Who has raced on the RaceKings, went to something else and came back?
I’ve been on some Maxxis, also Schwalbe. Right now I’m running Wicked Wills front and back, but we are getting into the hotter and dustier trail period.
I want to try something new, and I’m thinking RaceKings or the Pirellis. Can’t find the Pirellis in 2.4 anywhere in the states, but I can get the Contis.
I also have a Ray/Ralph on another set of wheels.
I think its fair to say that the Conti RaceKing 2.2 is the Gold Standard right now and something that all the contending tires are being compared to. It rolls extremely well and then is “pretty good” in pretty much all of the other categories like traction, weight, and durability. It may not be the best in any of them, but it holds its own. However the lack of a 2.4 option is a bit of an issue with most of the competitors offering something in that range.
I suspect I’m similar to a lot of those that are posting in this thread in that I’m natural curious how some of the other options ride and feel and ultimately test. It’s fun trying new things and trying to tease out differences. Last year I tried the Kenda Rush 2.4s and the Aspen MaxxSpeeds, but on race day went back to the Conti Race Kings.
I’m going to test out the Peyote and Mezcal XC in the next little while as my order is set to arrive any day, but my guess is I’ll still use the RaceKings on race day.
I think the size is what is throwing me, because I’ve never ridden anything smaller than a 2.35
Continental cross king 2.3 is said to roll very well despite the profile
Found a local TREK store that had the Pirellis, so I’ve got them holding me a set
I’ll go with the consensus as well but the Peyote sure looks fast and it would be interesting to see it tested.
Joe
Let us know how the new combo goes, I’m currently running ray/burt and I’m curious about the new combo but also currently have more tires than I can ride 
I’d be completely fine voting for the Peyote too. With Vittoria being more well known than Wolfpack, it might be easier to get it across the line in a winning position too.
Happy to throw my vote behind the Peyote too. Or whatever the consensus is. I just like the idea of getting more MTB tires tested.
I just stuck my vote on the Peyote per the above discussion. Nothing near the top worth influencing this month so playing the long game.
Let’s go with the Peyote. If you happen to have an April vote still, throw it that way today. Resets tomorrow or the next I think.
The Schwalbe Racing Ray is in a winning position for this month, so that’s another MTB tire to be tested.
Going the other direction, what’s the consensus on heavy XC/light trail tires?
I’m currently running Barzo/Mezcal on my FS bike. Thinking about moving those to my SS hardtail for the summer short track series. My only complaint with this combo is the Mezcal rear runs out of grip if it’s damp out (lots of slick roots where I ride).
Am I overthinking and should just run Barzo/Barzo? Is the new Forekaster worth a shot? Old school Nobby Nic or Rekon? Definitely nothing burlier than those. 2.35 or 2.4 probably.
Others can chime in, but my experience with the Rekon wasn’t particularly positive. It felt very slow and draggy, and I didn’t feel like the grip benefits outweighed what felt like a lot of rolling resistance. I’d consider an Ikon over a Rekon. A lot of the grip benefit without as much of a rolling resistance penalty (at least perceived).
Haven’t ridden the others you’re considering, but ultimately, I think your decision is going to somewhat come down to typical terrain and if you’re going to be doing any racing on the setup.
Typical Mid-Atlantic (US) trail - dirt single track, lots of roots and rocks. True XC tires are ridable, but not fun for longer non-race rides. Racing - yes, mid-pack masters XC racing, but only a few events/year on the FS bike (local short-track I ride my SS HT).
2.4 Ikon might work. I’ve used the 2.35 version in the past, didn’t think they offered anything over the Barzo.
anyone have any testing that is good? do you guys trust bicycle rolling resistance? Also the new trek tire that is 220 tpi seems promising for smoother tracks.
Wicked Wills
Signed up and threw it to the Peyote as well. Long way to go 
Now onto exploring what other info I get with the subscription
Yeah, that’s totally fair. Just wanted to say I’d go Ikon before Rekon for heavy XC/light trail tire. I’ve never run the Barzo, but if you don’t think the Ikon offered much over the Barzo and like the Barzo, then maybe Barzo front and rear would work well. I like the Ikon for that type of tire here in CO (less roots, plenty of rocks, decomposed granite, and enough climbing that a heavy/draggy tire is noticeable to me as a smaller rider). Definitely the Rekon and maybe the new Forekaster, which is supposed to be more of a true trail tire, are more than I’d want to run doing any racing.
I’m in mid-west and in the fall I use to always put on Nobby Nics for everyday rides to help punch through the leaves when they started to fall. This past fall I put on the Kenda Karma 2 in the fall and found they were great in terms of traction and confidence. Obviously not an XC race tire but they didn’t feel slow. What was really interesting is they held air throughout the winter when I wasn’t riding.
https://bicycle.kendatire.com/en-eu/find-a-tire/bicycle/mtb/karma-2/
New Month live on BRR. Racing Ray Review is officially “Coming Soon”
Get your vote in for the Peyote and let’s see if we can work it up the list where it starts getting more attention!