Mountain Biking - XC Tires recommendations for Summer and Fall?

Hi there,
I know there is probably a great amount of discussion on this topic somewhere. but I just wanted to refreash my knowledge.

What would you recommend for a all-around XC tire (or tire combination) for Summer and Fall? I am from NorthEast and these tires will be used on Fire Roads, Single tracks, bike trails, gravel roads etc. it can get wet and muddy sometimes. I need something efficient (comperatively fast without totally sacrificing the traction) and good on turning and cornaring. Durability would also be a preferred quality.

last year I used Hutchison Scorpions in the front and WTB Velociraptor in the back (mind the spellings), it worked great, except from the fact that I had to change the scorpions after a short time. performance was great though.

I also used some Tiogas, but did not find them specially effective on turns and cornering on loose surfaces.

I would greatly appreciate your recommendations? thanks

p.s. please feel free to give recommendation based on specific surface/weather and geographic region.

Also, one brand front/back tires or a combination of two brands in front/back would be very helpful. thanks

I used IRC Mythos XCs last year for some early-season XC and duathlons here in the Pac NW - - possibly similar to your later-season conditions? - - and really liked them. LowCel recommended the Maxxis CrossMark eXC-fold 26x2.10 tires. Hopefully he'll weigh in on the subject to give more enlightenment than I can give. Also, Maxxis makes the High Roller in an XC width that might just do exactly what you want it to.

how is the high roller in terms of durability? thanks

Maxxis recoomends the High Roller for more-abusive situations, even in the XC-width end of the line (they make 2.35 and 2.5 versions for freeride/DH). Weight is 480g. Don't get the eXception version if you won't be racing, though, as the compound will wear quicker. The High Roller is a good mix of low center knobs for less rolling resistance combined with larger outer lugs for soft/loose + cornering, along with a tough casing.

I am attending a MTB XC race this weekend here in Central Texas hillcountry. Been pretty dry lately, but we finally got a small amount of rain. Should improve trails and keep the dust down to a minimum. May even get some more rain before racing starts. I am working as a volunteer and I want to pay special attention to equipment, especially tires, that racers are using. I have a feeling the new Maxxix Crossmark Lust UST will be a popular choice since it should be a fast rolling tire without too many knobbies. Here is race location: http://www.storm-web.org/Flyer%202006.pdf

how is the Nokian Tires for XC, specially Nokian NBT that KONA uses on their 2006 cinder cone? any experience.

thanks dminor and others for great input. please keep it up.

IRC Seracs in the 2.1 are an excellent all around tire for most conditions that the east coast will give you. I prefer Panaracer Cinders 2.25 but some say they are too heavy. I wanted a tire that is overkill for tame stuff but will hold its own in the worst conditions. I got about 3k miles on the first set, they roll super fast and hook up in all conditions the east coast has thrown out on the trails these last few years. I ride fire roads, single track, double track, but mostly aggressive cross country and havent had a pinch flat yet or anything from the east of Va. to the western mountains of Va. that they didnt kick buttocks on. I ride hot, cold or in between. I have less than 50 miles on road with the old set.
they still have about 1/3 tread left even after all the miles, but Ive had a second set in the house for about a year and the wife said they had to go so I put them on the bike.
Ive read good things about the Serac and east coast riding but have not tried them. they are a lot lighter than the Cinder too. I have a couple of friends who swear by them and they are a lot more aggressive than me

1)What's the budget.
2)What size tires width wise are you looking for.

Give the 26x2.3 Continental Vertical a go on the front and the 26x2.1 Continental Explorer a go on the back. It's a very competant north east set up.

in terms of budget I am open, that said I would not want to spend more than $150 USD for a pair.

width less than 2.3 in the rear. and whatever is more efficient in the front.

does that make sense? thanks

Yes, $150 usd is alot to spend on 1 set of tires.

I have tried the IRC Mythos XCs on a rented bike. was not really impressed, specially on a damp forested trail. I had really hard time on small roots. it could just be my skills.

any experience with the kenda XC oriented tires? how about the Nokians?

thanks for your help.

hi guys,

what do you think of the Panaracer Fire XC Pro for all around XC riding? any personal experience. I need above avarage corning efficiency and low rolling resistance. I could get the Fire XC Pro for real cheap, but if its not worth it I would pay more and get a better tire. help please. thanks

I have had good experiences with the Fire XC pro. It's a good compromise between all out traction and good rolling resistance, At least for my terrain and riding style.

what type of terrain do you ride? how do they perform on wet roots? any comments about their cornering performance at decent speed (not high speed)? thanks

hi guys,

what do you think of the Panaracer Fire XC Pro for all around XC riding? any personal experience. I need above avarage corning efficiency and low rolling resistance. I could get the Fire XC Pro for real cheap, but if its not worth it I would pay more and get a better tire. help please. thanks


I was running XC Pros front and back and had issues with the front washing out in turns (could be bad technique...). I think the Fire XC Pro makes a great back tire though. I replaced the front with a Kenda Blue Groove 2.3 Stick-E and the traction was a lot better, but it rolled kind of slow. Right now I'm running a Nokian NBX 2.3 in front and I really like it. I've also heard that the Hutchinson Spiders are good all around tires, but I've never tried them.

Dean

I asked a similar question to my mountain bike club members and there were a lot of recommendations but one of the tires that got a lot of votes was the Specialzied Roll X Pro. I'll be buying a set of those for this season.

My opinion would be small profile knobbies or none with something on the side (in hard pack).

I asked a similar question to my mountain bike club members and there were a lot of recommendations but one of the tires that got a lot of votes was the Specialzied Roll X Pro. I'll be buying a set of those for this season.
I have used roll X pros & they are pretty fast rolling but compared to Hutchinson Python gold i would have to pick Hutch's

I have used roll X pros & they are pretty fast rolling but compared to Hutchinson Python gold i would have to pick Hutch's

Thanks for the heads up. I'll go read up on the Hutchinson Python Gold tires.

Well... I've noticed someone mentioned Spider's...

Those are the tires i am using for this time of the year.

I live and ride in a very "all-round area", so choosing tyres for me is a complete pain in the A.

These tyres are a very all-around choice. Very good indeed. At the beggining i was a little sceptic and unconfident on them. However after rolling some km's they started to show their capabilities.

Very good on gravel. Don't know about mud yet. Good cornering. On tarmac they tend to produce some friction but nothing that will kill you. They also seem to have a good durability.

I'm using 2.0''

So, for an all-around tyre, it is a good one.

I also use Python's but just for gravel courses. On tarmac my experience is that they will disappear right in front of your eyes. And they are also very "fragile". The can be pinched with rather simplicity. Despite all this i still like them a lot.

My tyre choice actually is Spiders, Pythons, Wildgripper Comps and a mix for mud and seaside of a Wildgripper Comp and a DH Tioga Factory.

:D

I use Kenda Nevegals on all 3 of my bikes.
1.95 Lite's with Stans NoTubes on my hardtail racer
2.35's on my Prophet
2.5's on my VP Free
They roll fast. I can totally forget about the tires and just ride hard. They corner awesome, climb great, hold when wet, and grip when it is dry and loose.

I hope the Nevegals are good because i've put in a bid for them on eBay (fingers crossed)! Sounds like a very good tyre!!!! :p

I highly recomend these NBX Lites (http://www.gazzatyres.com/show.php?object=tyres&instance=13) especially if you have loose and/or muddy conditions and they work great over hard packed as well. They have a lot of traction, shed mud well and roll fast.

DBD:beer:

what type of terrain do you ride? how do they perform on wet roots? any comments about their cornering performance at decent speed (not high speed)? thanks

My area is mostly hardpack singletrack, just enough wet areas with roots and rocks that the fastest rolling tires slip enough to be a hassle. However the more agressive treads such as the velociraptors are noticably slower rolling and not really worth the added traction in most cases. for me it's all about the right compromise for a person's riding style and the terrain they ride. the IRC mythos, the panaracers fire XC pros, and the specailized roll that was mentioned are all in my compromise bracket and work well for my area

I just ordered a new fs bike frame (never have owned any kind of suspension bike) and I have received the UST rims and two sets of UST tires that I ordered. I also puchased a second set of rims on ebay so that I can run some knobbies when we have some muddy conditions here in S Texas. I haven't used UST tires before and I am wondering if they will work on a standard rims if tubes are used? I know this combination will be heavier, but it would be nice to have knobbies mounted and ready to run. Thanks,

I just ordered a new fs bike frame (never have owned any kind of suspension bike) and I have received the UST rims and two sets of UST tires that I ordered. I also puchased a second set of rims on ebay so that I can run some knobbies when we have some muddy conditions here in S Texas. I haven't used UST tires before and I am wondering if they will work on a standard rims if tubes are used? I know this combination will be heavier, but it would be nice to have knobbies mounted and ready to run. Thanks,
Yes you can use tubes in ust tires on regular rims, you can even use them on ust rims with regular tires, you can even use regular tires on ust rims without tubes, by using sealant. But only in south Texas!:beer: