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dh krypto soft rear, dd highroller 3 front for socal.
big fan of radial magic mary front and tacky chan rear, but I could see why people may not get along with the mm radial upfront.
I think an underrated conti combo is the kryptotal front - in the front and rear.
What tires / casings are you currently running?
I'm up on the NorCal coast where local conditions look similar to what I've seen in SoCal videos - hardpack with a coating of powder / loose sand / gravel. I personally found the MM to be too squirmy for this - the rubber itself is quite soft and the side knobs are pretty small. I'd suggest taking a good hard look at the High Roller 3 in DH or at least DD. The side knobs are burly, and the center tread is open enough to penetrate loose over hard (especially decomposed granite & gravel), but not too spiky to cause squirming when it's just hardpack.
Have had a few rides on radials.
MM trail pro US up front
Albert gravity pro soft rear.
Albert's feel like a much faster rolling assegai. Kind of reminds me of a more sure footed dissector v1/eliminator. Driftier than a DHRII which I kinda enjoy. We'll see how it handles on some steeper terrain as I'm moving from softer compound rubber to a "medium soft" compound.
Need more time to formulate my opinion on MM's. They have the grip but a bit more vague than Assegai/E13 Grapplers I've run more recently.
Literally just came to the forum today to ask about opinions on the dual krypto fr combo. I'm running krypto fr/xyno right now and it's fun till you hit the steep and loose stuff. I'd just get the krypto Re, but this way I could potentially run the same tire front and back while keeping a little of the zippiness from the Xyno. (Enduro/soft if you're wondering with a CC trail insert in the back, I'm 215 over here)
@TEAMROBOT's favorite rear tire
Is the 2.5 a true 2.5? I know the 2.4 version runs a bit narrow. I haven't bothered getting the 2.5 version just because I run a 2.4 HR3 in the front.
Strictly comparing the 2.4 to 2.5, are there any differences in knob size, etc?
Yeah good question. The 2.5 DHR2 measured out at a true 63mm at the casing and 64mm at the knobs on my 30mm rear ethirteen rim, which is 2.48” and 2.52” respectively. So I’d say yes, that’s a true 2.5”. I always thought the 2.4” DHR2 was undersized and didn’t love it as a rear tire for that exact reason- I’m hard on rear wheels and tires and I want that extra volume as insurance for bad decisions. On the one hand, I feel like a crazy person if I say I can feel an additional 0.1” of tire width, but I think it’s a little more than that in practice.
I'm curious, why do you say you wouldn't pick the DHR for a race? And what type of race are we talking about, downhill or enduro? And what would be your pick for that? 😁
I was running the DHR2 2.5 F/R MG/MT DH, this is my favorite Maxxis setup but I haven't tried the HR3. I will say nothing beats the lifespan of the conti's. I am currently on the cannibals and think its better than the DHR in most ways minus wear (rear only). It would be nice if they came out with a bike park edition of that tire.
Had conti on last winter for riding on Vancouver island. The contis latest longer than maxxis, front had great support and grip. Rear was generally good, but didn’t provide as much traction for technical climbing compared to a dhr2.
Have had a hr3 on front for most of summer and it will be go to front from now on (vs aggesi and conti). Have hr3 on rear overall good, again not as well for technical climbing as dhr2, but for wet season it’s been good.
Overall maxxis wear quicker than conti
Great question, I guess I wasn't very clear about that. I was unconsciously thinking of a DH race when I said that, where I would always pick the full MaxxGrip setup front and rear for maximum grip, braking, and damping. For an enduro race, it would depend on how much flat and pedaling there was. If it was a very DH-style Enduro race I would lean towards a MaxxGrip rear, but if it had a lot of flat and pedal sections in the race stages (who cares what the transfers are like) I would be stoked to have the MaxxTerra.
For anyone looking for a HR3, Argotal, Shorty and that kind of tire I recommend Specialized Hillbily
Like this tire fucks :D 2.4, T9, Grid gravity and damn it is good.
Ran Argotals Dh super soft in the front before and it is almost as good in the wet and on loamers, but way better when it is dry, especially in loose over hard.
Casing is nicely damped,cornering is predictable and super nice, and from first impressions I think it will last longer.
Like I had Argotal side knobs undercutting after 3 months, like 2000 meteres of elevation per week, which made it very sketchy to ride.
+it is cheaper, and it has way cooler name
I wasn't aware of it till now that Continental now have a proper trail/enduro front tire for mixed terrain.
The Kryptotal-Fr Enduro supersoft is then finally the happy middle ground I personally have been looking for where you got transition lugs for smooth transitions in cornering, and with a sticky compound and a decent casing.
As a trail rider I've seen that you most often end up in between two chairs which is pretty much why I ended up with a magic mary radial this season just to see the far end of the spectrum. For me magic mary radial is simply too good to lug around for most of what I ride so I have to be honest with myself and bench it for the "monsoon season".
I initally looked at Maxxis Dissector but changed my mind because I feel the lugs are not aggressive enough as a front tire, so it may be an option in a maxxgrip for the rear if I want more.
So far I think I'll just go all in on the Contis for next season so Kryptotal-Fr Enduro Supersoft and Kryptotal-Re Enduro Soft. Lots of people mention them having a bit snugger fit, so works well with lower pressures. This is most definitely something I look forward to test because for trail riding you don't need too high pressures anyhow because generally lower speeds.
Right now this seems like what could be a favorite setup so I can just buy new ones of the same over and over, and keeping magic mary radial on standby for when I feel for some extra confidence.
Most tests I've seen so far have been of people testing Krypto front in soft compound(simply because supersoft wasn't available at the time) and if it's harder than maxxterra it will definitely be a bit on the sketchy side for most. This is also why I previously brushed off Conti as an option because at the time they did not offer what I've been looking for.
I replaced a Kryprotal Fr SS DH with a SS Enduro this season and as a 160lb rider I like the Enduro one better. I feel like it grips better for me because I can actually get the casing to conform to the ground. Even for park riding the DH casing was on the stiff side for me unless I was pushing the pace.
Interestingly the Enduro SS is made in Germany.
Two things I really like about the Conti Kryptotals in DH casing SS compound-
1. The grip is predictable and it's easy to feel. No, I don't think they have as much maximum grip as the Maxxis maxxgrip compound but when the maxxis gives, it just goes. The kryptotals have a lower ceiling but falls off in a slower and predictable way.
2. They last longer. Putting a DH maxxgrip DHRII on my rear lasted me barely a month in bikepark season, but the Kryptotals usually can last at least half a season.
Just my 2 cents, 195lb 5'11'' rider.
You got almost a month out of a MaxxGrip DH2 in the bike park?! How many rides? <5?
I did a 25,000ft day at Whistler two summers ago and totally roached a brand new Kryptotal Rear Super Soft (on the rear wheel) in that single day. Tire knobs were ravaged. And I've found MaxxGrip to wear faster than Conti Super Soft, because it's softer and stickier.
Creek is only 800ft elevation so it's not that bad. I did 5 days at whistler and only went through 2 Kryptotal Rears
I wouldn't run a Conti "soft" unless it's dry out. A few friends have tried them... once.
They don't offer the rear version in supersoft unless it's DH casing which is overkill for what I ride. That's why I also mentioned Dissector in maxxgrip as a rear tire, but if the front one works fine in the rear as some people further up mentioned, that could be an option.
I've just never tried the exact same tire front and rear, but maybe it's fine for less aggressive riding.
Kryptotal RE is fine in soft in my experience. Tread lasts forever compared to similar tires. Looks like you’re in Norway so you should be riding similar wet rocky rooty stuff to me except steeper probably. Have ridden it in Norway too and have no complaints other than I’ve had to retire all my enduro casing contis because of too many holes and tears to fix before the tread has worn out, still lasts longer than anything else that’s reasonable to run. I’m a fan and run them year round in the rear.
My area is dry, and conti soft up front has been great. However, I noticed and saw it pop up in a few reviews that the newer contis come out of the box with almost a thin layer of wax which needs to be worn off in a ride or two before the tyres really work.
The thing for me is that I do not care that much about longevity because I got 4 good months of riding where I live, and trail riding don't destroy tires all too much. That's why I'm mostly focused at finding the best grip with an acceptable rolling resistance.
Rolling resistance seems to be more linked to the thread and overall design of a tire than the compund itself, though also another factor can be radial vs none radial. I have been running DHF maxxgrip front and DHR II maxxgrip rear previously which was fine in terms of rolling resistance to be honest. Things changed when I tried the magic mary radial ultra soft up front even with the tacky chan ultra soft rear it just feels way different than the maxxis combo in just pure rolling resistance.
As lots of people claim is that the conti supersoft is not as sticky as maxxgrip so as the tire design itself(Kryptotal) is rolling well for what it is, then I doubt it will be worse than my previous Maxxis combo which means it should be an acceptable new combo.
I’m not too sensitive with rolling resistance so can’t comment on that but it sounds like a kryptotal super soft will be fine for you. Don’t overthink it.
I’ve swapped back and forth between a Maxxgrip Assegai and a Super Soft Kryptotal Fr due to blowing up a front wheel this season. The Maxxgrip is a bit stickier but not so much so that I’d stress over it when choosing between the two.
So for those of us radial curious, it sounds like it's not worth the premium yet?
Minions/Assegai have good wear life, handle very predictably, and as they wear out they maintain performance better than most. They also have great puncture resistance.
Is extra raw grip worth that trade off?
They’re way better than those minions so 100% worth it
Radials have been worth it for me. I love the damped feel they offer. On a MM supersoft trail casing front and Albert soft trail casing rear, running 22psi front, 24psi rear. They grip well, roll well, and dampen chatter better than anything I've ridden. No wooden feel like a Maxxis DH casing and roll much faster than a Maxxis DH casing. I'd love to see some new tread designs from Schwalbe with these casings. The Magic Mary knobs seem to be a little small and could use an update, but still enough grip for me. The Albert side knobs are a little too squirmy for my taste on the front. I love the tall Albert casing. A new style DHF/DHR tread design on these casings would be sweet- bigger knobs that are more stable, less siping than the MM and Albert, and some side knobs that supported a bit better for both.
I tried to be very transparent on my views further up on this page, so I do not blame the tire at all. I was just honest and said it is too good for most of what I ride because most is dry/hardpac and natural rocky terrain. I also pedal a lot of uphill so that's obviously got nothing to do with the tire not being worth it, but the opposite. I've only tried the MM Radial as a front tire and I love it, it's just as I stated too good for what I need most of the time because it's not designed for what I do. MM need something to dig into and is good at shedding mud so it doesn't pack up. If you give it hardpac it can obviously do it but you will be penalized with too much traction, and the radial will also do its thing in that regard.
You only need to ask yourself what your own needs are, and I have no clue what you ride or if you need it either, so just know that the tire is great but be honest with your own needs and then it can be a homerun.
I will keep using it just only for the boggy days so it will do the work it's designed for.
PS: If you really need to know, I'd keep it as main if I did less uphill. Hope that helps.
So I have a MM super soft for the front and an Albert normal soft for the rear in my cart. Do I click buy?
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