Best Bang-for-the-Buck Tire?

[Zoomy29er]

I recently upgraded my ride from a too-small-for-me 2009 Cannondale F5 Feminine to a Salsa El Mariachi 3. My 11 year old DS has inherited the F5. But he is as miserable on that thing as I was...it feels like it's dragging a quarter-barrel behind it. It can pick up decent speed on downhills, but flats and uphills are godawful. He and I have both ridden Salsa Mukluks and found them to feel super-speedy and light on uphills, by comparison...that's how heavy and slow this Cannondale feels!

The bike has pretty decent components at the original retail pricepoint ($700)--a mix of SRAM X5 and X7, RockShox Dart fork. We got a killer deal on the bike last year when Cannondale was essentially liquidating this bike from a warehouse. The only size they had was petite, which was a little small for me, but at least got me out on the trails enough to make me want to keep riding and move up to a better bike investment.

We figure the bike will fit our son for this next year, then he'll likely be too big for it. He's already outgrown the Redline Conquest 24 that he got for Christmas last year...at this rate he's likely going to be outgrowing any bike within a year for at least the next few years.

The F5 has Nevegals on it. We suspect that it's the tires that are making it such a dog. I did love the grip and control of these tires, but I could never ride very many miles before I was exhausted.

Suggestions on a 26" tire with similar grip (we have lots of roots and sand in West MI), but at a lighter-weight so that our rugrat will be less frustrated trying to go at a decent clip? Since we'll likely be selling the bike in a year, we'd rather not spend a fortune on tires, either.

I wouldn't mind some suggestions for a 29" tire for our conditions, either. My bike came with 29x2.4 Trail Kings. They're probably overkill for our terrain, yet seem a bit slippery on roots (already have had a couple of slide-out crashes sideways along perpendicular roots that never were a problem with the Nevegals). I probably don't need anything wider than a 2.2.

[beanbag]

Most of the rolling resistance comes from the rear tire, so it is ok to keep the nevegal in the front. A reasonably low rolling resistance rear tire with good grip is the specialized Ground Control. I think Knobby Nic should be ok too based on what others have said, but that is more expensive.

[Der Juicen]

i will second both the ground control and the nobby nic. i currently have the nobby nic on my enduro, but i have had a few rides on the ground control and it is a pretty awesome tire. when the nobby nic is dead i will be using the ground control because it is so much cheaper.

[eb1888]

Light and very fast.
Racing Ralph Performance. This version is less expensive than the Evo version
Schwalbe 26X2.25 Racing Ralph Perf Blk 26-54 psi, 535 grams, 67 TPI
Slightly slower and heavier but at $22 a super buy is the last gen Racing Ralph now named Rapid Rob.
Schwalbe 26X2.25 Rapid Rob PP Blk 26-54 psi, 720 grams, 50 TPI

[shiggy]

I recently upgraded my ride from a too-small-for-me 2009 Cannondale F5 Feminine to a Salsa El Mariachi 3. My 11 year old DS has inherited the F5. But he is as miserable on that thing as I was...it feels like it's dragging a quarter-barrel behind it. It can pick up decent speed on downhills, but flats and uphills are godawful. He and I have both ridden Salsa Mukluks and found them to feel super-speedy and light on uphills, by comparison...that's how heavy and slow this Cannondale feels!

The bike has pretty decent components at the original retail pricepoint ($700)--a mix of SRAM X5 and X7, RockShox Dart fork. We got a killer deal on the bike last year when Cannondale was essentially liquidating this bike from a warehouse. The only size they had was petite, which was a little small for me, but at least got me out on the trails enough to make me want to keep riding and move up to a better bike investment.

We figure the bike will fit our son for this next year, then he'll likely be too big for it. He's already outgrown the Redline Conquest 24 that he got for Christmas last year...at this rate he's likely going to be outgrowing any bike within a year for at least the next few years.

The F5 has Nevegals on it. We suspect that it's the tires that are making it such a dog. I did love the grip and control of these tires, but I could never ride very many miles before I was exhausted.

Suggestions on a 26" tire with similar grip (we have lots of roots and sand in West MI), but at a lighter-weight so that our rugrat will be less frustrated trying to go at a decent clip? Since we'll likely be selling the bike in a year, we'd rather not spend a fortune on tires, either.

I wouldn't mind some suggestions for a 29" tire for our conditions, either. My bike came with 29x2.4 Trail Kings. They're probably overkill for our terrain, yet seem a bit slippery on roots (already have had a couple of slide-out crashes sideways along perpendicular roots that never were a problem with the Nevegals). I probably don't need anything wider than a 2.2.

The best for the money are the tires on closeout or deep discounts. Search the usual suspects for deals

[Zoomy29er]

The best for the money are the tires on closeout or deep discounts. Search the usual suspects for deals

Heh, so true, the vast majority of the time. We'll likely see what our LBS has. I'm pretty sure they carry the Schwalbe options.

[beanbag]

I disagree. Saving $10 is not worth a lifetime of misery with a hard compound tire that doesn't grip in the wet or puts your face into the ground. Most of the "good" tires, like Conti's with Black chili, don't go on sale. Man up and pay for the good stuff.

[AndrwSwitch]

For bang-for-the-buck, a lot of brands all-conditions tires in their medium or fancy price point will do the job, I think. The cheapest pricepoint sometimes has the above-mentioned Death Rubber.™

I rode with the Panaracer Smoke on the back of my bike for a while. It's a bit of an old-school tire and (theoretically) not as fast as the Racing Ralph I have now, but it's a full-sized knob and you can find them for fairly cheap. I was curious about the Fire, also kicking around for cheap, but never got around to trying it. But again - I think that most medium-priced or fancy full knob tires will do the trick. Just not as big a knob as the Nevegal.

[ColinL]

The Geax Saguaro is a very long wearing, yet fast and grippy tire. MSRP is $59 for the TNT, $39 for folding.

What's the catch, right? Can't have a tire that literally does everything well at moderate cost...

They weigh a lot. Actually, about the same as Nevegals. But that's nothing to be proud of... And they don't do great in sticky mud, they pack up.

[CrzyTuning]

WTB Weirwolf make a great rear tire. Low rolling resistance and still corners well in most conditions.

[ozzybmx]

You spend a lot of money on a good bike.
You spend your valuable spare time riding it.
You then spend more time reading about them on MTBR.

Its the only contact you have with the ground, buy a good tyre that suits your terrain and more importantly get a good digital/analogue tyre gauge and dial in the pressure perfectly every ride.

[TiGeo]

Most of the rolling resistance comes from the rear tire, so it is ok to keep the nevegal in the front. A reasonably low rolling resistance rear tire with good grip is the specialized Ground Control. I think Knobby Nic should be ok too based on what others have said, but that is more expensive.

Agree 100%, love the Specy Ground Control on the rear. Get the "Control" casing, not as light as the S-Works but more durable. Specy tires set up SO EASY tubeless which is also a bonus. This should set you back about $55 which isn't too bad for a high-quality tire.

[willworkforbeer]

Bought a new bike, had WTB Prowler SL on there, figured that would be the first thing to replace, but have been pleasantly surprised. Ride on both trail and street, no problems either way
Would recommend them as a good all around tire (as long as you don't go through serious mud - and we don't, who wants to tear up the trail?) for a reasonable cost.
I think they are 725 grams, so not too heavy, but not a race tire either.

[MTBeing]

CST Caballero. These wear like iron and have a great tread profile.

http://www.amazon.com/CST-Caballero-...=cst+caballero

[rti27]

The WTB Exiwolf, wears quickly if you put much time on pavement, but rides great in all surfaces.