see it working well on a 35 mm rim, as the side knobs will be dragging all the time. Other semi-slicks may be worth considering.

A 2.5 DHF has a pretty round profile and works nicely on wide rims. That could be a good choice for up front. I haven't tried the Dissector up front personally but I have heard mixed reviews. The DHR II is generally ~100 g lighter than a DHF of the same size but rolls a bit slower, so it's hard to say what's better.

In back, if you're going for efficiency, the 2.35 Ikon is worth a look. That thing is quite round and high-volume for a 2.35 and I bet it would work well on a wide rim. The main drawback is the 120 tpi casing, which is lighter and thinner than 60 tpi EXO tires. But the tread pattern is surprisingly capable. I really wish they made a 60 tpi 2.35.

I have no firsthand experience with the Rekon but it looks like an interesting option.

[sf]

Conti Trail King II? Comes in 29x2,4.

Not that much lighter, but probably a bit less resistance?

No personal experience, but have a season on a Baron/Kaiser-combo. Good rubber, and solid sidewall

[Quadzilla]

Thanks all, the NN's I had were the 2017/18 generation and I had prior generations on my Trance, they all had sidewall durability issues. My wife has a pair of 2020 NN's on 40mm rims and they are holding up quite well. Those tires if I remember correctly had some big upgrades and options. So, kinda leaning in that direction since I know they work on my rims. I have a friend who rides 2.35 Magic Mary's front and 2.35 NN rear and loves that setup. My other pedal bike is a HT plus with 2.8 Rekons on 50mm rims, plenty of grip on this bike, high end bike that was a dream of mine that was a big waste of $$. The Rekons actually are pretty tough. going to do something. Called my LBS and he said tires are hard to get right now...........

[XtrPickels]

I have run Rekon's and didn't really like them...

On the rear, the Ikon offers more grip (yep) and seems to roll better. You honestly might try an Ikon... underrated rear tire. For a brief minute they made one in DD as the EWS riders would use them on some dry courses.

Then for the front, I would try something different just for kicks. For 'lighter' and 'faster' than a DHF the Dissector is actually pretty darn solid up front.

So here is what I would do:

If you watch to make a noticeable difference climbing and maintain a bit more grip than the Schwalbe:
Dissector Front - Ikon Rear

If you want to make things a little faster but not knock the boat:
Dissector Front - Ikon Rear

Interested in something new?
Dissector Front and Rear

Point being, check out the Dissector. I used to run DHR's front for fast rolling bikes (Santa Cruz did this too) but the Dissector is noticeably better than the DHR up front.

Granted we're both in Colorado, but I'm on this train as well.

Dissector has been the best All-around front that I've found when you're trying to balance speed, weight, and grip.
Pair it with a rear tire that suits your level of mulletude and you're good to go.

[adrenalated]

Helpful stuff on Dissectors, thanks.

Has anyone run Dissector front/Aggressor rear? Thinking about tires for my new 140/125mm bike. I run Assguy/DHR II on my 170/160mm bike but want something much faster rolling on the small bike. Was originally thinking DHF/Aggressor but y'all are making the Dissector sound appealing.

This would be for dry/dusty conditions 99% of the time.

[Andeh]

My buddy runs a DHR front, Dissector rear on his "downcountry" bike and likes it (dust & hardpack is pretty much our conditions year round). We both run the usual Assegai / DHR on our long travel bikes.

[VTskibum]

I have run Rekon's and didn't really like them...

On the rear, the Ikon offers more grip (yep) and seems to roll better. You honestly might try an Ikon... underrated rear tire. For a brief minute they made one in DD as the EWS riders would use them on some dry courses.

Interesting have run plenty of Ikons and Ardent races over the years, currently have a 27.5x2.8 Rekon on front of my HT which has been good this winter. Pretty surprised by this assessment that the Rekon grips (edit to replace rolls w/ grips) better than Ikon, though never done the direct comparison. Will say I agree that Ikon has more grip than many would expect. I also will throw a mention in for an Ardent Race for similar purpose with a little bit better side-knobs IME.

[Tailwind]

IPretty surprised by this assessment that the Rekon rolls better than Ikon, though never done the direct comparison.

I may not have stated this clearly... I think the Ikon rolls faster than the Rekon and on the rear at least has more grip (on most soil). I will say that I've run the 27.5x2.8 Rekon and liked that more. Some tires seem to have sweet spots.

The 29x2.4 was the size I found less than impressive.

Granted we're both in Colorado, but I'm on this train as well.

The only place I have not liked the Dissector was in Moab... mainly because it wears super quickly in those conditions but yeah it seems to do great on most if not all Colorado soil.

[Quadzilla]

OK, a bit of misinformation on my part, I was just out prepping my bike for a afternoon ride and was taking a closer look at my wheels. The model is a Ibis 935 but the sticker says 29mm width, wife also has a Ibis wheel set and it is a 942 but sticker says 35mm width. Looks like I have more flexibility on dropping a size. Bottomline for me, looking to improve climbing with my legs on my bike, it will handle any DH, I ride with it. Thanks

[jamal]

Benefit to the rekon is you can get it in exo+ while the 2.35 ikon is much flimsier. I have trashed more tires with that 120tpi exo casing than anything else.

exo dissector front, exo+ rekon rear, both 2.4 is a combo i've been considering. The dhf/aggressor is just a little too heavy and slow for my liking. I'll probably try the vittoria syerras next though.

[XtrPickels]

If you don't want to go Dissector, Specialized Eliminator is very similar. Running a 2.3 Grid Casing as my "downcountry" tire on the Epic Evo when I want a lil something something more than my fast rolling weight weenie tires.

[Quadzilla]

Well, after a fair amount of thought and advise here I got a pair of Rekon 2.4's to replace DHF/Aggresor 2.5's. The project got delayed as my rear Scram brakes were going south and after trying a bunch of fixes, I just replace the whole unit from top to bottom. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a single set of rear so I bought a complete FR/Back assembly. Project getting $$.......

So, got new tires on and went on easily and not too tight. Yesterday was first test, not a good day as wind was 20-50 but wife was game and we decide for a short kinda techy lap with some sand, rocks and several short steep uphill features. Tires worked great seemed quicker turning and rolling resistance as compared was noticeably less. Anyway, for me and what I ride which is mainly blue level trails, improvement. I guess looking at the tread, not sure on long term wear ability so we'll see. thanks for the advise, it was helpful.....