Fat summer tires for a hardtail

I still swear by Continental X Kings 2.4 but Bontrager XR's in 2.35 are really good...

Maxxis Advantage are big and roll much faster than you would think. Highly recommended all rounders.

I ran a 2.25 Crossmark on the rear of my 456 with a 2.4 Advantage (now run an Ardent though) on the front. Still use this combo on my Marin. Was a very good all round setup, good speed and gripped really well. Never found myself wanting more volume, was controlled enough and hardtails are never going to be the most comfortable anyway. If you want more comfort then I would say go for a dual ply Ardent or similar as it means you can run lower tyre pressures without it squirming all over the place and there is less chance of puncturing as well but this carries quite a weight penalty.

The crossmark has a lot more cornering grip on the rear than a lot of people would have you believe, I have never felt out of control with it, just a few predictable and fun slides I would personally go for the Ardent over the Advantage but others would say different. I personally find that the Ardent grips better but what I found was the Ardent has to be leaned over more to get the most grip so is better for more aggressive riders whereas the Advantage can't be leaned over as much, if you lean it over as far as you do an Ardent it starts to get a bit skitterish. The Advantage is very good in loose rocks though so if you ride a lot of rocky stuff then go for the Advantage. The Advantage also has more braking grip than the Ardent.