26" MTB Tyre Recommendations

C

charliealphamike

Dirt Disciple
Hi,

I have a Pace RC200 F6. It's on 26" Mavic 217 Ceramic rims (20mm wide). Most of my riding these days is along loose (gravelly) forest trails, with some tree rooted single track, a few hills and mostly in dry conditions. I've been running on various tyres over the years, including some totally forgettable Continental's, some really nice Panracer Smoke's/Dart's and currently on some NOS WTB Velociraptors.

I'm in the process of giving my cherished Pace the full and proper service it deserves. This will include replacing the tyres.

My question is, what 26" tyres would you recommend. I need to be on 26" x 2.1 but could probably go to 26" x 2.2 at a push. I've looked at Schwalbe Nobby Nic's (I'm struggling to get past the name :facepalm: ). And also Hutchinson Gila's (front) and Toro's (rear). I don't know anything about that brand though.

Any recommendations/advice/ideas would be most welcome.
 
Nobby Nics are great but really hard to find in skinwall 26 inch. In fact any skinwall 26 is hard to find at the moment!

Billy Bonkers are available from eBay and might be worth a look?

But you can't go wrong with Smoke/Dart on a retro bike.
 
Firstly, thank you all for your immediate replies. I'm very grateful.

I can't remember what Continental's I had. It was a long time ago. They were a dual compound (orange and black) and I hated them. They were soon changed. It put me off (probably unfairly) from using Continental's again although the current range look quite good and there seems to be a good choice of 26er's.

I know 26" tyres are really hard to find. I've always liked Smoke/Dart's and have never had any issues with my Velociraptors. I do like the different tread patterns front and rear because I feel I get good grip on the front through the corners and great traction on the rear.

Nobby Nic's seem to get good reviews and are probably my favoured option at the moment. Rocket Ron's look quite similar.

I've been looking on bike-components and rosebikes. Bike-components seem to have a good selection and good prices too. I can go to a 2.3 tyre. The frame would actually accommodate a 2.5 but it's the narrow rims that limit the width and I don't want to go to the expense of changing them because they still perfectly useable.

I did try and attach a picture of my bike in it's current partially stripped state but unfortunately the file was too big. If I can find a way of changing that, I'll try and post some pictures at some point. For now, here's a quick spec:

- Pace RC200 F6 (1997 build)
- Pace RC36 Pro Class Forks
- Mavic X517 26" Ceramic Rims
- Hope Hubs
- Shimano XTR 'V' Brakes (with Shimano Pads)
- Shimano XTR Front and Rear Mechs
- Shimano XT Levers
- Rental RC130 Handlebars
- Chris KIng Headset
- Azonic Stem
- Hope BB
- Middleburn Cranks
- Pace Front Rings (48, 36 and 25)
- Shimano H6 Hyperglide Rear Cassette
- Fizik Saddle
- I can't remember the make of seatpost. Maybe X-Lite

The bike has served me well and I'll never sell it.
 
I was very disappointed with Nobby Nics. I love velociraptors but couldn't find a skinwall. I bought a Dart in skinwall from Ebay and it's a good tyre even if it's a tyre generation before the v raptor! I loved IRC Mythos BITD but riding one more recently I was less impressed. They don't seem to have been made for years so of those available now it has to be the Dart for me. I don't suppose the compound is the same as it was but beggars can't be choosers.
 
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