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OK I'll play. Years ago I tried a lot of different tires. Things may be different now but this is what I found works for me. YMMV. I LOVED the traction of the Nevegal. Even on cross sloped damp rocks like Elephant Butt or near the entrance to Thumper - Nevegals maintained traction. I put Nevegals on front and rear (29" is all I ride). DeBlurBlur saw that at a race and told me that the rolling resistance was too high. He was right. Nevegals have a very high rolling resistance. That is part of how they maintain the great traction. He suggested (and was riding) Ardents. He said even if you want to maintain the traction on the front, switch to a lower resistance rear. I kept the front Nevegal and changed to an Ardent rear. Huge improvement. I had the traction up front where it counts more and much lower rolling resistance. Since then (8 years?) I have generally kept the front Nevegal and swapped the rear many many times. At times I tried different front tires, like Ardent on both. I generally come back to the Nevegal on front. I have not found anything that gives me a better grip when a slip could be a major problem. There are some tires I won't even try. I ride heavy rocks. Where sharp pointy rocks like Cheese Grater are everywhere. I don't want to ride a tire that gets cut up in the sharp pointy rocks on trail I like to ride. Flat tires are one thing. Cut sidewalls that Stan's can't seal are a non-starter for me. On the back, I have tried all kinds of tires other people have recommended. I could not tell much difference. I have even tried 'give away' tires. (Samples, raffles, and something somebody tried and didn't like). I have not found many rear tires I could not live with. Some I could tell small differences but nothing I could not live with. But coming from a motocross background might have something to do with my perception. When you are use to riding with the rear wheel spinning constantly and never really hooking up - a little slippage on the rear tire doesn't upset me much. And yes it has bit me when the rear tire let go on a slick cross slope and never caught traction again. Come to think of it, I think that tire is still on my rear wheel.

Worked a bit with CharDog when he was laying out new trail at Pedernales Falls a few years back. The park folks designated a specific contour line (1100') for the trail to follow, basically a limestone outcrop. It's a rocky trail for a reason. If you moved in from the rocky edge of the outcrop (IIRC from about 15' to 30' or so), often there was nice flat dirt, typically without much vegetation. You'd put your trail there, right? But CharDog knew that's where water settles and stays after a rain, and takes a long time to dry. Any trail there would become a muddy mess after a rain. The rockier area close to the rim of the outcrop drains quickly and is good to go soon after a rain. Also, I really like Fiskars tools. They have a good page + video on trimming and pruning practices here. Most any ranch in the Hill Country will have oak trees. If you're not up to date, get informed about oak wilt, the safe time of year to work on oak trees and how to avoid spreading it via your trimming and pruning tools. No landowner will love you for introducing or spreading the scourge of oak wilt on their property. A & M oak wilt FAQ page <snip>

Peddler Pass individual dirt time trial (winter edition) - go fast for cash! https://www.bikereg.com/full-gas-on-peddlers-pass-winter?fbclid=IwAR15P5L7g-wK8S4GAKgMUbPxrTNbPG2KDBu23v2Y6BihuBLYNMjKMF786Cg https://www.facebook.com/events/2354948434833999/ Flyer_main.pdf

Yeah, riding to trails on those is definitely a drag (pun intended). Anything technical or loose is awesome though.

Just saw this on CL too. A small on that bike is designed with someone 5'4"-5'7". Tempting as that is, I really want something small enough that it really fits. I just checked and realized her old Cannondale is a 16" frame. We put the shortest stem we could find and slide the saddle forward, but it's probably still a big big. Man, some of the begginer level new bikes on the market are heavy pigs! Why do they bother putting 3x7 drivetrains on them? Surely it could be done cheaper with 1x8.

My newest bike came with Assegais front and rear. I thought I would hate them for the rolling resistance and weight, but man I love this tire. I did not think I would find a tire I like more than a minion, but this is a solid competitor at this point. I certainly would not want it for anything remotely flat, but techy climbing and steep descents are amazing on it.

My Ripmo came with Maxxis Assegai 2.5 WTs on it. I know they're heavy as hell and slow rolling, and I keep meaning to swap them out, but the grip is absolutely amazing, so I keep putting it off. At this point, I'll probably just wait until they wear out before I go back to something like a Minion F / Rekon R, though I may stick with an Assegai F. Ardents are one tire I never liked. Maybe they've improved it over the years (I think they've went to Ardent Race and trail, with the race being like the older tires) - they hooked up great on loose stuff until all of the sudden they didn't. There was like no transition/recovery from being upright to being on the ground. Edit: For XC, I usually go with Ikons. May try a different front tire this year with a little more grip since I seem to be getting more cautious in my cornering on XC tires.

I'm a fan of Specialized tires with the Grid casing. They seem to last a long time and hook up as well as anything else. They also run a little cheaper than most other offerings.

Another small, but it's female specific... Short stem and seat forward may do the trick... $350... Maybe a little less. It's a Diamondback Lux 27.5.

Can they be smothered in queso?

I bought this for my son: https://www.rei.com/product/119073/co-op-cycles-drt-10-bike It's an XXS frame, hydraulic disc brakes, and front sus. On the higher end of your price range but no need to parts hunt.

Sorry - will be attending my son's graduation from SHSU that day. Might be able to make the time trial though!

https://www.rei.com/s/revelate-cyber-deals Revelate frame bags for 40% off. https://reviews.mtbr.com/the-best-cyber-monday-deals-for-mountain-biking

Trails were sweet this morning!

Make sure to make motorboat sounds with your mouth while doing this.

i cant believe multiple people recommended ardents. They are one of the worst tires I have ever used. I would never run them in front, only in back so when they slip it is no big deal. It used to be that most people had the same experience. I run a nobby nic 2.3 in front and a 2.3 ikon in back. Best combo of rolling resistance/traction Run tires at 20 psi front/back (@175 pounds)

Minion DHF 2.5 front Aggressor 2.5 rear. Ran Shcwalbes for a long time no issues with flats or cut sidewalls but they just don't last that long.

I am putting new tires on the bike today. Minion DHF and aggressor for the rear. Also check out what I found in my old tires. I think there is a crazy tiny knife. Must have ran over a tiny warrior.

I run the Rock Razor out back and it is crazy good..except in anything wetter than hero dirt. But surprisingly nice. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I’m done a number of combinations on the last few bikes. Austin trails only I’ve not found much better than a DHF/Rekon combo. If it’s wet the Rekon will be a little less reliable to lock up.

Schwalbe Magic Mary or Nobby Nic front and Nobby Nic or Rock Razor for rear are great combos. I also have a wheelset with a DHF 2.5 and Ardent 2.3 and it works well. I think the Magic Mary holds better when you lean the bike over.. Jenson has the Vittoria Morsa and Mota on sale(29 version) I picked up a few to try on my harduro tail.

DHF 2.5 front, aggressor 2.3 back

Coming up on 3-months post surgery next week and the prognosis is looking good. Sitting down comfortably is a non-issue now, and that had been one of my biggest concerns. Played 9 holes of golf with my kid this past weekend, and the PT told me yesterday I should start spinning around the neighborhood on my bike. I've been doing a wide range of stretching and strengthening exercises at home, and am up to 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training on my new machine. I think the key for me now is to listen to the doctor and PT and not try to rush back too quickly. My right leg is still much weaker than my left, and I really need to get back to full strength before I resume aggressive trail riding. Also the doc says that it really takes 5-6 months for that reattached tendon to really heal up completely. My goal is to be back doing my normal riding before Christmas, but in the meantime, life is good!!!

I finally managed a no-dab ride on 1/4 Notch W-E but I have bigger problems now. Seems that the 9 rides that I've done over the past month have really aggravated my sit bone where the hamstring tendon got reattached. It didn't bother me at all initially but is now getting progressively worse with each ride. Probably going to lay off riding for a month or so and then try again. Might have to start looking at saddle alternatives.

Going to the park down the street. Me: Want to take bikes? My Girls: Scooters! Me: <dies inside>