Commencal Meta 55- Excavator 2.35 DTC 1ply up front/ WTB wolverine 2.2 folding comp 27tpi rear. both with tubes.
I have been riding and racing these tires around California all year.:thumbsup:
Pretty happy with these tires/bikes in Santa Cruz mtn redwood duff and late-summer hardpack:
Mojo HD (AM bike) - Hans Dampf front, Bronson rear
On-One Lurcher (XC hardtail) - Racing Ralph 2.4 front (they don't make them in 2.4 anymore ), Maxxis Ikon rear.
Rear 27.5 wolverine 2.2 / Ardent Tire 27.5x2.25 front . I like to climb on hardpack with
loose sprinkled in on top . I ride on a paved bike path about 2.5 miles then up steep dirt hills and then go fast down the fire road and some cow trails - straightaways leading into off camber turns . The Ardent sticks like glue and is great on front and is ok for the climb because the front end want to come up when I climb. The Ardent corners great and I can lean the bike with confidence and hold my line on turns .I had a Ardent on the rear but it stuck so good I was a gear or 2 slower so I switched to the wolverine 2.2 and it works great on the hardpack uphills.
This setup works great for me but the weather is changing and now .
I need to find some tires that will shed mud so I can keep climbing and long as I can this winter. My plan now is for Ardent front and rear . I also got a new SCHWALBE RACING RALPH 27.5 X 2.25 ready to try out its 585 grams .
Trek Fuel EX8 and just put on WTB Wolverine 26x2.2 front and rear. Kind of an impulse buy last Friday at Performance Bike as they were on sale for $25 each. Have one good ride on them in rocky (granite) terrain and they were awesome.
I see that lots of folks, including myself, use a lighter/faster rolling tire on the back and more chunky up front for typical norcal trail/AM riding. So, if I were you, I'd save the 2.2's for the rear, and just replace the front with the 2.4. The rear tire sliding out is no biggie, but it's painful to drag a heavy, chunky rear tire uphill. I had a Hans Dampf 2.35 as a rear tire once. Never again. But a Hans Dampf or another similar chunky tire in the front works great - the front tire is where you want all the traction. Perhaps it's nicer to use two chunky tires when it's muddy, but this type of setup works for me for most of the year.
I don't know foresthill, but if it's sandy conditions, the more balooney and lower the psi the better. Tubeless 2.4's would probably be good on both wheels.
I am no tire expert, but recently put the mountain king 2.4 tires on one of my xc bikes. I have always been a fan of conti tires (car and bike), and like these a lot so far...in fact, I bought them for my other bike as well.
If the x-king will work decently out back I'll just buy a new front and replace the rears as needed and won't have to buy a new one of those for a long time.
FM056 with Conti X-Kings 2.4's or Maxxis Ikons 2.25
Typically ride Auburn, and Annadel
I do a lot of XC racing and don't change my bike setup between rides and races.
Considering getting Mountain King II's 2.4's for my front and keeping X-king 2.4 on the rears. I love running ~20 psi and floating over everything.
I notice on some Spesh tires the recommended psi range starts at 35, even on tubeless! I too like to run them around 20-25, especially the front tire, so that's a no-go for me.
SC Tallboy - Maxxis Ardent 2.2 in the front and Maxxis Crossmark 2.2 in the rear. Both used to run tubeless but after a few flats they are running with tubes now. (I feel guilty when all the goo spills out into the forest after a burp/flat so might not got back to tubeless)
I'm a clydesdale and run front and rear at 28-30psi usually.
I'm using Stan's and have ridden over a dozen blackberry bush branches in a row and never gotten a flat. I see dark spots on the tire where sealant has leaked and filled a hole but that's it.
2012 Specialized Stump Jumper Comp 29 HT.
Front 29" x 2.2 Specialized The Captain Control tubeless @ 20 PSI
Rear 29" x 1.95 Specialized Renegade Control tubeless @ 24 PSI
I'm around 190 mostly ride Lake Natomas /Granite Bay and other local trails around Roseville area.
Really like how the Captain hooks up in the front.
The Renegade in the rear rolls good and works well for climbing.
I'm still trying to find a tire that rolls well but can handle abuse. Switching to a Maxxis high roller exo in the rear KILLED the roll. Bogging. And still looking.
I love the Geax Gato 2.3 TNT front and rear up in Sierra, in summer. 680 g for 26er. I have been using front 2.5 Neuron TNT lately (1100g), but will go back to Gato when we get rain.
2014 Nomad C - 2.3 Maxxis High Rollers Front and Rear.
2012 Intense Tracer 2 - 2.3 Maxxis High Rollers Front and Rear.
2012 Specialized Demo - 2.5 Minion in front 2.5 High Roller in back
Seems like OP rides a 29er. I am on a 26 so the mileage may be different. I am currently running a WTB mutano 2.4 up front with a Conti trail king 2.2 rear. The rear will be replaced when my WTB Wolverine 2.2 race comes in the mail. So mutano 2.4 up front wolverine 2.2 in the rear.
I am not racing at this point so the weight savings and minimal rolling resistance improvements weigh less that a fun tire that can be run tubeless. Weights on these are not that bad and I have run a few Wolverine tubeless for many many miles on more than one bike and they perform great.
When replacing my once front, then moved to rear tubeless, then tubed due to air loss Wolverine I toyed over pretty much every other tire mentioned in the thread. In the end I chose to get another wolverine.
For me this tire combo gives great traction up front, a great climbing rear tire that also has a lower rolling resistance and a larger casing that allows for lower psi and a more plush ride.
I chose the race over their tubeless versions based on weight. Sure the sidewalls may weep a bit but performance is what I am after. They wear fairly well for our area and I have enjoyed days at D-Ville just as well as the local race series.
For now WTB has been my best bet. After gathering new tire buying info my thoughts are Conti's have let me down in the past, Maxxis has mixed reviews and Schwalbe's don't have staying power but perform really well.
The rear will be replaced when my WTB Wolverine 2.2 race comes in the mail. So mutano 2.4 up front wolverine 2.2 in the rear.
Weights on these are not that bad and I have run a few Wolverine tubeless for many many miles on more than one bike and they perform great.
When replacing my once front, then moved to rear tubeless. In the end I chose to get another wolverine.
For me this tire combo gives great traction up front, a great climbing rear tire that also has a lower rolling resistance and a larger casing that allows for lower psi and a more plush ride.
Same tires but reversed placement for me. I had run Mutano's front and back on hardtail several years ago but found somewhat unpredictable up front once they wore some, followed by a nasty front end washout just never felt confident after that. I may have let it go too far as a front tire. My bad.... Having one on the back of my full suspension B6r with a 650 Wolv up front has proven a good setup given the extra cush the 2.4 provides. I wish they made them in 650/27.5 to run on my SS HT.
Seeing alot of the Enduro guys running them now. WTB, are you listening??
Tallboy C, nobby nic snakeskin front, saguaro rear. It was little sketchy when it was dry and dusty, but now when we got some moisture and not much dust over the rocks its fine. Running tubes because easton is out of valves.
Bontrager XR4 Team issue 2.35 F&R on a Trek Stache (29). Great so far and have been a lot more durable then I was expecting. Pretty good not too well known intermediate tire (kinda like an ardent)
Yeah the Bontragers are surprisingly good! (I just put on an xr3, friend loves his xr4's).
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