Mountain King II, X King or Hans Dampf tyres?

broona
broona Posts: 414
edited May 2012 in MTB buying advice
Looking for a new set of tyres for mostly XC and trail centre riding, and have narrowed it down to these 3 so far.

Will probably be buying them from Bike Discount too, as they seem to be the cheapest out there, and I'd be going for one of their special twin packs.

Any opinions please?

Comments

  • swelsbyuk
    swelsbyuk Posts: 421
    Got X King on my hardtail and just got the Hans Dampf for my FS. Love the HD.
  • broona
    broona Posts: 414
    Thanks for the reply, added the HD's to my basket 5 or 6 times already, just never checked out, lol! ;)
  • widge34
    widge34 Posts: 900
    I had to make the same decision. Went for the Mountain King II. Very happy I did, great grip, great rolling and light for their size. Although the Hans Damf are supposed to be great, lots of reviews saying that they ware out quickly.
    ----
    Widge.

    Bird Zero 2
    Trek Madone 3.5c H2 2013
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    I love my HDs, not the fastest tyres but not painfully slow, oodles of grip though. Can't comment on longevity yet as I've only done a few proper rides on them.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Very different tyres. MK's are probably closer to Nobby Nics.
    Hans Dampf's are great, loads of grip & respond well to aggressive riding. Grip really well on loamy surfaces and good wet weather grip.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • agg25
    agg25 Posts: 619
    I put my HD's on last night, haven't ridden with them but they look and feel substantially heavier than the Nobby Nics which are about 200gs lighter. Look quite grippy though. If it were just XC I'd probably go something lighter, HD's suit more AM riding.
  • benpinnick
    benpinnick Posts: 4,148
    I have the 2.1 MKII and the 2.35 HDs. Very different tyres but offer similar grip & performance in their own right. I use the HDs for more agressive/rocky trail riding, where Im benefitting from the fact they are super tough, and I'll suffer the weight penalty to avoid issues with pinch flats etc, while I stick to the MKIIs for XC stuff nearby, where its smoother and I can get away with a light tyre. The HD definitely has more outright grip, but it is a noticably heavier roller.
    A Flock of Birds
    + some other bikes.
  • broona
    broona Posts: 414
    I'd be changing from a 2.35 High Roller on the rear, and a 2.5 Minion DHF on the front, so the weight shouldn't be too much of a concern, can't see the HD's being any heavier.

    I still don't quite understand the distinction between AM/XC riding, but I'm happy to accept a weight penalty for a little extra protection.

    We ride anything from road to mud to rocks, and I dislike swapping tyres all the time, so I'd prefer something that can cope with almost any condition.
  • muran
    muran Posts: 105
    Just picked up a pair of 2.2 MK II's for £22 all in (delivered). Very pleased with them and seem to roll faster than the 2.3 Speed Kings that were on as stock.
  • broona
    broona Posts: 414
    muran wrote:
    Just picked up a pair of 2.2 MK II's for £22 all in (delivered). Very pleased with them and seem to roll faster than the 2.3 Speed Kings that were on as stock.

    Wire bead? I fancy the black chili compound if I'm getting some MK's, pushes the price up a bit unfortunately!
  • agg25
    agg25 Posts: 619
    broona wrote:
    I'd be changing from a 2.35 High Roller on the rear, and a 2.5 Minion DHF on the front, so the weight shouldn't be too much of a concern, can't see the HD's being any heavier.

    I still don't quite understand the distinction between AM/XC riding, but I'm happy to accept a weight penalty for a little extra protection.

    We ride anything from road to mud to rocks, and I dislike swapping tyres all the time, so I'd prefer something that can cope with almost any condition.

    Well the way I think about it is XC is less steep technical downhill stuff, less dangerous, more racey. AM pretty much covers everything and speed isn't as much of an issue as is being reliable and tough. Then there's downhill...

    In a graphical sense -

    XC = /\___/\___/\___
    AM = ^ ^ ^
    ......../ \/ \/ \......
    DH = \
    ...........\
    .............\
    ...............\
    :-)
  • muran
    muran Posts: 105
    broona wrote:
    muran wrote:
    Just picked up a pair of 2.2 MK II's for £22 all in (delivered). Very pleased with them and seem to roll faster than the 2.3 Speed Kings that were on as stock.

    Wire bead? I fancy the black chili compound if I'm getting some MK's, pushes the price up a bit unfortunately!

    Yep wire bead, nothing special. Happy with that price though for my usage.
  • widge34
    widge34 Posts: 900
    I picked up a 2.4 and 2.2 MK II Black Chilli Protection for £60 from bike-discount.de.
    ----
    Widge.

    Bird Zero 2
    Trek Madone 3.5c H2 2013

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