Good feedback, thanks! And fantastic job on BCBR!! I did it last year using Barzo/Mezcal and thought it was ok.
Might sign up next year since its the 20th?? anniversary and thinking what you suggested or maybe trying out the Scorpion XC, or using Peyote/Mezcal combo…
Need some help with tire suggestions.
Riding an Ibis Exie, been riding Aspen/Aspen for the last two years but need some new rubber.
Mid-Atlantic/Richmond, VA riding. Mostly singletrack, some rocky rooty tech. Occasionally making it back country into GWNF and Roanoke area.
Leaning towards Mezcal/Peyote combo but not sure what peoples thoughts are on that.
Have run Rekon/Rekon. Rekon/Mezcal, Rekon, Rekon Race, Aspen/Aspen.
Also thinking about dubnitals but not sold on what I’ve heard. Guess Trinotal/Dubnitol would probably also be in the mix.
May also be open to Aspen/Aspen ST but we do get some light mud and the aspens get super sketchy in that.
Appreciate any input. Don’t ride the MTB a whole lot with the toddler and don’t want to spend $200 on tires and then buy another set of $200 tires in two or three weeks
All that sounds reasonable… also the Barzo is now available in new XC Race casing so id maybe try Barzo / Mezcal or Barzo / Peyote (leaning towards the former if actual mud and latter if just wet and slick)
I live in Roanoke and ride both here and the GWNF (Arcadia mostly). I run Barzo/Mezcal and Peyote/Peyote on my 2 wheelsets on an Epic Evo. Both are outstanding and reliable wet or dry. I’m actually shocked how fast and grippy the Peyotes are as long as you don’t overinflate them. Can’t go wrong with either pair.
I don’t ride out east, but 2.4 Aspens was my go-to tire for 3 or 4 seasons, I kept trying other tires to come back it.
I’m running Peyotes F/R right now. They are faster rolling and quicker turning, and a bit better in mud than aspens. But the don’t quite carry momentum through tech/chunk like the maxxis W/T tires.
I’m going to put a 2.4 rekon race maxxspeed on front for a bit more stability and confidence for next week’s Tahoe trail race.
I’ve run Brazos and Mezcals previously, both good tires, but I was somewhat unimpressed. Mezcal is great do it all tire I keep on my bike packing bike. Barzos felt like a great down country tire, but slow. Maybe the race compound changes it.
Also, if your not riding/racing MTB alot, I would pick tires to maximize enjoyment, not straight up speed. ground control/FasTrack, mezcal/barzos or rekon race/rekon would all be racy but fun combos that aren’t scary.
I don’t know what about them, but the Aspens really seem to click for me. Went through a third pair of Racing Ray/Ralph’s (I happen to have a free stream of those at the job) and put back on a pair of 2.4 Aspens 170. Next ride immediately set a bunch of PRs, both downhill singletrack and uphill, including paved climbs
Dubnital 2.4 Rapid Race was great at Silver Rush
I’ve used these in the 120 tpi as my main tire for a few years and really like them. I’ll get a set of the 170s to check out.
I went with SCT, but am a bigger rider. I am finding them reasonably durable, I havent been light on them.
Has anyone used the Wicked will, specificaly in the 2.6 size? Obviously not as fast as racing ralph/ray, but are they crazy slow, maybe compared to a rekon?
The Super Race 2.4 Wicked Will tested quite well at BRR, in line with Maxxis pure XC tires
yeah, I was surprised to see that, seems like it could be a decent high volume option in the 2.6, but who knows if it even measures 2.4. Cant find any reports of what it measures out to, but I know the WW is closer to measured size than other Schwalbe’s.
My father in law is currently on a bikepacking trip. He put on some Dubs 2.4 in Race Rapid before he went and told me the first 200km or 125miles were slower with less grip. Personally I think he just started out with too much pressure and has since lost some air.
Anyone running Dubs has had the same experience or is he making it up in his mind?
The general consensus is with the Conti enduro/DH tires they have a film of some sort that makes them terrible for a bit, not sure if that is true on the XC tires now as well? Pinkbike mentions it in a recent (enduro) tire shootout, but I’ve heard it anecdotally as well.
Ran the 2.4 for a while on my Epic Evo, really liked the tires.
I don’t have what you want…but since you mentioned Wicked Will…here is 2.4" Wicked Will rear + 2.6" Nobby Nic front, both in super trail casing, compared to 2.35" Thunder Burt front and rear in super ground casing. These laps are all at 165 watts +/- 1 watt and I did AA-BB-A-B, TB is A, WW/NN is B
TB: 14:00, 13:52, 13:39
vs
WW/NN 14:40, 14:39, 14:35
Now…my first lap is always slower relative to the other laps and I’m not sure why I had such variability in the TB laps but any way you slice it, it’s the better part of 1 minute slower per 15 minutes. The track was soft and bumpy from lots of rain so maybe that had something to do with it.
I am looking at using the WW/NN combo in the breck epic but the extra 15 minutes per day riding won’t be appreciated! On the other hand, it’s probably virtually impossible for a regular guy to get thru breck epic on thunder burts so it’s not exactly a “real comparison”.
Joe
For some reason the hairs or something make the tire go slower at first. Once they wear away it feels a lot faster.
I’ve cut them off individually before on race kings. ~30 minutes per tire w nail clippers. Good mindless task while watching tv. It can tak a while for them to wear off on their own depending on what surface you’re riding on.
I was thinking of doing a Wicked Will Front and Rick XC rear for Breck. I have done it on Rekon Races and they were excellent. I also did 3 of the stages on 2.6 tires and did not like it, felt slow compared to my peers. I would think WW front and rear would be ideal as well - it must be faster than the NN you tested.
LOL All I know is that schwalbe’s super trail casing is not fast!
I’m just trying to survive beck epic and sometimes it rains in the afternoon. Messing around with a flat on a long descent late in the day on the continental divide in the icy rain is something I really want to avoid, even if it costs some time. (In Florida we get these nice warm, soft rains that you kinda enjoy because it’s 150 degrees but in the mountains? No thanks!!)
Will or Rick with super ground is gonna be pretty quick with decent grip but when you move to super trail…you get durability I guess 
Joe