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Best commute/AM tyre combo?

SupernortSupernort Posts: 44
edited April 2012 in MTB buying advice
Hey guys, I have a rather strange request: I commute 120 miles a week on roads on my Remedy '10 and I regularly detour on the way home for an AM sesh, therefore swapping tyres is not an option. I need to find the best compromise between rolling-resistance on tarmac and grip/puncture resistance on hard-packed woodland trails, but also - to throw a spanner into the works - intense DH trails on sharp and loose, rocky ground. I'm on a budget, so I'm looking for the hardest-wearing tyre combo that won't wash out easily on loose ground. I'm prepared to sacrifice rolling-resistance - more effort on the commute - in order to get the most grip on the sketchier, loose-rock DH trails. I'm currently running a High Roller Super Tacky 2-ply 2.35 on the front and a Bontrager FR-5 Team Issue on the rear, but the Bonty's just died. Has anyone got any suggestions? Thanks in advance. d-)
Remedy 7 2010 --- Endure the ups to appreciate the downs

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  • SupernortSupernort Posts: 44
    *FR-4, not 5. Sorry... Typing on a phone's a feckin' effort.
    Remedy 7 2010 --- Endure the ups to appreciate the downs
  • cooldadcooldad Posts: 32,599
    Good luck.
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  • stubsstubs Posts: 5,001
    Dont want much do you. Try a soft compound tyre on the front and a hard compound on the rear. Rear knobbly tyres die pretty quick on tarmac so get a hard compound and learn to ride round the lack of cornering grip at the rear. As long as your front tyre goes where its pointed the rear will catch up eventually.
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  • SupernortSupernort Posts: 44
    Cheers stubs. My stock Bonty XDXs were super comfy and shaved 9 minutes off an 11 mile road route compared to my current combo... but I had far too many punctures at Poldice. I opted for the Minion 2 ply DHR in the end. After reading many threads on here, I would've gone for the DHF but the LBS is more roadie-orientated so they didn't have much to choose from. d-)
    Remedy 7 2010 --- Endure the ups to appreciate the downs
  • SupernortSupernort Posts: 44
    I know that it's probably the wrong tyre but I needed it there and then and the only other choices were a Bonty XR-4 and a Rubber Queen.
    Remedy 7 2010 --- Endure the ups to appreciate the downs
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    I'm genuinely surprised that a supertacky has lasted a single 120-mile week :shock:
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  • bennett_346bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    I've had around 600 miles out of my supertacky swampies, and that was 50/50 on road. They're literally tearing apart in chunks now but it proves what they'll do.
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    I'm impressed. My ST highrollers didn't even last a month of commuting on top of weekend riding.
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  • SupernortSupernort Posts: 44
    The tyres haven't seen nearly enough of the trails over the winter as I'd have liked them to have and the High Roller ain't looking so great after a few thousand miles on tarmac, but it's been puncture-free for the duration which includes hawthorn-strewn trails whilst the FR-4 has inevitably born the brunt of over-vigorous rear braking and has let me down partly because of its susceptibility to typical rear tyre damage, but it's also been a royal pain in the censored because it's tubeless-ready and refuses to let its beads bed in with anything less that 80 psi which is impossible during a trail side fix.
    Remedy 7 2010 --- Endure the ups to appreciate the downs
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