Choice Rubber?

[EricG]

I know. My frustration here is definitely showing. I have lovely Enve rims that five years ago were state of the art high volume big tire hoops, and now people are referring to them like they are bronze age artifacts.

those wheels are still fine. I think the issue is everyone pushing people to run larger volume tires. There is nothing wrong with a 2.3 or 2.35 on New England trails, especially on your very effective FS. I have a few sets of Maxxis, but not sure they are my favorites right now. @Erik Timmerman and I just had this conversation the other day.

 

[Slim]

Despite @Erik Timmerman's compelling testimonial I ended up with Rekon 3C EXO+ 2.6 front and Rekon 3C EXO 2.4 "WT" rear. (I ran into some kind of practical or mental roadblock with the Michelins, but can't remember the details now.) I got the "WT" only because that was the only 29 x 2.4 I could find with the 3C compound Josh was advocating.

.It's taken me a long while to learn that I have have to run these tires at REALLY low pressure - especially the front. I presume that's because of the higher volume. I'm at something like 10psi and 14psi. They just feel harsh and bouncy otherwise.

Yes, the bigger the tire, the lower the pressure needed in a pressured ‘vessel’ for the same feel. So 10% bigger tire=10% lower pressure. The other factor is casing stiffness. Stiffer casings ride harsher at the same pressure than more supple ones. Exo+ has an extra reenforcing layer of fabric compared to Exo, and there might also be a difference in the amount of rubber in the casing.

QUOTE="Tony S, post: 490535, member: 215"]
Cutting to the chase, they're plenty grippy but feel heavy and slow compared to the 2.4 Ardents y'all love to hate, and some other tires I've had on there, such as the Conti XKing 2.4.[/QUOTE]
X-King is pretty fast, depending on casing. I love using a faster lolling tire in the rear, and grippier one up front.
Remember, what feels fast is usually slow. Humans are good at detecting frequency changes but lack a built in speed sensor.
If you ride the same set up over a rumble strip, the faster you go, the higher the frequency. This is probably how we come to that feeling.
The rule of thumb is that if it feels smooth, it is fast.*

As far as rear tires, I would pick something with better rolling resistance rubber compound than Maxxis. Nobby Nic Speedgrip would seem decent for rooty, rocky terrain if you can deal with thin casing and lack of grip in wet conditions.

*From Josh Poertner at Silca

 

[Slim]

those wheels are still fine. I think the issue is everyone pushing people to run larger volume tires. There is nothing wrong with a 2.3 or 2.35 on New England trails, especially on your very effective FS. I have a few sets of Maxxis, but not sure they are my favorites right now. @Erik Timmerman and I just had this conversation the other day.

They have not gotten any worse, it’s just that more people have realized the benefit’s of wide rims outweigh the drawbacks for most people.
The big benefit of wide rims is being able to run tires at lower pressures, without having them fold over in corners.
You can get some of that benefit, along with better traction and rim protection, by using Crushcore inserts:

NSMB.com - CushCore XC Tire Insert Review

Interested in tire inserts but not sure about the full-size CushCore Pro? Maybe the smaller brother is the one for you. Read our CushCore XC tire insert review now.

nsmb.com