Tire combinations for rocky North Jersey

The_Mountainside_Menace

Well-Known Member
I have had some issues with Ardents sliding out as there is that transitional section between the top and side nobs. Other thought is maybe itā€™s not just about tires but also how tires work with the bike geometry and rider style. I love the Recon as a front tire on my hardtail but have experienced some of the issues you described on some FS bikes. One thought is on a HT one is up on the peddles most of the time in rough terrain so the front is more weighted down. On a FS one (or at least I) tends to be in the attack position less often. Then of course there is the aspect of tires being brand new. Will have to see how the traction is on the cross county tires once the initial luster wears off...

What size are you thinking of switching to?
I probably will give the minion 29x2.5 tanwalls a shot
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Did a ride with @xc62701 (hopefully I tagged the right person bc that username is dumb) on turkey day and despite the monsoon I still chose the xc tire and didn't die despite multiple butt puckering events. Fat bike probably would have been the best choice to gain some traction. Despite that, those aspens are just unreal in most conditions when the rubber stays on the ground. Since buying Lucky's bike and replacing his old tanwall rekons with new ones, I find I somehow have infinitely more traction on wet roots and rocks with aspens. WTF! Why buy rekons! I think honestly I just need to lower the pressure on the rekons quite a bit over the aspens due to the more supple sidewall. Anyone else have a similar story? (Disclaimer - yes I rode wet trails (but the trails ridden were properly built so doubtful any damage was done b/c they are pretty much bombproof). Sorry for these transgressions I will do 10 hail mary's to the trail gods and will be putting in my time this weekend to build the Marty trail tribute at Stephens)

I run an Ardent/Rekon combo. I like the Rekon a lot in North Jersey where the rocks are stationary for the most part. It's super grippy climbing. It can be a little sketchy here on the Watchung Ridge where everything is always rolling around, but I haven't ridden anything that feels good so...Rekon.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I run an Ardent/Rekon combo. I like the Rekon a lot in North Jersey where the rocks are stationary for the most part. It's super grippy climbing. It can be a little sketchy here on the Watchung Ridge where everything is always rolling around, but I haven't ridden anything that feels good so...Rekon.
What about that transition knob wear doe?
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
What about that transition knob wear doe?

On the Ardent? IDK, my front tire has 1,300 miles on it. I'm on my 3rd rear though. First 2 rears were Ardents, which is why I swapped to a lower knob.

Screenshot_20201208-204047_Strava.jpg
 

graveyardman67

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I havent tried it, but tanis claims that you can ride a flat tire with their inserts
I did at Creek one day. I Cracked a Bontrager Line 30 Carbon rim WITH Cushcore. Man those wheels suck. Rode half the mountain at a reasonable speed to the parking lot and swapped wheels. I will give Trek 100% props for trading my Line 30 Pro wheels for Line 40 Pro wheels. Between Donovan and I, we have done 5 wheels in 2020. (He weighs 130 lbs and I'm a massive 172 lbs and have broken very few bike parts in many years of riding pretty friggin hard). Goddam 'Rona affecting everything.
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
yea trek has been pretty good to me about replacing/upgrading broken parts, it helps when youv got a good shop filing the claims for ya ;)
 

bucknejo

Well-Known Member
OP - I have a TB 1c and run 29 Ardent 2.4 front / High Roller II 2.3 rear. The HR II is actually on backwards now and if I said I did this on purpose that would be a big fat lie. Seems to be working nicely in RW and HMP. The Ardent never seems to wear out, but the HR II needs to be replaced eh maybe 1x per year. I only ride when it's dry so I suppose that's a big factor too.
 

jackx

Well-Known Member
I've been happy with Maxxis Minion DHF on front and Minion DHR II on rear, both EXO+ and I highly recommend these for Northern NJ trails.

Last March I picked up a 29x2.5"WT Minion Aggressor and I just picked up a 29x2.5" Minion DHF, and noticed that they are both EXO, not EXO+ protection as I currently have. I think it will be noticeable if the EXO is less supportive on the sidewalls, but not so noticeable to me if the main difference is the EXO+ offers more puncture protection. I didn't notice them not being EXO+ when I bought them, and I hope it won't be noticeable when riding.

My current Minions 2.4" and 2.5" feel much more supportive than a Maxxis Ignitor 2.35" EXO I recently tried. The Ignitor felt better on my XC bike, with narrower rims, or maybe that's just what I was used to a few years ago.
 

sundaydoug

Well-Known Member
I've been happy with Maxxis Minion DHF on front and Minion DHR II on rear, both EXO+ and I highly recommend these for Northern NJ trails.

Last March I picked up a 29x2.5"WT Minion Aggressor and I just picked up a 29x2.5" Minion DHF, and noticed that they are both EXO, not EXO+ protection as I currently have. I think it will be noticeable if the EXO is less supportive on the sidewalls, but not so noticeable to me if the main difference is the EXO+ offers more puncture protection. I didn't notice them not being EXO+ when I bought them, and I hope it won't be noticeable when riding.

My current Minions 2.4" and 2.5" feel much more supportive than a Maxxis Ignitor 2.35" EXO I recently tried. The Ignitor felt better on my XC bike, with narrower rims, or maybe that's just what I was used to a few years ago.

I switched from EXO to EXO+ casing this season, both DHF front and DHRII rear. Difference in sidewall stiffness is not massive, but definitely noticeable.

I have been able to puncture the DHRII on both casings though. No Cushcore or the like. Each time it happened I wasn't surprised, sometimes riding like a goon makes terrible sounds come from your bike.
 

jackx

Well-Known Member
Interesting to know what there is a noticeable difference between EXO to EXO+ casing. Thanks for the feedback!

I don't see EXO as an available option in the Maxxis specifications for the Aggressor tire, so I'll try it, since EXO+ is not an option for the Aggressor. They do offer the DD casing, but that is about 20% heavier in weight.
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
Im interested in comparing the Magic Mary to the Maxxis minion as a front tire. Can anyone speak on the differences? Pluses and minuses?
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
My timing of pairing Rekon front Rekon race rear you could say is off by 3 months. I definitely could see this being a great summer combo. I havent had any dirt naps yet and getting quite good at leaf drifting but amazingly have had better then I thought traction when on tough climbs. Roots are another story though not too many tires stick there. I dont feel like another tire buy but may move the Rekon to the rear and try the disector i have in the front for the greasy season. I couldn't get by the weight penalty of the assegia/disector combo before.
 
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