Front DH Tyres Accurately Timed: Kryptotal vs Assegai vs Magic Mary vs Vigilante vs Plus+

[RoJo]

Hey all
I did a whole heap of tyre testing last year at Bike Park Wales. The aim was to accurately measure which were quickest, based on multiple timed laps. I had always intended to make this video in case anyone finds it interesting or helpful, but only just got round to making it. Hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think, and whether any of this lines up with your experience. I was extremely surprised by the results...


The tyres on test were:

• Continental Kryptotal 29x2.4 DH/Supersoft
• Maxxis Assegai 29x2.5 DH/MaxxGrip
• Schwalbe Magic Mary 29x2.4 DH/Ultra Soft
• Schwalbe Magic Mary 29x2.4 SuperTrail/Soft
• Schwalbe Magic Mary 27.5x2.8 SuperTrail/Soft/Plus+
• WTB Vigilante 29x2.6 Tough/HighGrip
• WTB Vigilante 29x2.5 Tough/HighGrip
• WTB Vigilante 29x.2.8 Light/FastRolling/Plus+

Rear control tyre: Maxxis Minion DHR2 27.5x2.4 DH/MaxxGrip

 

[RoJo]

Tldr spoiler:
I did A-B-A testing on each day aiming to get in 5 quality laps before swapping tyre, then 5 laps, swapping back again and another 5 laps.

Timing was done by picking the exact GoPro frame where I crossed a specific feature on the trail, e.g. tree, rock, post etc so that I could get accurate timing to 1/60th sec and construct a perfect lap taking the best from each sector.

The results often surprised me and I think "feel" can be misleading. The Assegai for example felt epic, but in the data it is slower in every sector.

 

[Weeksy]

So you're telling us, the fastest tyre at DH is a tyre no pro team uses?

 

[RoJo]

So you're telling us, the fastest tyre at DH is a tyre no pro team uses?

It is an uncomfortable conclusion, but yes, for me this was the quickest tyre in the data by some margin. I love riding DH but I'm no WC pro. That said I think I probably represent a typical rider much more than Dunne!

Also worth remembering that a lot of the pro teams get paid ~£100k to run a specific tyre, so what you see on TV may not necessarily be the best.

 

[Weeksy]

Yes, no, maybe, sorta... I deffo agree with some of that above... It's a very interesting test though for sure.

 

[RoJo]

Yes, no, maybe, sorta... I deffo agree with some of that above... It's a very interesting test though for sure.

I know what you mean. It just feels wrong, and I'm as surprised as you.
I did my best to quantify it, and accept the limitations, but I reckon I've done a more thorough job than most reviewers by trying to measure it.
What it really taught me is that feelings are deceptive.
Andrew from Nsmb is also a fan:

NSMB.com - Wet Weather & The 29x2.8" WTB Vigilante Plus Tire

Riding aggressive plus-sized rubber on the gnarliest all-weather trails the North Shore can offer...

nsmb.com

By the way I have no brand affinity here. This wasn't even a tyre I planned to test as explained in the vid.

 

[Weeksy]

What it really taught me is that feelings are deceptive.

Can't argue with that, last time there i was out in the morning on a Trek Fuel and thought i was going OK on Vicious Valley, in the afternoon on a Trek Session i was nearly 10s quicker.... I didn't feel it.

Really made me want my own DH... which i then bought... but had to sell without riding it... (long story).

 

[RoJo]

Can't argue with that, last time there i was out in the morning on a Trek Fuel and thought i was going OK on Vicious Valley, in the afternoon on a Trek Session i was nearly 10s quicker.... I didn't feel it.

Really made me want my own DH... which i then bought... but had to sell without riding it... (long story).

Damn, you must be gutted about the DH bike. They are special machines!

 

[Weeksy]

Nah I'm good mate, I've got this here.


Well, when the boy isn't on it

 

[RoJo]

Nah I'm good mate, I've got this here.


Well, when the boy isn't on it

Sick! Shame about the tyres

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Interesting test and results!

What’s the exact WTB tyre? Seen there’s a couple of the tough / high grip options.

Did you get faster overall by learning the track (sorry am away and haven’t watched the entire vid yet!)

 

[RoJo]

Cheer Rob, let me know your feedback if you get chance to watch. The audio is pants because I need to buy a mic plus I ran the audio at 1.2x because I was worried that nobody wants to hear about tyre analysis for so long



This is the winning tyre if anyone is curious:

WTB Vigilante Tough High Grip Tritec E25 Tubeless 29´´ x 2.6 MTB tyre, Black | Bikeinn

29x2.6 Tough/High Grip



Doing 100 laps I got pretty good at knowing the track, which gained me a lot of time. It's quite cool that this came as an accident/side effects of really concentrating to put in fair consistent laps. I think if my objective had been to get quicker by doing loads of laps I might have got frustrated or tried to push too hard and make mistakes. Would be a cool test, to see if focusing on something other than outright speed results in more progress.



The tests are super hard as you have to be absolutely on it all day, and e pedal up since I don't think you could get that many runs on uplift with time to change wheels, fix broken derailleurs etc.



I did the testing really for myself as I was just curious to know what are the fastest tyres based on data. Of course when you fit any new tyre it feels great because you're comparing it to an old one, so it's interesting to do back to back and look at times rather than feelings.



I wanted to share it in case anyone else finds it interesting. Perhaps I'll do some more shootouts if it proves to be popular. Schwalbe Radial Albert is on my radar.

 

[steve_sordy]

I thought that the WTB Vigilante would do well, but not that well. I have Assegai 29x2.5 Maxx Grip with DH casing on the front and a WTB Trail Boss 27.5 x 2.6 TCS Tough, Fast DH casing The TCS stands for Triple Compound + Slash guard. I opted for the WTB instead of the Maxxis Aggressor 27.5 x 2.5 DD Dual (compound) because the Aggressor kept spinning out on steep loose climbs.

I found a tyre comparison (see Note* below) of 27 tyres rating them for climbing, descending, braking, and a whole load of other stuff. The Maxxis Aggressor was rated as the best rear tyre and the WTB Trail Boss as the second despite them getting the same overall point score. But the data revealed that the Trail Boss had lost it on ease of installation by 2 points vs the Aggressor. In other words, once the tyre is on, the WTB Trail Boss was better in use than the Maxxis Aggressor. That was enough for me and I sold the Aggressor and fitted the Trail Boss. No more spinning out! When that tyre wore out, I bought another.

At the front, I am on my second Assegai and it really is a good tyre, but I couldn't help thinking that the WTB Vigilante might be worth a punt. However, the Assegai is hard to beat and I wondered whether I really should flash the cash on the Vigilante next time. Following your video, I will give it a try.

Note* Tyre comparison link

The 9 Best Mountain Bike Tires

Are you looking for the best new tires for your mountain bike? We researched almost every tire on the market before purchasing 24 models for side-by-side...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

The review has a lot of information in it and rewards careful reading. Just keep paging down.

It is called "the 9 best mountain bike tyres", but that is 27 different tyres judged in a variety of categories. The link I saved was based on results in 2021, but the survey was updated on 16th Oct'24 to include some new tyres and opens at the updated review. The results of Aggressor vs Trail Boss still stand at 79 points each. The Vigilante is in there and it stands up well vs the Assegai scoring 81 points vs 79 for the Assegai.

PS: I have no idea how they get the overall scores; they are neither the sum of the individual category scores, nor their average.

 

[Suns_PSD]

This was a fun test OP. I think it's important to clarify your trail conditions as I suspect Wales is much more wet than Texas!

Also, you should test the MM Radial next.

Thanks for the data!

 

[RoJo]

This was a fun test OP. I think it's important to clarify your trail conditions as I suspect Wales is much more wet than Texas!

Also, you should test the MM Radial next.

Thanks for the data!

BPW has a really good all weather surface, it needs it due to all the weekend traffic, so never riding the kind of slop that would require a mud tyre.
Day 1: Damp out of woods, a few puddles/wet roots in woods, but pretty good.
Day 2: Similar to Day 1.
Day 3: Heavy rain overnight, then periodic light rain during day.
Day 4: Similar to Day 3, without the heavy rain night before, but with damp and drizzle all day.
Day 5: Similar to Day 3&4, heavy rain night before, damp and drizzle all day. Day 6: Best weather. No rain, roots dry, track moist: no puddles, but no dust either.

Summary: Day 6 best weather, Day 1, 2 damp and similar, Day 3, 4, 5 wet and similar.

 

[Who’s There]

I thought that the WTB Vigilante would do well, but not that well. I have Assegai 29x2.5 Maxx Grip with DH casing on the front and a WTB Trail Boss 27.5 x 2.6 TCS Tough, Fast DH casing The TCS stands for Triple Compound + Slash guard. I opted for the WTB instead of the Maxxis Aggressor 27.5 x 2.5 DD Dual (compound) because the Aggressor kept spinning out on steep loose climbs.

I found a tyre comparison (see Note* below) of 27 tyres rating them for climbing, descending, braking, and a whole load of other stuff. The Maxxis Aggressor was rated as the best rear tyre and the WTB Trail Boss as the second despite them getting the same overall point score. But the data revealed that the Trail Boss had lost it on ease of installation by 2 points vs the Aggressor. In other words, once the tyre is on, the WTB Trail Boss was better in use than the Maxxis Aggressor. That was enough for me and I sold the Aggressor and fitted the Trail Boss. No more spinning out! When that tyre wore out, I bought another.

At the front, I am on my second Assegai and it really is a good tyre, but I couldn't help thinking that the WTB Vigilante might be worth a punt. However, the Assegai is hard to beat and I wondered whether I really should flash the cash on the Vigilante next time. Following your video, I will give it a try.

Note* Tyre comparison link

The 9 Best Mountain Bike Tires

Are you looking for the best new tires for your mountain bike? We researched almost every tire on the market before purchasing 24 models for side-by-side...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

The review has a lot of information in it and rewards careful reading. Just keep paging down.

It is called "the 9 best mountain bike tyres", but that is 27 different tyres judged in a variety of categories. The link I saved was based on results in 2021, but the survey was updated on 16th Oct'24 to include some new tyres and opens at the updated review. The results of Aggressor vs Trail Boss still stand at 79 points each. The Vigilante is in there and it stands up well vs the Assegai scoring 81 points vs 79 for the Assegai.

PS: I have no idea how they get the overall scores; they are neither the sum of the individual category scores, nor their average.

Trail Boss didn’t have enough braking traction for me, entrance to Bermed bowl corners greeted with sliding rear regularly, swapped to Butcher Grid Gravity T9 and experienced much greater control, kinda a shame because I have a winning spec Vigilante waiting to pair up with that Trail Boss. Building up a 2nd wheelset over the winter and I’ll order a Vigilante Tough High Grip for the rear then compare them to the F&R Butchers back to back.

Looks like we need RoJo to test rear tires next year….or F&R matched combos, I know I cringe at mismatching

Thanks a gazillion for doing this test RoJo, subscribed to your channel

 

[Weeksy]

BPW has a really good all weather surface, it needs it due to all the weekend traffic, so never riding the kind of slop that would require a mud tyre.
Day 1: Damp out of woods, a few puddles/wet roots in woods, but pretty good.
Day 2: Similar to Day 1.
Day 3: Heavy rain overnight, then periodic light rain during day.
Day 4: Similar to Day 3, without the heavy rain night before, but with damp and drizzle all day.
Day 5: Similar to Day 3&4, heavy rain night before, damp and drizzle all day. Day 6: Best weather. No rain, roots dry, track moist: no puddles, but no dust either.

Summary: Day 6 best weather, Day 1, 2 damp and similar, Day 3, 4, 5 wet and similar.

I was there last time it was dusty, in 2011

 

[Rando_12345]

Interesting test and results!

What’s the exact WTB tyre? Seen there’s a couple of the tough / high grip options.

Did you get faster overall by learning the track (sorry am away and haven’t watched the entire vid yet!)

Rob, give us the new levo deets as emojis, spesh won't check this thread don't worry

 

[mustclime]

No change of rims for tire width? Anyone that runs 2.6-2.8 tires on 30mm iw rims is clueless. I run 27.5 x 2.8’s on 37mm iw rims and they are great. They sucked on the stock Kenevo wheels( 29iw rims). Rim width matters.