Does size matter,

rob39

Hi all
Does the width of the tyre matter? I'm running 2.1" on the front and 2.25" on the rear at the moment and really don't have a clue if this matters or not. Looking to buy some maxis ardents, and looking for advice on sizes and what you should look for, for each condition/trail type etc. Mainly ride 7stanes and wild XC (Fire roads and hidden tracks)

cooldad

Most people riding different size tyres would have the wider one on the front - rear slide is easy to control, front is not.

MTB noob

In general, if you are looking for efficiency and long distance rides, go for around 2.1" tyres. But if you are stronger in the leg and you are looking for traction, go for something like 2.35" or 2.5". The good brands are Continental, Maxxis and some Michelin's are good as well.

I personally have 2.1" front + rear but I ride anywhere and on tarmac a lot.

njee20

In general, if you are looking for efficiency and long distance rides, go for around 2.1" tyres. But if you are stronger in the leg and you are looking for traction, go for something like 2.35" or 2.5". The good brands are Continental, Maxxis and some Michelin's are good as well.

Not really. Larger tyres are grippier and potentially more comfortable as you can run lower pressures, but heavier and slower. For general XC riding something around a 2.0"-2.3" will be fine, much less and you're getting toward specialist mud tyres, much more and there's a risk they won't fit in your frame/fork.

If you value speed go narrower, if you want grip, go wider.

'The good brands' is a far longer list than that, tyres are a very personal thing, it's not as clear cut as x is good, y isn't. I like Schwalbe tyres personally, and use 2.1s both ends. If I was riding somewhere rockier, or even if I wasn't racing then I'd use the 2.25"s, not much of a weight penalty, but they do offer more grip.

.blitz

rob39 wrote:

Looking to buy some maxis ardents

Ardents are pitched towards the gnar end of trail riding and are slightly OTT for easier trails/tarmac.

They look big but they're not they are all sidewall with a shallow tread. The tall single-ply carcass gives a floaty feeling and you can feel it flex when you start to accelerate but once wound up the Ardents hold speed well and are freakily good downhill whilst not being too resistive on the climbs. Traction is good on a wide variety of terrain from dry hardpack through to rubble and soft loam, although they start to get sketchy on watery mud and are hopeless in proppa mud.

2.25 Ardent works well on the front with a 2.25 CrossMark on the back. Good prices at http://www.bike-discount.de/?lg=en

The Rookie

Think about your tyres and what you need, right now as some of my local climbs are quite slippy I'm running a 2.1 Fire XC Pro on the front and and 1.8 Mud Pro on the rear, enough grip on the front, traction on the rear, when it's drier I swap the rear to a 1.8 Fire XC, drier still it goes 2.1, in summer I run Michelin Dry Mountains which are really fast rolling but the compound is very hard and looses grip in the wet (roots and rocks are worst, slimey mud they cope with fine).

Simon