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29er Tyres
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Looking to replace the Racing Ralph's (front and rear) that came with my HT 29er.
Being in Perth, mainly ride at the Camel and Goat Farms, but also getting into the club races and doing the enduro events (but nowhere near the front)
Running tubes. Looking for good front traction.
Been suggested Crossmarks, another combo is Specialzed Captain (Front) and Renegade in the rear.
Any other suggestions?
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Ignitor front and Crossmark rear. I'm not a fan of Crossmarks as a front tyre.
the Maxxis tyres are very good and more versitile for WA conditions, but if your looking at getting a lighter set of tyres, i personally would go the Specialized. The Maxxis are better value for money and they last longer than the Specialized
Hi Bryan,
I'm also on a 29er HT and maybe you could use this opportunity to go tubeless since you're doing some events and less flats as well as less weight cant be bad right? If you're that way inclined I really recommend having a look at the Bontrager 29.2 TLR tyres (I personally ride the team issue 2.1 inch). I run this system with stans sealant and not a single flat in the eight months I've had the system.
I know people are recommending maxxis, which are a safe bet since they're bombproof and super grippy but imo id see them as a bit of a weighty option compared to offerings from Continental (I can't praise the X-King and Race King enough), Kenda (Karma and Small Block Eight), and I know Bontrager is a love hate thing but I've only had good experiences with the new stuff. If you really want to go maxxis maybe look at running an Ikon? - Heard good things about those ones.
Tyres are a massive personal preference thing. I know I've thrown out a lot of ideas but maybe go to your LBS and see what they think - those guys should know their stuff really well.
Hope this helps!
Michael
General trail use 2.4 Ardent up front, 2.25 rear. Enduro racing 2.25 front, 2.2 Ikon EXO rear. All normal folding all run tubless with stans. Hold air well.
They are a good step up from the crossmarks as they are lighter and a little bigger, they roll well and provide plenty of grip for enduro/general riding but not too hot in the wet
Ps, you really should consider tubeless
I use Specialized Captains front and rear, tubeless. They are good across all types of terrain and IMHO are much better than Racing Ralphs which I have also used.
Specialized - Ground Control could be an option...
I have found the Ardent and Ikon combo great on a 29er dually. Ardent 2.25 upfront and Ikon 2.2 on the rear. They gripped very will in the wet @ the 3 Ringed Circus IMHO.
Evan
I run The Captain front and racing ralph rear. RR no good on the front but it is fast and i find it good as a rear, captain is reasonably quick and very grippy.
I've just replaced my Racing Ralph tubeless ready front tyre (due to it continuously leaking stans liquid through the sidewalls), and gone for Maxxis Ikon. I'm really pleased with it. The Ikon feels solid, grips well (mainly ridden Manly Dam), rolls fast and not too heavy.
FWIW, I think pick grip or rolling resistance, you cant have both. SO rara's are fast in a straight line, not too bad on hardpack, likely to end up with gravel rash on gravel.
While sometimes less grip on the rear can help you around real tight corners, a washout thats unexpected on either front or rear ends up in cuts and scrapes. Crashes slow down my training and dint my confidence more than anything else, so i now choose grip over rolling resistance - this means bigger bagged nobby nics, ardents, WTB bronsons, muddy mary conti mountain kings - variously front AND rear.
From what I hear of perth, hardpack is not the std, pea gravel is - which means aggressive well spaced nobs to get through th gravel and onto th better grip harder ground below.
For a simple 100km enduro, put something lower resistance on the week before the race, if 2min makes a difference to you.
FWIW Don't put the Spec controls on front - put on rear - on front try Specs Purgatory. Been using these for awhile on both HT anf FS, but tubeless and 25psi, had no problems but i don't really hit anything hard enough to get burping or flats
If you look at some of the 2013 specialised bikes they coming out in WA with this setup from the importers, Purgatory front, Captain control OR Controls on rear, possibly because the Specialised agent now runs them on his MTB 
However, type of tyre that suits you depends inpart on your riding style.
FWIW
Guys
Great suggestions and they have helped me arrive at a decision.
Given that I am crap at leaning into corners and had a fun ride on Sunday with the Rock & Roll boys (slipping off the wet roots on the way from Pickering Brook to Gungin tests your nerves) I will be going for an Ardent and Crossmark (F & R respectively) and going to tubeless option.
Just got to find them now at a good price. TBE online looks good and Torpedo7 for the Stan's.
Thanks for your help.
I run crossmark 2.1 rear, ardent 2.25 front (LUST version so quite heavy, but wanted the protection on the side walls for all the rocks in Kalamunda). Setup tubeless on Giant S-XC rims with Stan's yellow tape with normal floor pump. Both do grip up well and tread life is holding up pretty good. The ardent grips really well, have used an ignitor before, grip was good but the rolling resistance was high compared to ardent. I have found that they don't grip well over wet roots, that's probably the only downfall but a good setup otherwise, love the ardent! I have run the racing raphs EVO before, but sidewalls are completely shite!
Ignitor front, crossmark rear for me, of course YMMV.
I reckon the crossmark on the front cost me 2 broken ribs a couple years back, or it could be my crap riding........., but it hasn't happened again since putting ignitor on.
Been using them for a while including my recent trip to Europe, I rate them pretty highly.
Very good in the dry and dust.
I'm running the following 29er wheels at the moment:
My general use set is running 2.25 Ardent Fr & 2.1 Crossmark R both proper UST.
I'm not that impressed with the weight (900g) or the lack of grip on pea gravel of the Ardent although they have been 100% reliable & work great on almost all other surfaces. The rear Crossmark is as reliable & well behaved as always although the Icon 2.25 may be even better.
My race wheels are the Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25 Fr & Racing Ralph 2.25 Evo combi. They are TL ready & running tubeless. A pain in the ass to seal due to micro perforations in the sidewall but are so fast to spin up & give great grip. I have now done a few races on them & they have held up to some serious use although the sidewalls are very thin.
I have also run a Specialized Captain/ Fast track combi which in 2Bliss form which work well & are cheap & light.
Additionally the Maxxis Exo series tyres also seal ok with Stans so maybe the Ardent/Ikon or Crossmark EXO combi would be the best value vs performance. The Ignitor is also great up front but comes up small compared to the others so order the bigger size.