Levo Gen 2 29er tire size argh what to choose.....

[Tjmarsh]

So I’ve already put 300mi on my 2021 turbo levo and I’ve decided the stock tires are terrible, at least for my riding conditions. Here in Alaska there’s mixed wet/dry root mud trail with down hill loose rock over dry and I’ve frequented boulder gardens. While wet I’ve slipped off my bike on several occasions killing my confidence on a couple of rides. The front tire has acted like I put ky jelly on it while downhilling over wet roots.

So after trolling several tire threads which a lot are 27.5 specific, And I need 29, I believe I’ve decided on a set of maxxis favorite dhf/dhr2. Ill claim myself a tire noob and always ridden the stock tires on my prior bikes so input is appreciated.

I’m overthinking this like I do most things but the 2021 I ride came stock with 2.3 rear, 2.6 front 29er and I’m wondering should I stick with those sizes? Will 2.5 dhf2 fit in my rear okay? The clearance appears to already be pretty damn close at the current rear fit. Here’s what I’m considering.

I’m thinking I’ll get the (Rear) Dhr2 2.4/2.5 3c maxx terra exo+, (Front) 2.6 3c maxx terra Exo+.
Does this look good or should I do 2.5 front back? Stay with 2.6 front 2.3 rear? Or to make things more confusing should I go with totally diff ER tire Assegai Front, Aggressor rear?
Side question, how many of you are running cushcore. Thanks for the input, living in Alaska makes my options all shipping only with return being costly and timely.

 

[Pacific Ryder]

I have a 2020 TL Comp and have been trying lots of combos but have settled on the following. I live in Northern California and ride everything to rocky technical to soft and loose.

Here is my current set up:
Rear: Minion DHR II 29X2.6
Front: Assegai 29x2.6

The DHRII in 2.6 fits but just barely. It grabs everything and climbs really well. When cornering, it slides just enough until the edges dig in then your locked. You could definitely go 2.5 back there.

The Assegai is my new favorite. It is locked in from every angle and gives me a ton of confidence in hi speed cornering. The 2.6 in this tire is huge so like the rear you could easily go 2.5.

In hindsight, I would go 2.5 front and rear with this configuration.

Good luck.....there are a lot of great tires out there right now.

 

[Tjmarsh]

I have a 2020 TL Comp and have been trying lots of combos but have settled on the following. I live in Northern California and ride everything to rocky technical to soft and loose.

Here is my current set up:
Rear: Minion DHR II 29X2.6
Front: Assegai 29x2.6

The DHRII in 2.6 fits but just barely. It grabs everything and climbs really well. When cornering, it slides just enough until the edges dig in then your locked. You could definitely go 2.5 back there.

The Assegai is my new favorite. It is locked in from every angle and gives me a ton of confidence in hi speed cornering. The 2.6 in this tire is huge so like the rear you could easily go 2.5.

In hindsight, I would go 2.5 front and rear with this configuration.

Good luck.....there are a lot of great tires out there right now.

Hey thanks for the input pacific ryder, I’m feeling the 2.5 f/r too I think. Have you ridden the dhf before, you feel the assengai is more solid for your riding? Also what’s your opinion on the exo/exo+ And DD?

 

[Pacific Ryder]

Hey thanks for the input pacific ryder, I’m feeling the 2.5 f/r too I think. Have you ridden the dhf before, you feel the assengai is more solid for your riding? Also what’s your opinion on the exo/exo+ And DD?

I have the DHF on my Santa Cruz 5010 and its a great tire....it sets the bar....but the DHII is just a little better in my opinion and for my local conditions.

I put the Assegai in the rear to try as well and it is just too much grip! I love it up front but that is just my opinion and feel. This is a very subjective topic as everyone has different conditions and riding styles.

I am no specialist on Maxxis compounds and construction so perhaps someone else can help more but I ride the 3C/EXO+/TR because that seems to be what is available and I need the extra cut resistance that the EXO provides. I've had a couple of pinch flats but more from bombing super sharp rocky drops on low psi....no cush core.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mikerb]

reading the conditions you ride in I would say grip is you number one priority with decent protection as the next priority especially in the rear tyre given the hidden rock you can encounter. In terms of size unfortunately you cannot rely on the sizing given by each brand as being accurate but anything up to 2.6 regardless of brand is fine on the front. The European standard rear tyre is 2.6 ( Butcher Grid) but it leaves very little clearance. I prefer to run 2.4 front and back..both for different reasons. For the rear it gives more clearance and in mucky conditions that counts. For the front I find 2.6 too vague especially at lower pressures. It is more comfortable on a long adventure ride but on twisty and technical singletrack I feel it is too high volume to pick a line and stick to it.
DHR/DHF is a popular combo but I think it is better suited to dryer loose over hard pack conditions than I typically get here in the forests ( except for the very dry summer we are currently experiencing!) so I went for something more aggressive for the Autumn/Winter season....Michelin Wild Enduro. Probably the most acclaimed front tyre on the market for virtually all conditions is the Magic Mary, so something else to consider.

 

[escrs]

Here in the UK where i ride have similar conditions to you, there’s mixed wet/dry root mud trail with down hill loose rock over dry but no boulder gardens

Ive been running 2.5 DHF on the front and a 2.5 DHR2 on the rear for the last 3-4 years on a 17 Levo, 18 Kenevo and my 2020 Levo

Grip is good in all conditions apart from really boggy conditions, they are a great all round tyre unlike the Specialized tyres that came as standard (i remove them before even riding a new bike)

The only tyre that Ive found to be as good if not better than the DHF/DHR2 is the Maxxis Assegai, since January ive been testing a rear one in 2.5 with the dowhhill casing and maxx grip compound and have seriously been impressed, so much that now its almost worn out ive ordered another one for the rear plus one with the EXO+ casing for the front

 

[Dirk74]

Just a note from other reviews I found about the Maxxis Assegai. There seems to be a big difference about the grip in wet conditions, especially wet roots between the MaxxGrip and other componds. Assegai with MaxxGrip is as of today only available with DD or DH casing.

 

[Tjmarsh]

Well I ended up going with a DHF 2.5 exo+(front) DHR2 2.4 exo+(rear). I would’ve went 2.5 on the dhr but it appears they do not sel that in 29, Atleast not on their site or any of my lbs. either wait I mounted them and gave em a good 20ish mile test run at my local single track. Woah what a difference! I can’t believe how much more I can grip during turning, banking and braking while dropping on loose dirt/dust/root than the stock tires. There is absolutely no comparison in grip between stock and this set from my opinion. Down side, I could tell there was a negligible amount of extra rolling resistance during flats and climbs which I did expect. I also can agree that these tires overall life span on the tread will probably be much less than the stock. Still I feel I easily made the right decision. Now on to the next upgrade......handle bars ?

 

[Mikerb]

It's always a tradeoff....softer compound equals more grip but more wear.

 

[Tjmarsh]

It's always a tradeoff....softer compound equals more grip but more wear.

More wear on the pocket book! Their not giving these tires away. Now I just need to decide if I really want to mullet my bike and put a 27.5 on the rear. Also change the handle bars. Think I’d benefit from a larger rise for handling and maybe carbon for the comfort. Being 6’1” I think the stock may just be wrong. Unfortunately I have no idea which ones gonna make a difference. ?

 

[TheBikePilot]

Assegai is awesome but very heavy which is a lot of rolling weight.

You can run DHF on both front and rear. Width is a highly personal thing. Go thicker on the rear and thinner on the front IMHO. Not the other way round.

As you say, I wouldn't go MaxxGrip, they will be part worn after a few rides. MaxTerra is your best bet for longevity.

I am a huge fan of the Mullet set up. It's popping up on more and more bikes now.

I would only go Carbon Bars for weight, I find Aluminium better overall. Spank Vibrocore is a good choice if you want to reduce vibration through the bars and they do super big risers.

 

[Pacific Ryder]

Assegai is awesome but very heavy which is a lot of rolling weight.

You can run DHF on both front and rear. Width is a highly personal thing. Go thicker on the rear and thinner on the front IMHO. Not the other way round.

As you say, I wouldn't go MaxxGrip, they will be part worn after a few rides. MaxTerra is your best bet for longevity.

I am a huge fan of the Mullet set up. It's popping up on more and more bikes now.

I would only go Carbon Bars for weight, I find Aluminium better overall. Spank Vibrocore is a good choice if you want to reduce vibration through the bars and they do super big risers.

X2 on the Spank Vibrocore bars.

 

[Norcalsl]

You might look at the Maxxis Forekaster.

 

[etoni]

front 29x30mm" minion dhf wt2.5 max terra cushcore rear 27.5x35mm 2.6 dhr max terra cush core. with cushcore so much more fun. big mountain biking.

 

[Konanige]

Similar conditions here in the UK including boulder gardens, have settled on Eliminator rear in Black Diamond and Vee Tire Flow Snap on the front, have found this to be a way better front tyre than anything I have tried from Maxxis other than the old super tacky swamp thing which is no longer available.

 

[Swiss_Rider]

Hi All,
I d like your kind advice. very confused after reading all of this. I m a Swiss noob with a 2020 TL comp (1000 km) - My OEM tires are 29x2,6 both front (butcher grid) and rear (eliminator black diamond). I don't know why it's different from the specs reported by specialized where the TL comp should have 2,3 in the rear

I ride mostly on single trail or forest large trails, often in muddy conditions (due to previous rain) and find the rear not very grippy, especially when descending fast (for me) on large trails made of white compacted rocks (5-7 inch diameter).
I was thinking to put on: rear minion DHR II (dual) 29x2,6 ---- front magic mary apex soft snakeskin 29x2,6 (or minion DHF terra?)
thanks to those willing to help

 

[3dp]

Schwalbe Magic Mary’s - UK rider where we have very mixed terrain rocks/mud on steep climbs/descents to sandy/muddy combos on the trails to get to the good stuff - found the stock Levo OK in the wet until it gets a little extreme and useless in the dry. Have the Maxxis DHF/R combo’s on a couple of other bikes but will be swapping to Schwalbes as they wear.

 

[lumpy]

I've been really liking a WTB Vigilante 2.8" on the front of my 2019 Levo.

 

[Vilt]

I am very happy with the schwalbe eddy current E-MTB tires. They are rock solid, take a beating and do the job in about every condition i've thrown at them. (I've not been riding in snow or on glaciers, though)