29er Tire Combos/Recommendations

Crossmarks were on a Carbon Tallboy I demoed once in Spring conditions, just after a rain, and were the most noticeably bad tires i have ever ridden on--to the point of being frustrating and ruining my ride. I usually don't notice tires that much unless they're really really bad or really really good (i.e. Hans Dampf on front).

 

Been riding with Purgatory front and Captain rear for a couple of years after switching from Kenda's. Today was my first ride on my new setup - Nobby Nic front and Rocket Ron rear. I have to say that I'm very pleased and more impressed than my last setup with Specialized. Handles the loose stuff really well, improved cornering, better rear grip when off the saddle on steep climbs and lighter in weight.

 

2.25 RR in the rear? I'm looking for a new rear tire since the Nobby Nic 2.25 I'm currently running is wearing out really fast compared to the Spec tire I used to use.

 

Quit skidding!

 

yeah, 2.25 RoRo in the rear, but it looks more like a 2.0 and is lighter than the NN. got it from the path for $46 bucks or so. good to see prices of schwalbes are coming down a bit. btw, stay clear from racing ralphs.

 

Why?

I found that once you get the pressure right, RaRa works well as a REAR tire for climbing traction, rolling resistance, and cornering. Unfortunately, the sidewalls are too thin on the version i have. Snakeskin wasn't available for 650b when i first got it. I wouldn't buy any Schwalbe tire without SS at this point. Not a RaRa specific problem.

 

I've been trying some less expensive tire combos, but I really can't find anything that really beats the overall performance of Maxxis Ikon 29x2.2 EXc EXO. Ran that on the SB95 and it was just easy mode. Ironically, I might actually be happier with some extra challenge in my ride, riding lesser tires.

There's 1 thing I'm spoiled by that I really can't accept in other tires, and that's their control under braking. If a tire starts getting extremely sketchy under braking, it's getting pulled off sooner or later.

 

that's the worst tire I have ever used, both front and rear. works ok in the rear in hard packed conditions, but has no traction on the loose stuff. don't even think about putting it on the front unless you like to wash-out during your rides. and for the money, it's probably the least bang for the buck. maybe if you're not going fast, then it might work out for you.

 

Well, like i said, with the right pressures it has worked well as a REAR tire. On the loose over hard it gets good grip for climbing and braking while being predictable for cornering. But, i don't go fast enough, correct. And would not use it for a front. But, the RoRo doesn't have enough knobs for me to try in the front either. I've even used the Ikon and i just have no confidence in its small knobs up front. Then again, i can wash out the knobbiest tire in the front with my crummy bike handling.

That said, i currently like the Vee Rubber Mission 2.4 for a front tire. Its heavy (between an Ardent and Hans Dampf). I think mine weighed 870gr which is well above the avertised 800gr +/- 30gr. But, so far its been really tough. Good volume. Rolls fast. Transition knobs aren't as vague as the Ardent's while the outside knobs dig in as well as the Ardent's side knobs. Good braking traction even with the low center knobs. Except for the weight, i would say it blows the Ardent away in every other aspect. Luckily, i notice the weight less on a front tire than i do in the rear.

 

I know what you mean, since I'm currently running 2.4 RaRa EVO SS on my HT right now. If the turn is loose/sandy, it has a tendency to wash out and cause a wipe out. Even on hardpack it has a nice slow/controlled drift to it, but I'm not sure if that's closely related to how poorly it does in the loose. I was following Shawndoh down San Juan Trail a few weeks ago and I just became super cautious after it caused me to wipeout twice in the "surprise" loose turns (which were relatively rare on that trail). I started to slow down a lot more before every turn. On a ride with Redwoods through SART, half the time I rolled through the loose, the front end of the bike just wanted to take a dive down the exposed side of the trail. There was even a time when I target fixated a root, and as soon as I got over the root, the tire just took me sharply down the side of trail (maybe it was actually my habit of not wanting to turn the wheel perpendicular to where momentum was taking me, once I knew I was on the loose dirt). My brakes weren't really slowing me down, so I just jumped off and held onto the handlebars with Redwoods looking at me curiously (the trail was straight and only slightly downsloping).

It's pretty fun, since it's fast and it makes even an XC ride a challenge to say the least. Not recommended for the injury prone.

 

Hmmmmmmmm.........

 

I agree on the Maxxis IKON EXO EXC, but they are pricy and wear fast. They are my go to endurance race tire, that said I am going to try out the Conti Race-king protections(Black- Chili) 29x2.2 on my new Tallboy build. A couple of the people I know say really great things about them for the riding conditions here. I can also get them for a whole lot less than the IKONs.

 

as a rear, the Captains has way better traction all around, costs less, and a 2.0 is almost as big as a 2.2 RaRa. i think specialized also give you a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. btw, nobby nics are on sale at jenson for $40 bucks.

 

As mentioned RaRa in the front is a big challenge... Just installed Rocket Ron 29x2.25 SS on the front and it is Wayyyy better as far as grips goes.
(BTW, SS holds better the tubeless selanat)
Weight and rolling resistance are pretty close to the RaRa.
If you are not concernes with weight and rolling resistance I highly recommend the Hans Dampf in the front. It has unbelievable traction, but the jump from My old RaRas to he HD was too much as far as weight and rolling resistance.
The RoRos are a great compromise.
No problem with RaRas at the rear...

Weight as measured on my scales:
RaRas Evo - 580 gr
RoRos Evo SS - 640 gr
HD Evo - 910 gr

 

Those $40 Nobby Nics work well, but they don't last...I think my last one lasted < 300 miles before I decided a racing slick wasn't what I wanted.

 

Is the $46 RoRo you got the Performance (non-tubeless) or Evolution model? The sidewall on the Performance RoRo is super soft compared to the Evolution model. I have heard stories of it coming off the rim.

 

It's the Performance line ($46 bucks). I'm running the Nobby Nic Evo on the front (the ones on sale at Jenson is the Performance). I'll definitely update if it comes off the rim.

 

Ther Performance Line is a good tire for the money.

Have been running a performance Racing Ralph 2.25 tubeless on a CB Iodine front wheel with zero issues.

Wife has been running Performance Nobby Nic 2.25 on a front and rear Crest without any problems.

 

Schwalbe Hans Dampf trail star in the front and Schwalbe Hans Dampf pace star on the rear. Can't go wrong. I was riding with purgatory control both front and rear and after switching to the Hans dampf, I was amazed of how much more traction, grip and handling I gained.

 

How is the Pacestar compound holding up in the rear tire? My Trailstar front is still working fine, but showing signs of getting chewed up (knobs showing what looks like tears as opposed to wearing down).