Sadly I sliced open my trusty Hans Dampf 2.35 Pacestar 29" tyre this evening. I've been running them for 5+ years now so was looking for a direct replacement online, but Schwalbe have changed their entire range, which are now over £55!
Budget is £35, maybe £40 absolute max. It's for the rear, so good blend of rolling resistance and grip is important. I've heard good things about Maxxis Minion, but the terminology of all the different types is very confusing. I'm not a heavy\rough rider, so the equivalent of snakeskin would be good, for a mixture of all mountain\light enduro
Take your halfway worn out front tire and put it on the rear, then get a fresh front tire with sharp, high-traction edges on the lugs.
The rear wheel is where tires go to die. It's the circle of life.
I used to do that when I ran the same tire front and back. If he is, then yes, that is the way. I have forgotten it has been so long. LOL
A more optimal combination can be made with a dedicated front tire and a dedicated rear, but then what do you do with a moderately worn front tire? It's worth about ten bucks if you sell it and a sketchy front tire is a bigger buzzkill than switching back to tubes. Only thing to do is chuck it on the rear and get a fresh front!
Like my underwear, I throw them away when they wear out. LOL
Honestly, mtn bike tires are nothing. When I raced hare scrambles, I went thru 6 or 7 rear tires a race season and 2 or 3 fronts. It was common to have 10-15 half wore out tires if you did not throw them out or give them to friends. I can deal with throwing out a mtn bike tire that lasts me a year or more. haha
Like my underwear, I throw them away when they wear out. LOL
Honestly, mtn bike tires are nothing. When I raced hare scrambles, I went thru 6 or 7 rear tires a race season and 2 or 3 fronts. It was common to have 10-15 half wore out tires if you did not throw them out or give them to friends. I can deal with throwing out a mtn bike tire that lasts me a year or more. haha
But that's the thing: if you move the front to the rear, your tire costs are cut in half and you can always ride a really fresh front. Even a small amount of wear noticeably degrades the performance.
Or you can replace both tires independently for a more optimized - and more expensive - solution. Both are valid options; just wanted to present the advantages of the front-to-rear approach.
Absolutely. I am in a place in life now that I don't have to worry about it from a cost perspective. Certainly was not discounting it. Did it for years myself. I just prefer front and rear specific tires now, whether width or tread. If I found a tire and size that worked for me front and rear, I would swap front to rear. I have not found that...yet.
Absolutely. I am in a place in life now that I don't have to worry about it from a cost perspective. Certainly was not discounting it. Did it for years myself. I just prefer front and rear specific tires now, whether width or tread. If I found a tire and size that worked for me front and rear, I would swap front to rear. I have not found that...yet.
Fair enough. I go through a lot of bike tires - there was a time when I had over seventy in my garage! If I had to pay MSRP, I'd be spending as much as you were on moto tires.
Anyway, back to the original question from scz4: The best value tire at MSRP is the On-One Chunky Monkey, at £25, and there will always be great deals at Chain Reaction, On One / Planet X, Wiggle, the numerous German mail-order sites, etc.