New Season, New Tires, New Thread

I run a Maxxgrip DHF on an EXO casing and it's pretty fast. I had a EXO Assegai before, that was slow AF. Don't even get me started on DD or DH casings. I love how they ride, but I do pedal a lot so have to balance needs out.

I am making the jump to Kryptotal Enduro F/R in the next week or so, will report back.

I run a Kenda Pinner ATC rear, that's a great tire too (and cheap). Lets you know when you are getting close to the edge of traction, instead of the rider laying on the ground wondering what just happened.

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Originally Posted by singlesline

I find the Assegais that came on my Ripmo (with 35mm rims) to roll slower than I'd like, and I don't think I really push the bike hard enough to warrant the extra grip. Wouldn't mind something that rolled a little faster, at least in the rear.

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Where are you riding / what kind of soil? Definitely stick with 2.5WT or 2.6 with that rim width.

I agree Dual Ass is dumb AF for a RipMo.

Mostly riding NW Montana. Not much wet stuff, not a ton of roots. More sharp rocks and dry dirt, becoming loose as the season moves on.

And yeah, the Ripmo came with dual maxxgrips.

My shorter travel bike has max speed Ikons and they are definitely NOT enough, but I knew I’d be swapping them out ASAP.

I don’t know how deep/loose NW Montana is midsummer, but I wonder if those Kryptotal Re Soft in 65/2.6 both front and back might be the Goldilocks. I just looked one up and pricing is better than I thought! If this combo works you could rotate front to back, but if the Krypto Re up front isn’t enough grip for you then just put the MG AssGuy back up front and you’re back in business with a faster long life rear and a spare rear (presumably the existing rear AssGuy is ready for retirement?).

There’s always 2.6 DHR2 3C MaxTerra front and back in the casing of your choice as a backup plan if those Contis prove hard to source.

If the soil is more packed then loose, 2.6 Spesh Eliminator T7 front and back should theoretically be faster than both above but you would probably give up some grip in the loose stuff. I haven’t tried these yet but my plan for next summer is to try them on the rear of my trail bike after moving on from the Dissector. I wonder how an Assegai front would pair with an Eliminator, the tread patterns actually look pretty complimentary though I bet the Eliminator has shorter block heights.

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Originally Posted by singlesline

Mostly riding NW Montana. Not much wet stuff, not a ton of roots. More sharp rocks and dry dirt, becoming loose as the season moves on.

And yeah, the Ripmo came with dual maxxgrips.

My shorter travel bike has max speed Ikons and they are definitely NOT enough, but I knew I’d be swapping them out ASAP.

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Ripmo tires have been all over the place. Mine came with DHF MaxxTerra on both front and rear! I don't mind. I think the DHF is faster on the rear than the DHR...it just doesn't brake quite as well.

That said, my favorite rear tire so far is still the new Specialized Purgatory. It's far better than the Eliminator, which is just a rebrand of the old Purgatory tread pattern that isn't nearly as good.

I think what is most alarming with the Kryptotals is how versatile they are. I mounted em up and practiced in dry blown out conditions. Then the monsoons came. I was shocked at how well these worked in wet and on wet roots. I mean nothing is good on wet roots, but I got away with some high lines/off cambers in the wet that I don't think I would have even with maxxgrip ass/dhrII.

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Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

I think what is most alarming with the Kryptotals is how versatile they are. I mounted em up and practiced in dry blown out conditions. Then the monsoons came. I was shocked at how well these worked in wet and on wet roots. I mean nothing is good on wet roots, but I got away with some high lines/off cambers in the wet that I don't think I would have even with maxxgrip ass/dhrII.

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It’s funny you say that, because I do find maxxgrip is good on wet roots. Wet, hard stuff (roots/rocks) it feels more secure than maxterra. For coastal pnw wet riding it’s great. If you are finding something comparable or better I am impressed.

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Originally Posted by Spats

my favorite rear tire so far is still the new Specialized Purgatory. It's far better than the Eliminator, which is just a rebrand of the old Purgatory tread pattern that isn't nearly as good.

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Interesting, I’ll check out that new Purg.
Not sure how you say the Eliminator is a rebrand of the old Purg though, the old Purg had a paddle? The Eliminator looks like a Butcher with intermediate knobs in the channel and a lower block height than the Butcher. And it’s well reviewed as being maybe faster than the Aggressor and maybe even almost as fast as Dissector, so what am I missing? I thought the old Purg was more comparable to the Aggressor?

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Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio

Interesting, I’ll check out that new Purg.
Not sure how you say the Eliminator is a rebrand of the old Purg though, the old Purg had a paddle? The Eliminator looks like a Butcher with intermediate knobs in the channel and a lower block height than the Butcher. And it’s well reviewed as being maybe faster than the Aggressor and maybe even almost as fast as Dissector, so what am I missing? I thought the old Purg was more comparable to the Aggressor?

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Oh hey Schralph! How the heck are you? PM me and catch me up.

Upon close examination, I realize the Eliminator isn't exactly the old Purgatory...but it's very similar. Both have the same 3-2-1 lug pattern, with about the same spacing.

New Purgatory. I like this one as a rear tire, and have run it for many hundreds of miles. As mentioned, it's almost as fast as a Ground Control but grips much better. It's really cheap right now from Specialized or almost any shop, under $35: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/pu...=271582-173593
Attachment 467268

Old Purgatory. Bad as a front, decent but not great as a rear:
Attachment 467269

Newish Eliminator. Not exactly the same as the old Purgatory, but very similar 3/2/1 lugs. They did improve the side lugs, and the useless tiny single lug is now a bigger double lug, so I'm sure it both rolls and corners better.
Attachment 467270

That said, the new Purgatory has slightly lower knobs, wider center lugs, and as a result I'm willing to bet it rolls even better than the Eliminator. It just doesn't get much notice because they kept the old name, despite it being a completely different tire. (But it won't clear mud as well because the tread is denser and not quite as tall. I don't have mud here, but if you do, the Eliminator might be worth rolling a bit slower.)

Aside: Aggressor is faster than Dissector, though Dissector has more grip. Aggressor is uncannily fast. I'm running one now as an experiment since I got it cheap. I suspect it's faster than the new Purg, but I'd have to ride them in close succession and I don't have both tires right now to test that. From the tread pattern, I suspect Aggressor : Dissector :: Purgatory : Eliminator.)

^^ I think there’s a bit of confusion here because there’s now an even newer new purgatory too

Attachment 467279

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/pu...959-1000160957

Edit because finally able to upload image

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Originally Posted by dcpnz

^^ I think there’s a bit of confusion here because there’s now an even newer new purgatory too

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/pu...959-1000160957

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Now THAT looks like something I’m excited to test in comparison to the Dissector! Looks both fast and grippy in a mix of soils!

Spats, will PM you to catch up. Here in Loam central (I now live 40 mins from Oakridge OR), I found that the Aggressor is better at straight line hard braking than the Dissector, climbs better than the Dissector, but the Dissector rolls faster and bites harder on high speed corners. There was just something about running that tire out back for high speed trail riding that put a smile on my face, at least until the knobs crumbled off and the tire got a nasty wobble. Of course my DC Agressor got an even worse wobble.

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Originally Posted by dcpnz

^^ I think there’s a bit of confusion here because there’s now an even newer new purgatory too

[can’t upload image right now - server fans overheated apparently]

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/pu...959-1000160957

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Thank you...I had no idea those existed! That's three completely different tires, all named "Purgatory".

From the tread, they look like V3 will grip better than V2, especially in loose conditions, but roll slower. But we'll have to try them and find out before I conclude that I have to start hoarding the V2 tread pattern, which hits a happy medium for me of "enough" grip while still rolling quickly.

Schralph: The Aggressor has a bigger valley between central and side knobs than the Dissector. I have to snap the Aggressor down into turns to get traction, much like a DHF -- which I already have on the front, so that's not really a change. It likely also depends on your rim profile: I've got a 2.5WT Aggressor on a 35mm internal rim, so the profile is relatively flat and I can get to the side knobs much easier than someone with 25-30mm rims.

One contributor to a squirrelly feeling is front and rear tires that engage the side knobs at substantially different lean angles. If the rear doesn't bite until well after the front, the bike will feel like the rear has less traction, because we tend to push the front down until we feel the front tire bite, then stop.

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Originally Posted by Spats

New Purgatory. I like this one as a rear tire, and have run it for many hundreds of miles. As mentioned, it's almost as fast as a Ground Control but grips much better. It's really cheap right now from Specialized or almost any shop, under $35: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/pu...=271582-173593
Attachment 467268

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That is cheap!
I guess I'm just a little concerned that Specialized markets it as a "Light Trail" tire and doesn't even use the "Grid Trail" casing. Seems a little light duty for the Ripmo (at least for mine which is a Fox 38/X2 and serves as my big bike).

The new one is Grid Trail, but only comes in a 2.4"

I think I'm going to give a Kryptotal enduro a try for the rear and see how that feels and keep the maxxgrip Assegai up front for now.

FWIW I snapped up one of those V2 paddle Purgatory tires and really like it. I do think it's a bit slower than a GC, but not draggy. It's a good rear. Traction is good, but braking is not as good as I expected.

Mine says " Purgatory Grid T7". I ride it hard through shit like this with zero concern or trouble.Attachment 467315

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Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

Where are you seeing enduro casings stateside?

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Jenson had some, but looks like they're backordered. Thunder Mountain has Kryp R and Xyns in Enduro/Soft for $67, I saw some on Amazon yesterday for like $70, Universal Cycles has some for $70-85.

Need anything else Googled? :D

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Originally Posted by Falcon3

Jenson had some, but looks like they're backordered. Thunder Mountain has Kryp R and Xyns in Enduro/Soft for $67, I saw some on Amazon yesterday for like $70, Universal Cycles has some for $70-85.

Need anything else Googled? :D

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No luck with the 29x2.4 Kryptotal enduro Fr from Amazon or Universal. Maybe my google sucks. If you can throw up some links it would much appreciated.

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Originally Posted by climberevan

FWIW I snapped up one of those V2 paddle Purgatory tires and really like it. I do think it's a bit slower than a GC, but not draggy. It's a good rear. Traction is good, but braking is not as good as I expected.

Mine says " Purgatory Grid T7". I ride it hard through shit like this with zero concern or trouble.Attachment 467315

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I can see why that v2 Purg is a good rear tire for you Carson Range folks. Good to hear that it’s durable.

The intermittent shoulder season moisture and midsummer deeper soft soils (or sometimes deep loose fir needles) has me thinking that the v3 block-in-block Purg up front with the current block-in-block GC out back might be a pretty sweet downcountry tire setup here?

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Originally Posted by singlesline

I think I'm going to give a Kryptotal enduro a try for the rear and see how that feels and keep the maxxgrip Assegai up front for now.

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I have really dug that exact setup this summer on the bike bike. I have the DH casing in the back, it's been bomber and the grip is fantastic, esp. in the corners. A little less straightline braking power on rock than my DHR

Why are there not more casing and compound options for the Aggressor?

I know it’s not what people run in wet climates but in dry rocky climates it’s an incredible rear tire. It seems like they must sell a bunch of them.

Mainly I want EXO+. MaxxTerra would wear out fast but would be a fun option.

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Originally Posted by Tailwind

Why are there not more casing and compound options for the Aggressor?

I know it’s not what people run in wet climates but in dry rocky climates it’s an incredible rear tire. It seems like they must sell a bunch of them.

Mainly I want EXO+. MaxxTerra would wear out fast but would be a fun option.

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I run an EXO Aggressor (with an insert) on the rear of my bigger bike. The weight is ~1,100g in 29x2.5, which is slightly more than the EXO+ Dissector. I haven't had any more flatting issues and in my opinion the extra rubber in the casing makes up for the lack of "+".

I think the 2 EXO's are shades of grey. If you need noticeably more protection than EXO, you might as well go to DD.

Makes sense and good point on EXO vs exo+.

I actually just went from and 2.5 EXO Aggressor to a 2.4 EXO+ Maxxterra Dissector. I like the tread less but I like other aspects of the tire. An insert in a 2.3 aggressor is probably a good solution.

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Originally Posted by XtrPickels

I run an EXO Aggressor (with an insert) on the rear of my bigger bike. The weight is ~1,100g in 29x2.5, which is slightly more than the EXO+ Dissector. I haven't had any more flatting issues and in my opinion the extra rubber in the casing makes up for the lack of "+".

I think the 2 EXO's are shades of grey. If you need noticeably more protection than EXO, you might as well go to DD.

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I personally don't like the Aggressor, but if you're looking for a somewhat similar tire check out the new Specialized Purgatory in the Grid Trail casing.

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Originally Posted by Falcon3

Jenson had some, but looks like they're backordered. Thunder Mountain has Kryp R and Xyns in Enduro/Soft for $67, I saw some on Amazon yesterday for like $70, Universal Cycles has some for $70-85.

Need anything else Googled? :D

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Most of these results were for 27.5" tires, because I just checked myself in hope of finding them.

I used to be fairly ambivalent about + or not….but the new EXO+ has significantly more protection and support at the bead, which is sweet because those punctures tend to be difficult/impossible to reliably plug.


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^^^ yeah. Newer exo+ is noticeably better / more protective than original exo+.