According to this review the Racing Ralph/Ray 2.35 are not much wider, with the actual width of 2.33in/59.2 mm when installed on 29 mm id rims.
Hi looking for some tire tips. I am looking for a new tire for the fall in Vermont. This will be the replace my standard Ralph/Ray combo. XC racing is over for me for the year, and these dont last me quite as long as I would like. I love the Ray / Ralph, but wouldnt mind a bit more grip when leaning the bike over.
I do plan on using this for some solo, marathon like efforts, including a 70 mile, 12k climbing singletrack ride. We have steep climbs and descents, and chunky doubletrack that this bike spends a bit of time on. I have a separate bike for more trail/enduro rides (with dhf and aggressor).
Mud is something I ride a bit, mostly on the doubletrack, so I’m considering picking up a forekaster for the front, and not sure what to pair that with in the rear? maybe regular rekon? or rekon race? I was previously thinking rekon front, rekon race rear, so maybe I buy the three, and use them as I see fit? with the fastest setup being rekon front, rekon race rear?
Worth noting this is for a hardtail, an aggressive one for a race bike, but still a hardtail. Traction while pedaling and braking is relatively important, as we have some quite steep trails in the area, that I connect with long fireroads and dirt roads. Maybe I am the optimal Downcountry tire user? Maybe vittoria? Maybe the wicked will? cant seem to find them easy.
I’ve always thought that the specialized ground control is pretty good for this application. The Nobby nic is too
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This seems like the tire for me, and I didnt know it existed. Cheap too. Might pick up a fast tack for the rear for racing as well. Thanks!
Comparisons to the wicked will here: Review: Specialized's New Ground Control Grid T7 Tire - Pinkbike
Edit: I imagine going t5 rear (for both the ground control and fast tack) makes sense? with the t7 up front of course.
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I haven’t actually tried the new one, but the last 2 generations have been good and reasonably fast
So, here in the UK Wiggle/CRC have the OG Maxxis Forkaster 2.2 on Sale at £28/$32. I already have a 2.35 so I bought the 2.2 for the rear and have just mounted them both - straight up with a track pump for Autumn/winter racing.
During the hugely speculative garden test, I’m surprised how fast the bike shot off from standstill on that rear tire especially as I was coming from a Mezcal. I nearly rode into my mancave.
What’s more, with 40g sealant it seemed to weigh the same as the mezcal at 775g 
So far, quite impressed with these tires. They seem pretty fast, and have been gripping quite well in the wet. Mentally, I don’t think I could race XC on them, they just look a bit much, but it would be interesting to know if they are actually much slower.
One thing that disappoints me is specializeds format for tires. Say I want the grippy compound for a front tire, it also is a more robust casing, and I want the fast tire in the back, its lighter and less robust. I would really like a Light and grippy tire for the front, and a tough and fast tire for the rear.
I want to pick up a renegade for the rear, but worried about a 645g tire under me.
I guess the other end of the spectrum is Maxxis, who has far to many SKU’s to understand, and good luck finding what you want in a store.
No need to worry, the Renegade is not that light.
I think the S-works Renegade is around 640 g, but the standard Renegade Control T5 is around 700 g.
I’ve been running a t5 renegade and it feels fast rolling but grip on that thing is awful. Sometimes I feel the rear tire lose grip
Tried a set of Ground Control in T5 compound installed on the Roval Traverse 30mm ID rims.
Reasonably fast rolling. Good grip on lose-over-hard. Not good grip on wet rocks and roots. IMHO far inferior to similar Maxxis tire. To me it seems the T5 compound is not very good in wet/damp.
Looking for a set of winter XC tyres for my 21int stock wheels I have spare on my hardtail… Something Cheap and grippy for wet slippy winters on natural rooty rocky trails. So looking for a trail tyre around 2.25-2.3w.
So far from the Sales I can find are a Nobby Nic performance (for 25eur) which I am thinking for Front and Back? Another option is DHR (40eur) and DHF (40eur) but comes out as slightly more expensive. What do you guys think? Additionally - I am usually an orange seal person but i’ve realised this is twice the price than muc off and stan’s … any difference from the two brands?
Orange Seal and Stan’s are both good. I would stay away from Muc Off sealant.
Stan’s claims to work well in cold weather and talking to them previously they said they use the same sealant for plane tires in Alaska. Orange Sealant has a Sub-Zero version for the winter. Others have claimed regular Orange Seal still works in winter temps but I’ve never tried it.
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I think the DHF/DHR combo is overkill for what you need, and to me, they feel like boat anchors when pedaling. I think the Nobby Nic is a much better option for what you’re looking for of those two options. I liked Nobby Nics when I ran them, minus durability, but that has supposedly been improved with the newer compounds (I ran them a while ago).
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I have used Orange Seal Endurance in subzero temperatures without issues. No punctures though, so I am not sure how well it really seals punctures in cold weather.
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Nobby Nic’s thread pattern would be good I think for the sloppy winters here. I wonder how they perform as a rear tyre though
Nobby Nic has been a pretty common option for trail usage for a long time (at least I can remember people using them front and rear since I started mountain biking in ~2006).
It won’t be fast, but that’s not really what you need in sloppy, winter conditions anyway.
For the price I’d say NN is a good option. I have DHR front and rear on my “winter”/trail wheels when the conditions get slippy or I’m going to be riding trails beyond the limits of my XC rubber. They seem pretty good for the purpose, though at the price of €40 you can almost choose any tyre.
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Any thoughts on what tires to use:
Previous set was thunder burt / rocket ron 2.1 / 2.2
Looking to move to a wider tire with a bit more cornering grip, but hopefully not a huge hit in rolling resistance.
Ground controls? Aspens?
If you like Schwalbe, I’d got with Racing Ralph Front/Racing Ray Rear, both in 2.35.
Lots of other good options though such as the Aspens you mentioned.
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What are the best down country tires to handle wet rocks and roots? Don’t expect to ride in muddy conditions ever (generally we avoid riding wet trails here as it damages them) but in the fall and spring often the rocks and roots stay wet. For outside of the race season, would like a set of tires that are a bit burlier and grippier but still to suit my XC bike. Mostly ride hard pack to loose over hard but as I mentioned often encounter wet roots and rocks in the shoulder seasons.
Was originally looking at the Syerra but Bike Radar’s recent test suggests the Syerra is actually terrible in wet roots. They also tested the Purgatory amongst their ‘downcountry tires’ and didn’t have the same negative opinions on wet root performance so assuming it is better. Was thinking maybe Purgatory front, Ground Control Rear?
Sounds like based on Pinkbike’s test the Forekaster is another solid option, slower and heavier than the ground control but maybe more like the Purgatory?
I wonder how the Purgatory/Ground Control combo would compare to the Forekasters front and rear.
Thanks, do you (or anyone) know what compounds are worth getting both for schwalbe or the aspens?
Also this is a dumb question but what would be fastest on pavement or hardpack aspens vs other? My old burt/ron combo was quite fast there…