High Rollers or Hans Dampf??

NickVerdier

Hi,

I'm about to buy a Norco Sight 2 and (as most reviews suggest) I'm looking to replace the tyres straight away.

My research narrowed it down to two but I can't decide the winner. Maxxis High Rollers or Schwalbe Hans Damps. I mainly ride in Kent where the trails are wet more often than not but also plan a trip to the French Pyrenees this summer.

Here's what I'm thinking, HRs Dual Ply 2.35 42a on the front and 60a at the back, switching to 60a on the front this summer. Or HDs 2.35 Trailstar F&B but would they be as good in France as the HRs??

Thanks

lawman

Dual ply high rollers will weigh a ton and the 2.35 comes up very small, more like a 2.1. Hans Dampfs in a trailstar/pacestar combo would be my choice, £60 delivered from bike-discount.de. Excellent tyres in most conditions and a proper size too. Well impressed with mine, will be my go-to tyre from now on.

NickVerdier

Thanks for this. so far most of what I've read has been in favour of the HRs. How do your HDs climb in the wet because that's one thing I'm looking for?
The price was also pushing me towards the HRs but I've just found them on Bike-discount for £60 which is the same price as the HRs cost in England. Close to place the order

lawman

Excellent on wet climbs so far, my trails have been pretty gloopy recently and they have masses of grip everywhere. The high rollers are a decent tyre, but personally I prefer the Hans Dampf, it rolls really well, the grip is excellent and the deal from bike-discount makes them great value.

dusk

I prefer HD's to HR's, the HD's actually made me think wow these have a lot of grip which the HR's didn't but that's not to say they're a bad tyre

NickVerdier

Great, that's good news! What was pushing me away from the HDs was the price in te UK (£40-£50 a tyre) but that deal makes it very attractive indeed. BikeRadar also suggest the HDsare not just winter tyres but great all-year round tyres in the UK which will be my main playground. Maybe I'll get the HRs in the summer for France as they're quite cheap too

Tom Barton

I got HDs in december - they've been superb. For chunky tyres they roll well, good volume soaks up the terrain well and they conform nicely if your running them on the softer side. Wet grip is superb (good on what bits of trail i've found that are dry so far). Cornering grip is good and they get onto the side lugs more predicatably than the HRs although overall i'd say the HRs pip them in the out and out grip stakes - but barely enough to notice and they are significantly lighter.

I was quite impressed with the tyre walls - on my first ride with them a rock managed to slice a small bit of tyre which caused a puncture. However, on examination only the upper surface of rubber was damaged - the underlying structure was fine and a pin prick hole was very swifty fixed with a patch (run tubeless). Similiar damage to the Conti rubber queens i used before has resulted in them going in the bin. No issues since. I also found them a bit easier than some tyres to seat on the rim too.

My go to alrounder now. And to be honest as and when i need a downhill tyre instead of 2.5 minions i'm going to try the DH ply version of the HD..

NickVerdier

Thanks for this Tom. Looks like I got my answer. HDs for now thanks to a good deal on Bike-Discount and HRs this summer.

concorde

HDs everytime!