Thanks guys, looks like a lot of love for Maxxis.
I guess the thing I want to avoid is spending the best part of £100 for a setup that's similar to my old Conti combo or my current Schwalbe combo.
Otherwise, I may as well just replace my old X-king…
Ok so, I put my old Continentals back on (I stuck a tube in the rear) and did my usual loop at my local trail, as per
this thread.
I took two minutes off my previous PR (a 10.7% improvement), and while some of that is no doubt due to my improving fitness, I could feel the reduction in rolling resistance and I believe that the majority of that time was down to the tyres.
Considering I had to overtake a bunch of people (some on the climb and some on the descent), I reckon there's more improvement to be had as well. However, there was one section where I had to back out due to a lack of grip, which was always my concern with the Continentals.
I've done a bit more research, and in terms of weight, a DHF/DHR paired with an Aggressor isn't going to make much difference compared to my MM/HD setup (although I appreciate there may be a rolling resistance improvement).
The Maxxis website suggests an Ardent Race (F) / Ikon (R) combination as one of the lightest/lowest rolling resistance combinations — only slightly lighter than a Nobby Nic (F) / Rock Razor (R), but with both of these options I worry about the lack of grip — if it's any less than my current Conti's I don't think it would be right for me, even if it was slightly faster overall.
As I said, I don't want to replace both tyres and end up with a similar setup to what I've got, nor do I want to end up with something less grippy than the Continentals. However, I know I need to replace the X-King so if there's a better alternative to the Mountain King I'd happily go for it.
Maybe a pair of Nobby Nics would be the best compromise — 1.53Kg for the pair, decent enough grip and reasonable rolling resistance… It's all so complicated!
