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tires for central coast SLO area

2K views 22 replies 20 participants last post by  wangamachang 
#1 ·
Newbie here.. wanting to know what tires most of you are using in our trails arpund the San Luis area? I wont be doing any serious downhill or any major jumps/drops. just eant something that will climb well and maintain grip while cornering..
 
#7 ·
Used Conti Mountain Kings, some of my favorites. 2.4 Tubeless. No problems

Nevegals reacted with the Stans sealant and ended up in the trash.(pretty heavy tires)

Currently on Maxxis HighRoller Tubeless. Work good. A little narrowish. Already tore a sidewall on Hazard in MdO, of all places. Replaced with another of the same and we'll see how it goes. If they let me down again, I think I'm gonna try some of the new Schwalbe Hans Dampf.
 
#9 ·
I'm currently running High Rollers 2.35 F+R . . . I don't have any issues with them, but have heard there might be better options out there.

I've heard good things about the Nevegals (I'm not running UST) as well as the Mtn. Kings. Will check the Ardents too. Thanks!

Keep the suggestions coming!
 
#11 ·
Me three. on Maxxis High Rollers 2.35 front and rear. Being that Maxxis runs slightly narrower than the rest, you can run their 2.35 on the rear as it's closer to a 2.1 (even the measurement on the sidewall says 52mm, which converts to 2.1 inches). They've been good to me so far. nice in the loose dirt. i like the high rollers more than the Nevagals, which are good tires as well. I just like the high rollers a tad better. Nevegals tend to wash out at higher pressure, and their sidewalls are much thinner unless you go with a two ply wire bead. with the High Rollers I found you can lean the bike over with more confidence. just remember Maxxis runs 0.2" narrower than what's printed on the tire.

would like to hear other suggestions though. mt king is a popular choice. is it a more geared toward xc or all mountain/dh style riding?
 
#13 ·
I think the Conti Trail Kings 2.4 with the black chili compound are a great tire. Super big casing, strong sidewalls, and they hook up extremely well especially on the rocks. The 2.2s are also nice, still nice volume, would make a good rear tire for the 2.4.The 2.4 converts with stans successfully.
I like the Ardent 2.4 a lot too. Its my second favorite. Casing is big, maybe a little smaller than the Trail King 2.4, rolls really fast, climbing traction in rear is not bad, but you do get some slipage. There can be a slight vagueness when cornering, and on line changes, if you don't aggressively set the edge. The rear tire wears quickly.
Not a fan of the Minion DHF for hardpack, as it can get washy in the front. It will dump you without warning. Otherwise its a great tire, and on slightly softer soil types it is great, but on hardpack terrain it can bite you in the arse.
 
#14 ·
There are 2 kinds of trails around here; those with some grip and those with almost no grip. Definitely a tough area to get the right tire for your riding style but one of the most important choices you can make.

Ardent's are my go-to front tire for both my XC 29'ers (both in 2.25) and my Nomad (2.4). Nevegals and Rampage's are great but Nev's wear out too quickly and both those roll slow. For the rear on my 29'ers I like Crossmark's and Geax Saguaro. Sidewall tears are a big problem around here so I don't recommend going with lightweight tires like most Specialized tires or SB8's. For more aggressive riding/trails on the Nomad I just run Ardent's front and rear. I'm trying a Schwalbe Albert right now that was terrible but I cut the transition knobs and now is pretty good.

Oh, and running tubeless with lots of sealant will make your life way better (and those who ride with you and have to wait when you are on your 3rd pinch flat).
 
#16 · (Edited)
I like Nevegals for most of the all-mountain stuff in SLO, though I'm a light rider (145). Most guys I ride with here use Minions and Ardents since, depending on the trails you ride, there can be lots of rocks and loose sand over hardpack, and those provide more agressive grip than the Kendas. I haven't been comfortable using those because I can't commit to the lean angle they need to bite. Another friend likes the Kenda Telonix, which look like tractor tires, but supposedly provide monster grip. I'm going with those after my current tires wear out.

For Madonna Mtn rock garden and Morning Glory/What Trail/etc. (off the ridge), remember to add a bit of pressure or go tubeless to avoid pinch flats. Don't pick a tire with thin sidewalls, or you will be hating life repairing flats frequently.
 
#17 ·
Continental Trail King (Old Rubber Queen) in 2.2 is a great tire. Probably my favorite all-around tire. The 2.4 is really big and is overkill for the riding that I do.

I have also had good luck with:

Schwalbe Nobby Nics in 2.4 (mine ran small - about the same as a Trail King 2.2).

Maxxi Ardent in 2.25 or 2.4.

Specialized Purgatory in 2.2 or 2.4.

I see a lot of Nevegals around, but they just roll too slow for me. A lot of my buddies have noticed the same thing - they love the grip of the Nevegal, but when they try out a new tire, they cannot believe how relatively sluggish it was. That being said, Nevegals are probably the most popular tire out there, so there must be a good reason.
 
#18 ·
I have been running Ardent 2.4 ( but that because Im on a 29er) and they work great but are touchy with pressure. My Nomad had Telonix ( Kenda) and it was the best tire I have ridden for hooking up in SLO dirt. Rolls faster than a Nev and crazy traction! The 2.4 has thicker side walls, goes tubeless with no issues and resisted sidewall slashes. Its like cheating when climbing.
 
#23 ·
Tires with strong strong casings!
Maxxis Ardents is one of the best front tires for the area. Great in that super loose rocky terrain that we have. I seem to find that Maxxis tires do pretty well in flat resistance especially if you are running tubeless. WTB Weirwolfs, Wolverines, Mutano Raptors, and Bronsons are also great options. Leave Bronsons as a back tire, Weirwolfs in the front. Weirwolfs are very heavy but their grip are absolutely incredible (in every terrain). Nevegals are also great because they seem indestructible.

MdO tires: F- Mutano Raptor / Weirwolf / Ardent R-Wolverines / Mutano Raptors / Spec. Captain
Morning Glory: F-Ardent / Spec. Clutch R-High Roller / Weirwolf / Bronson / Spec. Purgatory
Rock Garden: F-Weirwolfs / Nevegals / Minions R-Weirwolfs / Bronsons / Nevegals / Minion

Favorite front tire as of now is the Specialized Clutch Control 2.35 and Maxxis Ardent 2.4
Haven't found the perfect rear tire yet...
 
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