Running different Front and Back Tyres ?

[Dewaldb]

Hi

 

My LBS adveised me to run two different types of tyres at a time, a Kenda Small block 8 at the rear and a Kenda Nevergal in the front. The explination that you need a fast rolling tyre at the back and a more aggressive tyre at the front. Will this make a differance or not ??

[Capricorn]

what do you want to achieve vs your current experiences?

Did your LBS also advise on what pressures to run?

 

Point is, alot of what works or doesnt work depends on your personal preference and your personal riding style, and sometimes, you have to experiment. There are general guidelines as your LBS pointed out: you want grip up front for steering, but to minimize rolling resistance, you'd run a quicker rolling tire at the back. Which tire and tread pattern to use is not so clear if only because there are so many brands and tread profiles out there.

[Thug]

On my singlespeed I run different tyres front and back, whereas on my geared bike I run the same.

[Hein_CT]

Running Kenda Small Block 8 Rear and Kenda Karma Front. Prefer 2.2bar all round.

 

Reason for different tyres is simply grip. I like the way the Karma works on gravel, mud and grass, and the small block 8 just has less grip so it rolls easier. (Has limits though, specially when climbing difficult hills, can't put any power down.)

 

LBS did suggest running 2.2inch and 1.95inch tyres, did not like this at all. Don't really comprehend the reason behind that.

 

But running different tread patterns front and rear work well for me. I would not recommend the Nevagal tyre front, as it is too aggresive for my liking.

 

My two cents

[Pieter1]

Hi

 

My LBS adveised me to run two different types of tyres at a time, a Kenda Small block 8 at the rear and a Kenda Nevergal in the front. The explination that you need a fast rolling tyre at the back and a more aggressive tyre at the front. Will this make a differance or not ??

 

 

Im runing that exact combo. I had small block 8's on both but felt my front wheel had to little grip and it resulted in a couple of bails. Since then I can honestly feel the difference. My front wheel is not slipping that much anymore. I actually want to put a Nevegal on the back wheel aswell now, esp in these muddy conditions.

[Clinton1]

Running Kenda Small Block 8 Rear and Kenda Karma Front. Prefer 2.2bar all round.

 

Reason for different tyres is simply grip. I like the way the Karma works on gravel, mud and grass, and the small block 8 just has less grip so it rolls easier. (Has limits though, specially when climbing difficult hills, can't put any power down.)

 

When you say this do you mean out the seat on loose gravel? I ask as I have found the Small Block 8 has plenty grip if I keep the weight on it.

 

My only problem with these tyres, and it's obvious as they are not made for conditions, but in thick mud they tend to not clear.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Clint_ZA

[GrootSeun]

Mountain king II Protection 2.2 front, Race King Protetion rear 2.2

 

Awesome tires, i find the compound of conti tyres offers super grip.

 

26'' HT

Edited December 28, 2011 by GrootSeun

[29" MAN]

Hi

 

My LBS adveised me to run two different types of tyres at a time, a Kenda Small block 8 at the rear and a Kenda Nevergal in the front. The explination that you need a fast rolling tyre at the back and a more aggressive tyre at the front. Will this make a differance or not ??

 

Regarless of tyre choice the fact remains the same that your front and rear tyre do different things, the fornt is where you need as much grip possible and rollig resistance isn't that great a issue where as the back you need grip but not to the same extent as your front tyre and you also need to keep rolling resistance in mind. Another important point to look at is the actuall rating of the tyre in terms of the compound per square inch, this gives an indication of how "soft" or "hard" the actuall tyre grips, obviously a "softer" tyre weares faster as well. This is important when choosing a tyre to last you either spesific seasons or through out a year. Also quite important is how close the actuall knobbies are apart from each other, this indicates a "ideal" front or backtyre,the closer they are as general rule of thumb, the better back tyre it becomes, the oppisite is also true of the further they are apart. Also keep in mind for eg. how well the tyre will clear mud and so on. Tyre pressure is just as important as tyre choice, Greg Minaar commented in the Mountainbiker Magazine the importance of tyre pressure, you need to determine when you're really going to need a gripping tyre in which case you would run a low bar obviously dpending on rider weight, or a low rolling resistance tyre in which case you would run a higher bar.

[divernick]

I run a Racing Ralph 2.25 up front and a Kenda Kharisma 2.1 at the back, on my HT SS.

[katz201]

I've got the Rocket Ron & Racing Ralph combo on my full sus bike. Works for me.

 

But as mentioned in the other replies, it's horses for courses. The choice of tyres will be determined by your riding style, when & where you are going to ride.

[vinylguy]

i run maxxis monorail front and back both ust.

 

in the dry they great.

slippery conditions they are rubbish

in mud they ok they clear mud quite efficiently.

 

overall not a bad tyre...

 

next set will go for a more aggressive tyre upfront.

[RiderX]

Hi

 

My LBS adveised me to run two different types of tyres at a time, a Kenda Small block 8 at the rear and a Kenda Nevergal in the front. The explination that you need a fast rolling tyre at the back and a more aggressive tyre at the front. Will this make a differance or not ??

 

I think its good advice but dont go too crazy and use a tyre with absolute no grip at the back either. The reason is that when you need to negotiate an off-camber section you might find your back wheel washes out too much, comparable to a truck jacknife situation. This is also not ideal so what I would suggest is get a really grippy tyre at the front like a Nevegal 2.35 at the front and a fat low rolling tyre at the back that is also in the 2.1 to 2.35 range.

 

You can use a Nevegal 2.1 at the front too but in my experience the 2.35 is just so much better with little drawbacks.

[Iwan Kemp]

Anthem X29er

Front: WTB Bronson TLR

Rear: Schwalbe Racing Ralph TLR

 

Bike came with RR front and rear, but they are not the best all round tire. Great for being light and fast rolling, but very little grip, rolls on their sidewalls quite quick and TLR version loses air like there's no tomorrow. Bought two Bronsons, but trying just one on front for now. Cornering grip has gone up by yonks. Lot more confidence to push harder.

 

Ibis Mojo HD

Front: Maxxis High Roller LUST ST

Rear: Maxxis High Roller LUST ST

 

Used to be Nevegal man, but they are slow and heavy. HR offers better grip and is quite a bit faster.

[The Drongo]

Hi

 

My LBS adveised me to run two different types of tyres at a time, a Kenda Small block 8 at the rear and a Kenda Nevergal in the front. The explination that you need a fast rolling tyre at the back and a more aggressive tyre at the front. Will this make a differance or not ??

 

Maxxis cross mark has good rolling resistance (not as good as sb8) , but better grip than smallblock 8.

Edited December 29, 2011 by The Drongo

[Tumbleweed]

Maxxis cross mark has good rolling resistance (not as good as sb8) , but better grip than smallblock 8.

 

Been running one of those on the back, and pretty happy with it. MK up front.

[Squier]

Used to run Racing Ralphs front and back but they are paper thin, so after my fair share of sidewall cuts I went for the Geax AKA at the back and Maxxis Crossmark on the front. Quite a big sacrifice in terms of weight but worth it to avoid those nasty sidewall cuts.

 

I'm not convinced by the Geax though. It hates tar ( I know, I know, it's a MTB and shouldn't be on tar but you still have to get to the trail before you can ride it so tar is unavoidable.) and almost all the tread on the centre part of the tyre has worn off. The maxxis just seem to be a better performer in terms of wear as the grip is pretty similar between the two.

 

When replacing tyres I would probably put Maxxis on my rear wheel as well, therefore running the two same tyres front and back again.