I’m Looking for a New Tire

Discussion in 'Tires' started by Derek13, May 31, 2018.


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  1. Derek13

    Derek13 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Derek Smith
    Current Bike:
    SC Hightower
    Got a BIG spike in my rear Crossmark II tire today. Tire was needing to be replaced anyway. I would love some suggestions if anyone cares to chime in? Chameleon 29er with Minion DHF on front. Thanks
     
    mike, Mikie, Danmtchl and 1 other person like this.
  2. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    Bontrager XR4 Team Issue.
     
    mike, Mikie, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  3. Danimal

    Danimal iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    Epic Evo
    That's a good tire, should fit their needs.
     
    mike, Mikie, DangerDirtyD and 4 others like this.
  4. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I saw an XR4 in person the other day on @mike 's Beefy hardtail. Impressive looking tire.

    But I'd say your decision depends on what you're looking for. Did the Crossmark perform well, or did you find yourself wanting more or less tire back there?
     
    Cyclotourist, mike, Mikie and 2 others like this.
  5. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    If you think you need less tire, you actually need to pick up the pace.
     
    Danmtchl, mike, Mikie and 2 others like this.
  6. Derek13

    Derek13 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Derek Smith
    Current Bike:
    SC Hightower
    I need more tire in the rear. the Crossmark rolled very quiet and smooth, but lacked grip under breaking and hard corners. The Maxxis Ardent on the back of the Tallboy I demoed felt real solid. I want to stick with Maxxis and I think it's between Minion, Ardent, and Forecaster. I recently read on here someone using the Forecaster and liking it.
     
    mike, Danmtchl, Cyclotourist and 3 others like this.
  7. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I run the Forekaster front and rear... which was a suggestion from @UPSed and @mtnbikej . But I was coming up from more XC tires, like the Ardent Race. @JordanHMay recently went from Crossmark to Forekaster on the rear of his Chameleon, and could probably chime in on how he likes it. I like that it's as light as an XC tire, but slightly more aggressive in the tread. Coming down Booby Trap last night with 6 inches of kitty litter in the turns, I was happy it was on the rear of the Highball. :D

    It will only come off the bike if I go ride one of @mike 's routes. Then I'll reach for the Minion hanging on the garage wall.
     
    mike, Danmtchl, Cyclotourist and 5 others like this.
  8. JordanHMay

    JordanHMay Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Rancho Santa Margarita
    Name:
    Jordan May
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon
    The CM2 is a great XC tire when you’re on mostly hard flat ground. I really like it in the desert.

    I like the FK because it rolls light while providing much more lateral grip. I also like the rounded knob profile more in corners.

    I would say the Ardent is closer to the CM2 than the FK.

    I really enjoy the Aggresor in the rear but it’s overkill for most of what I ride. If I was doing more chunk that’s the rear I’d go with.

    Also the FK is a great front tire.
     
    mike, Danmtchl, DangerDirtyD and 3 others like this.
  9. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I have Schwalbe Nobby Nics 2.35F/2.25R on my Chameleon when in 29er mode. The work well on dry SoCal dirt.
    The stock 27.5 X 3.0 WTB Rangers sure wear out fast... rear is close to gone, and front is getting there. Somewhere around 600 miles on them.
     
    mike, Danmtchl and Mikie like this.
  10. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    He said he wants to stick with Maxxis. :rolleyes:
     
  11. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    The Ardent is not a bad tire on the back.....not a great front tire, but much better on the rear.

    The Minion is a lot of tire....almost too much tire. I agree that the Crossmark II is too XC.....in the same realm as the Ikon/Ardent Race.

    The Forekaster seems to fit in there just nicely.
     
    mike, tick, Danmtchl and 2 others like this.
  12. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Skipped over that downstream... I should get a participation prize or something!
     
  13. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    I have 2 rides on a xr3/xr4 combo. Both in a 2.4 width. Really like the combo so far.
     
    Mikie, Faust29, mtnbikej and 3 others like this.
  14. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    My Process came with Ardents F&R. I’ve long since switched to a Minion in front, but I just picked up another Ardent for the rear, I’ve gone through a couple and have been happy. Rolls well enough, grips well enough, holds up under abuse.

    But if you are coming from a Crossmark...I ran one on a previous bike a few years ago, that felt like a road tire in comparison to anything I’ve run before or since. (Road tires excepted )
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  15. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I ran the 2.35 Ardent Race with surprising performance and long wear. I don’t think it comes in 29 x 2.6, but if it did... I just put a 275 x 2.6 on the wife’s Bronson with DHF up front. Sweet pairing IMO.

    Minion DHR2 2.4WT or Bonty XR4 TI 2.6 are my picks for rides that include some of the usual chunk and chunder, a la Santa Anas.
     
    Mikie, Cyclotourist, Danmtchl and 6 others like this.
  16. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    Just goes to show how we're all different. I love the Ardent up front and have ran it for several years on multiple bikes. Currently up front on my Primer and 5010. I've never tried it on the rear and since switching to the Aggressor in 2017, have no plans to. I have the Aggressor on trees rear of all 3 of my bikes.... none of which are XC hardtails. If I had a hardtail and had to stick to Maxxis, I'd probably run an Ikon. Always worked well for me.
     
    Mikie, Cyclotourist and Faust29 like this.
  17. Derek13

    Derek13 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Derek Smith
    Current Bike:
    SC Hightower
    I ended up with a new Aggressor our back. Took it out for one ride and loved it right away. Incredible traction going up. Stood up to crank and never broke traction.
    Later that day put deposit down on new bike and haven’t ridden new tire again. May swap rear tires. New bike comes with Minion DHR
     
    mike, Mikie, mtnbikej and 8 others like this.
  18. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Congrats! And I like the sound of any new bike that comes shod with a DHR II in the back! :thumbsup: :cool:
     
    mike, Mikie, Derek13 and 1 other person like this.
  19. moto knight

    moto knight Member

    Location:
    Riverside
    Name:
    kyle
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Bronson
    Dhf and Aggresor combo is my go to great setup.
    Congratulations on the new soon to be bike!
     
    mike, Mikie and Derek13 like this.
  20. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    You've never seen the Maxxis Knobby Nic? o_O:D
     
  21. Redman

    Redman iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Henderson, Nv
    Name:
    Kevin
    Current Bike:
    SC OG Hightower 29'r
    My current setup, which I quite like.... High Roller II in the front w/ Aggressor in the back.:thumbsup::cool:
     
    herzalot, mtnbikej and mike like this.
  22. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Wear out the DHR first :cool: The WT ones bite like mad on climbing loose and rough stuff, even when pretty inflated pretty hard.
     
    UPSed, Derek13 and mtnbikej like this.
  23. HBkites

    HBkites Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Huntington Beach
    Name:
    Sharone
    Current Bike:
    Why S7, Revel Rascal, Spark RC
    I run 2.2 Ikons on all my bikes (2.8 Recon on the 27.5+), and I never felt that I needed bigger nobs tires for more grip....... I guess I need to up my game and start riding some real mountains.









    Generally speaking (don't take it personally) too many guys switch to bigger tires to help compensate for lack of focus (such as braking before the turn) or improper turning technique.
    Personally, I hate slow rolling tires. They are not needed for the riding I do in SoCal.
     
    herzalot, UPSed, mtnbikej and 2 others like this.
  24. Danimal

    Danimal iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    Epic Evo
    That's the set up I have on my Rocky mountain. Works very well for me .
     
    herzalot likes this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?