[eighty6gt]

I hear about this now and again about the ardent just washing out.. maybe I can't blame the tire, I'm on a mount vision and they're pretty steep up front. I went OTB in some rain ruts on a slight downhill. Edge grabbed? Who knows. I kept asking the same questions over and over again for 1/2 hour. My riding buddies were probably "tire"d of me!

My question is, maybe I can run the gigantic 2.4 out back and put something else up front, a little friendlier with a rounded profile. What would be a good match? Schwalbe somethingorother? It would need to be a 2.35 I guess, in order not to look weird.

Thanks for your help.

 

[MSU Alum]

So, it sounds as though it caught in a rut rather than washing out...or did they wash out and slide into a rut? The Ardent has a bit of a dead spot as you roll it over into the turn that you have to get through. If you angle the bike over more, it usually holds a turn pretty well. Like this guy: Cornering with Fabien Barel - YouTube

 

[eighty6gt]

I'd say I fell off a high spot into a rut- kind of slid down the clay off of the center knobs. Just a guess based on what I remember the terrain looking like on an earlier pass. I'm a tall guy, bike has a high bb, and I have a tendency to catch edges. The ardent has very aggressive side knobs as we all know. I remember kind of hopping across the high spots in other areas in an effort to avoid this problem.

Good video.

 

[bhmax]

I haven't had the 2.4, but I have a 2.25. Slid out more than I liked. My favorite fronts I've tried: Maxxis HRII 2.3 and Hutchinson Barracuda 2.3. I had a 2.35 Hans Dampf for a couple of months but it must not suit me well. It just never gave me confidence so I put the HRII on. Hoping to try out a Maxxis DHF when it wears out.

 

[Mr. Doom]

Try a Chunky Monkey Extreme. I like them better than the 2.4 Ardent, price is great too.
What rim and tire pressure do you run?
Tubeless?

 

[Procter]

Ardent has a very wide transition zone to the knobs, which is scary at first because you really have to lean the bike over or else it wants to slide. But once leaned over, those side knobs do their job and hold well.

I didn't like it at first but I actually feel that it improved my riding by forcing good form (lean the bike, not the rider, hips rotated into the turn, etc). You gotta commit to those turns with this tire, there is no half turning with it.

If you put it on the back it'll be a decent tire with good climbing traction but you're paying a weight and rolling resistance penalty for a 2.4 without as much of the cornering benefit.