Yes, maybe they are? I am not sure!
But will say that the rounder the tire gets, the less effective the side lugs are at “digging” into the ground.
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I get nervous with psi over 35. I’ve had a few tires blow off the rim. With a tube I’ll inflate to max tire/rim psi to help smash the tape against the inside of the rim.
So my new bike (Pivot Mach4SL) came with 2.2 Ardent Races.
I reckon they’re a bit under-treaded for UK use (trail riding and XC racing). I’m thinking of buying some Schwalbe Wicked Wills when they eventually come into stock, but until then should I just get Racing Ray and Ralph’s in a 2.35?
Should also say that I really dislike tan wall tyres, but otherwise I’d love some suggestions!
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Have you considered Maxxis Forekaster 2.35? I live in western Massachusetts & we go through periods of wet & dry. 2020 was dry but we’ve been quite wet for over a year so I imagine we might have similar riding conditions, currently. I had been run Vittoria Barzo in the dry but they are hands down the worst tires I’ve ever ridden in the wet. I changed to the Forekasters late last summer & I’m really liking them. They have very good grip on wet roots, rocks, leaves & they seem to roll very well considering how open the tread is & its good grip. I’m not doing much racing, mostly just trail riding on XC trails & I plan to keep running them for the foreseeable future.
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I was looking at some enve m525 wheels and the internal is 25mm. Think thats too narrow or are those still great wheels? I really like enves warranty. Right now I’m running 2.35 specialized tires.
I’m currently running 2.35’s on 26.5, 25 & 24 inner width wheels & they are all great. I run as low as 18psi in the rear & 16 in the front & have no issues with squirming from the tires. We used to run 3.25’s on 19mm inner width & they did ok on those, too -we didn’t have wide ones to compare them too. You’ll be good on those Enve’s, no doubt.
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I didn’t get any traction 
in my Whiskey Off Road thread, so I’ll come here!
I’ll probably be on a 2.35 Fast Trak (not the newer one, I think) and a Mezcal 2.25 for the rear. This has been a decent setup in CO, but I’m not sure what the conditions are in Prescott. My guess, loose over hard, kitty litter?
Probably 20, 22 pressure. I’ve enjoyed that combo
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@Kris_Wyman I just added a pair of Forekasters to my XC bike (Canfield Nimble 9 hardtail - well it’s more of a do anything bike than an XC bike!) so looking forward to seeing how they handle the terrain here in Ireland - will let you know how they perform.
Previously had a DHR/DHF combo on the bike for the winter mud so the Forekasters will feel quite different but they’ll also be quite a bit lighter too.
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Excellent! I’d think you’ll notice the weight difference & while to me, the Forekasters are super grippy, I haven’t ridden DHR or DHF. The terrain im usually on doesn’t require that amount of grip.
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Very impressed with my first spin with the Forecasters, definitely felt faster due to the reduced weight, the grip was also very good for a tyre which has a significantly less aggressive profile, bonus also that they are nearly 20 euro cheaper than the price of the DHR.
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How did you find the Conti Cross King as a front? Currently use Rekon Race FR and RR for training and Racing Ralph RR and Racing Ray FR for racing but was thinking of trying a Race King/Cross King set up.
Actually I’m on Fastrack control t5 front and back now on a new (to me) bike and I hate them. I’m totally missing my Conti tires, but I’m not sure if my limited experience means the FasTrack tires just suck for my terrain or if the Contis were actually good?
If I remember correctly though I think I had the cross king on the rear, mountain king front… So I’m not sure I can speak too much to your question anyway.
I’m on the hunt for some tires that work better for me in rocky Philadelphia area.
I watched a Scott Sram Racing video a while back that said they liked the Rekon Race for rocky terrain. Maybe worth a try. That’s what I’ve been using on the mainly granite slab trails in my area and find them to be pretty durable, they don’t shear lugs off they just wear down.
Use the faster Racing Ray/Ralph combo for racing so can’t really compare the durability of that combo to the Rekon Race.
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Crossking is great. Like a grippeier Barzo on the front. I really like it. My thoughts and experiences with Ray/Ralph is just major thumbs down. Not fast not grippy. I didn’t lose any speed going to Cross King front / Mezcal rear and gained a ton of control.
Thanks for your feedback. Do you find the Cross King seeps sealant? Read some reviews of the Race King where people found they lost lugs pretty quick and the tire constantly seeped sealant and lost air through the carcass.
My cross king/mountain king combo both had an initial weeping of sealant through the tire when I set it up, but that didn’t last very long. They did lose air more quickly than my current Fastrack tires but nothing major. I check and adjust my pressure before every ride anyway so I never found it to be a nuisance.
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Yes and yes. They rip lugs off relatively easily (easier than any other tire I’ve run), and they do weep sealant. But they do roll well and have good traction, and decent sidewall damping characteristics. Moderate flat protection. But longevity of both tire and sealant are not their strong suit.
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I need tyre help!
Running a Ray 2.25 front and a Ralph 2.35 rear last 2 races (XCO). Both races have been dry and I have very little confidence on what should be relatively straightforward, smooth but kind of dusty / washy gravel type turns taken at higher speeds. I feel at the same time that I am going relatively slowly but I’m also going to overshoot / wash out.
I’m going ok overall so far. I managed 2nd in my category last race, but first place was probably gapping me for about 30 seconds on the main decent which I was then making back on the main climb. I feel that descending is an area I definitely need to improve, and I have a hunch these tyres are not helping.
The other set I have is a 2.60 (!) Nobby Nic and a 2.35 Forekaster. I’m thinking about running these for the next race. Is 2.60 too excessive for XC (out front, it will fit my Fox 34s quite comfortably, so no concerns over clearance)? It would come with ~300g weight penalty over the Ray (plus maybe a rolling resistance penalty, I’m not sure). Also have a pair of Rons but I was going to not run them unless wet / mud.
Other option is to pick up something else like a Mezcal. I like the sound of the Wicked Will, but I can’t see them for sale anywhere yet.
Are you running a 2.25 Ray in the front and a 2.35 in the rear?
In my experience so far, 2.6 is too big really for racing. At least in the Mezcal/Barzo I tried. The increase in weight was too noticeable.
I think the Ray/Ralph is grippier than Mezcal Front and Rear.
The Ray is a really great front tyre. Cornering on loose, flat turns is a real skill. It’s something I struggle with a lot. It seems to be critical to have your outside foot down hard and you need to get the side knobs engaged. My gut says it’s a technique issue, going to a NN front or something might help bridge the gap.
@JSTootell or one of the high skill riders can hopefully chime in with more specific technique tips.
Having said all that, and knowing Ray/Ralph is my go to Race Tyre 99% of the time. I’ve got a pair of Rekon/Rekon Race 2.4 sitting on the shelf as I’d like to try them for my loose over hard races next March. I recently did a race with a lot of very loose high speed flat corners but had a set of DHR’s on front and rear. It really allowed me to feel the grip of properly leaning them over and pushing that foot down.
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Just switched from a DHR/DHF to an Ardent Race combo. I live in BCBR country so a lot of big, greasy wet roots on our trails. I’ve only had two rides to date, but super happy with the Ardent Race so far. I plan on using them for high cascades 100 in Bend this July (unless someone tells me that’s a terrible choice!)