[GaintRyan]

Hey Guys



wondering if you all had any suggestions of experiences with the maxxis ardent tires, I have a giant trance 29er x2 (2014) and my bike is completely stock and I am looking to upgrade the tires to get some more grip as I find my bike slips around a lot from side to side on the trails.

Any advice would be appreciated.


Thanks

 

[Epic_Dude]

Can of worms opened...

 

[NYrr496]

I've used em. Great tires.

 

[DethWshBkr]

Probably the biggest thing to take into account with tires, is what were they designed for?

If you ride a lot of roots, and rocks, which may be wet, you will need a different tire than someone who rides pretty much only dusty trails.
Hard, dusty? Bontrager: XR1 Team Issue (Model #11869)
Lots of rocks/roots, or softer dirt? MICHELIN Wild Rock'R Advanced Tubeless - Tires vtt | MICHELIN Motorcycle - United States - Bike-website

Take into consideration, if you ride a lot of the above mentioned rocks and roots, which may be wet, you will want a tire with a softer rubber (durometer), and a lot of siping on the tread.

If you ride a lot of deeper, higher traction dirt, you will want a tire with larger knob depth.

If you care only about traction, don't worry too much about ramped knobs and avoid a central knob pattern. Hans Dampf | Schwalbe North America
My current favorite - Bontrager: XR4 Team Issue (Model #11643)

If you only care about speed, look for a tire with a nearly continuous central knob pattern, and ramped knobs. Example - CrossMark | Maxxis USA

Then you have tires that have ramps, deep knobs with no continuous central tread, siping, and evertything. They may not excel at anything, but they may do everything well. Might be a harder tire to pedal. Example - https://www.kendatire.com/en/bicycle/mtb-trailall-mountain/nevegal-x-pro/

So on, and so forth....

My 26", I currently have a Bontrager XR4 in the front, and a Specialized The Captain in the rear. I can so far find no faults with the XR4 at all. I love that tire. The Captain, when it is dry, excellent. Wet, I spin on rocks and roots. The central knob pattern just does not get as solid of a grip on the wet stuff.
My new bike has Bontrager XR3 tires. I cannot complain about them, but I have not had good riding weather (snow) to compare them too well. My brother has Maxxis Minion tires, and he said he was dissapointed in the traction of those compared to the XR3s in the wet/snowyish conditions we have had recently.

 

[Varaxis]

Just saying this as a budget alternative to Ardents:

I switched from Ikon 2.2 (EXO 3C EXC) front and a Vee Rubber V8 rear, which are low profile XC tires around 600-650g each, to 800-1000g tires from On-One called the Chunky Monkey 2.4 and Smorgasbord 2.2. Got much more control on slippery SoCal loose sandy/dusty dirt, that's been chewed up by dirtbikes and a recent big storm, and I was surprised to find that my overall time for a 6 mile loop, that I figured was a quick and easy test loop, didn't drop too much. Doesn't get any more traction on steep hardpack climbs, but steering it on techy climbs, considering the bumps and tight fits between handlebars and pedals, was considerably easier. Compared to a ride with my more XC tires, my first ride on the meatier combo, my average speed dropped by about 1.3 MPH, discouraged by the significantly increased rolling resistance, but my second ride on them my average speed was only 0.6 MPH slower over a long ride, going into the ride thinking I could do better than the last. Thought it made my loop too easy, honestly. Was missing the thrill of getting sketchy and being on the edge of control on my faster tires, but eventually adapted and took advantage of the grip to find some other ways to have fun. Though I wager that the novelty factor will wear off soon, and I will be looking to go back to my faster tires.

They're about $30 each from Titus-Ti, PlanetX, or On-One's online shop. They sell direct to consumer, which is a big reason behind the good price. Word has it that they're based on the Maxxis Ardent casing with EXO sidewalls.

 

[Cotharyus]

On a Giant Anthem that sees lots of roots, rock, and loose over hard pack. I run the Ardent 2.4 up front and the 2.25 in the rear. It handle's the ridicules rocks I ride here and there much better than lighter XC tires, very durable, very good grip, and not as heavy as most tires that provide as much protection as these. It's pretty unusual for me to find nothing bad to say about a tire, but the Ardent is some kind of sweet spot.

 

[Gasp4Air]

I rode Ardent 2.4s front and back for a couple of seasons on my RIP9. Tubeless, low pressure, liked them a lot. Lots of cush, good grip. If you like big balloony tires, these will satisfy.

 

[glesoine]

You'll get tons of opinions on this subject. I like the 29 x 2.4" Ardent. Rolls fast and has high air volume. I also think mounting it tubeless improves the feel/performance of the tire. Not the best for wet/sloppy conditions.

 

[tims5377]

Why dont you tell us the terrain you ride so we can tell you what will/will not work... For all we know you are riding on a trainer only...

 

[extremedave]

Ardent's are my current favorite tire, 29x2.25 on my Trance X1. They just plain work. Never thought of using the 2.4 (for some odd reason). I run the non-exo, non-lust tubeless on Arch's without issue. Generally around $45 per so bang for the buck, too. :thumbsup:

 

[TwoNin9r]

Ardent's are my current favorite tire, 29x2.25 on my Trance X1. They just plain work. Never thought of using the 2.4 (for some odd reason). I run the non-exo, non-lust tubeless on Arch's without issue. Generally around $45 per so bang for the buck, too. :thumbsup:

I'm similar, I run the exo tlr on my arch ex, up front, at around 23psi (and I'm 210#) and absolutely LOVE them, especially coming from the nobby nick, front tire, this thing holds on tight.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[In2falling]

Hey Guys

wondering if you all had any suggestions of experiences with the maxxis ardent tires, I have a giant trance 29er x2 (2014) and my bike is completely stock and I am looking to upgrade the tires to get some more grip as I find my bike slips around a lot from side to side on the trails.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

High Roller II's will give you more grip, but will roll a little slower and be a little bit heavier. But are a good compromise between grip and rolling resistance.

 

[Marc2211]

I use a 2.25 Ardent up front, and an Ikon 2.2 out back combo on all my bikes. Mainly ride XC. Tried loads of other combinations, but always come back to this one.

 

[GaintRyan]

Thanks guys,

I'm thinking of getting the Ardent's 29 X 2.25 our conditions here in Barbados are loose gravel, mud, cane field with a lot of loose debris.

 

[mcrn12]

The butcher

 

[CannondaleF9]

Schwalbe Hans Dampf.
Sure the Trailstar HDs cost $90 a piece but they are awesome (I just bought a second HD to replace my Nobby Nic).

 

[bholwell]

Thanks guys,

I'm thinking of getting the Ardent's 29 X 2.25 our conditions here in Barbados are loose gravel, mud, cane field with a lot of loose debris.

Barbados? Talk to Lincoln Gill; he's ridden lots of different tires on your beautiful island.

If you'd like to stick with Maxxis, I'd look at a High Roller II front and Ardent 2.25 Exo or Ikon 2.35 Exo rear.