29er Tire Combos/Recommendations

Latest setup for the Rigid SS 29er:
FRONT - Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4 EVO TLR (635g) @ 20 PSI tubeless on ZTR Arch
REAR - Aspen 2.1 (600g) @ 26 PSI tubeless on ZTR Arch

Worked like at charm during recent climb up the loose stuff near Sierra Peak without much issues.
I also have a Raven 2.2 (495g) @ 25 PSI as rears on rotation for smoother/packed trails.

Depending on your weight, bike setup, riding style, trail conditions, YMMV.

 

I used to run Racing Ralphs but they were sketch in hi speed decents on loose over hard pack. For the last two years I've been running Specialize front and back. Purgatory S-Works 2.2 (i think) in the front and Captain Control S-works (2.0) in the rear. Really like the balance and the grip going up and down. Run them tubeless. Like I said, been running for probably 2 years. Did get a puncture on twice (once front and once rear) on more narly trails, sharp rocks etc. But for fast cross country with loose over hard pack these tires feel great to me and they are releatively light.

 

Mountain bike action mag listed "ride specialized tires"as one of the top 100 things every mountain biker should do in their lifetime.

 

Had similar issue until I dropped the front pressure down to 20 PSI and it hasn't been a problem.
Much better than the WW LT 2.55 (fast rolling, but not so reassuring cornering grip up front) which it replaced.

 

Geared or SS with this combo? I am ready for a different SS setup...

 

I have a purg 2.2 front fast trak 2.0 rear on my SS. I would like a bit more grip. I think I'll go Captain rear next.

 

I have been running Racing Ralphs tubless front and rear (29x2.25) for 2 years. Getting about 1500 miles out of them. First have them on an Air 9, now on a Tallboy. Love them.

 

I've got Fastrak Lk's fr & rr, not too happy. The 2012 Fastrak seem good on my geared bike.

 

only one tire to consider right now for 29er front end love.

Hans Dampf.

 

Rating: 5 Tires=100%

Tries on Trek DS 8.4 hardtail:
Stock Tires(f/r)
Bontrager LT3 700x38-Good for mild trail use/fire roads:Rating:2 Tires


Bontrager 29-3(Front Specific) 29x2.25-Better volume than stock 700x38 tires. V-knobs are hard not very good grip on loose dirt-more so than better compound tires. Tends to slip when leaning on a high speed turn. Best used for mild runs both uphill and down hill, or want a long lasting tire that then can take anywhere and not care about a lot of traction. 2.5 tires


Bontrager 29-3(rear specific)29x2.0-A very good rolling tire due to small, low profile paddle type knobs. Does exactly what their are supposed to do..give traction for climbing. Great design for hard packed clay. Very little or no slippage climbing. The compound can be softer, but will wear out faster. Not recommended for rocky areas where you can pinch flat.Rating:3 Tires


Maxxis Crossmark 29er(29x2.1)-Very good a as rear tire. Not good for a front. Gave it everything on bot off-saddle and on Saddle climbing and never broke loose on the rear. Did not hear the treads while rolling on pavement. Seems to have good wear and a great compound to boot. Highly recommend for a good rear fast rolling tire with traction. Overall design with center knobs, slanted knobs, cylindrical knobs and split knobs make it a great rear tire.4.25 Tires


Kenda Slant 6 (29x2.2/ 29x2.0)-Slanted, low profile knobs make this tire a fast rolling tire. Up Front: Great for hard packed trails. Up front they give a very balanced, neutral feel in turns. They come alive when leaning on high speed turns and switchbacks due to the very round profile with sidewall knobs. Not too bad of loose conditions..still predictable. Very light tire. In Rear: Decent climbing tire. a little less stable on bumpy sections while braking. Very light and very low rolling resistance. Can not be heard while rolling on pavement. Great overall Spring to Fall tire for your more packed conditions. If the knobs were bigger, they would be great for Summer conditions as well. 4.25 Tires.


Conclusion:
In 8 months, these tires were tested about 2-3 months at a time. I have found the best combo from November-May would be the Kenda Slant 6 29x2.2 up front and the Maxxis Crossmarks 2.1 in the rear. The Slant 6's gave a very secure feeling while giving great grip up front. Not the understeer i experienced with the Bonty 29-3's. The harder i pushed them the better they gripped. This was true for the Crossmarks as well. Upfront, the neutral feel is great for a rider starting out learning their limits on how fast they can go. As a rider gets faster and more confidence, i would recommend a more aggressive tire like a Nevagal or a Purgatory up front.

 

Thanks for the write up! How would you define "summer conditions"? I just bought a S6 for up front as it sounds great (on sale @ Jenson right now), but I'm a little concerned about sand/loose over hard limitations.

 

I should have clarified more..sorry. To me, summer conditions are dry, dusty conditions where the dirt isn't as damp and packed. I am noticing more as the rainy season goes away, the trails are not as packed and have a layer of dust on them that make traction less desirable with the smaller knobs. I think for these conditions, a larger knob on the tire will take care of it as it would dig deeper into the dirt.

 

OK, got it, thanks! That's kind of what I picked up elsewhere, good to see it confirmed.

 

trying out a set of the sturdy's and I'm liking it so far. good cornering grip, rolls well (although heavy. they rate it at 790grams. it scaled 1025 on me...), and great traction for climbing and braking.

http://www.geax.com/en/products/?cat=3&prod=11

I used to run these on the rear of my old bullit, and thought that I would see how they work on the 29er. If it wears anything close to what it did on the 26, these should last a loooong time.

The TNT bead fits TIGHT around the rim. It was an absolute bear to get in on the rim, but once on, it was easy to seat tubeless with a floor pump.

 

The sturdy's look interesting, the weight is wrong, as every review of the tire shows the weight to hover around 1000g +-50g mark. Looks fun for lift-assisted riding, which is my thought when Mammoth season starts or shuttled riding.

Atm, I rocking three of their tires on 2 different bikes. A rigid Karate Monkey, Sagauro 2.2 fr/ Aka 2.2 rr, and my YelliScreamy that usually sports 2.2 Sagauro fr/rr but depending on the location or lack of knowledge of the trail. I will switch out the front and use the 2.3 Gato.

 

New setup for Main Divide:

Purgatory 'Control' 2.4 front
Captain S-Works 2.2 rear

Old setup:

Captain S-Works 2.2 front
Fastrak Control 1.95 rear

Moving the Captain to the rear seems pretty solid. Not sure about the Purgatory at 2.4 up front. The bike handles much better on descents now but, as to climbing steep, it seems a bit heavy up front. Only got five hours in Moro with this new setup. Traverse is Saturday and I'm still flipping about with tire selection.

Probably more to gain on descents with the 2.4 up front than dropping front down to a 2.2 to only gain a few seconds on steep sections?

 

My Conti X King - Race King 2.2 combo worked great for me during VQ this year. Had my fastest times down several descents and the light weight low rolling nature of the tire helped on all that climbing.

 

Just tested a Hans Damf up front. AMAZING! I already had good tires(Bontrager 29-4) all teh way around but i wanted a little more grip up front where i can lean even more. Neil suggested the Hans Damf and let me tell you, this tire ROCKS! It is a rounder carcas compared to the 29-4's and much, MUCH softer compound. You can actually squeeze the knobs and they compress. I think this tire will work perfect at BigBear this Sat! Im stoked!

 

Maxis Ardent

2.25 LUST version in rear (very tough tire) with great traction
2.4 EXO version ( no LUST in this size yet)
Both are run tubeless with Stan's. Easy to mount and can be seat with hand pump on my wheels.

They grip well and can take a beating. I am 240 lbs and can run 25 in front and 28-30 in rear with no problems on Haven carbons. I am hell on tires and this is the first combo that doesn't let me down every ride.

 

On-One Chunky Monkey 29x2.4, Trail Extreme (60/42 dual-compound rubber)

I found my Big Bear tire, just got a set and so far an impressed. They measure out of the box mounted on a Stans' Flow rim at 2.26 casing and 2.36 outer knobs at 30psi. Will come back and edit this post with their measurements after a good night of growth on the rim. They mounted pretty easily and so far roll really decently well on asphalt and the little bit dirt behind Cal-State San Bernardino. I will take these to Hulda friday and Bonelli for a little bit of XC/Trail riding and eventully BB the weekend after.

So far I'm impressed, you cant beat getting two Maxxis tires with Exo protection for $60 with shipping.