Races are won uphill. There is a lot of truth in this old racing wisdom, if you disregard enduro or even downhill events. A prime example of this is the typical cross-country circuit, where you ride just as many metres uphill as downhill, but spend a maximum of one third of the time on the downhill. The rest consists of climbing or flat pedalling sections that require little weight and easy rolling. This is where the tyre, as the only point of contact between the bike and the ground and therefore the number one tuning component, plays a very special role.
As the choice of tyres is not only huge, but new developments are also constantly entering the market, we have subjected a total of 17 tyres to a detailed laboratory and practical test. In the categories: Cross Country, All Mountain, Enduro and, for the first time, 29er tyres. These included twelve brand-new models and five familiar profiles between 30 and 60 euros.
But back to the requirements that a tyre must fulfil in order to be fast on a circuit or a classic tour. What you can do well downhill with a particularly grippy tyre is disproportionate to the time you lose going uphill. Unfortunately, low rolling resistance is in direct conflict with a particularly sticky, grippy tyre. So all the cards favour low rolling resistance and low weight? Hardly.
A tyre with good grip means safety. What use is the best tyre if it rolls easily and weighs very little, but in the decisive situation you crash or the light tyre simply deflates? More grip also means higher cornering speed and more traction in difficult uphill sections, not to mention more riding fun. Depending on the route, this can relativise the time disadvantage somewhat.
After an objective assessment of your own riding ability, everyone should decide for themselves whether they want to trim their bike uncompromisingly for speed or whether they are in favour of more grip and safety. If in doubt and on unfamiliar terrain, it is better to play it safe or choose a compromise mix: lots of grip at the front, low rolling resistance at the rear. The fact that around two thirds of the total weight is on the rear wheel when riding on flat terrain means that the rolling resistance of the rear tyre plays a greater role.
You can find the test results of these tyre models in the PDF download below:
- Cross-Country: Continental Mountain King 2.2 RS, Continental X-King 2.2 Race Sport, Maxxis Ikon 2.2, Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25 Evo, Specialised Renegade 2.1 S-Works
- All-round:
Bontrager XR4 2.35 Team Issue, Continental Mountain King 2.2 Prot, Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.4 Evo (BIKE tip "Allround")
- 29er:
Continental Race King 2.2, Maxxis Ikon 2.2, Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 Evo, Specialised Renegade 1.95 S-Works
- Enduro: Continental Rubber Queen 2.4, Maxxis Ardent 2.6 (BIKE tip "Allround"), Onza Ibex 2.4, Schwalbe Fat Albert 2.4 Front & Rear
