29er Tire Combos/Recommendations

Specialized Captain 29x2.00.

Ran it for the CC tubeless. Awesome tire. Rolls good, and brakes pretty well for such a fast tire.

Tubeless setup is on a Stan's Arch at about 40PSI for the race. No issues.

Try it, right now I think it's a probably one of the better tires to use in the back.

I like the Captain in the rear!

 

I test road a friend's Ventana El Rey yesterday with a WTB WeirWolf LT 2.55x29 tire up front and 2.3 in the rear and it felt really good. The problem with the WTB WeirWolf is that it clogs up with mud. It's a great summer tire. I think the Panaracer Rampage is not a bad choice for winter and summer riding. For only $23.95 sale price, the Panaracer Rampage 2.35 is not a bad deal. Here is the link:

http://bike29.com/catalog/tires-tubes-panaracer-c-28_81.html?osCsid=adefe6120407d4375d634d1ed4c20cd4

 

I have enough miles on the Continental Mountain Kings 29 x 2.4" to form an opinion now. They are very cushy with tubes at about 32 psi and really grippy even up to 40 psi. They are not 2.4" though. Maybe 2.25" at best. They have tons of grip and soft tread. Rolling resistance is about average.

I really like the Mountain King as a front tire, but not so much as a rear tire.

At pressures below 35 psi, the Mountain Kings tend to throw gravel and twigs. The grip is great, but it is kind of weird to have pebbles fling into my chest from my front wheel. The tread is deep so it is not surprising that they can pick up gravel.

So yeah, I give them a thumbs up as a front tire and a thumbs down as a rear tire.

 

i am 160 and i was running a rampage (23 psi, rigid fork) up front and a 2.1 nano in the rear (33 psi). great combo.

i tried running a kenda karma and small block 8 in the rear but those tires seemed to break loose quite often, which i hate when riding single speed.

the nano in the rear is still on of my favs....good volume and traction and fast rolling.

that said, i just set up a conti mtn king 2.4 up front the other day....gonna ride that this weekend. the tire has a tall sidewall profile, but it ain't as wide and you'd think. it is light though, for such a high volume tire.

for xc racing...a front ignitor/rear sb 8 set up would rock!

 

My current setup on the 29er SS is WTB Exi front and Nano rear.

Tried the Capitan in the rear(eh..some how this doesn't sound right) and felt it is a bit slower than nano but good grip. But I'm switching to Nano for the rear wheel and Capitan for the front wheel.

The Capitan is only 2.0 in rating but definitely larger than the nano which suppose to be a 2.1.

Rampage got great grip and very good volume but on hard surface it's a pig.

Oh I'm 6ft and 200lbs dry weight.

 

My SS is currently Weirwolf LT front and Exi rear. This setup works really well and rolls quick for big, high volume tires. I also run Rampage front and rear which is just great. They will more than likely go back on soon just because of how much confidence they inspire. The wife has Rampage front and Ignitor rear. She does not like the Maxxis though. Just our .02

Cheers,
Andy

 

On my 26er, the Captain in the front (hee hee) seemed to push a little more than I would like when rolled over, so beware - It lets go w/o warning, as evidenced by the hole in my shin. :?:

 

Let's see, in my garage, I have the following 29er tires waiting for my bike to be finished:

1 x The Captain
1 x Resolution
1 x SB8
1 x Crossmark
2 x RR

I'll probably put the Resolution up front and Captain in the rear to start, since I'm most familiar with that combination.

Interestingly enough, other than the RR, the SB8 is the lightest tire of the group at 610g.

 

My current combo is:

Continental Mountain King 2.4" front at 34 psi up front. It's awesome, I see no need to look any further.

Kenda Small Block 8 2.1" as a rear tire. I have run it anywhere from 32 to 45 psi and it feels cushy and smooth at all pressures. So far I am very happy with this tire and I will stick with running is at about 40 psi since it grips nice and has less rolling resistance at 40 psi.

 

That's exactly my plan, Reso front, Capt rear. I wanted two of them, cuz once I go 29er, I'm gonna be so fast that I'll wear tires out like a madman.

 

tried out the reso up front and the captain in the rear and i'm really happy with it. there was one section where i had a little bit of slippage (climbing that rock exposed gully that S's up cholla) that's most likely due to my weight balance really. Other places i was able to power down and it would grab and go. Front end traction was really nice on the descent

 

Weirwolt LT front
Captain rear
cant say anything, bike is not built up yet.

 

Just moved to the area and have been on few rides so far. Started off with a Weirwolf LT up front and an exiwolf in the back. Weirwolf felt like it wanted to wash out on me in the loose soil that is out here. I switched to a Panaracer Rampage and really like it. Exit is ok in the back. It spins out from time to time on hill climbs but with better technique I can get it to hook up.

Edit it add: I do XC on a singlespeed.

 

WTB Prowler 29x2.1 (on front) - Better than the Jones DryXs. But less enamored with them now in the sand. Is not a high volume tire.

Specialized Fasttrack 29x2.1 - It's exactly that. Fast. But I can spin it out on my singlespeed much easier than the Spec. Captain. I'm gonna try reversing the tread and see if it still brakes okay.

I want to try some of those CST tires. Because they're going to be cheap ($13-14) and they have a high volume 2.3 width one coming. Will be perfect I hope for my commute to work to trail to home days on my Zion hardtail.

 

so i took a gamble, and bought a panaracer 2.35 rampage...

i had a nevegal up front... and it would tend to wash out and give me a lack of confidence in highspeed and offcamber corners...

the rampage is THE SHIT!!! sticks like glue, and rolls better than the nevegal (and a tad wider). It also offers a little more squish, which feels nice when you only have 80mm travel.

I will try the nevegal out in the back...

 

I can attest to the Rampage running well for Chewy yesterday. He was rockin' down Eagle yesterday at high speeds without any problems. Even the places where the rock got loose were no problem. I am tempted to get one but it's not the tires making me slow...

 

Agreed, I went down Los Pinos today and I would have been on my ass with my Weirwolf. The Rampage really hooks up.

 

I like my Nevegals so far. I might try out the Weirwolf 2.55 in front.

 

Tried out a RR 2.25 up front today (been running the Resolution up front and Captain rear for the first few rides on the Canzo). Rolls well, a VERY fast tire. Corners pretty well as long as you stay on top of it, but it is not even remotely close to as grippy as the Reso.

IMO, it's a race tire (lol, think I would have known that from the name). Really light and really fast.

Also, mounted tubeless, it burps a LOT over drops and jumps.

I think I'm going to pick up a Stout and give it a try. I'm also going to give the SB8 a try as a rear tire next time out...

 

Yesterday I had my first ride on the Maxxis Crossmark 29 x 2.1 as a rear tire mounted tubeless on Stan's Arches. So far so good. I was running around 34 psi trying to keep the pressure constant. The tire gripped well and rolled nicely. I think I will end up running it around 30 psi. It felt very cushy and the sidewall did not feel floppy like the Small Block 8.

I am also running the Continental Mountain King 29 x 2.4 tubeless as a front tire and it is going great.