Looking for good all-round tyres

chunkyboy

Hello all ! Newbie to the site and i have to say it's brilliant, well impressed with it.
This is my first post and it's one of those questions that has probably not got a definitive answer. I'm looking for some new tyres for my 2007 stumpjumper fsr comp. It's been redundant for the last 12 months but i've blown the cob webs off it and it's in need of some tyres. I've been scouring forums, blogs and online shops for the last few days and just can't make my mind up. I'm after a good all round tyre for the muddy/rooty/loose/forest path surfaces but also able to take a bit of tarmac riding too. I'm not too concerned with weight and rolling speed, i can just pedal a bit harder !

Dazzza

I would say coni vert pro's or speed kings or even fire xc pro's.

Id suggest schwalbe nobby nics as they're fantastic but riding on tarmac often will wear them fast, fine everywhere else though.

robmanic1

I thought all tyres were round.

Nobby's + 1

chunkyboy

I had the fire xc pro's on a list i'd made (as long as my arm) i do like the description/reviews on those. Will take a look at the others you mentioned.

Thanks for that

Northwind

If you really don't care about rolling resistance and weight, then 2.1 Highrollers or Nevegals. But you might come to regret saying that, they're a touch slow offroad but they're liquid drag on tarmac. Good tyres though, they'll do a dab of anything. They'd be my choice, I'd sooner be slow on tarmac and planted everywhere else, and I don't like the wear tradeoffs that you often get with tyres that are better on tarmac yet still grip offroad.

Last option I suppose would be something like a Kenda Small Block- but they're not good in mud. They don't clog as badly as it looks like they will, but they don't really grip well enough either. Considering that they're fast summer tyres they do surprisingly well in bad mud but still... Can't really recommend any tyre like that if you see a lot of bad mud.

chunkyboy

Northwind wrote:

If you really don't care about rolling resistance and weight, then 2.1 Highrollers or Nevegals. But you might come to regret saying that, they're a touch slow offroad but they're liquid drag on tarmac. Good tyres though, they'll do a dab of anything. They'd be my choice, I'd sooner be slow on tarmac and planted everywhere else, and I don't like the wear tradeoffs that you often get with tyres that are better on tarmac yet still grip offroad.

Last option I suppose would be something like a Kenda Small Block- but they're not good in mud. They don't clog as badly as it looks like they will, but they don't really grip well enough either. Considering that they're fast summer tyres they do surprisingly well in bad mud but still... Can't really recommend any tyre like that if you see a lot of bad mud.

Thanks for the advice. The tyres you have mentioned and tyres mentioned by other members are all on a list i had put together so i think it's just a case of do the pros and cons and pick the one that comes out on top. I'm just glad i've bin looking at tyres you have all mentioned and i've not got to start hunting all over again.

reevie25

I would say a pair of maxxis Ignitors because they had great grip and they lasted ages. Don't buy speed kings. I have speed kings on my bike now, they have many problems:

Wear down to easily
Not grippy on any wet terain
I have had about 20 punctures (only owned them for 2 months)


I should have got another pair of ignitors.

starseven

Conti Verticals for me, just the basic job 13 quid bargain.

bomberesque

I use Scwalbe Nobby Nics on the front and Maxxis High Rollers at the rear.

choose the 60a durometer HR and the rolling resistance isn't so bad and the 2.1 kevlar version is the same weight as the 2.1 NN! Leave teh 40 durometer "superTacky" HR well alone unless you know what you're getting into. Draggy does not begin to describe it.

My personal preference are the 2.35/2.4 sizes in NN/HR respectively but I have the 2.1s on my SS as it's a lightweight build and the Maxxis doesn't come in 2.35/kevlar last I looked

DVV

I use Kenda Nevegals as my 'all round' tyre, but they feel slow on tarmac. I put a faster tyre on the rear for dry conditions. I hear Nobby nics are good, but they are quite expensive and (IIRC) wear quicker than other brands. If I was richer I would try them.

.blitz

Another vote for Nics. Road riding will wear them out faster than yesterday's news but off-road they are pretty much unbeatable. The 2.1s are low-volume skinny little XC tyres but the 2.25s are much better for trail riding. Or you could put a 2.4 Snakeskin up front and ride through/over anything.

bomberesque

.blitz wrote:

put a 2.4 Snakeskin up front and ride through/over anything.

^^ that's what I have on the front of Evil, paired to a Highroller 2.35 on the back. Wicked tyre, easily alpine capable yet light enough to ride trails with

.blitz

bomberesque wrote:

Wicked tyre, easily alpine capable yet light enough to ride trails with

Dunno why more people don't use them. I have a paper-thin Cheng Shin tube in mine so the overall weight is only a little bit more than the 2.25. Same bike, same rider, same trails, no punctures

bomberesque

.blitz wrote:

bomberesque wrote:

Wicked tyre, easily alpine capable yet light enough to ride trails with

Dunno why more people don't use them. I have a paper-thin Cheng Shin tube in mine so the overall weight is only a little bit more than the 2.25. Same bike, same rider, same trails, no punctures

I ghettoed mine 6 months ago when I bought it. not one puncture since then

It wasn't a cheap tyre though iirc, but I'd certainly spend it again.

/edit, I think a lot of people shy off them because 2.4 sounds very big for a trail tyre and the first gen snake skin tyres were quite heavy iirc. Current ones are not much heavier than their standard walled versions.

.blitz

Agreed - the 2.4 Evo Snakeskin is only 65g heavier than the 2.25 and - shhh - Wiggle are still selling them for £38

Northwind

.blitz wrote:

Wiggle are still selling them for £38 [/url][/size]

Well, you did ask why not many people use them... that's the price of a pair of Nevegals from Woolyhatshop, and you still think it's a bargain They're ace but so expensive.

robertpb

I have NN front and back, they have dealt with all sorts of terrain and conditions, including this liquid sunshine we keep getting.

Ribble are selling a pair of 2.25 NN's for £50.92 at the moment.

Th3 Firestarter

Minion front, high roller rear, nuff said.

.blitz

Northwind wrote:

They're ace but so expensive.

IIRC they were £33 when I got one. Not a bad price for a 2.4 Snakeskin Evo Nic.

The way I see it, you could have the lightest, fastest, best handling, most expensive bike on the planet but it don't mean jack if your tyres are no good.

Northwind

.blitz wrote:

Northwind wrote:

They're ace but so expensive.

IIRC they were £33 when I got one. Not a bad price for a 2.4 Snakeskin Evo Nic.

The way I see it, you could have the lightest, fastest, best handling, most expensive bike on the planet but it don't mean jack if your tyres are no good.

True, but you don't have to spend this much to get a great tyre, is the point. I wouldn't turn my nose up at the price of a NN if there weren't other tyres that are competetive, for less.