First, sorry that I didn't include 29" weights, not enough room and both the bikes I've made this chart for are 27.5. You can more or less safely add maybe 10% of the weights below for 29", that of course can vary a bit. Below are the candidate tires I looked at before filtering out the ones I will try in the future, which are in bold. The underlined ones I already have, but if they are not also in bold, I do not plan on buying them again. Three wheelsets, planning on 2.4 AM or DH for 22mm internal width rims, 2.6 XC/Trail for 32/29mm IW, and then 2.6 again AM/DH for 35/30 IW. Why not 2.4 XC/Trail? Too loose and rocky here in Southern California; a lesser 2.4 gets beat up too much especially on the back, and I'm not a fan of burps and punctures. I have an XC Ikon 2.35 on the front for gravel and relatively level hardpack, it's fine for that but a whiff of loose dirt or rocks on a real trail and it quickly becomes sketchy and I need to slow down for sure. Same with an XC Kenda Saber previously in the back. Very poor tire selection for a hardtail. Tire lasted 100 miles before puncturing, only about 25 miles on singletrack. Braking into corners was a joke, didn't matter how early I braked, if it was loose I just slid right past the turn. Need something more trail-oriented in back. A 2.6 XC or light-trail tire has the volume to handle these trails and still good rolling speed.
The ones I have previously ridden and also plan on buying again, not necessarily in the same tire width: Kenda Booster, Maxxis Rekon, Maxxis Minion DHRII. These are either bunched center lugs (Booster) or pretty decently ramped (Rekon, DHRII, which of course are GREAT tires, as most of you know). Although I sure hear a lot of Maxxis hate out there locally in the last year or so, I have no idea why. Booster and Rekon, aside from their tread patterns, are pretty similar and I really like both of them a lot for both XC and trail riding. DHRII...what can I say. Great on the front or back, rolls pretty good for DH, picks up speed surprisingly fast, just enough grip and confidence to save you when it gets sketchy, what's not to like? I'm a believer now on the front. It works, it's not a fad.
The future tire prospects again are either bunched or ramped center lugs. That narrows the selections down a lot. Why? First, I make it a point not to ride in the mud, if I can help it. That just ruins trails here even more than they already are. Many of my favorite segments are basically unrideable from a combination of water erosion, wet trail braking into corners by Enduro Bro groups, and no consensus locally to fix these particular trails. And for the drier months it's loose and dusty. I need something either to be ramped or bunched in the center for better overall performance. If it's relatively unramped and open for the center tread (usually DH tires), I just get slowed down. Even steeper trails may not be as fast on unramped open tires as ramped or bunched, at least for me. That's why for two of my current tires, the Hellkat 2.4 and Assegai 2.6, they are good but they are simply overkill for my riding level and average 3-8% descent trail selection: more grip does not always translate into more downhill speed. And I was looking at the Vittoria Mazza...sure looks like a very good DH tire, but just not ramped enough for what I'm doing. There needs to be a balance between traction and rolling speed, especially if it's a mixed elevation segment with a good amount of pedaling in-between the gravity coasts. Ramped or bunched tread patterns provide that balance, again at an intermediate level of riding and 3-8% overall downhill grades. And this is exactly why more than one wheelset has huge advantages for selecting the right tire combination for certain segments. I'll post some segment results later to show exactly what I mean, but not for a while though. Need to collect many, many more months of new data first
The ones I have previously ridden and also plan on buying again, not necessarily in the same tire width: Kenda Booster, Maxxis Rekon, Maxxis Minion DHRII. These are either bunched center lugs (Booster) or pretty decently ramped (Rekon, DHRII, which of course are GREAT tires, as most of you know). Although I sure hear a lot of Maxxis hate out there locally in the last year or so, I have no idea why. Booster and Rekon, aside from their tread patterns, are pretty similar and I really like both of them a lot for both XC and trail riding. DHRII...what can I say. Great on the front or back, rolls pretty good for DH, picks up speed surprisingly fast, just enough grip and confidence to save you when it gets sketchy, what's not to like? I'm a believer now on the front. It works, it's not a fad.
The future tire prospects again are either bunched or ramped center lugs. That narrows the selections down a lot. Why? First, I make it a point not to ride in the mud, if I can help it. That just ruins trails here even more than they already are. Many of my favorite segments are basically unrideable from a combination of water erosion, wet trail braking into corners by Enduro Bro groups, and no consensus locally to fix these particular trails. And for the drier months it's loose and dusty. I need something either to be ramped or bunched in the center for better overall performance. If it's relatively unramped and open for the center tread (usually DH tires), I just get slowed down. Even steeper trails may not be as fast on unramped open tires as ramped or bunched, at least for me. That's why for two of my current tires, the Hellkat 2.4 and Assegai 2.6, they are good but they are simply overkill for my riding level and average 3-8% descent trail selection: more grip does not always translate into more downhill speed. And I was looking at the Vittoria Mazza...sure looks like a very good DH tire, but just not ramped enough for what I'm doing. There needs to be a balance between traction and rolling speed, especially if it's a mixed elevation segment with a good amount of pedaling in-between the gravity coasts. Ramped or bunched tread patterns provide that balance, again at an intermediate level of riding and 3-8% overall downhill grades. And this is exactly why more than one wheelset has huge advantages for selecting the right tire combination for certain segments. I'll post some segment results later to show exactly what I mean, but not for a while though. Need to collect many, many more months of new data first
| Tire Name | Size (27.5) | Weight (g) | Tread (Side, Ctr, Ramped, Pattern) | Terrain | DH Grade | |
| Continental Mud King Apex | 2.3 | 1140 | LG , LG, Unramped, Open | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Kenda Gran Mudda Pro | 2.4 | 1140 | LG , LG, Unramped, Open | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Maxxis Assegai 27.5x2.6 (3C / EXO / TR) | 2.6 | 1050 | LG, LG, Lightly, Med/Bunched | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Michelin Wild Enduro Front Gum-X TS TLR | 2.4 / 2.6 | 990 / 1130 | M-LG, M-LG, Lightly, Bunched | DH | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Vittoria Mota | 2.35 | 940 | LG, LG, Unramped, Open | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Kenda Pinner Pro | 2.4 | 923 | LG, LG, Lightly, Medium | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Vittoria Martello | 2.35 / 2.6 | 920 / 1130 | Med, Med, Unramped, Bunched | AM/ Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Continental Der Baron Projeckt Protection Apex | 2.4 | 915 | Med, Med, Unramped, Medium | AM/ Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis Minion DHRII (3C / EXO / TR) | 2.4 / 2.6 | 900 / 910 | LG, LG, Ramped, Medium | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Vittoria Mazza | 2.4 / 2.6 | 890 / 1030 | M-LG, M-LG, Lightly, Open | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Maxxis Aggressor (EXO / TR) | 2.3 | 885 | Med, Med, Unramped, Bunched | AM/ Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis Minion DHF (3C / EXO / TR; EXO / TR) | 2.6 / 2.8 | 960 / 1060 | LG, LG, Ramped, Medium | DH | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Kenda Hellkat Pro (ATC) | 2.4 / 2.6 | 865 / 965 | M-LG, M-LG, Lightly, Bunched | AM/ Enduro | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Vittoria Agarro | 2.35 | 850 | Med, Med, Lightly, Bunched | AM/ Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis High Roller II (EXO / TR or 3C / EXO / TR) | 2.3 / 2.6 | 845 / 925 | M-LG, M-LG, Heavily, Medium | AM/ Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis Shorty (3C / TR or 3C / EXO / TR) | 2.3 / 2.5 | 815 / 965 | LG, LG, Unramped, Open | AM / Enduro | 6%+ AM / DH | |
| Continental Trail King Shield Wall / Apex | 2.35 | 880 | Med, Med, Unramped, Medium | Trail | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Kenda Nevegal 2 | 2.4 / 2.6 | 810 / 916 | Med, Med, Ramped, Medium | Trail | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Michelin Wild AM Performance | 2.6 | 885 | Med, Med, Lightly, Medium | Trail | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis Dissector (3C / EXO / TR) | 2.4 / 2.6 | 787 / 942 | Med, Med, Ramped, Medium | Trail / AM / Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Kenda Regolith (SCT) | 2.4 | 785 | Med, Med, Unramped, Open | Technical XC / Trail | 3-5% Trail | |
| Maxxis Ardent | 2.4 | 775 | Med, Med, Ramped, Medium | Technical XC / Trail | 0-5% XC / Trail | |
| Michelin Force AM Competition | 2.6 | 830 | SM, SM, Heavily, Medium | 0-5% XC / Trail | ||
| Maxxis Minion SS (EXO / TR) | 2.3 | 745 | LG, SM, Unramped, Bunched | Trail / AM / Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis Rekon (EXO / TR or 3C) | 2.4 / 2.6 | 740 / 730 | Med, SM, Ramped, Medium | Technical XC / Trail | 0-5% XC / Trail | |
| Kenda Helldiver Pro (ATC) | 2.4 | 737 | LG, SM, Unramped, Bunched | Trail / AM/ Enduro | 3-8% Trail / AM | |
| Maxxis Ardent Race | 2.35 / 2.6 | 730 / 878 | Med, SM, Ramped, Bunched | XC / Technical XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Continental Cross King Protection | 2.3 | 710 | SM, SM, Unramped, Bunched | XC / Technical XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Maxxis Ikon | 2.35 | 705 | SM, SM, Lightly, Bunched | XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Vittoria Barzo | 2.35 | 700 | SM, SM, Unramped, Bunched | XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Maxxis Forekaster | 2.35 | 690 | SM, SM, Lightly, Bunched | XC / Technical XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Maxxis Rekon Race (EXO / TR) | 2.35 | 682 | SM, SM, Lightly, Bunched | XC / Technical XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Vittoria Mezcal | 2.35 | 680 / 735 | SM, SM, Unramped, Bunched | XC / Technical XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Kenda Booster Pro (SCT) | 2.4 / 2.6 / 2.8 | 666 / 715 / 810 | SM, SM, Unramped, Bunched | XC / Technical XC | 0-2% XC | |
| Kenda Saber Pro (SCT) | 2.4 | 531 | SM, SM, Unramped, Open | XC | 0-2% XC |
