Update on the Booster Pro SCT’s in 2.6. I would have trouble recommending these if you are concerned about durability at all. Mine are de-laminating on the sidewalls, one has a slow leak that wont seal, and lots of cuts in them, that I am not used to seeing. Otherwise I was mostly happy with the grip, and seemed relatively happy with the speed.
I’m not sure where to go next in my 2.5-2.6 search. The rekon 2.6’s are great, but I would like something faster. Mezcal is a big 2.6, and likely will not fit on my current bike, also doubtful its very fast, as mentioned above.
Might just have to step down to rekon race’s in 2.4, which I really wasnt hoping to do.
I cant seem to find that in 29”? I would be happy to switch to that from the Rekon though, my memory on the 2.4’s has them slightly fast, It also helps that I had one of the more magic days on the bike on those GC’s. Maybe an older model?
Actually just remembered the wicked will comes in 2.6, so that might be where I head next, but I expect it to be an actual 2.4, and finding the 2.6 seems challenging.
Has anyone found the Goodyear Peak in 2.6’s actually for sale? You can get them on goodyears website, but $180 for a set of tires with no idea of how good they are is a bit scary.
Currently I have the Dubnital’s on F/R but feel they are a little lacking on cornering grip (at least for my skill level). I just ordered a Trinotal for the front to see how that helps. Race/ Grip on all.
Overall, Dubnitals feel very fast and the rear has good traction on the steeps. Comparing to my most recent combo of Barzo and Mezcal TNTs, feel significantly faster and grip better than the Mezcals.
Compared to Aspen 2.4, Aspens on the rear loses traction on steep hills easier. I feel Aspens were better cornering, when leaning the bike the grip catches pretty well. Dubnitals don’t give me that same confidence yet.
Continental Dubnital Race Grip 29x2.4 MTB - this would be my vote. I’d like to see how much difference the compound makes.
I posted in the Little Sugar 2025 thread, but ran Dubnital 2.4s in Grip/Trail front and rear in Bentonville this past weekend. Did the full Little Sugar Course, and then also repeated the front 30 miles, and then rode a few other random trails. Total of about 14 hours of riding over three days. Tires felt great and I had no issues with traction, but I’m not a super aggressive rider. The rear never slipped once on any of the short steep sections. Most important, zero flats/punctures. I carried three Dynaplug Racers with me and didn’t need to use any of them so feeling pretty good about the durability.
This would be my vote too. I’ve been liking the Race Rapids for the riding I’ve been doing this summer, but I could see uses for the Grip compound and would be curious how it compares to the Rapid.
I just installed Dubnital rear/Trinotal front in trail casing on my new Epic 8 Evo. Only one ride so far but a good mix of singletrack types plus a decent amount of climbing and chunky descending (~5,200ft total).
Tires felt significantly faster than the stock Ground Control/Purgatory combo, which had me seriously regretting my bike choice (coming from a Transition Spur), bike felt slowww with the stock tires but really came alive with the Contis. Traction felt good overall, some sliding on wet roots/rocks, but honestly surprised how good they gripped. They look very narrow, though, I hope they stretch to something reasonable. I need more rides to form an opinion… thinking about trying something beefier up front.
See my post above about Wicked Will 2.6s. Exact same size as already undersized 2.4 Wicked Wills. If you’re looking for a tru 2.4 tire, better to try something from Maxxis. Or, a 2.6 from another brand like Vittoria. My 2.6 Agarros measure 2.45” on 30mm rims.
Any feedback on the Mezcal yet? Curious how that stacks up with the other Vittorias. I like the Peyotes a lot but have been thinking a Mezcal front might be worth the few watts (assuming that’s all it is)
Havent used the peyote or barzo, but the mezcal is a solid versatile xc tire. I would say it has medium grip, but it also gives a lot of feedback before breaking away, so it is quite predictable. I’ve found its durability to be pretty good too. I’m planning on trying the barzo and peyote, but that’s mostly because I’m a tire nerd, and not that the mezcal is doing anything wrong.
Should have clarified or tagged @jkarrasch as it was mostly meant for him and results from his tire testing but I do agree that the Mezcal is a really solid tire.
Hi, like you I came from a more DH focus, learned to ride in the North Shore and was all about bike shuttling and Whistler bike park. Riding uphill was anathema to me. But age catches us all and I started riding marathon XC stuff about 8 years ago. I live on Vancouver Island now and ride all the regions around here and the mainland, so I am guessing similar conditions to you.
This summer I ran the Fast Trak Grid Lite T5/T7 for both BC Bike Race and Swiss Epic. This meant I got to try them on everything from dry dusty marbles to muddy rivers. I’ve been extremely happy with them and surprised by how well they corner while still rolling fast. To be clear, in events I am a mid-pack participant vs a contender. My relative strength is the technical stuff and my weakness is climbing, so I’m willing to trade off a bit of grip for more roll. That said, I’ve been extremely happy with them. I posted this somewhere above, but during BCBR, which are on my home trails, I PR’d a number of segments I ride a ton without feeling like I was pushing. In Swiss Epic I generally coasted faster then my cohorts - admittedly I’m a bigger dude relative to most people doing climbing events like SE – and no issues keeping up on the fast flat sections. I’m doing Cape Epic next March and pretty much committed to using a Fast Trak/Air Trak combo at this point.
FYI – this is all subjective. Zero quantitative testing done. Hope it is helpful.
I don’t think either would be more or less “comfortable”, but from what I know the Rick is Marginally faster, the Dub marginally better traction and more durable.
they’re pretty similar really, or rather different approaches to a similar outcome. terrain, riding style and inflation pressure will determine which is better in what ways.
Rick has minimal center knobs and (relatively) big side knobs whereas dub is more even so rick relies on leaning it over to engage the side knobs more for grip. finding the ideal pressure will also influence that and be a big determinant in comfort - the volume difference is minimal.
puncture protection according to BRR Dub has an edge but they’re about the same thickness and Rick actually feels like it should be sturdier than Dub