I don't think you can go wrong with either one for what you are looking for. I currently ride 2.4 XR4s front and back, and have ridden the 2.6 XR4 in the front in the past but decided it was more weight than I wanted. Have not ridden Rekons, although my friend has them and comparing them they seem very similar. I would guess the XR4 has maybe a touch more grip, and the Rekon is a touch faster rolling...but pretty negligible in both departments.

You will probably notice a pretty significant difference in the Bontrager casings going from the Expert to the Team Issue.

If you go Rekons, I'd probably do the dual compound 2.4 on the back, and the 3C/EXO on the front...unless you've had trouble with flatting and need a thicker casing.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either one for what you are looking for. I currently ride 2.4 XR4s front and back, and have ridden the 2.6 XR4 in the front in the past but decided it was more weight than I wanted. Have not ridden Rekons, although my friend has them and comparing them they seem very similar. I would guess the XR4 has maybe a touch more grip, and the Rekon is a touch faster rolling...but pretty negligible in both departments.

You will probably notice a pretty significant difference in the Bontrager casings going from the Expert to the Team Issue.

If you go Rekons, I'd probably do the dual compound 2.4 on the back, and the 3C/EXO on the front...unless you've had trouble with flatting and need a thicker casing.

Dalem77, thanks for the recommendation.

Nailing the perfect amount of grip without too much rolling resistance or weight with all the options available is a maddening task.

 

If you’re open to suggestions, maybe consider the Forekaster 29x2.6? I’ve run both sizes of the XR4 and a 2.6 Rekon up front, and really found the Forekaster to be a nice compromise. XR4 2.6 has amazing grip, but a bit too much rolling resistance for my purposes. Rekon rolls well and was fine in most conditions, but started getting sketchy when our trails were really dry and loose. Forekaster has noticeably more bite than the Rekon, but still rolls really well. It’s slightly smaller than 2.6 on an i29, and my last one weighed 805 g out of the package.

I’m in Western PA, trails are mostly hardpack with roots and rocks.

 

If you're open to suggestions, maybe consider the Forekaster 29x2.6? I've run both sizes of the XR4 and a 2.6 Rekon up front, and really found the Forekaster to be a nice compromise. XR4 2.6 has amazing grip, but a bit too much rolling resistance for my purposes. Rekon rolls well and was fine in most conditions, but started getting sketchy when our trails were really dry and loose. Forekaster has noticeably more bite than the Rekon, but still rolls really well. It's slightly smaller than 2.6 on an i29, and my last one weighed 805 g out of the package.

I'm in Western PA, trails are mostly hardpack with roots and rocks.

Another option! No - there's already way too many options!

Just kidding, thanks for the info. I'll give the Forekaster a look.

 

The 4 tread from past few years is versatile and I'm fond of the SE4 because that's a heavy duty casing that weighs less than other full protection tires.

A way I think of the 4 tread is a general purpose knobby that still rolls well. A tire between a quite rounded and fast or more square and not so fast rolling tire. I really like Maxxis tires and also think the Bontrager 3 and 4 tires don't pack up as fast some others I like.

If an all around or compromise for versatility is good, that's the 4 tread.

Any criticisms make sense to me. Like some other tires towards light for their category, they do seem to get wet sidewalls. You can't lean them over like a DHF, but they roll well and work for lots of circumstances.

 

I've ran both. Like them both but prefer the XR4. To me, it seems to have more traction when things start drying out and getting loose.

 

Cool. Thanks for sharing your opinion LoneStar.

 

I hated the XR3, it feels like it has no traction, ever. Braking is poor, climbing traction is low, and rolling resistance isn't anything special. XR4 would be a *massive* increase in traction without a significant rolling resistance increase... but in my experience, so would changing to most other tires.

What rims are you running? I would shy away from the 2.6 version unless your rims are wider than 30mm. If youre at 30mm or under, the smaller 2.4's will perform better, save weight, and still have a massive increase in traction.

 

Good point on the rim width, it's something I'm checking into.
I'm running the stock Bontrager Duster Elite rims on my 2017 Trek Fuel EX 8 29er. The outside of the rim measures approximately 27mm.
I don't see any rim stickers with the spec, will have to investigate further.

 

Looking for some advice or insight between the XR4 and Rekon for my trail bike. I mostly ride aggressive XC hardpack with lots of rocks and roots in the midwest.
I currently have Bontrager XR3 Expert 2.4 front and rear. It's an ok setup for what I ride, just looking for some more cornering grip, I'm ok with a little more rolling resistance.
I want to go with a 29 2.6 front and 29 2.4 rear.

XR4 weight:
945 grams 2.6 front with 120tpi
780 grams 2.4 rear with 120tpi

Thanks,
Todd

My XR4 29x2.4 TE was even lighter at 768g. But it didn't last long as a rear tire. If you ride in rocky places, consider SE4 2.4 (~900g) instead. XR on the front is fine.

 

Have you used both the XR and SE in the rear? I'm on my second Xr4 rear tire. I'm concerned I might need something with more protection. Is there a big difference? Have an xr4 in the front too.

 

Your rims are 22-24mm inside if the outside is 27mm! Those are far too narrow for 2.6 tires, and 2.4's are sort of pushing it. The 2.4's are totally fine, but 2.6's wouldnt be.

 

I believe his bike came with 2.4s so I assume a 2.4 fits the rims fine. I actually hope they do because I picked up a set of the duster elites for a project bike I have going and plan on running a 2.4.

I have personally ran two sets of XR4s on my Fuel EX now and I like them but they do seem to wear quick. I have a set of DHR2s in the mail now to try out.

 

Trek says the outer rim width is 28mm, they couldn’t give me the inner width. But, with the outer being 28mm the inner should be 23mm.
I agree with some of the posts that a 2.6in/2.5in tire on this rim would not be ideal.

 

Like I mentioned I have a set of Duster elites and I was able to find one site that said 22.5 for the inner. So I’m gonna guess they would call it a 23 ID.

Soon as I get my minions mounted on my line 30s I’ll mount a 2.4 XR4 on the duster elite and see how it looks.


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Like I mentioned I have a set of Duster elites and I was able to find one site that said 22.5 for the inner. So I'm gonna guess they would call it a 23 ID.

Soon as I get my minions mounted on my line 30s I'll mount a 2.4 XR4 on the duster elite and see how it looks.

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My previous fuel ex 2017 had duster elite, and i confirm they were 22,5mm internal width. I mount on them Bontrager XR4 2.4, but they were very round. After some rides i swap them on some Line 30 wheels... From my feeling they worked better on 29mm internal rims.

 

23mm rims used to be the "wide" rims we all ran, usually with 2.4's. Its fine, just not ideal. You need a lot more tire pressure to keep the tire stable, and its still a little rolly.

 

XR4's for me. I like the tread design, compound, shape and feel of the tire. Fairly new to the 2.4 but the 3.0 TE is a beast of a tire. Funny thing about the 3.0...needed to use my Line Pro wheels with these tires short term. The big tires mounted up fine and ran them this way....not ideal, but i30 rims are so versatile!