Mountain Biking - What's your preffered all-around trail riding tire?

I have a set of Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1's that work fine but I'm just kinda tired of looking at the blue sidewall, and a couple of the lbs's around are having christmas sales so I figure it's a good time to buy.

The tires in this (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42488) picture. I caught them on sale awhile back and bought 6.

*laugh* okay, so other than a fire xc pro, UST or not, does another great trail riding tire exist?

I like these (http://www.bicycletires.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jolrfpo8) http://www.bicycletires.com/img/products/Sedona.jpg I have a set of the originals (back when they were called Vittoria Blue Ridge) that I found as new old stock. I highly recommend them.

Doh! I just realized what I did. I was busy when I posted, give me a break ;)

You can get them with black sidewalls you know.

Since I made one of my rare mistakes, I will suggest another. WTB makes both a 2.4 and a 2.24 Mutanoraptor. I have used both, but since it is the mud season I have settled on the 2.24's. They work great in mud and snow but are a little heavy. Performance had them on sale last time I checked...

I have found a real liking with IRC Kujo's, they seem right for me, but my favorite trail tire has to be the Maxxis High Roller.

For xc I usually go with very little tread. Most of the time I run totally worn down semi slicks.

I really like to have a tire for the conditions, but for just all around riding I like the Specialized Roll-X in the rear and a Continental Survival Pro up front. There are actually a lot of tires that work allright for me in the rear, but in the front I haven't found anything that is even close to the Conti Survival Pro for handling, traction, and rolling resistance at such a light weight, this is the 2.3 version I'm referring to.

2 words .....

SEMI SLICKS

I have been using 2.3 size tires lately, which for the dry loose conditions here in the summer make a big difference. I like the Continental Vertical ProTection's and most recently have been using Nokian NBX's. Both hold very well in loose conditions, I would say the NBX's are a bit better, and both hold well in the now wet conditions. To me, it seems the Verticals stick a bit better to wet rocks and are more stable in creek crossings. The biggest downfall of the Conti's is the price and how fast they wear, they only last one season for me. Both are reasonably light for their size, 610 grams for the Conti, and 650 for the Nokian.
http://www.nokiantyres.com/bike/images/nbx23.jpg
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/mtb/vertical/vertical_en.html

Oops, I got the name wrong, It's the Conti Vertical Pro's that I like, same ones Jekyll rider mentioned. I ride in the mud and through wet roots a lot which is one of the reasons I like it so much, as Jekyll mentioned it is a good all around tire that still works very well in the wet where some all around tires fail miserably. Wear wasn't too much of an issue for me as I only use them as a front tire.

I might check out some of those Vertical Pros since they come in tubeless. They're just so damn expensive. I need something with good wet performance.

For a good match in wet conditions a Vertical Pro 2.3 front and a Hutchison Alligator 2.1 back work out great. You'll be amazed at what you can climb in the mud with that Alligator.

And if you don't mind the ugly yellow sidewalls you can I think you can still get the Alligator Gold's for around 20$, they're being discontinued (because who really wants yellow stripes on their tires?) so the people who have them are selling them cheap. Do a search online and you'll probably still find them.

I would have to say that the Maxxis High Rollers are the best all rounders and are my favourite tyre. They also come in Super Tacky for extra grip but only put a Super Tacky on the front otherwise you'll need a new one after each ride on the back! :D

I hate Hutchinson tires, and the 2.3 Conti would be too wide for XC riding...

Mutano Raptors for XC because they're all I have, but they've been great so far. You know what, I can't even tell the difference between tires.

It is not as much the tire you run but are you running proper air pressure for the grip you need. I found any tire does well for me at around 40-43 psi in most trail conditions. I weigh a bit over 190. I am currently trying the specialized roll-x pro on my bike.

Down here in FL, with our generally dry conditions, I run WTB Velociraptors. They work well in a variety of conditions. I've run a ton of different tires and just keep going back to the Velociraptors. The fact that you can usually find them on sale for about $15 each doesn't hurt either.

As a matter of fact, I just bought the NanoRaptors (2.4's) that Performance had on sale. Nice grippy tires, but HEAVY! I could definately feel the extra weight. Good workout though!

L8R

I got a maxxis highroller and a geax blade to try out. the high roller is frickin heavy but it was only $18 so no big loss if I decide I don't like it. Thanks for the suggestions.