I have very good experience with specialized ground control t5 rear and Grid T7 front. I also do tours with trails and it rolls well, good damping and grip is for my purposes fine. I don't know your terrain, but this could be a match. You can also upgrade your front to butcher, if you need more grip.
It depends on how much protection you need and if weight plays a role.

Before that, I used Kenda Booster and regolith, rolls fast but lacks protection and grip.
XR4 rolls also good but lacks protection.
I had snake-bite with them.

With ground control, it rolls a little less but wins in any other capabilities especially protection.

Specialized tires are also cheap compared to others. Paid 50 bucks for both

 

Nobby Nic 2.4 Ground casing. Front and rear is the easy answer. I run those on my 120mm hardtail and they are great. If you want a little more speed you could try a wicked will on the rear.

They aren't cheap though.

 

Maxxis only anything else is illegal and you will be reported to the trail police on the internet.

 

Mtbr is pretty much the opposite of that. We recommend pretty much any other tires before Maxxis.

Maxxis makes a few good ones. But most here seem to prefer others. However, Maxxis is a good safe choice to just buy something that works and move on.

 

OP, I use Ikons without issue in the areas that you are talking about.

 

Do you find the Ikons have good traction for these areas? would you go Ikon rear with something more knobby in the front? As I'm riding more without kid in tow, I'm kind of relearning how fast I can ride and trying to push myself to be a bit faster.

 

If ikon works, I recommend fast trak t5 rear and ground control t7 front

 

Check out the new Contenental line up. I have a kryptotal rear and am really liking it.
Front tire is a Tioga Edge 22. I ride your area and Tahoe.

 

Check out the new Contenental line up. I have a kryptotal rear and am really liking it.
Front tire is a Tioga Edge 22. I ride your area and Tahoe.

I would call this too extreme for a 130mm hardtail - but it really depends on OPs trails. But, I am running a similar setup for my Enduro hardtail and Enduro bike.

 

Oh, and I'll add to that...Another trail that I commonly ride here has a lot more rocks and roots than the vast majority in the area. This year it has been really wet. Monsoonal rains. So even after the rains pass and everything is good to go, this trail is still 'damp'. It traverses on the eastern slope of the tenmile range here and is quite shady in areas the majority of the time. Ikons have zero issue with those conditons (wet roots and rocks). I have no problem climbing up and over or descending on them at all. Often roots are not perpendicular to the trail either. That said, I come from an area where that rocky/rooty tech was absolutely normal and so I may ride these conditions in accordance with that experience.

 

Rekon 2.4WT Front / Ikon 2.35 Rear.

Very fast, yet grippy combination you won't regret on anything dry / hardpack / loose (over).

 

I ride in the desert with lots of rocks so I go for price first. Specialized tires do me well. I also like to buy take-off bonty tires for a steal.

 

How are the Ikons on roots and rocks after/during rains? (not just mud)

I also prefer XC tires for the lower rolling resistance but they do get slippery when wet.

As exciting as that can be I wouldn't recommend them for everyone.

Something like DHR2/DHF might be better. Except on the road where you really need to work up a sweat to go fast with them.

 

How are the Ikons on roots and rocks after/during rains? (not just mud)

I also prefer XC tires for the lower rolling resistance but they do get slippery when wet.

As exciting as that can be I wouldn't recommend them for everyone.

Something like DHR2/DHF might be better. Except on the road where you really need to work up a sweat to go fast with them.

#11, #13

And in my experience, a super knobby tire with bigger spaces between isn't going to increase your purchase on rocks or roots. One of the best tires I rode on wet rocks was the Specialized Renegade (the old one, micro tread)

 

No issues huh. Sounds very good. Maybe I should try them. Though if 17 psi is needed for that level of grip I would prefer just using a grippier tire with more air instead.

 

Thanks Hexsense. I like that tread pattern.

 

The guys opinion of the Booster being his all around tire sums up how I've felt about the Ikon. I think I'll definitely give the Booster a try.

 

Any tire at Kenda below nevegal is weak against snake-bite or pinch flat.
Since my negative experience with Kenda, I will only consider tires with at least 60tpi and additional casing protection like the Grid versions of specialized.