Tire dilemma ...
 

I know there have been a couple threads regarding tires selection. I know tire selection is a personal thing and that people all have their favorites. So I will ask a few pointed questions and hopefully as a result, will be able to make a decision.

I have a '09 Trance X and need to replace the Nevegals that came with it. I am completely happy with the Nevegals from a grip perspective but many times feel like I pedaling uphill through the mud with them (when I'm not). I would very much like to move to something with less rolling resistance. I just don't want to sacrifice so much grip I will be riding an inadequate tire on the more technical stuff.

What makes this a semi-difficult decision is that I ride longer more XC rides to quite technical stuff with lots of drops/climbs. I actually have two 50 mile rides coming up, I would like something a bit quicker than Nevegals. But at the same time, need something to grip when riding the technical.

Here are the tires I was looking at:
- WTB ExiWolf
- WTB WeirWolf
- Panaracer XC Fire Pro

I have been riding for 14 months now and the whole time it's been on the Nevegals, so I don't have any experience with the 8792873498 other tires out there. The tire needs to be able to handle dry -> wet conditions with some sugar sand every now and then. I'm not asking for the fastest rolling XC tire in all the world ... just something that's faster than the Nevegals but still has some decent grip.

So with what I have stated, what do you think would be the best replacement for me? Is there a tire that is a good compromise?

Thanks for the help!

Check your Nevegals and make sure they're mounted in the right direction. I intentionally mounted mine backwards because it seemed to me they would be grippier that way and it felt like I was dragging a boat anchor. When mounted properly I don't find them to be any more slow rolling than other knobbies. My bike shipped with IRC Serac XCs and they have a pretty low rolling ressitance but not a lot of grip.

They are mounted correctly. I have a Nevegal DTC (harder/longer lasting compound) in the back and a Nevegal Stick-E (softer/grippier compound) in the front.

I actually just pulled the trigger on some WTB Mutano 2.2" ... hopefully they work out. They got good reviews on mtbr.com and a lot of local guys swear by them.