[Snowsed341]

Hi All

I have not found an updated thread and wanted to get some advice. I recently purchased an Intense Spider 275 and want to replace the stock 2.25 ardent tires.

I want to ride something a little meatier and wanted to start a thread as an up to date resource for SoCal riders.

I ride in Aliso, Whiting, luge, and others in OC.

I am wanting to know what the best tire combo's are for these types of trails.

I was thinking of running a Maxxis 2.5 DHF upfront with a Maxxis Minion SS 2.3in the rear. I have found Maxxis tires run smaller to size.

How do you think this will do in the dry hard conditions we love? I am also looking on feedback for the Magic Mary, RR, HDampf, and others.

This is my Current Ride. I love the DH but know that we must tackle the steeps to get there.

 

[Snowsed341]

I was also wondering how a Maxxis 2.4 Griffin front and 2.4 Ikon Rear would work also.

 

[retswen]

I am just a weekend warrior so I run a Magic Mary up front. I ride mostly Santiago Oaks, Laguna, and Aliso. The tire is overkill for most of the trails, but it is very confidence inspiring. I am currently running a Rock Razor in the rear, which is good for most of the trails as well, but I am going to be swapping to a Hans Dampf in the rear when it wears out just to get a little more traction when I ride some of the steeper and looser trails where the Rock Razor just slides around like crazy.

 

[Snowsed341]

I am just a weekend warrior so I run a Magic Mary up front. I ride mostly Santiago Oaks, Laguna, and Aliso. The tire is overkill for most of the trails, but it is very confidence inspiring. I am currently running a Rock Razor in the rear, which is good for most of the trails as well, but I am going to be swapping to a Hans Dampf in the rear when it wears out just to get a little more traction when I ride some of the steeper and looser trails where the Rock Razor just slides around like crazy.

Hmm Interesting as i was thinking a Minion SS. The Minion SS and RR are very similar.

Has anyone tried an Ikon 2.4 in the rear?

What size wheel are you riding?

 

[Snowsed341]

I have been looking at a MMary, the tread pattern is pretty beefy. It looks like it would work well for our conditions.

I have heard that HDampf wear pretty quickly, and they are expensive also.

 

[mapex101]

Hdamf is good as a rear tire in Laguna, it just wears fast. I have high roller ii on the front and ardent on the rear. The high roller is pretty dang good. Ardent is basically slick so not much rolling resistance which helps climbing Mathis and meadows.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Snowsed341]

What size HRII and Ardents are you running? This is great input as i frequent those trails alot.

 

[mtnbikej]

"I ride in Aliso, Whiting, luge, and others in OC."

There is nothing wrong with the Ardents on any of these trails.

Minions just seem like waaaayyy too much tire. Same with the HD. I ride the same areas on a Ardent/Ikon combo with zero complaints.

Just my $.02

 

[mapex101]

Ardent 2.25 exo tr on rear, hr2 2.40 exo on front.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[fdes]

I ride luge, whiting, Aliso, etc. I prefer to run dhf front, dhr2 rear. Both exo tr 2.3"

I like to bomb down the descents so prefer to have the extra grip. Have seen too many guys lose traction cornering then end out being airlifted...

Dhr2 rolls surprisingly well for a rear tire.

 

[RS VR6]

People are just going to ride what they want to regardless of where they are. You'll have people running semi slicks to DH tires...on the same terrain.

 

[socalrider77]

I ride the same places. Running Hans dampf front nobby nic rear. Good combo that I like, but nobby nic is wearing pretty fast. I may try the dhr2 or minion ss next for the rear depending on what other comments i see in this thread

 

[Snowsed341]

"I ride in Aliso, Whiting, luge, and others in OC."

There is nothing wrong with the Ardents on any of these trails.

Minions just seem like waaaayyy too much tire. Same with the HD. I ride the same areas on a Ardent/Ikon combo with zero complaints.

Just my $.02

What type of bike are you riding and how aggressive on the downhills are you? I like the Ardent's but want try something with some beef for my next combo. Do you run an Ikon 2.35? What wheel size are you riding? Do you Ride more XC? So many ways you can ride those trials.

 

[Snowsed341]

I ride the same places. Running Hans dampf front nobby nic rear. Good combo that I like, but nobby nic is wearing pretty fast. I may try the dhr2 or minion ss next for the rear depending on what other comments i see in this thread

Yeah i really want to try a Minion SS or Ikon rear. I wish the Larsen was a 27.5 for the rear tbh.

 

[mtnbikej]

What type of bike are you riding and how aggressive on the downhills are you? I like the Ardent's but want try something with some beef for my next combo. Do you run an Ikon 2.35? What wheel size are you riding? Do you Ride more XC? So many ways you can ride those trials.

Run a SS most of the time, but have the same tires on a Tallboy....I'm no slouch on the DH's.

Have done both sizes on the Ikon.

 

[Snowsed341]

Run a SS most of the time, but have the same tires on a Tallboy....I'm no slouch on the DH's.

Have done both sizes on the Ikon.

How do you rate the Ikon 2.35 as a rear tire?

 

[Salespunk]

Here is a quick overview. For info purposes I am an aggressive descender. My bikes are a Nomad and Bronson and I climb everything I descend, but I cannot ride light tires. Most recently I tried to run the Control casing on a Specialized Slaughter when building up a lighter bike. It lasted 8 miles before I had a hole in the casing and this is consistent over the last several attempts at running anything less than a 900 gram tire.

Ikon-Joke of a rear tire if you ride aggressively on the DH sections. Took it off and gave it away after 2 rides. No grip climbing or descending and braking was non existent. Great XC tire for sure.

Hans Dampf-Decent front tire, but do not try to run it in the rear unless you like to burn money. It is slow and lasts less than 100 miles. In the front you will tear the knobs quickly, but this doesn't seem to affect corner grip. I did find that it takes effort to lean this tire over and get it onto the side knobs. Also Schwalbe sidewalls are made of silly putty.

Nobby Nic-See Ikon with the wear characteristics of the HD. It does not inspire confidence when leaning the bike over. Same sidewall issues as well.

Rock Razor-Very nice tire except for the wear issues and sidewalls. New, one of the best rear tires around. Be aware that in places like Mammoth they will skate on top of the pumice and not really dig in. Also, you cannot be lazy with them. If you are going to turn, lay it over and stand on the outside pedal. They reward aggression and proper technique. It is the same for any tires of this style.

Maxxis High Roller II-Best front tire I have found for Socal conditions. As much or more grip than the Hans Dampf, but rolls better and they last a long time. Have gotten 350-500 miles out of them up front.

Maxxis Ardent-Great all around tire that can be run front or rear. Does everything well, but nothing outstanding.

Specialized Butcher-A lot of people like this as a front tire, but DO NOT try to run it on a wide rim like Derby or others. Completely unpredictable and does not like to be laid over. I did like it as a back tire if you are looking for something to really dig in.

Specialized Purgatory-Another tire I really liked in the rear when wanting something more aggressive. Solid grip and great wear characteristics.

Specialized Slaughter-My go to rear tire. Very fast rolling, great grip and lasts forever. The Grid casings seem to strike the best balance of of weight and strength for my style of riding. Of all the Enduro race tires out there this is the best by far.

 

[mtnbikej]

How do you rate the Ikon 2.35 as a rear tire?

I like it....hooks up well both up and down. It has quite a bit of volume. w/ EXO sidewall, you can run the pressures down. Rolls pretty quick. You will know when it starts to wear out.

 

[Snowsed341]

This is all good info.

Thank you for all the input.

I am really interested to hear if anyone has tested the Griffin up front. I was also wondering how the Magic Mary performs versus the HRII. The Magic Mary seems like it has a much larger profile to the Maxxis front tires.

 

[SoCal-Rider]

My vote would be Maxxis DHR2 dual compound in the back and High Roller 2 / DHR2 / DHF on the front in 3c or dual compound.