Mountain Biking - do you ride with different front and rear tires?

do you ride with a fatter on the back? or vice versa? and/or a knobbier one? etc...

what are the advantages of having two different tires?

i know the application, conditons, etc are key, but what are some basic setups some of you might have going on?

and, yes (please) WHY?

Right now both tires are the same size and tread pattern.

But will be back to doing combos soon. It's best to have a wider tire up front instead of on the back. The wider tire will provide a more traction up front and the smaller tire on the back with help with rolling resistance.

I've always liked my front tire to be designed as a front tire.The rear tire has a different job.Modern bike tires are pretty impressive really,the level of performance products available to Joe Blow is amazing .Most BFers could probably discribe (in detail) 3 or more tires ,cool.

I have used Velociraptors a lot, which have front and rear specific tread patterns (2 different tires).

I am curious to try the rear Velociraptors both front and back. Anyone try this?

Yeah I have specialized captains in the back and Kenda nevagal in the front. My reason behind that is grip and handling, it took a few tries before I got it right tho. My bike came with captains, it is great for climbing but it sucked on the front wheel during the descent so I was reading some reviews about different tires and Kenda Nevagals got great reviews so I purchased one so when it arrived I took the captains off I put the Kenda in the back and I used super knobby trailbear(old model) lying around the house in the front for some traction, well...after one ride I hated both of the tires. Kenda sucked dog crap and trailbear was not any better. So I started search for some new tires, after reading and looking at tons of tires I decided to put the captains back on the rear give Kenda one more chance in the front so I installed them went for a ride and guess what? it was magic. Rear tire would climb over anything didn't matter how steep or slick it was(it's also pretty good on soft sandy surface but not great) and front was or still is like a claw I can take turns much harder than before and darn thing just hangs on. So from now on as long as they make it this is my combo. :thumb:

Front tire 26x2.1 Maxxis Crossmark Back tire 26x1.9 Kenda street off road tire.

dang the Velociraptors are some sweet tires...

my Trek needs new skins...

REI has em for $36... they also have Panaracer FireComps for $50 found em in Nebraska for $25 each... think I'll look there first...

People chose different fronts and rears for a variety of reasons; but most of it boils down to cornering 'bite' on the front versus lower rolling resistance on the rear. And it's not always a front-specific/rear-specific design deal. On advice of some members here, I shod my XC bike with a Maxxis Ignitor on the front and the Larsen TT on the back. The Larsen is a small-ramped-knob fast-roller and a quick accelerator. A lot of DH people run 2.5 fronts but go 2.35 rears for the acceleration/rolling resistance difference. And one of the hottest combos out there is Maxxis' Minion DHF/DHF combo - - even though the DHF was designed originally as a front tire.

Basicalyy, my advice is to pick the front for the best grip in the widest variety of soil conditions you encounter and pick the rear for best acceleration and rolling resistance without sacrificing traction - - or at least a pattern that will let go of traction predictably.

I also use the Velociraptors, some people love them others hate them. I am on the fence right now. They wear extremely well, have great traction in the rear. But you really have to play with the PSI on the front to get it right to work for the person riding, or else the steering suxs. Also, if you are just using them for treking, there great :thumb: For major speed, or racing, forget about it :twitchy: As far as using a rear on the front, just my honest opinion, I would say hell no!

all great info. thanks. :thumb:

i did get my initial info from sheldon's site (of course...):
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#mixing

now any suggestions for the economic-minded?

after reading reviews of decently priced tires, i was wondering if there are any recommendable KENDA and MICHELIN tires for possible front/rear mixing? even though REI is more expensive, i have one close by so no shipping costs to worry about...of course, my LBS (who recently did me good on a fork exchange) might have something in stock. any other brands that are comparable?

if this helps, the main off-road i am doing is some shallow creek-crossing (plenty of bottom rocks), gravel ascents, hardpack/single-track, some grass, some (but not alot of) rocks and roots. for area folks, that would be the Woodlawn trails in northern delaware (brandywine): http://www.bikekinetix.com/t_de/de_county/woodlawn-trustees.php

I'm running a Nokian Gozzalodi S in the front in a 2.3 and a Nokian DH power front in the rear. Seems to be a good setup so far.

does the front/rear equation change if you consider hardtail or full suspension? heck, rigid?

Mystolenbikes, I just bought a Stumpjumper and I'm also an Angelino. I also had the same opinion of the captains (see my review here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=9494005&postcount=15)). I was curious what tire width you were running in the front? I imagine we're riding similar terrain.

I'm riding the same SmallBlock 8s, in 2.1, front and rear. They work great for the current local conditions, and are lightweight and fast. Even on pavement they work pretty well. I run them right at 65psi on the road, and drop them down to 35 when I get to the trail, which gives me the squish I like to feel going up and over trail features.

Mystolenbikes, I just bought a Stumpjumper and I'm also an Angelino. I also had the same opinion of the captains (see my review here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=9494005&postcount=15)). I was curious what tire width you were running in the front? I imagine we're riding similar terrain.
Kenda Nevagal in the front is 2.1 and it's been great.
I ride at mostl at JPL, Backbone trail and Santa Monica mountains(dirt Mulholland road) from Havenhurst or Reseda ave.

Schwalbe little albert up front, designed only for use up front.

Schwalbe smart sam out back.

Best combo I've ever used. Sometimes I run a smart sam up front in super dry conditions.

I have an 07 Trek hardtail ....I run a Kenda 2.35 Nevegal up front and a WTB 2.1 Velociraptor in the back...Im pretty happy with the combo so far...awesome traction all around !!

Schwalbe little albert up front, designed only for use up front.

Schwalbe smart sam out back.

Best combo I've ever used. Sometimes I run a smart sam up front in super dry conditions.

are you going full suspension or...?

why is it better to have a wider tire up front?

again (not to flog the horse), how does ALL this fit into the equation of not just mud dirt dust hardpack singletrack roots more mud gravel rocks creek beds AND speed... AND whether you have full susp/hardtail/totalRIGID?

i know there is no crisp formula (thankfully), but i'd love some more technical info on the advantages of different treads/width of tire in relation to terrain divided by bike frame/mode....:rolleyes:

are you going full suspension or...?

why is it better to have a wider tire up front?

again (not to flog the horse), how does ALL this fit into the equation of not just mud dirt dust hardpack singletrack roots more mud gravel rocks creek beds AND speed... AND whether you have full susp/hardtail/totalRIGID?

i know there is no crisp formula (thankfully), but i'd love some more technical info on the advantages of different treads/width of tire in relation to terrain divided by bike frame/mode....:rolleyes:
If you are asking all theses questions again you should go back to the top of the thread and read some of the replies again.

I'm crazier than all of you.

26x1.75 Vittoria Adventure up front, 26x1.5 WTB Slickasaurus in back, taken offroad on dirt and gravel.

A little dicey in mud and sand. Otherwise fine. This way, I don't have to drive somewhere with a bike on the back of my car.

Usually works best to have the more aggressively treaded tire in front because a rear wheel skid is recoverable, whereas a front wheel skid is generally not. There is more weight on the rear tire, so it can better dig in. And putting a bigger tire up front deadens the vibrations better.

Schwalbe Nobby Nick in front, Kenda Karma 2.0 in the rear...super fast, not good at all in mud. A lot of it depends on your location/riding style/how hard you ride. I weigh 140ish and ride light so I can get away with lightweight tires all the time.

97 cannondale Superv700 Same size but Panaracer Dart on the front and Mythos XC II on the back. Mythos was original and felt it rode well on the back. the Dart has made a difference on the front especially in sandy dirt.

If you are asking all theses questions again you should go back to the top of the thread and read some of the replies again.

i asked these questions 'again' particularly because i didn't get the specifics that i was hoping to get. questions were answered. new ones emerged and were 'asked'...:p

(no one responded to the suspension/hardtail/rigid inquiry...etc)

p.s.
btw, your spiel above was one of the most helpful;)

appreciate all the latest info. i was thinking of now applying it as an inexpensive experiment on a beater mtb...

staying with the brands i was originally considering, i was thinking of getting (at my local REI) the cheapie KENDA K831 http://www.rei.com/product/737750 for the front...it IS heavy (771 grams) and seems to have a directional tread of sorts...only $15.

for the back tire, the MICHELIN Country Mud http://www.rei.com/product/751396 which is wider but lighter.

how's this look as a set? i only wish the kenda was wider and...the michelin was skinnier

or...would this kenda work better in the back? and the michelin in front?:innocent:

No one on the internet can tell you this. Talk to the people who ride in your area, try some tires and find out.

Although...frankly if you're only willing to spend $15 on a tire I'm not sure why you're agonizing over the purchase so much. In that price range, you only need to know one thing: if you're going off-road, buy tires with knobs.

i know, it is too easy to just throw out questions here...! but yeah, i've asked the few folks around here what works for them.

well, the agonizing was on getting higher end tires....but after getting what info i have already, i thought it would be a cheap experiment to first grab these low end tires (the michelin does get good reviews...it's more like $25).

so, time to shut up and go get these for now...:o

p.s.
but i'd still like to hear what folks think of these tires if they've had some experience with them. good or bad, i'm off to REI this weekend to get them

The investment in trying out a tire is not the $15.

It's getting the !@%^!# tire on and off of the rims.

And potentially walking home.

The investment in trying out a tire is not the $15.

It's getting the !@%^!# tire on and off of the rims.

And potentially walking home.


yeah, that was actually the concern....haven't changed tires in YEARS. i still plan on buying them and seeing if i can do it before letting the shop do it...