29er XC race tyres

othello

I'm after recommendations for XC race tyres for a 29" wheel.

This is for my son's bike and on his old 26" wheeled bike he used Racing Ralphs, with a Nobby Nic if its was going to be rough. But with his new 29er race bike I'm wondering what the 'best' race tyre would be?

02gf74

That's like asking what's the best pizza. There are many good pizzas plus every one will have their own preference.

Those schwalbe tyres are good so really no reason to change, although worth considering rocket ron if looking for a lighter tyre or dirty dan for grip in the mud (ask you can tell, I'm quite partial to schwalbe products).


All the above are available in 29 size and most are 2.1 or 2.3 width s., foldable and wire bead.

othello

02GF74 wrote:

That's like asking what's the best pizza. There are many good pizzas plus every one will have their own preference.

Those schwalbe tyres are good so really no reason to change, although worth considering rocket ron if looking for a lighter tyre or dirty dan for grip in the mud (ask you can tell, I'm quite partial to schwalbe products).


All the above are available in 29 size and most are 2.1 or 2.3 width s., foldable and wire bead.

Good analogy with pizza!

Its been a while since we bought new race tyres, and I wasn't sure if I was missing out on 'the next big thing'. Racing Ralphs in 2.1 have done us well so far, and we are maybe best to stick with them.

02gf74

there are many good tyres by continental, schwalbe, gear, specialized, michelin, kenda to name a few, I doubt there is one that is vastly superior..... Just like pizza although I am partial to Dr oetker.

My preference is rocket ron, taller blocks but less of them than racing Ralph, which in itself is a top tyre.

trek_dan

For a fit and forget XC tyre that'll work great in most conditions I like S Works Ground Control. Rutland Cycling had them for £15 each in the January sale, but they seem to be out of stock now.

othello

Resurrecting this old thread!

So, last season he ran Specialized Fast track rear and Ground Control front, as they came on a set of light Roval alloy wheels we picked up. They worked pretty well for him, as even though he very light, he rides quite aggressive. I took the tyres off the wheels at the weekend to repair some nicks, and was surprised how heavy they were. Particularly the ground control front.

So... I'm after some new tyres to replace these, especially as one has worn out.

At the moment he is riding the stock wheels which came with his Scott Scale, which have Maxxis Ikon 2.2 EXO tyres. These seem to be an OEM model, as they are not listed on the Maxxis website.

He really likes these, and I'm wondering if I go for another set of Ikon's, but maybe a lighter version for racing?

He is only 52kg, but does ride aggressive as he likes to drive into turns and pump to maintain speed. So anything too lightweight with paper thin sidewalls isn't going to last him long.

A friend recommended Vittoria Mezcal, but looking at them they seem pretty heavy (at least from the spec).

I'm after something light for XC racing, but not too light that they are fragile.

Thoughts?

The Rookie

I'm very much a Schwalbe fan.
Personally my go to for drier trails is a 2.25 Rocket Ron speedgrip front and 2.1 or 2.25 Racing Ralph speed compound rear. Both snakesin sidewall, although I would prefer a liteskin for the rear they've dropped it from the Ralph range (but not the Ron, go figure).
Both are quoted as 625g

levolon

Schwalbe Thunder Burt tyres are super fast ,light and surprisingly grippy.
I run them on my Specialized Epic.
Tubeless,with about 22-25psi in 2.1 size