That was a point from your video that was interesting. Tyres can be such a funny thing. You have to trust what you ride, and a bad experience can ruin a brands trust. I’ve never once flatted with a Schwalbe tyre on three different bikes in ten years, but I understand that people had a really mixed experience with the previous generations of their tyres.
I want to try and love Maxxis but I can’t find a tread that I really enjoy (plus they are expensive).
Although, the local price of Schwalbe tyres went up to ~$130 this year 
.
I have and I don’t like the Rekon Race. I might prefer it in sandy or deep conditions, but it isn’t predictable, does not have good braking power, and doesn’t seem to be noticeably faster than the Aspen in terms of rolling resistance.
It likes to slide, a lot. The side knobs do eventually catch, but everything before that moment is unpredictable.
Most of the riding/racing I do is on technical east coast rock gardens. Almost everyone I ride with has Maxxis Minions front and rear. I’m the weirdo outlier who has 2.4 Specialized Ground Control front and FastTrack rear. And yet…I never seem to have greater traction problems than the group I ride with and if anything I have fewer problems with flats. On a late night internet shopping spree a couple years ago I bought a pair of Minion DHF/DHRII with the heavy duty casing, thinking I’d throw them on my “burly” wheels for a change of pace. They felt like snow tires, and I flatted on my first downhill. I know people swear by them but after that I was done for life. 
Tires are weird, almost totemic.
This is how I feel about my GroundControl/FastTrak combo. A controlled slide more like carving a turn on a snowboard than riding a rail.
you think it’s the same with the 2.4 wt model of the rekon race?
the extra volume can compensate the low profile of the tire?
I know there’s more to tire performance than tread design - but it’s interesting correlating Jonathan’s comment with the Rekon Race tread design - note the gaps in tire tread in the row before the side knobs.
Compare that to a similar tire - the bontrager XR3. No similar gaps.
I’ve not ridden a Rekon Race, but have ridden the XR3s. I like the XR3s for cornering and braking performance, but the tread tends to wear quickly on rocky terrain.
Yeah. That’s a good point. I’ve never tried the 2.4 Rekon Race. Running it with very low pressure and inserts could help it a lot.
I have Racing Ray (front) and Specialised Slaughter (rear), on a Ti Hard Tail.
Hey @Jonathan, do you always run the same tire front & rear?
I usually do on my XC bike, but run a mix on my trail bike if I’m riding gnarlier stuff.
Because I’m going to change my tires for my epic sworks 2021 with 28mm front rim and 25,6mm rear rim. (duke 6ters).
I want tires that roll fast, with a good protection for the summer.
my list is :
specialized: fast track front and rear control 2.3. (I’m scared with the braking and the climbing traction of a renegade and I like the fast track).
schwalbes: racing ray/ralph 2.35 , is the new model with tan sidewall goof for puncture protection?
maxxis : front: Rekon race 2.4 wt or rekon 2.4 wt, aspen 2.4wt (I think my rim of 28mm is ok for a 2.4 wt).
rear: ikon 2.35? rekon race 2.35?
sorry my list is long !
Do you have any experience or opinions on the Vittoria Tires? I can’t say I have a ton of expertise with tires but I’ve been really enjoying the Mezcals for XC type riding.
One of my riding buddies moved from the Maxxis Minon to the Vittoria Mazza 2.4 which looks pretty burly, but he’s been flatting a lot. To the point where it’s a bit of a running joke. Not a heavy rider, either. YMMV.
That’s quite a difference from the Mezcal tire. I’ve been using Mezcals for over 2 years without a flat. Also, sometimes you just get a defective tire.
Yeah, this is definitely a n=1 scenario. Just don’t see a lot of Vittorias around here.
I’ve just been reading about the Maxxis Rekon 2.6, and the claimed weight is only ~750g.
I don’t think I need a 2.6 for racing, but I am curious to try 2.6 for my HT and as an option. Does anyone have any experience?
What tires are you coming from on that bike? I found them to feel slow compared to what I usually run (2.35 Ikons), but on a hardtail, the benefits of wider tires may outweigh the slower feeling. I had them on a 120/120 FS.
I’m picking up a low end HT shortly that comes with WatB 2.2 tyres. It has clearance for 2.6 and I prefer high volume tyres. I currently love the Schwalbe Racing Ray and Racing Ralph 2.35 combo on my XC bike, but am definitely open to trialling other options.
I gave the 2.4 Rekon’s that came on my Spark to a mate as they looked bigger than I needed and I still had brand new Schwalbe’s to use up.
I think the 2.4 Rekons are actually heavier than the 2.6 Rekons. If you like higher volume tires, you may like them, but if you’re more used to XC tires, you may find them slow rolling. If you want to try 2.6 tires, I might consider something with a less aggressive tread than the Rekon (not that the tread is super aggressive, but they do make some more traditional XC tires in a 2.6 width I believe). For me, it wasn’t that I didn’t like them, but I definitely prefer the Ikons I have now.
