What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

[Dirtnvert]

Looking at getting the e-wilds in a 2.6 seeing as there on offer atm. My only concern is my rims aren't tubeless, and I'm not looking to change yet, but can I still run these with tubes?

I know the pros and cons about tubeless v tubes

Yes go split tube/ghetto tubeless as mr brownstone suggested. Thats tye best tubeless system. Youll need to run them with tubes for a couple weeks to stretch the bead on the tires a bit though. Theyre a tight bead to get on rims but theu seal up well. Night and day exercise if you stretch them a bit. Ghetto tubeless super seals them and illiminates burping air

 

[Dirtnvert]

New Vee tire has the flow snap in a 2.6 width now and a heavier casing comes in just over 1200g i think. Minionesque type tread. Might be a good one to try on the eeb. CRC just got some michelin dh treads in but just 27.5. No 29 yet. Dh34 looks $$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Trickz]

Hi Team!

I thought I'd share my endorsement for the Maxxis Aggressor as a rear tire.

After I killed my DHF in the rear, I wanted something a little faster rolling and better wearing yet durable and able to take the hits. I landed on a 2.5 wide Double Down casing with a dual compound.

I've been it running for a month and riding it daily and it still looks new. It rolls much faster than the DHF, DHR and Assegai (yeah duh) but isn't miles behind in terms of grip either. The side knobs are not that different from the DH tires and grip is very predictable on loose corners. Even on roots the tire holds well, I put this down to the tight spacing of the knobs and the overall amount of rubber that contacts your riding surface. I haven't ridden wet/mud yet but I'm guessing this is probably where the Aggressors weakness will start to surface.

Summary: Fast with adequate grip on a range of surfaces. A perfect choice for enduro racing!

Agree buddy the aggressor is definitely the dark horse of the maxxis family,I like a rounded profile on a tyre especially on the back,I’ve also found in 2.5 format to be ok in wet conditions,I haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure it would be a good front tyre ?

 

[Loamranger]

Just ordered a DHF front in EXO and a Recon rear in EXO+ - hoping that combo will roll a little better than my MM soft and RR pacestar rear combo but still have some bite. Prefer the look of the forecaster but concerned I'll smash up the EXO casing in the rear. Coming into summer too and recon seems more appropriate for the conditions. Mostly used Schwalbe and Michelin so will be interested to try Maxxis again. Previously tried ardent which I hated, High Roller which was a bit meh but then the the Assegai which came on the bike were the most grippy and forgiving tyres I've ever ridden, just ridiculously draggy.

Ref Assegai, not my experience about draggy, the opposite in fact. CC in the front helps. 2.6 EXO+ I’m talking about with sub 20psi front.

 

[Randy]

Ref Assegai, not my experience about draggy, the opposite in fact. CC in the front helps. 2.6 EXO+ I’m talking about with sub 20psi front.

maybe a compound thing. My trip to work on boost with the assegai took 1/2 the battery. Same trip on mm/rr combo took one bar. Peddling on eco with the assagai was sole destroying - proper trudge. Epic grip though!

 

[Apples]

I’m thinking about tan walls with street type grip for the Summer and the Covid Miles I’ve been doing
Not much rocky stuff , just lots of Wiltshire trail riding .
ive been happy with the butchers tbh but the rear is getting very low now but therefore runs fantastic in the dry hard conditions , I’ve got another butcher as standard as back up but might like to play with something park like over summer

so what to run instead of Butch 29-2.6 ? Levo Carbon Comp 2019 ?

 

[Randy]

First run out with the new DHF/Rekon combo today. Bike felt great, rolls well, range good, loads of consistent grip, no complaints.

 

[p3eps]

Fitted my Michelin Wild Enduro tyres during the week, and took the bike out yesterday and today.
I have both the Front and Rear 29 x 2.4 with the Gum-X compound.

So far, I’m really impressed. Yesterday morning was dry, and the trails were still pretty dry from the last few weeks. The tyres were really good in the hard packed dusty trails. Not much difference over the DHF and DHRII that I’d been running previously, other than I notice the front tyre flicking stones up at my shins!!

It rained a lot yesterday afternoon, and was raining this morning whilst I was out. More a drizzle - so the trails were wet, but not soaking.
This is where the Wild’s really shone above the DHR / DHFII, as the grip they offered was sublime. Wet roots and rocks, and pine needles all over the place, and they filled me with confidence.

Looking forward to getting them onto some more aggressive trails after the lockdown is over, but so far I’m really impressed.

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

First run out with the new DHF/Rekon combo today. Bike felt great, rolls well, range good, loads of consistent grip, no complaints.

Curious... what made you pick the Rekon?

 

[Randy]

Curious... what made you pick the Rekon?

it comes in 2.6 with exo+ casing and relatively fast rolling without being completely sketchy. Don’t know maxxis we’ll but I’m assuming (maybe wrongly) that exo is similar to schwalbe snakeskin and I know I smash those up pretty quickly.

 

[urastus]

it comes in 2.6 with exo+ casing and relatively fast rolling without being completely sketchy. Don’t know maxxis we’ll but I’m assuming (maybe wrongly) that exo is similar to schwalbe snakeskin and I know I smash those up pretty quickly.

exo+ should be pretty tough. I use exo and ride in steep rocky country all the time - never had a problem except for one pinch flat due to low pressure I'm not a hard rider though.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Maybe I’ve just had bad luck with maxxis but with my experience with the brand I’m surprised they are so popular,I’ve had many wobbly carcasses from new on bikes or what I’ve bought and not just a little wobble..a buckled wheel wobble,I’ve warped them on the trail split two and they were double downs..TBH I don’t think I’ve ever actually worn one out yet?my assegai dd on the front of my meta and a dd aggressor I’ve got on the back of the hardtail are the only ones doing ok

You know what... I just experienced that! A bad wobble on a brand new Maxxis High Roller II, although the other one was dead straight and true (I bought two online as lockdown specials to support struggling businesses). What they didn't say was, faulty purchases during Covid lockdown can't be returned until lockdown is over. They can sell and send out, but retailer can't accept them back (here anyway). Had I known this, I would've waited for retail to reopen.

Drove me mad looking at the wobble so I swapped it over to the rear where I can't see it. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it's still there. Really strange that Maxxis would have this problem, as the production moulds should be perfectly identical.

 

[Eddy Current]

Guys, I asked before but no replies ... wich are the absolute best braking traction tires that you can run both front and rear? Or the ones you have tried ... thanks!

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

Guys, I asked before but no replies ... wich are the absolute best braking traction tires that you can run both front and rear? Or the ones you have tried ... thanks!

I have only ever run Maxxis but I'd be surprised if there is grippier tyre than the Assegai in the MaxxGrip variant. It's soo grippy that it kinda makes riding boring

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Guys, I asked before but no replies ... wich are the absolute best braking traction tires that you can run both front and rear? Or the ones you have tried ... thanks!

You might need to specify on what terrain... and if wet or dry...

 

[Eddy Current]

You might need to specify on what terrain... and if wet or dry...

Thats right. Well here in Spain is dry, loose over hard mainly

 

[Dirtnvert]

Michelin wild rockr2 but if its mostly dh id bet on the dh34

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Thats right. Well here in Spain is dry, loose over hard mainly

These are just my personal observations... may or may not be useful for you specifically.

Continental 'Mountain Kings' - hard compound, long-wearing, thread pattern knobs are well spaced and sheds mud really well. It's excellent and predictable in mushy damp slippery clay, and it stops really well on pavement and dry hard pack soil with or without dusty loose layer on top. This is the cheaper tyre... which is my BEST all-around favourite (for my skill level, riding style, and areas where I ride). It loses traction quickly over loose pebbles during sudden braking, but then again most tyres do. I've been meaning to try their better 'Trail King Protection Apex' with black chilli compound which should excel in the same conditions according to their website.

Maxxis Minion DHF / EXO Protection - this came stock on the front of my new Trance e+Pro, can't remember seeing what compound it was (medium hardness from what I remember). Excellent braking on dry hard pack and on pavement but the rolling resistance was too much for my liking. Draggy, like the brakes were left on. Numerous closely spaced knobs logged up easily with mud. It also had this nasty tendency to pick-up stones and flick them ahead which inevitably hits me on the face... it had to go.

Maxxis High Roller II, 3C Maxx Terra / EXO Protection - rubber compound feels soft and tacky (leaves a mark on my workshop floor. Seems to excel over dry loose pebble/gravel, loamy pine forest beds, and hard pack soil - will still lose traction under sudden braking but not as quickly as the Mountain Kings. Rolling resistance is quite low considering tall knobs and is surprisingly quiet and speedy over pavement. During a sudden stop over pavement (had to avoid a car), it skidded whereas the Contis would not have. Haven't ridden these in mud yet, so I have no idea if the softer compound will translate into better or worse traction in the wet. The early 26" High Rollers I've had in the past, shed mud really well too.

 

[urastus]

Guys, I asked before but no replies ... wich are the absolute best braking traction tires that you can run both front and rear? Or the ones you have tried ... thanks!

As per the flying dutchman stated above. Another option for the rear would be the maxxis DHRII in maxgrip - I think this would be on a par with assegai. I run the DHRII through the winter here.

 

[Axelnose]

Lol.

Like I said... “ridden even remotely hard”. I don’t mean going out on a 80km xc ride

 

[Eddy Current]

These are just my personal observations... may or may not be useful for you specifically.

Continental 'Mountain Kings' - hard compound, long-wearing, thread pattern knobs are well spaced and sheds mud really well. It's excellent and predictable in mushy damp slippery clay, and it stops really well on pavement and dry hard pack soil with or without dusty loose layer on top. This is the cheaper tyre... which is my BEST all-around favourite (for my skill level, riding style, and areas where I ride). It loses traction quickly over loose pebbles during sudden braking, but then again most tyres do. I've been meaning to try their better 'Trail King Protection Apex' with black chilli compound which should excel in the same conditions according to their website.

Maxxis Minion DHF / EXO Protection - this came stock on the front of my new Trance e+Pro, can't remember seeing what compound it was (medium hardness from what I remember). Excellent braking on dry hard pack and on pavement but the rolling resistance was too much for my liking. Draggy, like the brakes were left on. Numerous closely spaced knobs logged up easily with mud. It also had this nasty tendency to pick-up stones and flick them ahead which inevitably hits me on the face... it had to go.

Maxxis High Roller II, 3C Maxx Terra / EXO Protection - rubber compound feels soft and tacky (leaves a mark on my workshop floor. Seems to excel over dry loose pebble/gravel, loamy pine forest beds, and hard pack soil - will still lose traction under sudden braking but not as quickly as the Mountain Kings. Rolling resistance is quite low considering tall knobs and is surprisingly quiet and speedy over pavement. During a sudden stop over pavement (had to avoid a car), it skidded whereas the Contis would not have. Haven't ridden these in mud yet, so I have no idea if the softer compound will translate into better or worse traction in the wet. The early 26" High Rollers I've had in the past, shed mud really well too.

The DhF? I thought it was the DHR the best braking tire of the celeb combo

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

The DhF? I thought it was the DHR the best braking tire of the celeb combo

It’s what came with the bike. I’ve never tried a DHR to compare.

 

[MrBrownstone]

It’s what came with the bike. I’ve never tried a DHR to compare.

DHR=s-l-o-w and very meh when I tried it. Love the DHF tho.

 

[Dirtnvert]

Dhr definitely has the better braking between a dhf and dhr. I think the dhf is much better suited to the dry dusty rocky terrain though, especially in the corners. Dhf corners well when it can penetrate and grab purchase. Minion type tire is probably best for spainish conditions. Thats why i suggested the michelin rockr2. Doesnt roll as fast as the minion but it has better braking and better rubber and sidewalls. Its a 2.35 but thats like a maxxis 2.45. Another tire , i havent tried, but im looking at is the vee tire snap flow and that looks like itd be a good fit. It comes in 2.35 and 2.6. I think they size a little wider than listed as well. The onza citius 2.4 would excel at braking and dry dusty rocky, especially the braking bit. Theyre made by chang shin(same co that makes maxxis, bonti, spesh). The onza en fr casing is the equivalent of a maxxis dd casing

 

[Eddy Current]

What about the Onza Ibex? The thread looks similar to the DHR ... I’ve read good things of these tires

 

[Dirtnvert]

I havent tried an ibex. If i covered the label on the citius it was a maxxis somewhere between a dhf and a high roller but it felt like a maxxis in the rubber and sidewall. Id bet , if the ibex looks like a dhr, its very close

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Hey guys, much difference between the DHF & DHR 2.5 & 2.6? 2.5s are on sale at moment & want to get rid of the horrible standard 2.6 bontragers. Is there any discernable difference?

 

[MrBrownstone]

Hey guys, much difference between the DHF & DHR 2.5 & 2.6? 2.5s are on sale at moment & want to get rid of the horrible standard 2.6 bontragers. Is there any discernable difference?

Volume. 2.6 a few mm wider taller.

 

[JonasH]

I also much prefer a lower pressure ~12-15 psi for me is perfect.

Hi, then i guess you do run inserts? What kind?

 

[ottoshape]

I've tried a bazillion different tire combinations on my Fezzari Wirepeak Pro. Just started running the Maxxis Recon+ 29x2.50w front and 27.5x2.8w rear. Set at 17-18psi front, 21-25psi rear. This combo is much faster tire than Schwalbe Magic Mary's 29x2.6w front, and 27.5x2.8w rear. Set at 17psi front and 21psi rear.

The MM have great grip on mud, deep soft sand and loose hardpack. The Recon+ has good grip too but it's not linear as you corner, unlike the MM's. You have to get leaned over far enough to engage the large side lugs. The most interesting thing I've noticed is a drop in battery consumption over the same course. Not sure how much lighter the Recon's are but they do roll easier and give me a bit longer range.