29er Tires for BCBR

BCBR is coming up and I'm looking for some tires - I cant see myself running light weight pinners [HTML_REMOVED] want to stay with a 2.3ish front [HTML_REMOVED] 2.2ish rear, tubliss ready. Now that the selection for 29 rubber is getting better, what are people liking these days? I'm currently on HR's front [HTML_REMOVED] rear, and they have been OK.. was previously on the Eskar / Purgatory which I liked. I am looking for a faster rolling rear tire, with a nice stable front. Conditions could change daily so looking for a good all arounder… Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

I've been really happy with the Ardents that came on my 29er hardtail (2.4 F, 2.25 R). They're a bit less planted than the Butcher/Purgatory combo on my AM bike but do decently well on the Shore. I've been running them all winter and have not yet feared for my life. I find they roll extremely well. If I were doing BCBR, I'd consider these.

Spec Ground Control on the rear for something a bit quicker rolling than the Purg but still has some bite. I was impressed with mine and will run it again when it drys out this year.

There is a 29er tire thread buried somewhere with all sorts of info in it.

i'm no race expert but it seems to me that there is either ultralight tires (Maxxis Beavers, which are awesome but not confidence inspiring from a durability standpoint, Racing Ralph, etc) or tires that are substantially heavier and not 'race' specific in design.

personally, i get where your coming from and unless you see yourself in contention for a top spot, where flat out race tires may be worth it, i would go grippier and durable and they should hold up the whole race. i have lots of time on Spesh Purgs and i think you can't go wrong for the weight. maybe Max Ikon in the back, but if you get rain/mud you won't be happy. given the nature of the course, i could see running light AM tires all round. Purg front and back, or even Purg back Butcher front (slightly grippier and heavier, but still very smooth and fast rolling IMO)

not that i could see even attempting this race as a fun idea, but good luck to you!

2.2 Ardent Race in the rear and a 2.4 Ardent in the front.

2.2 Ardent Race in the rear and a 2.4 Ardent in the front.

What are the main handling differences between the Ardent Race and regular Ardent? The Ardent Race looks like it probably rolls faster but is more likely to pack with mud.

one is merely slippery, the other is super slippery…

Spec Ground Control on the rear for something a bit quicker rolling than the Purg but still has some bite. I was impressed with mine and will run it again when it drys out this year.

I only have a few rides in using a Ground Control on the back, but really happy with it so far. Rolls quickly and plenty of grip for anything outside of winter slop. I went with the GRID tubeless ready version for a bit beefier casing, but it's still plenty light enough.

I think you need to take into account all the climbing you'll be doing. You will spend more time going up than down so you want a lighter tire. Fatter tires can be run at a lower psi so they roll faster but too fat and the weight will slow you down. Conti makes some excellent race tires. You might want to start trying tires now so you are used to them. Check the 14 day forecast when you get close to race start because if the weather looks wet, you'll want a different tire than if it looks dry. I've had good success with the 2.2 Conti Mountain King. A 2.3 would be better. Any Conti must be the black chili rubber. Maxxis ikon looks interesting too but I have not tried them yet. Maxxis Crossmark was a good tire I have liked.

Third vote for the Specialized Ground Control. Really good fast rolling all terrain tire and give confidence in the rear from dry to fairly wet conditions. It will begin to slip if really wet.

On the front, the Conti XKing in Black Chili also seems to offer that nice balance of fast rolling, but still a profile that hooks up well in varied terrain and loose loamy corners.

I do not offer any love for the Ardent.

Specialized Butcher up front with the Control casing. Rolls well, good shoulder for cornering, light enough, tough enough. I've ran mine for the past year now and have no complaints. You really should have a front tire you can trust in the technical stuff, especially when you are tired. (Pun notintended)

Rocket Ron's maybe, light with some bite. try them first tho. Not sure where you're from but you're gonna want some braking traction so you don't literally run over the technically inept descenders, and there are few of them. Lotsa fast climbers, but few riders who can ride wet roots/rocks on a descent. if you've got west coast XC skills "on you're right! On your right!" comes in useful.

I rode BCBR on 26" 1.95 Nevegals. Flatted once in 400 km's. Not the fastest or the lightest, but it gets the job done. The 1.95's had a lower knob profile than the larger ones. No doubt some will tell you they're shit, but smooth and steady gives you the best cumulative time.

Good on ya.

You really should have a front tire you can trust in the technical stuff, especially when you are tired. (Pun notintended)

Very true, cause you will be tired, very tired.

BCBR was by far the best race I've ever done. Awesome trails, good peeps, just not quite enough sleep.

Friend of mine had the same question, but is limited to Contis or Schwalbe. I gave this reply:

_I keep going back to a Racing Ralph on the back and a Nobby Nic on the front (2.25 for both). That's what I used in the BCBR, and I had zero tire problems. The Ralphs really lack bite on the front end, while the Nics have some more serious chunk tread. However, I seem to be among the few that actually likes that front (Nic) option.I think the real key is making sure that you choose the right line. Performance line is crap, and has a hard duro with garbage grip. For the BCBR, I would suggest Evolution Line with Snakeskin. It's only marginally heavier, but much better protection. They also synch up for tubeless extremely well.

I actually picked up a Conti X-King to try out. I can only comment on the wieght and profile so far as I haven't ridden it yet, but they look good.I would say the Race-King would be a waste of time, and most of the other ones look to big. There seems to be a big jump in burliness and chunk from the X-King to the next bunch (Mountain King etc). They get smoking reviews, though, and I think Greg Day has used them the past few years (nuff said eh?). The lightest line seem to be the RaceSport, which are also the hardest to obtain, but they are certainly not the most durable. Nice thing about Conti is their website lays out each line, with the respective weights. The Conti's do tend to be a bit under-sized, which leads me to thing a 2.2 rear and 2.4 front might be a nice combo (or 2.4 on both). Not sure about their tubeless rep though.
:)_

I would add that I agree that a slightly bigger and more confidence-inspiring tire is good for the timed enduro sections. I can't imagine running Highrollers over such a long XC course though. THere is a lot of road and fire road spinning, and nasty climbing, where big boat anchor tires will just kill your soul. I put the timed sections in perspective with endurance also….that is if you save some energy on the climb, you'll have more to spend on the downhill….so a slightly lighter tire, although not as kickass as a Highroller, actually still helps your enduro time, by reducing your overall workload. Make sense? Maybe not. But also consider that the timed sections do have considerable flat rolling parts and some limited climbing. Remember, enduro is not downhill, it is more than descending.

Most important, make sure your tires are brand spankin new when you start. Don't start the race with a partial tread.

Also, a shout out to the Maxxis Beavers. I did the race in the pouring rain two years ago. I would have probably shed significant time off my overall by using Beavs for the first 3 or 4 stages, as they were super muddy. As a condition-specific tire, I think the Beavs do a great job. Just add extra sealant.