New MTB Tyres

[Johan1983]

Im on the Market for New 29 Inch MTB tyres..any suggestions please? Im doing the Wine2Whales in October. So working towards that

Thank you

[Bub Marley]

If you’re looking for racing, fast rolling tyres, I’ve had the Pirelli Scorpion’s RC Lite and they’ve been fantastic. Really fast rolling with enough grip. They might wear faster than your usual tyres though.

[PregoRoll]

Really love my Maxxis Rekon Race 2.35s, very predictable sidewall grip

[justinafrika]

Just fitted Vittoria Mezcal III XC-Race G2.0 rear and Barzo front.  I’ve done 78km up and down and through valley trails these last two days and am impressed.  I’ve previously preferred Rekon Race R and Ardent or Onza Canis F, yet this Vittoria combo feels like a step up for this tall 94kg guy over the rocks and roots and hardpack k's.  The Mezcal is about 70 grams heavier than the Pirelli Scorpion RC Lite with a slightly harder and almost continuous centre tread.  Solomon’s are doing a special at R700 for each of those Vittoria’s.

I wanted re-taping on one and new valves and a rapid job so took the Vittoria bucket deal which LBSs are currently offering at 2k all in.  Tyres, valves, tape and sealant.

Edited August 18, 2023 by justinafrika

[Johan1983]

Thanks Guys. Any other suggestions? Maxxis? Schwalbe?

[Dappere]

9 minutes ago, Johan1983 said:

Thanks Guys. Any other suggestions? Maxxis? Schwalbe?

My preferred tyre is the Bontrager XR2.

My second choice would be the Schwalbe Racing Ray (Front) and Racing Ralph (Rear). 

[Murrob]

Seconding the Pirelli Rc lite, super tyres, very grippy and so far super reliable with 120 tpi sidewalls. Light weight and tread design rolls super nicely. Best of all in my book is they are available on takealot so you can use ebucks. The 2.4 inch for sure, get your pressure right using AXS tyre pressure and they are great!

[figjam_sa]

I have been searching for months now for the pirelli xc rc with the Prowall.. but no luck. Hopefully next year

 

To the OP. I have tried so far...

Maxxis Rekon Race 2.25. Fast as hell but no braking grip downhills. Newer maxxis tyres are heavy as hell except the Aspen. 

Older Specialized Ground Control and Fast Trak 2.3. Nice balance, but somehow I still struggle to get the front GC to corner better. 

Vittoria Barzo and Mezcal. Also the older (cape cobra) edition in 2.35. Best balance so far. Grippy enough for anything I have encountered, very durable so far and rolls lekker. I understand the newer compound is a bit heavier but still within the xc realm.

Just put a new set of Schwalbe Racing Ray and Ralph on my racing wheels, but have yet to test them. Feels like a nice supple tyre. Hope for the best

[Murrob]

5 minutes ago, figjam_sa said:

I have been searching for months now for the pirelli xc rc with the Prowall.. but no luck. Hopefully next year

 

To the OP. I have tried so far...

Maxxis Rekon Race 2.25. Fast as hell but no braking grip downhills. Newer maxxis tyres are heavy as hell except the Aspen. 

Older Specialized Ground Control and Fast Trak 2.3. Nice balance, but somehow I still struggle to get the front GC to corner better. 

Vittoria Barzo and Mezcal. Also the older (cape cobra) edition in 2.35. Best balance so far. Grippy enough for anything I have encountered, very durable so far and rolls lekker. I understand the newer compound is a bit heavier but still within the xc realm.

Just put a new set of Schwalbe Racing Ray and Ralph on my racing wheels, but have yet to test them. Feels like a nice supple tyre. Hope for the best

You might think you need the pro wall, but you don’t, I initially bought a set with pro wall, mixed for front, a hard pack for rear, tyres ran great, but the sidewalks are heavy. Got the RC lites and thought I would train with the pro wall, and race with lights also worrying about reliability, but the 2.4 race lite are great. Couldn’t be asked to swap them, so gave the prowalls to the bike shop dude who needed new tyres.

[Me rida my bicycle]

Maxxis are most people's go to with a wide range of tyres.

I have a set of 2.35 rekon race on one bike and a 2.35 rekon race rear and 2.35 ikon up front on the other.

The Ikons roll as good as the rekon race, they weigh the same but grip is better and more predictable on the trails. Budget friendly option would be running a set of 2.35 Ikons. 

If you want something light, fast rolling, good grip and can take a beating Bontrager XR3. They look similar to the Rekon Race but they feel so much better and considerably lighter. 

To give you an idea the 2.35 rekon race weighs more than my 2.4 XR4 which has an why more aggressive tread. 

[bullet77]

Conti race king rear and crossking or mountainking front, fast, quick wearing and normally quite expensive but my favorite for XC/marathon type riding. 

[dewaldsss]

I've been running Maxxis Recon race 2.35 for ages, proper tough casings with no issues.

Recently switched to Kenda booster Pro 2.4

they come in at the same width as the maxxis 2.35's but at a way better price,

Currently all over for R500 a tyre with either blac of tan sidewalls

did the MTB Challenge last weekend and they held up, they have more of a drop shoulder compared to the maxxis so i found the corner stability better.

also doing W2W and they will be my tyre of choice for the 3 days

[dasilvarsa]

IKON

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

There are as many opinions on tyres as there are on politics and they are generally equally as wrong and poorly researched. 

Pretty much every brand offers competitive XC sets these days. Pick a brand and be a dick about it. 

Bontrager and Pirelli offer great value for money locally and in my opinion look good too. (look at specials on takealot or cheap take-offs on bikehub)

Schwalbe and Continental are unbeatable for speed but some feature very light casings and are not cheap locally. (check out bicyclerollingresistance.com for proof)

Maxxis, in my opinion, lags behind with XC tyres but they are still completely rideable for 99% of what the average mtb'er wants and you can get them everywhere. (google Nino Schurter Epic 2022 or MVDP Glasgow XCO)

[dasilvarsa]

So Many Choices, Too Many

I Never got more than 1000 Km out of a Continental (4 Tyres Purchased)

Managed 6000Km from an Ikon in the Back.

It was still working perfectly when i turfed It.

Sometimes Old Tech is Better than New Tech (Trident Tested)

My New Ikon on the back.

It's Noiseless, Very Very Smooth and Grippy on the Trails.

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by dasilvarsa

[Johan1983]

Thanks Guys. Next question. 2.25, 2.35 or 2.4 width?