In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
Of course, the looser the surface and the more demanding the terrain, the coarser and more pronounced the tread should be and the wider the mountain bike tyre should be. But the carcass structure, the rubber compound and the weight of a tyre also have a significant influence on handling. Only folding tyres are used in the sporty segment. They are light and have a flexible bead core. Harder rubber compounds have less wear. Hardness and damping properties influence the rolling resistance of a tyre. Because more weight rests on the rear wheel, the rear tyre is decisive for rolling resistance. Most manufacturers therefore install a soft, grippy tyre on the front wheel and a hard, good rolling tyre on the rear wheel. The most important abbreviations can be found in the glossary below.
How BIKE tested
In order to test all tyres under comparable conditions, BIKE used the test laboratory of tyre manufacturer Bohle. The rolling resistance was determined on a drum test rig at 20 km/h and 1.8 bar tyre pressure. The puncture test (also 1.8 bar) indicates the maximum drop height of a 10-kilo weight with a defined edge up to the tyre/tube defect. In order to test how resistant the carcass is to foreign objects such as thorns, the maximum force required by a metal thorn to penetrate the carcass was determined. During the practical test on the Isar, the categories of cornering grip and traction were determined on various surfaces. All tyres were tested with standard inner tubes. The overall judgement includes practical and laboratory evaluations with different weightings:
- Marathon/Race: 70% lab, 30% practice
- Trail/All Mountain: 62.5% laboratory, 37.5% practice
- Enduro: 55 % laboratory, 45 % practice
THE BIKE TEST WINNER TYRES 2019
Cross Country - Marathon: Continental Cross King and Race King 29x2.2
No other tyre combination in the test rolls better than the Contis with Black Chilli compound. The Race King's minimal tread pattern (602 g / 16 watts) offers little traction and clogs up quickly. The coarser Cross King (628 g / 20.3 watts) behaves good-naturedly in bends for a long time. If the limit range is exceeded, it breaks out abruptly. The two Continental tyres (both in the ProTection version) score points above all for their weight and good protection against punctures. 39.95 Euro (Cross King) and 43.90 Euro (Race King) at Rosebikes
Cross Country - Marathon: Bontrager XR3 and XR2 29x2.2
The new XR3 surprises with massive grip on all surfaces, good lateral guidance and good-natured handling at the limit. The combination with 120 TPI carcass offers plenty of traction when climbing and braking. The XR2 (667 g / 24.4 watts) could roll a little better, the XR3 (724 g / 22.7 watts) is a little heavy. However, both tyres provide good protection against punctures. Fully-fledged combination for demanding race courses. The combination of XR3 at the front and XR2 (both as Team Issue TLR) at the rear also works well on light trail bikes.
Cross Country - Marathon: Schwalbe Racing Ray and Racing Ralph 29x2.25
Schwalbe gets a lot right with its new racing pair - consisting of Racing Ray on the front wheel (617 g / 20.9 watts) and Racing Ralph on the rear (602 g / 20.4 watts): low weight, top rolling resistance and good-natured handling. Both generate traction more via the tread than via the rubber compound (Evolution Addix Speedgrip/Speed). Although they slip quite early in corners, they always remain controllable and can be caught again. Can also be ridden in the wet thanks to the coarse tread >> 37.95 Euro (Racing Ray) and 46.95 Euro (Racing Ralph) at Rosebikes.
Trail - All Mountain: Kenda Hellkat Pro and Nevegal 2 Pro 27.5x2.4
The Kenda tyre combination offers superior grip in bends, a wide limit range and plenty of traction uphill. The better supported outer lugs provide plenty of lateral support. Weight (859 g / 835 g) and rolling resistance (31.8 watts / 33.1 watts) are unfortunately only average. On the other hand, the Hellkat Pro ATC and the rear tyre Nevegal 2 Pro ATC with top values for penetration and puncture and are therefore particularly puncture-proof.
Trail - All Mountain: Maxxis Forekaster and Rekon 27.5x2.6/2.4
Light-footed combination for trail bikers. Despite the fast 3C MaxxSpeed compound at the front, the wide Forecaster (787 g / 27.1 watts) offers good grip on hard surfaces. Both tyres remain easy to control. On damp surfaces, the Maxxis tyres slip a little. The Rekon with 3C MaxxTerra mixture (750 g / 24.6 watts) rolls superbly and offers good traction. A top rear tyre thanks to good puncture protection.
Enduro: Maxxis Assegai and Minion DHR 27.5x2.5/2.4
Greg Minnaar combines the best profiles from Maxxis in the Assegai (1052 g / 28.8 watts). And with success: the tyre sits firmly and confidently in corners and remains super controllable at the limit. Both tyres roll very well for the high grip, but only offer moderate puncture protection. The Exo+ casing of the Minion DHR II (960 g / 31.5 watts) offers hardly any advantages. For more protection, you'll have to go for the double-down casing. Price: 59,90 Euro (Assegai) and 47.95 Euro (Minion DHR II) .
Enduro: Schwalbe Magic Mary and Hans Dampf 27.5x2.35
The Magic Mary (1164 g / 51.1 watts) is the absolute heavyweight in the test. The Addix Ultra-Soft compound rolls tough, but can hardly be pushed to the limit on any type of surface. The slightly less grippy (Addix Soft) but fast-rolling Hans Dampf (1090 g / 30.7 watts) is the ideal combination for the rear wheel. The stable super-gravity carcass can withstand very low air pressure and offers plenty of puncture protection at the front and rear. 47,95 Euro (Magic Mary) and 48,95 Euro (Hans Dampf) on offer at Rosebikes
...
LEXICON FOR MTB TYRES
Puncture protection
To make tyres on mountain bikes puncture-proof, all manufacturers have special puncture layers in their range. Tyres with a Protection (Continental), Snakeskin (Schwalbe) or EXO-Protection label (Maxxis) have a reinforced sidewall. For tough enduro use, tyres with multiple carcass layers (Schwalbe: Super-Gravity, Maxxis: Double-Down) are used. The extra weight of the protective layer is worth it.
Rubber compound
At Continental, all high-quality tyres have the Black Chili rubber compound. The cheaper tyres roll on performance rubber. Schwalbe and Maxxis make things much more complicated. They offer five and four different types of rubber respectively, depending on the area of use. More about the Terms of the tyre manufacturers in the MTB sector can be found here.
Tyre width
The size designation of a tyre is always made up of the wheel diameter X and tyre width in inches, for example 29x2.3. Over time, it has become clear that tyres that are too narrow make no sense, which is why 2.2 inch wide tyres are standard even on hardtails. Trail bikes usually have tyres up to 2.4 inches wide, all-mountain or enduro bikes even up to 2.6 inches. Wide tyres also need correspondingly wide rims.
Tubeless
Almost all wheels have an inner tube inside the tyre ex works. To save weight, most rim-tyre combinations can also be used without an inner tube with a special sealant ( to test tubeless milk) can be fitted. This also improves rolling resistance and puncture protection.
HOW A MTB TYRE IS CONSTRUCTED
1. the Rubber shapes the tread and significantly influences the rolling resistance and grip of an MTB tyre. The rule is: the less rolling resistance, the worse the grip.
2. the Carcass serves as a carrier material for the rubber of a tyre and consists of a mesh of nylon threads. The EPI or TPI number indicates how fine this fabric is. The higher this number, the finer and more flexible the tyre.
3. the Apex wedge minimises the risk of punctures in high-quality mountain bike tyres. Protective layers cover the entire tyre.
4. the Core of the tyre consists of a ring of aramid fibres. It is responsible for the fit of the tyre on the rim. Cheap bicycle tyres have a wire core.
The big BIKE tyre tests with all the details and test results can be found in issues 8/19 and 10/19, which you can easily read in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play):
