Conti’s DH tires are just so good, if they update their XC tires I’d instantly switch.
I talked to the Conti person at Unbound. The answer I got is “never” in terms of a 2.4 Race King. He said Pidcock has been riding a completely new design and this is likely going to be released later this year.
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I had a specialized ground control up front and a rekon race out back. I really like that combo, but that’s because lots of races here have lots of limited traction sections. If I’m racing in wet conditions, I’ll run ground controls front and back.
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I just had an absolute sh!t show of a marathon XC race where the Barzo I had up front washed out multiple times and I crashed hard twice. It was super dry and loose over hard (decomposed granite). Not conditions I ride much so a big part of it was just pisspoor technique on my part. Still I am over the Barzos.
I’ve never ridden Spesh tires, may try ground control, or some ‘downcountry’ marketed front tire for the remaining riding I have planned this summer. None of it is true XC racing, more riding trail on XC bikes.
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Riding on marbles is a challenge for ANY Tire. I’m sure there’s someone in the thread who’ll chime in on a tire that’s better, but it’s marbles over hard.
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Hundo? Buff Creek is pretty unique terrain and that kitty litter can either be $$$ or terrifying. When it’s super dry it gets very tricky.
I ran Barzos when I lived in Atlanta years ago but wasn’t much of a bike handler then so I don’t know if that was a very good test.
I honestly can’t remember what I ran at Hundo last year but for the races you’re eyeing - front range stuff and Breck Epic, right? I’ve had great experiences with Rekon/Rekon Race (Breck Epic last year). The full Rekon is heavy and a bit slower rolling but gives awesome confidence up front. Crashing is always slower than any tire so for races where traction is at a premium I feel like it’s a net benefit. My duo partner at Breck ran Rekon Race f/r and they were great for him, but I was able to roll the fast loose descents faster and more confidently.
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That’s funny, I was volunteering at the expo and helped the conti folks set up their both. And the first thing I said/asked the guy was when they were releasing a 2.4 race king. He told me “soon”, but maybe he meant a suitable replacement for the race king in 2.4 or maybe I misunderstood him. Maybe it’s a “Super Race King”. Or maybe he is so sick of answering that question that he just wanted to move on.
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Yeah Hundo. I ran Syerra as a front last year at Hundo and the prior model Forekaster the year before I think. I ran F/R Barzo at Breck last year and thought it was fine, or good enough.
Today was mostly that I crashed, got pretty banged up and twitchy, which made me crash again. Snowball effect. Still, I’d like to give something else a shot just to shake it up.
I don’t care what they call it - same or better compound that’s still fast rolling with the same good puncture resistance, just in a 2.4"
If they go and mess up a good thing we’re all going to be pretty pissed after all the waiting though 
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What do you think about Ground Control in the rear as well? Too draggy? The T7 grid are on sale for $40 right now so getting 2 for less than a single Maxxis tire is appealing.
I’d say depends where you are riding and how ok you are with some slipping.
If you think youll frequently be riding/racing in wet conditions, the ground controls are a great balance. I rode front and back ground controls all winter in PNW slop, and felt quite confident in the traction. If was racing in rainy/wet conditions in the summer I would run them as well. Last year I did a super wet race in whistler and I saw a few people on that setup, and they seemed to be doing much better on the conditions than the more xc tires.
I find the ground controls are really good in the wet, but don’t notice the grip difference as much in the dry. So if you’re somewhere with typically dry conditions, or just don’t ride in the wet often, they are probably too draggy for a pretty small grip benefit.
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I agree that Buff Creek can be really tough to pick a good tire. I’ve run dual Rekon Races both years I have done the event and they have been great. I think that the right air pressure is more important than tread for this type of super loose kitty litter type of terrain. The race is so long that a fast rolling tire is key for the Hundo
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Figured I’d come back and update. Installed Racing Ray / Ralph on 25mm IW rims. Pressured them up and left them in the hot sun at 40 psi for a couple hours, after one “Stretch” the Ray was right at 2.35", the Ralph 2.32" ish.
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You might think twice about getting the Grid casing ground control, extremely robust and you’ll probably never flat, but I find the tire nearly impossible to mount and it gets a firmer ride.
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I recently got a 2nd wheelset and I plan to use my old set as more training wheels on chunkier terrain. The Ground Controls were so cheap I picked up the set in that T7 grid to try on the training wheelset where speed isn’t a priority.
For my main wheelset I decided to stop being a contrarian and try what seemingly the other 95% of people ride at the type of events I do in Colorado, a Rekon/Rekon Race. For the Rekon Race I did 2.4 WT with MaxxSpeed 120 TPI, for the Rekon up front I did 2.4 WT 3C but the only 120 TPI version I could find was with the new EXO+ casing which I assume is slow.
So a bold move for an XC tire thread to be moving to heavy slow tires in comparison to what I’ve been riding for years but wanted to try optimizing more for grip and fun than speed based on my current priorities
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In that case I think they are perfect for a 2nd wheelset. Most of the time for me I’d say they are unnecessary, but if I were to travel and do harder rougher trails, they would be better for sure.
Ran they peyotes at a wet and slipper XCO yesterday, as the day went the wet and slippery got more tacky and stick.
Peyotes are trash in those conditions!!! They were fast and great on the section of the course that was hard packed and hero dirt, but cost me a lot of time and a crash in the slippery spots. Could feel the tire just pivot in place in the really grease spots and just completely fell out from under me when trying to lean and commit them.
They pack up really bad too…
Knew I should have changed tires, oh well, live and learn, still managed an AG 3rd place.
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Awesome event. Couldn’t do it this year, but I’m definitely on minions for that one. I’ll run Aspens or for BCBR though. How’d you like the climb to Billy Epic?
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It was great! 2nd year I did it and much more enjoyable with a bit better pacing. The climb to billy is brutal, but no more than I expected. Pura Vida was the unexpected brutality, man that descent is so physical it rocked me.
It’s amazing to see the skill level of the elite racers like Geoff Kabush. Obviously yeah, super fit and strong, but their descending skills are incredible. Their descents were significantly faster, and many of them were on aspens! Just unreal skill.
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Eagerly waiting for the BicycleRollingResistance review of the Schwalbe Nobby Nic that is due soon. I haven’t settled on my tire combo for the Colorado Trail Race in August, but likely leaning towards the Rekon/Rekon Race as they’re just so tried and true in the durability and traction realm. I hate the idea of giving up 10+ watts over a Racing Ralph type setup, but I know the Racing Ray would leave me wanting, so could be swayed towards the Nobby Nic if it isn’t out of line in its testing.
Also, There was a quick mention of a yet to be released/named new XC tire from Vittoria in one of their recent IG videos… It was described as for “muddy conditions with an aggressive tread pattern”. With the new Peyote leaning towards “less aggressive” when compared to even the new Mezcal, it’ll be interesting to see what this other tire will look like. Likely a good replacement for the Barzo without moving all the way up to the Syerra.
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