gotta get some new tires. imagine i know very little. it’s for a hardtail 29er. for XTERRA, these courses typically just have a lot of steep grindy hills i think. this off my vast experience, having done a total of 1 XTERRA race so far.
what say you? who’s got the best deal right now, inside the U.S., and on what tire?
I’m also riding a 29er hard tail and have been training and racing for the past 3 years on the Specialized Fast Trak. I’ve opted to use the Control version for the thicker side wall.
I’ve raced these on several Xterra courses as well as several endurance MTB races. They’ve performed well in all conditions and I’ve never had a single flat in 3 years.
tires for mtn biking are like wax for xc sking, totally condition dependant. Terrain? Tubes or tubeless? Dry, wet? Loose, hardpack? etc. Also, how many beers will you crush afterwards? this is very important in mountain biking. my personal recommendation is whatever is on sale , both for beers and tires.
Maxxis continue to offer great products at great prices…
Continental and Schwalbe also make great tyres, but IME are always at a premium price.
Kenda and Specialized treads also good and generally at a mid price point
Making many assumptions about terrain and conditions (I’m going to assume relatively dry…mixed trail conditions, i not hard ac, not massive loose over hard)
Ardent race Front
IKON Rear
Getting the EXO casing on the rear can be a shrewd move as the trailing wheel takes a straighter line and can get side wall rubs off rocks etc more so than the steered / lifted front…
Tubeless is advised, both will run tubeless (with stans kit, or similar…), just check what rims you have and their suitability to run tubeless…
Pressure wise, around the 30psi would be race firm… mid to high 20’s more typical…26-28psi…
Maxxis Ikon with EVO. Ran them at Leadville 5 times no problems. Roll Great, go tubeless and run 25 -30 depending on your weight. Buy local !
http://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-278-121-ikon
I use Schwable Racing Ralph’s, they are not the best at anything but pretty damn good at everything.
For xterra type courses in drier conditions the Schwalbe rocket Ron has been serving me well.
i just bought some continental continental mountain king II 29, i believe in its 2.2" width (there’s also a 2.4"). it was on sale at competitive cyclist. it’s just under $50 for 2 tires, shipping, etc., all in.
i have no idea whether this was a good deal or whether this is a good tire for the general, all-around use i’ll be giving it.
I own a Specialized Epic and I’ve always used Specialized tires. The combo that I currently use is The Captain 29x2.2 on the front and Fast Trak 29x2.0 on the rear. With the captain on the front I feel like I get better handling going into corners fast. I’m very confident with this setup.
That’s a pretty beefy tire.
Currently I’m using a Conti X King 2.2 front and S Works Renegade 1.8 rear.
For a no holds barred dry condition fast as possible setup I’d go S Works Fast Trak front 2.2 and the S Works Renegade 1.8 rear.
But it really depends.
the racing ralph is a decent all arounder. The small block 8 are also pretty good at most things except real slick rooty muddy stuff. I run them tubeless. Lately I have been using a real wide 2.4 Ardent (I think) on the front for slippery days when there is a lot of mud on the tree roots, it’s a pretty heavy tire but it keeps me off the floor. The Kenda Nevagal is a good muddy day tire, but a pretty slow roller. The specialized captain is another decent do-all sort of tire. I liked the suppleness of the conti race kings but got flats on them.
I agree:
Racing Ralph is a great all arounder. Need more front traction? go to the nobby nic
Small block 8 is a great budget tire, fast rolling and round tire for predictable grip. Never used them in wet so I don’t know about that.
The Nevagal is a slow tire, again I’m not a mud guy. I didn’t care for the captains, they seemed unpredictable in front, perhaps it was my setup.
I liked the race kings too, they seemed much like the SB8 but setup tubeless and shedded wet dirt better. I used small ones, I think they were 2.0 and they were really small compared to other 2 inch tires I’ve seen.
i have a pile of the specialized fast trac and really dislike them, they seem to let loose on the side all of a sudden, bat maybe it’s me
.
It’s not you…
More shoulder on the front… Rear ok cos it can make it easier to steer the tail around when loose…
Schwalbes…Nobby Nic up front, Racing Ralph in the back. Fatest I could find and fit, tubeless. David K
I’ve heard that complaint about that tire. Mine seemed to have taller knobs on the edges than others I’ve seen
I kind of liked the Fast Trac when I used it in 2008(?) but then I didn’t know how to ride a mountain bike as well back then as I do now.
It’s not you…
More shoulder on the front… Rear ok cos it can make it easier to steer the tail around when loose…
I’ve never had any problems with it as a front tire. I do alright.
It’s not you…
More shoulder on the front… Rear ok cos it can make it easier to steer the tail around when loose…
I’ve never had any problems with it as a front tire. I do alright.
If your trails are mostly dry hardpack, then they probably work just fine for you.
I was just using an loaner Ardent 2.25 up F, and in mud or loose dirt, it blew. I wrecked twice on 2 consecutive days when it let go unexpectedly on me.
(I’ve heard and read that the 2.40 is MUCH better in F, and I believe it.)
Then used it on dry, well packed trails, and it worked quite well.
Horses for courses.
I’m a big fan of the Nobby Nic, run the F and R for general trail riding.
Have the updated Nic up F now in 2.35 - they beefed up the knobs on it, they don’t flex or break nearly as much as the old style.
Were I racing Xterra, I’d probably go w/ Ikon R, and either Racing Ralph or Ardent Race up F.
But in general, I always prefer to err on the side of having a little too much tire, than not enough.
Also recommend the reinforced sidewalls, mandatory in R, still a good idea in F.
I run low tire pressures for trail riding (~20 psi), and the stiffer sidewalls prevent the tires from buckling or burping.
And most importantly - getting sidewall cuts and flatting.
so, i got some continental mountain king, 2.4, F & R, rode the first ride yesterday.
impressions: i was coming off a maxxis OEM tire, 2.2, very unaggressive, and the difference in confidence was striking. up and down.
but… slow. now, i also put in new tubes, pre-slimed tubes from slime. my god those are heavy.
back to the tires. either i’m slow or they’re slow, based just on time climbing. i love the knobbies off to the side. but i kind of wish i had something closer to a continuous bead down the middle.
I have ridden a lot of MTB tires and I always find myself back on the SB8. Even when wet/rooty it is predictable and I have had very little “wash out.” but you need to know your bike. Now that they make a SCT compliant version I am back on them, I had bubbling issues with the other version. I too, liked the Racing Ralphs but the knobs tend not to hold up.