Aggressor is outstanding for the front if your looking to ride… aggressively. That’s what I run on races with technical terrain or when my bike is in trail bike mode. I strongly recommend them, definitely a weight penalty though.
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I’m looking to try a standard Rekon front and Rekon race in the rear this year because ardent race seems to be getting harder to come by and I like having a more aggressive front tire for the technical, rocky terrain in the Black Hills.
Yeah - I’ve only run the race king pros three times - twice for Leadville, and once for a mostly gravel 120 mile ride in Idaho. They are not designed for hard cornering.
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Likely Vittoria Mezcal G2 2.25 front and rear for me again this year in New England. Raced them the last 2 seasons and they’ve done very well for me and the mostly rocky/rooty trails here I race on. Always open to trying something new though.
These are the new XR3s I had this past year. They have pretty aggressive side knobs and corner well. The center tread has smaller knobs, although more prominent and bigger spacing than some other XC tires, so brake pretty well also.
The only downside is the tread life - they wear out quicker than any other tire I’ve tried. That said, I did ride them on slick rock and the whole enchilada in Moab, and that pretty much shredded all the knobs. The next time I rode in Moab I had an XR4 on front, and ground control on the rear, and they held up much better.
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I’m also running Pirelli lite M, 2.4 in front and 2.2 in the rear. Extremely predictable traction in the dust and smoke.
I was disappointed with the grip of the Forekaster, the impact resistance of the Aspen (large gaps between lugs just off-centre), the grip of the Rekon Race after the lug tops had worn off, and the originality of the Ardent Race/Ikon 
Yes! I’m digging the Aggressor up front as well. For most races it’s over kill but for some of the back country really techy stuff I might run it over the Ardent Race. Everyone I know considers the Aggressor a rear trail tire only, I disagree!
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Feel the same about my 2.25s.
Have Terreno 2.25s for less technical/gravel courses.
Went out yesterday on Forekaster 2.35 @1.6 bar (23psi) in the front and Rekon 2.25 @1.8 bar (26psi) in the back on my HT. Tackled some steep hills. Condition between wet, muddy and loamy. Struggled with traction on some steep segments (19-27%) and was wondering if I should have run even lower pressure in the back (I’m 85kg) or if another XC/Trail tire would have been better for those conditions. What do y’all recommend for winter days? (No, I’m not going to run a dhr2 on my hardtail)
For UK Sussex summer- mezcal front and rear or Barzo front and mezcal rear?
Hard pack, gravely, loose/dusty mainly.
Really like a front tyre I can chuck in and feel the bite.
Thoughts?
Love my Mezcals 2.35 f/r. I’ve been running them for 2 years.
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How do they compare to a Rekon or Ikon?
Where are you in Mi? I’m in Southeastern area, riding ILRA/Lakeshore/Maybury most of the time, so lots of loose over hardpack, occasional soggy grease fests after rain… (slime on hardpack?)
Just curious how close you are, those Mezcals look interesting… My SB8s are smoked and need replacing!
thanks
-p
I’ve been running the Aspen’s so far this year. Very fast, good cornering. My only complaint is they don’t dig in and brake very well. You tend to just slide more often where as ardent race/ikon will grab and stop.
Maybury is my training trail that I ride to from my house. I also race the XCO series (CPS) so I’ve ridden most of the trails in MI and the UP. I use Mezcals for all to include the Lumberjack 100 and Marji Gesick 
which I’ve completed both.
EDIT: I ride HERE!
I haven’t ridden those since 2017 on my hardtail, so I don’t really remember. I can say that the Mezcals last me all season and probably beyond that. I however just buy a new pair for the season. Just to note, I have the 2.35 Mezcals and run pressures at 18/19.
I am going with Vittoria Mezcal on my XC bike this season.
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how heavy are you and on what id rims are you running those mezcals? I am curious to try vittorias line up but am still heavily invested in maxxis currently. I really like the Rekon in 2.25 up front and am testing rear tires (currently on the Aspen 2.25). The only thing I don’t like is that they are so narrow. Keen to try the Rekon Race in 2.35 on the back next…
I’m looking for a new pair of tires for the next season as well.
currently i’m running maxxis aspen 2.25 with all protection(rims-23mm internals)
They’re fine, but I want something ligheter with more grip.
I’m looking for schwalbe rocket ron 2.2… any suggestion?
At risk of repeating myself, I’ve tried lots of race tires lately and I keep coming back to Ikons. 2.35 front and rear. I’ve tried Rekons, Ardent Race, Racing Ralphs. The Ikons seem to roll faster and hook up better, strangely enough. I just don’t think these get enough attention because of their looks. I’ve only recently started running one up front after measuring an Ardent race versus the Ikon, the Ikon was wider so I decided to try it. It’s as good if not better. Still, they’re race treads so when things get really dicey I prefer something like an Aggressor. Yes, Maxxis fan.