Might just be local conditions, but I barely even trust a dissector on the front in my local dust.It is amazing how many people don’t like the Rekons on the front. They work great on my hardtail that sees hardpack, loose over hard and a bit of loose, with some pavement thrown in. Roll well and decent traction. Not big meaty traction, but that is what the Tail and DH bikes are for. The Rekon is the only Maxxis tire I have ever really liked.
I think for where I ride I'd be comfortable trying a Rekon on the front, especially in 2.6. I'm kind of intrigued to try an Ikon 2.6 on the rear while leaving the Dissector on the front but I'm wondering if that will be too much of a difference between front and rear tires in terms of grip?Yes, dual compound for the back will roll a bit faster. I’ve run them and they roll well. Alternatively, you could do an Ikon or Rekon Race for more speed and less grip. Wouldn’t recommend a Rekon on the front no matter the compound.
This was why I opted for the MaxTerra Rekon in the first place because I wanted to have a higher level of protection that EXO+ offers, however the more I think about the more I realize that a faster rolling tire is more important to me.The tricky thing for me with max is tires is that EXO+ and DD casings are not available in dual compound (save for a couple exceptions). Currently running an EXO+ Rekon which is great, but I’m worried about the durability of the tread, especially with the smaller knobs. Don’t run a Rekon on the front unless you are doing XC, or really want to break your ribs.
This was what I was originally thinking. I'm still looking at getting a 29mm or 30mm inner width wheelset to run give me the ability to run a wider range of tires, however I'm not sure that 2.4's do actually have less drag than 2.6's. Based on this test it shows otherwise.Why not go with 2.4’s on your Ripley for less drag? I run rekon‘s rear dual compound on both my bikes, I like them a lot. My single speed has rekons front and rear, maxterra front and it actually does well out here in AZ, it is more of a xc bike though. I do have some specialized ground control t7’s coming that I think will great front tires and fast rolling. You could run one of those on the rear for a grippy, fast rolling rear.
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I know!!! I prefer it on the front, because I have hardtails and the Rekon gets beat up on the back. But I've had a 2.6 on the front and still going strong after 2500 miles. The only tire I've ever had where the side knobs are more worn than the center. It's amazing how well this tire does up front; I would not do a 2.4 on the front or anything, but it's really unusual for a tire like this to grip so well on the front for normal trail riding (not Enduro Bro stuff). The two things I notice are that it doesn't brake as good as a Minion when it's steeper and looser, and if it's an off-camber transition where the bike slides down to a different level, the Rekon's side knobs will not catch as well and it will slide down more. Those are the only two issues I've noticed, besides needing to keep the psi up for sure or it will get very mushy handling. But yeah this is such a great front tire if it's not gnarly. I've crashed less on a Rekon than on a DHF, I swear. And I'm riding loose trails just like pretty much everyone else in the Southwest, not a lot of rain this year. Having said that, the local grapevine is saying that there have been a lot of bad crashes lately, so I'm not recommending everyone put this on and go out jumping big stuff or anything, it's just for normal riding not ballsy major air action. Another impressive tire in this category is the Kenda Booster, and it's even lighter. Both tires are great for technical XC / light-duty trail.It is amazing how many people don’t like the Rekons on the front. They work great on my hardtail that sees hardpack, loose over hard and a bit of loose, with some pavement thrown in. Roll well and decent traction. Not big meaty traction, but that is what the Tail and DH bikes are for. The Rekon is the only Maxxis tire I have ever really liked.
That's another tire I'm pretty interested in. Possibly Regolith front and Booster rear both in 2.6. It would save me approximately 374 grams over my current tire combination.Another impressive tire in this category is the Kenda Booster, and it's even lighter. Both tires are great for technical XC / light-duty trail.
Would you say the Booster is closer to the Ikon or Rekon? I always assumed the Ikon.Another impressive tire in this category is the Kenda Booster, and it's even lighter. Both tires are great for technical XC / light-duty trail.
The Regolith is a really weird tire. It's small-knobbed but spaced far apart. So almost like a studded semi-slick. I don't really understand the reason they made that tire. Reviews are pretty mediocre for it. Maybe it would be fine for 2.6, but the Rekon 2.6 3C is 730 grams, that's pretty hard to beat for what you are getting. Or even Booster 2.6 front...why not.That's another tire I'm pretty interested in. Possibly Regolith front and Booster rear both in 2.6. It would save me approximately 374 grams over my current tire combination.
It's definitely closer to the Rekon, because it has OK side knobs. The Ikon is a rear tire for sure. Maybe the 29x2.6 would be fine for the front, but anything less than that...playing with fire. I have a 2.35 on the front just for gravel and easy singletrack, but it's REALLY sketchy when it's loose at all. What I've realized putting the Ikon on the front is that I need at least a 'trail' side knob profile, if not an AM/DH one like a Minion, because if it's loose during a turn I really need the tire to hold on to something. If it has XC side knobs that ain't gonna happen, I have to go slower or it will skid off the trail. I consider the Rekon to have trail-worthy side knobs; not as beefy as a Dissector but good enough. Booster is a bit more XC-oriented; I've only had it on the rear but I think it would do better on the front than the Ikon. For the rear the side knobs don't really matter too much to me as long as the tire can slow down without locking up.Would you say the Booster is closer to the Ikon or Rekon? I always assumed the Ikon.
FWIW, I ran a 2.1 Specialized Ground Control rear and a 2.3 Butcher front for most of the past three years. I never felt like there was too much difference in grip between those tires.I think for where I ride I'd be comfortable trying a Rekon on the front, especially in 2.6. I'm kind of intrigued to try an Ikon 2.6 on the rear while leaving the Dissector on the front but I'm wondering if that will be too much of a difference between front and rear tires in terms of grip?
I actually just bought a new wheelset that's 30mm so I'm going to try a 2.4 Dissector on the front and a 2.35 Ardent Race on the rear.FWIW, I ran a 2.1 Specialized Ground Control rear and a 2.3 Butcher front for most of the past three years. I never felt like there was too much difference in grip between those tires.
I got a new (to me) bike this year, with an Aggressor rear and a Minion DHF front. I felt like I was riding in quicksand and just swapped to an older 2.6 Ground Control rear and 2.6 Eliminator front. I should know soon if the drag is from the 35mm rims and wider tires or the Aggressor/DHF combo.
