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A narrower rear rim would work better for this application, but none-the-less you should try the tires I recommended.
If you want even more speed and are willing to give up some front wheel traction, the Ibex Onza is way faster than it looks and when fresh has solid trail grip for a front tire (it falls off quickly though). The Onza up front (get the grippy but light version) with the CrossKing Protection in the rear (not the Taiwan made performance+, but the German made Black Chili Protection) is 98% as fast as XC tires while having 50% more traction. If you like a LOT of front traction, go to the Albert 2.5 US trail up front.
I don't know if I have weak legs or what, but I'm very sensitive to Rolling resistance and have learned what works because I lean my bikes aggressively. I've experimented with lots of tires, but of course not all.
GL
As I've been saying... the new DHF II is going to become a go-to for World Cup riders front and even rear.
Jackson proved me right this weekend! (Front and rear)
Perfect tread for WC racing on most tracks. Similar to the beloved High Roller III but with more braking traction and predictability across the tread (what the Assegai provides). Won't clear mud like a HR3, but it will become the go-to on mixed and dry tracks. Super hardpack tracks may still see the Aseegai as a favorite, but I think the DHF2 will likely be more popular on the front wheel of Maxxis DH WC racers next season than the Assegai.
Anyone else feel Conti is getting over their skis with their US pricing? The World Cup success got me interested in dropping Maxxis for Conti but the fact they were slightly cheaper is what sealed the deal to actually buy them. I can’t find a Kryptotal Enduro casing for under $105. I’m finding Schwalbes for $80 or less all day, even the new hotness of the radials. Yes the Contis last, but if a Schwalbe is 3/4 the price I’m taking that into account when I think about longevity. Call me old fashioned but when I see three figures for a bike tire I expect it to be DH casing.
Wanna talk about the Kiwi pricing? Nzd
$199 for a super soft enduro
$219 for a super soft dh
They can keep their tyres in my book.
Radials are better and $165 anyway so happy days, but pricing with Conties went nuts
any issues running a radial front and whatever rear?
For me, the front tyre is everything. I could ride a bald 5 year old DH-R on the back and not care, but the front has to be MaxxGrip and brand new.
Want to try the radial thing though.
100%, it’s absolutely brutal right now. I was thinking it was tariff-related but if the prices are that bad in NZ, that’s tough to swallow.
(Shameless plug and because some folks were curious) The new Dissector is available on our e-store now if your local shop doesn't have them: https://shop.maxxis.com/collections/mountain/products/dissector-ii
EXO, EXO+, and DoubleDown specs available.
I realize you’re probably not allowed to talk about it, but this as a rear tire with DHF2 looks like a pretty winning combo.
🤐
Go for it, from my experience with radials it’s totally a front focused casing and I’m not gonna run it rear in the future.
Pull your finger and get it released already!!
Also, would be good to see a more aggressive shorty/high roller 3
Do you think it'll be Radial? The DHF II I mean?
My experience is that the Albert US Trail makes for an AMAZING front TRAIL tire, but is quite inadequate for proper AM style riding. The MM Radial gravity makes for a very good front tire, but isn't an ideal tread pattern for my dry rocky terrain.
However on the rear of my e-bike (AM/ Enduro style terrain) the Albert 2.6 x 27.5 Soft Gravity is very very good, just needs a lot of psi. Currently I have a 2.5 DHRII on the rear of the e-bike and don't love it. Yes, traction is very good, but it's too flat and doesn't want to lean over well. My second favorite rear tire for my AM mid-power e-bike (I can definitely feel how slow the DHR2 is on the midpower) is the Aggressor 2.5. That's a really good one too. A tire that leans well and is consistent, while still rolling decent is more important to me than absolute traction. Also, the DHR2 is tearing side knobs quite quickly.
I don't enjoy the DHR2 as a front under any circumstances. Slow and not great side traction.
Been riding a MM Radial front and a Kryptotal Rear DH on my park and enduro bike and it's been great. In the wet, the huge difference in grip front and rear is pretty comical to me, but it still is so much better. Makes no sense we're still on bias-ply rears IMO, but we'll see what Schwalbe does. I have no desire to run the Albert in the rear, as I think Schwalbe has done a terrible job of messaging with what the tire actually is. (also the name is such a deadpan compared to all their others) Is it an Assegai or is it a Xynotal? Is it a front or a rear and for which bike, trail or enduro?
Radial front is a total gamechanger in the wet or loose.
Tacky Chan is faster rolling, basically an improved DHR2.
Magic Marry is an improved Assegai with a little more edge on looser conditions.
If you want a faster rear, Nobby Nic rolls well and pairs well with the MM up front.
Last year I was asking for a combo to replace an Assegai and DHR2 and was told to go with magic Mary and big Betty in the rear. This was pre radial casing though...
Thanks for the feedback, Sydney trails are usually sandy, rocky and loose so it seems like a good fit for me.
Is it weird at first and then you go "holy shit" or does it blow your socks off first ride?
I just mounted a Hans Dampf rear with a Radial Magic Mary up front on my 130mm bike and it feels very fast pedaling. Much faster than the Xynotal in the rear. I’ve got a Big Betty I’m going to try for less XC terrain too. Schwalbes prices are spot on. $65 for the trail casing Hans and $80 for the trail casing Betty.
These recommendations don't really work unless you give ALL the details. It's easy to pick the absolute most traction in a particular type of terrain, the hard part is finding the balance of maximizing traction vs. RR.
So include what the bike is (full power e-bike versus a XC bike is going to result in a massive difference in my recommendations...), your preferences in RR or traction, your weight, your current tires and which way you'd like to go, do you damage tires, your terrain of course...
Tires are advancing and in a few cases, they gain traction without a resultant penalty in RR, but it's still the exception, not the rule.
Finally got through the Enduro Mag tyre test article and as the test results are given basically in full, but give a bad overview, I put everything ina Google Sheets spreadsheet. I also added tyre diameter (all 29...), width (mostly 2.4 and 2.5 inches), casing (trail, enduro, downhill) and compound softness (hard, medium soft).
Please don't make a mess of it (I guess Vital people are chill), as the link gives full editing permissions. I'm lost regarding tread softness when it comes to Kenda, Pirelli, Specialized, VeeTire and WTB and lost regarding casings for the latter two as well, so if anyone can fill those in, please feel free. If anything else is wrong, please change it (or you can point it out and I'll change it).
The link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dTM0mITi8DRj6fHbVgFD2v54J6sJUou…
I run a radial front and a standard tacky chan rear, radial is in gravity pro, tacky chan is in super gravity. I can't imagine having the radial rear makes all that much difference in traction etc but it will definitely help with small bump compliance.
T9 = soft and T7/T9 = medium and I'd call the gravity casing downhill.
I'm going to give that combo a try, 3rd try to get along with Radials. Previous attempts made it clear the Trail casing coupled with Radial is just too unsupportive for me, along with hating the Albert pattern in general. Once someone commented that they were basically an updated Hans Dampf, it clicked why I didn't get along with them (as I hated HD also). I think the radial front / gravity rear will be fine for my needs - ebike ridden hard and fast in a variety of conditions. I like my rear tire to drift before the front to slap corners. I was a bit concerned before with running TC on the back because everyone talks about how fast rolling it is, but after I re-read reviews and considered that WC DH riders are using it, it must ride more like a DHR than a Dissector.
I love the 27.5 x 2.6 Albert gravity in the rear on my e-bike personally, but I generally don't go for maximum rear wheel traction as much as a balance of turn in, rolling resistance (hey, it's an SL e-bike and I'm weak!), comfort, balance to the front, and wear. It's pretty darn good on all of these issues.
it does on the ups and sketchy/off camber downs, although for flowier trails super gravity might be better for some
Recon maxxterra EXO + This thing melted, flatted twice. Got 10-12 rides out of it- at $95 not a great value. Good traction and rolling speed though.
Forekaster on the front is very good- fast rolling mini Assegai, minimal wear so far.
Specialized put out some updates to the Butcher and Eliminator earlier this year, and they're coming stock on SJ 15 builds. I put a pair on my Ripley V5 and have been very impressed. They perform really well and the GRID Trail casing seems to be better/stronger than EXO+ while weighing less. I'm pretty burnt out on paying $100+ per tire for Maxxis- the Spec tires are $80. Has anyone else tried these?
Funny enough, mine also lasted the exact same number of rides. I now use the dual compound version which has slightly less grip in the corners but lasts significantly longer.
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