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Favorite 27.5+ Tires for ATX?


tjc4
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Looking for plus tire recommendations...

I've got two wheelsets (front / rear on rim width):

  1. Nobby Nic 3.0 on i40 / Rocket Ron 2.8 on i35  
  2. Nobby Nic 3.0 on i29 / Rocket Ron 2.6 on i29

Don't have any experience with any other plus tires. Will probably get some new tires this season. 

Mostly ride Walnut, Emma and Brushy.  

Thinking or Rekon / Rekon but open to other ideas. 

DHF / Rekon might be overkill / too heavy / too slow for around here.  Rekon / Ikon look like it might not be grippy enough.

Hoping someone with more plus tire experience could chime in with some advice.

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I run Rekon/Rekon 27.5x2.8 on my hardtail. Plan to go Rekon/Ikon 2.8 next go round just to lighten up the back a bit more. 

On the big bike I reduced from Rekon/Rekon 2.8 to DHF/Rekon 2.6. Happy with the decision so far. 2.6 DHF and 2.8 Rekon were about 80 grams difference, which is negligible to me  

Overall I can definitely say the Rekon is an excellent tire for Texas riding. Fast, grippy and tough. Ikon is a great drive tire for here, but wouldn’t trust it up front. DHF is what it is, a tank that you can trust. 

Edited by bestbike85
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I can for certain say to avoid Vee Tire Bulldozers. The large outside knobs tear off, usually taking a strip of rubber off the sidewall with them. There are immanent plans to modify the Bulldozers, ala Shinerider style, to assure they won't be mounted ever again.

Recently replaced a 3.0 and a 2.8 Bulldozer set with a pair of gently abused Rekon's in 2.8 that were procured in barter for a bottle of whiskey. I tend to prefer tires with lots of small knobs over tires with bigger knobs as they will roll better and generally grip well in most of the terrain around these parts.

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The Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph were the worst tires I've ridden for around here. I don't know how the plus Nobby Nics are because I very quickly lost interest in plus size tires, but I can say that the 29x2.35 Nobby Nics have held up better than any tire I've used for brushy creek.

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Yay, Tire thread!!!

IMO, I really like the Ikon ont he back of my 27" HT, I've used it on all kinds or surfaces and it does what I need. (I ride 80% Brushy and 20% Walnut). By comparison, the 26" Nevegals on my FS which I used to like in the PNW are good on roots and tacky days (hero dirt) but not great on dry days and rocks. 

I rode a demo bike with DHFs and the conditions were SUPER tacky. The tires never mudded up but it was like hitting the brakes on every dirt section. SO MUCH DRAG. If I bought that bike the first thing I'd do is ditch the DHFs.

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26 minutes ago, Chief said:

The Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph were the worst tires I've ridden for around here. I don't know how the plus Nobby Nics are because I very quickly lost interest in plus size tires, but I can say that the 29x2.35 Nobby Nics have held up better than any tire I've used for brushy creek.

Yeah, I loved the Nic on my 29er which is why I went that direction on the 27.5+ but think the knobs might have gotten spaced out too far. There are big gaps between the shoulder knobs - especially on the 3.0. Might feel more confident leaning the bike if the shoulder knobs were more consistent.

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25 minutes ago, RedRider3141 said:

Yay, Tire thread!!!

IMO, I really like the Ikon ont he back of my 27" HT, I've used it on all kinds or surfaces and it does what I need. (I ride 80% Brushy and 20% Walnut). By comparison, the 26" Nevegals on my FS which I used to like in the PNW are good on roots and tacky days (hero dirt) but not great on dry days and rocks. 

I rode a demo bike with DHFs and the conditions were SUPER tacky. The tires never mudded up but it was like hitting the brakes on every dirt section. SO MUCH DRAG. If I bought that bike the first thing I'd do is ditch the DHFs.

Yeah, I once spent a slow 5 miles on a Nevergo before tearing it off.

Maybe I should consider the Ikon... more grip than I give it credit for?

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2 hours ago, tjc4 said:

Yeah, I once spent a slow 5 miles on a Nevergo before tearing it off.

Maybe I should consider the Ikon... more grip than I give it credit for?

To be fair, I'm not an aggressive rider who sprints the trails but I do expect my tire to grip and not slip. I have the Ikon on the back and I cheeped out on the front with a WTB Trail Boss. The performance is very similar but the Trail Boss doesn't have exo protection. The original plan was to only ride it on the BCRT but I've taken it all over Brushy and Walnut and I've really liked the combo. When I tire (pun intended) of the Negevals I'm putting an Ikon on at least the rear of my FS, haven't decided on the front yet.

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I'm a fan of Specialized tires. I've been running 3.0 Purgatory/Ground Control (F/R) with the Grid casing for a while now. Usually when it comes time to replace, I get bored and want something different just to have something different. I've replaced both of these with the same tire, which is saying something. I'll probably go down to a 2.8 for my next set to cut some weight. The other great thing is that BSS usually has them in stock, and they are more reasonably priced than Maxxis or Schwalbe. 

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39 minutes ago, notyal said:

I'm a fan of Specialized tires. I've been running 3.0 Purgatory/Ground Control (F/R) with the Grid casing for a while now. Usually when it comes time to replace, I get bored and want something different just to have something different. I've replaced both of these with the same tire, which is saying something. I'll probably go down to a 2.8 for my next set to cut some weight. The other great thing is that BSS usually has them in stock, and they are more reasonably priced than Maxxis or Schwalbe. 

Do they weep sealant?

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12 minutes ago, TheX said:

Do they weep sealant?

The Grid casing is much better. I the Purg I have up front has not weeped one bit. Oddly enough, the Ground Control with the same casing weeps a little. Just enough to keep my sidewalls looking shiny. 

The Control casing weeped, but it was only at night when they were alone in the garage so it never really bothered me. We all deal with our issues in our own way. 

I also use homebrewed sealant. I've heard Orange Seal doesn't even weep with the Control casing. 

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I've ridden a ton of plus tires, was an early adapter.  First plus tires I rode were the first gen Nobby Nics. They were light and rolled decent enough but held up like crap. I sliced the casing on several in the tread area.  When Maxxis release their plus tires I never looked back. First set of Maxxis were Rekon 2.8 up front and Ikon 2.8 on the rear. Overall this was a very good combo, pedaled well and had enough grip most of the time.  I then switched to High Roller 2.8 up front Rekon 2.8 on the rear. This combo had more than enough grip for anywhere in central Texas, just felt a little draggy. Then I switched to Rekon 2.8 in the front and Rekon 2.6 in the rear. This really was the sweet spot for me, felt just right. I have a few take off tires  at home that I would sell pretty cheap. Or if you are up to the task, I would give you some Nobby Nics if you wanted to try to patch them and see if they sealed. LMK if anyone is interested and I will look tonight to see what I still have. I know I have a brand new WTB Ranger 2.8 that I would sell cheap as well. 

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12 minutes ago, dustydubya said:

I've ridden a ton of plus tires, was an early adapter.  First plus tires I rode were the first gen Nobby Nics. They were light and rolled decent enough but held up like crap. I sliced the casing on several in the tread area.  When Maxxis release their plus tires I never looked back. First set of Maxxis were Rekon 2.8 up front and Ikon 2.8 on the rear. Overall this was a very good combo, pedaled well and had enough grip most of the time.  I then switched to High Roller 2.8 up front Rekon 2.8 on the rear. This combo had more than enough grip for anywhere in central Texas, just felt a little draggy. Then I switched to Rekon 2.8 in the front and Rekon 2.6 in the rear. This really was the sweet spot for me, felt just right. I have a few take off tires  at home that I would sell pretty cheap. Or if you are up to the task, I would give you some Nobby Nics if you wanted to try to patch them and see if they sealed. LMK if anyone is interested and I will look tonight to see what I still have. I know I have a brand new WTB Ranger 2.8 that I would sell cheap as well. 

How does the Rekon 2.8 compare to the Nic 2.8 in terms of width, height and overall volume? 

I've heard the Rekon might be a little smaller.  True?  False?

What rim size are you running on the 2.6?

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17 minutes ago, dustydubya said:

I've ridden a ton of plus tires, was an early adapter.  First plus tires I rode were the first gen Nobby Nics. They were light and rolled decent enough but held up like crap. I sliced the casing on several in the tread area.  When Maxxis release their plus tires I never looked back. First set of Maxxis were Rekon 2.8 up front and Ikon 2.8 on the rear. Overall this was a very good combo, pedaled well and had enough grip most of the time.  I then switched to High Roller 2.8 up front Rekon 2.8 on the rear. This combo had more than enough grip for anywhere in central Texas, just felt a little draggy. Then I switched to Rekon 2.8 in the front and Rekon 2.6 in the rear. This really was the sweet spot for me, felt just right. I have a few take off tires  at home that I would sell pretty cheap. Or if you are up to the task, I would give you some Nobby Nics if you wanted to try to patch them and see if they sealed. LMK if anyone is interested and I will look tonight to see what I still have. I know I have a brand new WTB Ranger 2.8 that I would sell cheap as well. 

I'd be interested to hear what you've got. I'm heading to Big Bend in a month and was thinking about trying something lighter and faster rolling out there. 

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58 minutes ago, Chief said:

Here's Orange seal being peeled from inside of one of my tires. Completely dry inside, tire would lose a little air over time but no flats. 

IMG_6155.JPG

I originally posted this in the random bike pic thread. I got the full circle in one piece:

image.png.be816a67a23f2037ac12db7c8d0d1fe7.png

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9 minutes ago, tjc4 said:

How does the Rekon 2.8 compare to the Nic 2.8 in terms of width, height and overall volume? 

I've heard the Rekon might be a little smaller.  True?  False?

What rim size are you running on the 2.6?

I never measured but visually the NIC is slightly taller, a little wider at the casing and has more volume than the Rekon.  I was running both on 35mm ID rims.

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