That makes a lot of sense and aligns with my thinking.
I don’t know what to try. Might test Rekon Race front and rear, or Rekon Race and Aspen, but I am not convinced that they’re the right tyres for where I live with my level of skill.
I just looked up that Kenda Booster Pro mentioned above and it looks like a great option IF I can deal with that little grip in the front. They are light and look good, though it’d be nice to see how they measure up width wise compared to a Rekon Race WT.
I’ve heard the 2.4 Kenda Booster Pro is a little on the small side.
Without having read this entire thread, and being only an occasional mountain biker due to living in Chicago … let me know if there is a simple answer to the following questions:
As recently as 3 years ago it seemed like everyone riding XC MTB or “down country” bikes were using 2.25 wide tires. I believe in the old podcasts Jonathan and Nate would talk about their tires and reference riding tires of this width … now it seems like everyone is talking about (based on a quick survey of this thread), or riding, 2.4 tires.
For reference, my MTB (2019 BMC Agonist 02 Two) is pictured below and it came stock with 2.25s … I’m guessing it could clear 2.4s, but haven’t tried yet. Wondering if I’m missing something … thanks in advance for any insight.
You are correct; the trend in the last few years has been to wider tires (lower pressures, improved traction, etc). But this trend is paired with (or enabled by) wider internal width rims. So before you go and toss some wider rubber, you’d want to make sure that your rims are suitable to wider rubber. ‘Old-school’ XC rims were on the ~25mm internal width, when tires were 2.1-2.25 width. Now rims are coming more in the upper 20’s, or even 30mm on XC rigs and you can run a 2.3-2.4 range tire on that width.
Super helpful … my internal rim width is 25mm … just checked the OEM site and it says they’re ideal for 2.1 -2.35 tires. Thanks!
In general the larger volume tyres are faster, a combination of smoother rolling l, and also giving a greater confidence.
25mm rims are fine for 2.4 tyres, even Maxxis WT tyres say they are ok on 25mm rims.
With regards clearance, I’d be highly surprised if your bike from 2019 couldn’t happily accommodate a 2.4 tyre. Especially XC varieties. The front will be no issue, it’s usually the rear that’s tighter. Maybe a 2.4 DHR would be risky.
Thanks. Strike that off the list.
ETA: further googling suggests that the Booster Pro 2.6 is essentially a 2.4 on normal sort of 25-30mm rims.
Back to the drawing board/run what I brung.
No excuse 
The trails in Palos are pretty good considering they’re 30 mins away from downtown. As good as Kettle Moraine IMO (once you get over the novelty factor of Kettle). Brown County is far, but worth a trip, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing.
Same bike, different wheels and the booster pros were tubeless with 100mL of sealant vs. 250g tubes in the Maxxis tires…so that might be an issue (haven’t tested). It works out to 27.25 sec. faster on average with the booster pro . This is the Maxxis 3C maxspeed exo TR tires vs the Kinda booster pro TR version (the really thin one).
FWIW the other tires in the test were previous gen nobby nic 2.35 and previous gen (not sure which model) spec fast trak 2.2 tubeless with an insert.
The 2.6 Booster pros measure about 2-3m wider than the 2.4 maxxis tires so they aren’t a huge 2.6.
Joe
Interesting stuff. I did follow your other thread about big tyres. I think tubes are supposed to be slower not only due to the weight, but also due to the friction with the inside of the tyre. Adds a complication to your analysis anyway.
Sounds like the 2.6 is the one worth looking at.nit doesn’t appear to be for sale here anyway.
Hopefully Schwalbe and Vittoria will bump up the width on their XC tyres for 2023.
I was watching some more Maxxis reviews on YouTube, it seems like the Aspen is preferred as a front to the Rekon Race. Seems wild to me.
My mate rides Aspen front and rear, but he’s a top level bike handler, and he calls them “drifty”.
Sounds like a sure fire recipe for a front wheel wash out for me 
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Yeah that makes no sense to me either, although I’ve heard it too. I ran Aspen as a rear last year and would never have put it in the front. Switching to Rekon Race this year, will try front and rear with that.
Very keen to hear how it goes.
Also, do any bikes come with Rekon Race OEM (i.e. with White instead of the ugly yellow graphic)?
Yeah, I’ve seen Rekon Race F/R on a few bikes. My friend’s 2020 or 2021 Spark RC is one (I bought them off of him, 2.35” rather than 2.4WT).
I git rekon race 2.35 on my 2021 Orbea Oiz last May. Didn’t care for them, felt slow.
The Scott Spark RC 2022 comes with Reckon Race 2.4 WT. I changed them after 1 ride as they’re no good in mud at all
I weigh 190. Barzo / Mezcal have held up well for me. I tried Ray/Ralph 2.35 in super ground. I ripped knobs off the Ralph in one 20 mile ride. Which just so happened to be my first ride on that tire.
I’ll be trying Cont Cross King 2.3 front with a Mezcal 2.35 rear next. It will be heavier than the Ray / Ralph combo. But, I really don’t like Ray / Ralph. I may try a Recon Race 2.35 in place of the Mezcal at some point - just because I never had and I have heard good things about it. But, I flatted an Aspen pretty easily / quickly so don’t have high hopes for a recon race.
I have had good luck with the Vittoria TNT sidewalls in general and would trust them for the FKT.
As a newbie in Minnesota I want to get some new tires for the summer but don’t know much. The terrain I ride is hard pack clay I think. Some rocks and roots. I have 2in ardent race right now.
I hope to get some data on that…on my next set of tires (thinking vittoria mezcal 29 X 2.6 maybe?) running them vs. my standard ardent race/ikon setup first with tubes then again (probably on another day) tubeless and seeing if they actually run faster tubeless. I mean, it’s a fact that they do but I want to know if it’s a true fact.
Joe
As far as a fast tire that does OK in the mud, seems like forekaster is the best bet? What about in the rear to match?
