29er tyres

[dirtypot]

That would be first choice but sometimes you just gotta 'use what you got' 

 

My thinking was perhaps the Saguaro in 'traction mode' in the front and the X-king at the back ...

 

Don't use the saguaro on the front.  It sucks as a front tyre.  It's a brilliant rear tyre, but just doesn't have the grip for the front.

[Goodbadugly]

They are still perfect after the rocky 247km ride. I had them at 3bar and the ride was quick, a little twitchey, but with lots of grip when I needed it.

 

Saw plenty of folks that had flats, mostly snake bites from sharp rocks.

 

Thus I conclude sidewall protection would have been a waste of money here.

I have also been wondering about "sidewall protection" lately. In the last 10 years or so, the only sidewall damage I had was on a Maxxis UST tire, a Conti race king protection and a Maxxis icon EXO. Most punctures was on TAR ROADS. And that was on the tread area. Watch out for green glass.

[Johnny Lawless]

Have to agree Pyka. Used to be a fan of Schwalbe RR front and rear for an all round xc tyre, but their prices got ridiculous, and they wept all the sealant through the tread.

Switched to FastTrack/Ground Control up front & Renegade on the rear, and only have good things to say.

Considering you can get 2 G.Controls (in Control version) for the price of 1 RR (snakeskin)... No going back.

Onza Canis looks interesting too.

Yeah I also moved over from the Schwalbe camp. While the NoNi worked and held up okay on the front the RoRo on the back was a disaster on anything other than smooth jeep tracks. Even with my feathery weight of 70kg (no calves) they kept puncturing.

 

The spez tires, regardless of their stupidly affordable price, are just better for my type of riding. Stronger, grippier and not THAT much heavier.

[Eldron]

Several months down the line from this thread and I have two clear favourite combos*

 

*I race marathon mostly

 

Conti XKing 2.4 front and Raceking 2.2 Rear is my second choice.

Maxxis Ardent Race front and Ikon rear. Love this combo!

[NotSoBigBen]

Several months down the line from this thread and I have two clear favourite combos*

 

*I race marathon mostly

 

Conti XKing 2.4 front and Raceking 2.2 Rear is my second choice.

Maxxis Ardent Race front and Ikon rear. Love this combo!

If an XKING is good enough for you in the front it'll be more than adequate for me ☺

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

If an XKING is good enough for you in the front it'll be more than adequate for me ☺

Wrong way around Ben. Eldron has the skills to manage a tyre with below par grip. We don't.

[NotSoBigBen]

Wrong way around Ben. Eldron has the skills to manage a tyre with below par grip. We don't.

How to bring an oke down to earth [emoji36] - but after running out of talent today and feeling like I may have at the very least badly bruised if not cracked ribs you are probably right [emoji22]

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

How to bring an oke down to earth [emoji36] - but after running out of talent today and feeling like I may have at the very least badly bruised if not cracked ribs you are probably right [emoji22]

 

[The expat cyclist]

Got some Vredestein's on special today. Keen to test them out.

Black Panther extreme front and Black Panther rear

[The expat cyclist]

Got some Vredestein's on special today. Keen to test them out.

Black Panther extreme front and Black Panther rear

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Looks like a decently lugged xc tyre. Looking forward to your thoughts

[Rouxenator]

Thus I conclude sidewall protection would have been a waste of money here.

.....and today the rear sidewall got slashed and I had to walk a long way back to the venue. 

[Sparki 1]

.....and today the rear sidewall got slashed and I had to walk a long way back to the venue.

 

Ah man, sorry about that dude.

[Rouxenator]

Ah man, sorry about that dude.

It's ok - I have been warned. So the question now it, back to Crossmark LUST or should I give Continental X King a try? What would you guys recommend?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

It's ok - I have been warned. So the question now it, back to Crossmark LUST or should I give Continental X King a try? What would you guys recommend?

which casing did you have for the Onza? The 120tpi? If so, no wonder they were cut. Those sidewalls are like toilet paper. You should have gone for the 60TPI, and that is still what I'd recommend. Far stronger. 

[Breezer]

Several months down the line from this thread and I have two clear favourite combos*

Eldron, I want to give the maxxis combination a go. How do the ardent handle in muddy conditions. Where I live it is dry throughout the year and the ikon front and back work very nicely, but if I go to a wet race I feel if I am on a ice rink. My friend run a barzo front and ikon back and he like it alot. Barzo just got very pricy very quickly.

 

*I race marathon mostly

 

Conti XKing 2.4 front and Raceking 2.2 Rear is my second choice.

Maxxis Ardent Race front and Ikon rear. Love this combo!