Best Mountain Bike Tires: XC, Trail or Enduro?

We dealt with all the tire swaps, sealant explosions, and monotonous back-to-back laps, so you don’t have to. So what is the best mountain bike tire setup? The answer surprised us.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:48 Test Setup/Tires tested
2:44 Timed Climb Test
4:04 Trail Ride Simulation
5:42 Rocky DH Test
8:06 Cornering Drill
9:54 Conclusion/Recommendations

[richardarabian]

I think safety is #1 priority and benefit. A friend got airlifted off a trail last week here in So CAL. I am fit at 51 would even go 2.8 plus tires for rock gardens. Aggassei all day long. I value my life thank you…

[vlbz]

For casual riding, ridiculous combos work great for me. Currently running DHF + Ikon. Climbs well, front grips, back gets loose (lots of fun).

[tinshield]

My favorite tires for my trail bike by far is the Bontrager XR4 Team Issue for the exact reasons you cite. Decent volume and light weight with decent durability. I run the DHF/Dissector combo on my AM bike. That combo is well over a pound heavier than the Bontragers.

[MountainBikeAdventures]

Great video! 🍻 Currently running the same XC combo on my Orbea Oiz. I’m still trying to get use to the swap from the 2.3 Rekon Race Front and Rear. I do feel I have lost the nimble front end when I swapped to the Forekaster.
We had a muddy/sandyish race here in N Texas and I would definitely recommend the Forekaster front and rear in those conditions.

[SED]

Nice video! Great work!!

I think dirt type and dirt conditions were understated here.
Yes, dry, hardpack and loose, a close, small block XC tire will shine (like UT, CA, AZ/SW USA).
But in wet, damp, loamy soil conditions (like Pacific NW sees much of the year), the trail/enduro tires work so much better ***in those dirt conditions***.

I do agree with the spirit of the findings that many riders are likely running more aggressive tires than necessary.

Here in the PNW, if I had the luxury, it'd probably make sense to have two sets of wheels/tires - a more aggressive tire to run in the spring/late fall when things are wet, and run a more XC/trail set in the summer when things are dry.

Again, great video!!

[SleepyWolvy]

Hello! I have a Norco Fluid HT2 with fat 27.5x2.8" WTB Ranger tires (stock). Last year was my first year on a MTB and I do mostly XC local trail rides in dry part of BC, very dusty. These Rangers are so big and heavy, its a PITA lol. Looking to downsize but I have 35mm rims stock that I will be keeping.
My plan so far is Michelin Wild/ Force AM2 27.5x2.6 (to fit the 35mm rim) front/ rear but don't know if that's still too much chunk. I get really gassed on the uphill climbs but want some level of confidence when going down. I run tubes as well. Also mainly ride flowy stuff, minimal rocks and not very technical, blue at worst.

If I can get a Michelin Wild/Force AM2/ Aggressor/ Rekon/ DHF/ for all roughly the same price ~$90, which combo would you suggest? I need to be lighter on the climbs, I'm dying out here lol. The Maxxis listed all have WT versions too so they would fit on the 35mm rims thankfully.

[kayakutah]

I'm up in the Wasatch Back, 68 y.o. on a 29 with 115r/140f. I've come to the conclusion that, if you are torn between two sets of tires that are very close in performance up and down, go with the one that has more aggressive tread. After timing lots of tires in lots of conditions (because I try to make rides with my 30 year old son not boring for him), I've found that if the tires are close, it comes down to how you feel that day and HYDRATION, HYDRATION, HYDRATION (in Utah!). I tried the Rekon on the back on one of my many forays to Moab. On the off angle square edge step ups, the side knobs are just not big enough to hook onto the edges, though they're fine on the Wasatch Back. Anything with more substantial edge knobs (Maxxis Aggressor, Conti Mountain King or Trail King, Nobby Nic ) all work in this regard with varying levels of protection. I run 29x2.4 Trail King front, 29x2.3 Mountain King rear and that's fine for Park City to Moab. Sometimes I'll put on a 29x2.6 DHF in the front (comfort) and a 29x2.5 Aggressor rear for Moab and it's very close in climb times....in fact, my PR for BST from the Zoo to Bobsled is on that combo.

[cornishcactus]

Love playing with tyres and coming to the same conclusion having run my Whyte T130 on DHF/DHR or Aggressor for a while now and finding it too enduro and slowed out of it's sweetspot.
Dissector up front in the dry is great, just need a Rekon out back to replace the Aggressor for a fast summer trail setup.

[mtb]

Nailed it. Went from Assegai front and back in winter to Ardent Race front and back all summer. Wow! Faster up and similar down (more confidence in grip down on Assegai - but only 10%). And no flats all summer (was surprised). Good test.

[JoelZieve]

So many tire choices and it can be so confusing. Thanks for helping to make it simpler. Great video!

[lazylearner]

Great video Connor and Zach! Very interesting results. I think that chute you are riding is on the I-Cup course at Solitude. It is super sketch and loose, the go pro footage doesn't do it justice.

[cjsutterer]

Literally came to the Minion DHF and Dissector combo today while researching tires for my Remedy! Great video!

[motoboy]

Rekon 2, 4WT front and rear on 30mm rims is the best ”combo” ive tried for trail. Snappy and quick with mostly great grip actually

[kevinclark]

This is a bit more of a DH vs Enduro vs XC rather than Enduro vs Trail vs XC. A Dissector front & Rekon rear would be a good combo trail setup to see.

[mellissanash]

do you think you can review trail-country tires please?

[lowelllomberio]

forekaster 27.5x 2.35 front and rear on my 140 mm trail bike. pretty good pair for an all around not so agressive ride

[pauls]

Great video. I wouldn’t ever be able to do this type of test. Thank you.

[mtbeliever]

For me it’s all about having fun and crashing as little as possible. So I am going to choose the enduro set up. Less crashes, less flat tires, more fun. Who cares if I’m a little slower. I’m 42 with wife, kids, dog, job.

I currently have Assagai in front & DHR in rear on my SB130 LR (this is the way it came when I bought it)

[Monkeyseemonkey]

Love your XC combo suggestion: 2.3 Forekaster front + 2.3 Reckon Race rear. I run those on my XC hardtail in dry, loose, and hardpacked and it's a rocket while still being confidence inspiring.

[stephenkrause]

Interesting test. I have done something similar recently and it appears that it really does not matter what is on the rear of the tire for uphill climbing (enduro or XC). It is only the front tire that affects the time.