Rear tyre - fast rolling, good cornering - Aggressor, Minion SS, Rock Razor

My 2 cents:
Same dilemma I ran into with my following mb. Came spec’d with e13 race wheelset and tires (1st gen 900gram ish). Liked the tires but slow rolling and knobs had major under cuttting. Also had very little wiggle room with rear tire clearance. Took a chance and put on a minion 2.5 and aggressor 2.5 and I am super happy with the results. Better clearance than I had with trs tire (maybe shorter knobs played a big role?) and much faster rolling front and rear. I think the 2.5 aggressor will fit if the 2.35 trs tire did.

I have a 2.5 WT Aggressor on my CF9 Strive and it fits just fine. It is on a 25mm ID rim though.

2.35 magic magic mary up front with a nobbi nic in the rear.

Specialized Slaughter is pretty damn good: small fast knobs in the middle, and solid edge knobs. It comes in Spesh's quite grippy Gripton in the GRID casing (which is quite supportive for running those low pressure for max traction), or if you're looking for a DH casing, that model still comes with the insanely grippy 42a top layer and stable 70a base layer. I run it on a 25mm rim, but looks like it'd deal with a 30mm rim pretty well.

Size wise how does the 2.5 Aggressor compared to the 2.3 or the 2.35 TRS?

I have a 2.3 Aggressor DD on 30mm internal rims, works wonderfully

I run a Minion SS on hardpack it’s great but I want to try a Griffin next looking for a fast durable hardpack tire that’s a little better at scrubbing speed off than the SS

WTB Trail Boss might fit the bill.

Just run the E13 tire till it rolls faster and then replace it when the trails get wet again

Hello !

For the issues with 30mm wide rims with 2.3, no problems.
For the tire choice, you're searching the 2 heads unicorn, i have had hard time to find a good rear tires !

The agressor is a good tire, but to me the cornering performance of the agressor is not good enough.
Forget about schwalbe hansdampf and nobby nic, they are trail tires, no grip.
I thing you have to stick with 2.3 size to minize the rolling resistance and the weight. To compensate the loss in comfort and grip the tires must be good.
I recommand you maxxis hr2 3c, dd or exo (a bit risky I know) with hucknorris inside.
A good choice too, maxxis dhr2 3c dd.

These advice are from my experiences last summer with multiples bikes, tires, wheel sizes, rim width...

Hope you will find the good compromise,
For me (but maybe I'm not the true) my final choice is dhr2 2.3 3c dd with hucknorris on the rear.

Cheers ^^!

If you want fast and haven’t tried the Minion Ss I would try them first if speed is your objective.

I run the same rims and have run a SS 2.3 for a long time and a Mary 2.35 up front but decided to try a Schwalbe rock razor 2.35 to match as I have always rated the grip of the Mary up front and logos not matching bugs me a bit.

I really wanted to love the RR but the Schwalbe is a rounder bag so found the grip less effective than the SS in both cornering and braking “live in Australia so it’s usually dry and dusty” as the maxxis tyres square up a bit on the 30mm rim which I feel plays to it’s pattern and so bite harder as the rear lugs play into braking traction when you hit the anchors in conjunction with the centre grip, Schwalbe was one or the other it felt like the worked less effective in both upright braking and leaning over for cornering.

Only time I found the SS tyre not ideal was on smooth slick rock walls and super steeps when your braking slow round loose loamy steps on RDS in whistler which was a bit hairy.

I’d try a SS or a Minion Dhf2 2.3 would be a top contender if you need more than the SS as the aggressor isn’t as good as either in speed or grip it’s like your choosing a tyre that’s not as fast or doesn’t corner as well.and the minion is regarded by most as the benchmark for god reason.

stick with the minion just decide what leters come after on what’s more important to you speed or grip.

Continental der Kaiser. not a good front Tire IMO, but great on the rear, wears nice and rolls faster than many. just be careful landing too sideways, they are prone to get slightly deformed, but they are a good compromise on weight and Rolling resistance and tons of grip. I always combine this tire with something grippier up front (MM, der baron, shorty) as needed

Maxxis Griffin 2.40 on 30mm inner rim

Minion SS 100% over the Aggressor, unless you really, really, really like a super drifty rear tire.

2.3 Maxxis are fine on a 30mm internal width rim. You will get a little more square profile but probably won't even notice when riding.

All this really comes down to what kind of trails you ride most, how steep they are, and what the dirt composition is. I could see where a minion SS would shine but for my trails, it would be a wild tire to run.

I really recommend the Aggressor, awesome rear tire that rolls pretty quickly and is predictable. The tire really shines for rock slabs, loose pebbles,and dry terrain. Amazing for sedona, flagstaff, and so-cal trails. I ran the 2.3 EXO version on 30mm ID rims with huck norris inside and they were fine, a slightly square profile that still worked really well. I'm running a WT minion dhf in the front so I would mind trying at WT in the rear, I think it would round out the profile a little bit again, but it seems that the tire shines when it's a bit more square.

My recommendation, either a DHR or a aggressor in the rear, depending on trail type, and maybe just go for the 2.3 in the rear, that's a killer set up. Up front stick to a dhf or dhr, though I enjoy the DHF a little more.

Depending on the terrain:

1. XC to aggressive XC trails: Schwalbe Nobby nic's up front paired with a Rocket Ron in the rear.

2. Trail to aggressive trail (in the mountains): Schwalbe hans dampf up front paired with Nobby nic in the rear.

3. Aggressive DH with gnar at every corner: Schwalbe Magic mary's up front paired with Hans Dampf in the rear.

My solid go-to is Minion DHF WT 2.5 Exo front and Minion DHRII 2.3 DD rear. Predictable and dependable, every time.

DHF 2.5 WT up front and Aggressor 2.3 rear currently, on a Stumpjumper 29.

Slaughter is my fav rear tire of all time for most of the year conditions in northern Utah, and in my experience the Slaughter beats the Minion SS and the newest Schwalbe Rock Razor (blue addix) every time. SS and RR are both a little flimsy at 800g whilst the Slaughter is 950. Caveat, the SS and RR both come in gnarlier casings too but i didn't want the stickier, slower super grav RR so tried the blue addix version and the tire casing felt very nervous and was easy to bottom against the rim when inflated at normal riding psi

Also, Slaughter is a hair wider than the SS but starts to square off a bit at i30, so that your side knobs may start to contact the ground when the bike's weighted. I wouldn't go wider than i30 with a Slaughter 2.3 and definitely not with a Minion SS. RR 2.35 is a little wider than both and more suitable for i31-i35 rims.

Interested in the Minion SS DD at 1000g, does anyone have experience on this? Then I could rep Maxxis proper and cure my OCD of having mismatched tire brands (1st world probs).

Overall I'm content enough with the standard Aggressor but as things dry out I start to crave the faster rolling tires even though traction gets a little iffy coming down steep moon dust singletrack in late summer. Probably try an Aggressor 2.5 going into next winter.

Minion SS / DHF or Slaughter / Butcher combo FTW.

caveat - semi slicks rule but may suck for your trails. Steep, loose, wet? Stay away. for many riders i think they're a great option and once you've tasted the sweet sweet nectar of a faster rolling rear tire you may just be addicted.

That 2.3 aggressor is fine on my 29mm E*Thirteen rim. I love it. Obviously not the best tire for shutting down speed in a hurry.

I'd like to give the Minion SS a try too

i have been a big fan of the griffin in the rear from maxxis. plenty grippy, uber fast

@Matt Dogg, do you really feel like the slaughter rolls comparably to Minion SS or shwable RR?

I have the stock wheels and tires on an enduro 29 (butcher/slaughter grids, on i29 rims) and honestly it feels like molasses, this is coming from 27.5 EXO dhf/dhr both in 3c on my previous bike. Let me say I love the handling in general of butcher/slaughter other than the speed. But for real, rolling side by side buddy with similar weight aluminum 29er with EXO Minion DHF and Ardent both in Dual compound, his bike is way faster. The butcher is softer than maxxis Dual compound for sure, but the front tire alone shouldn't make such a drastic difference.

There's a few things going against my set up: heavy ass wheels, Grid casings which seem to roll poorly (fyi Grid casing vary depending on the model, Purgatory in Grid for example is much lighter), and wide rims which definitely don't help- I would say i29 is too wide for the slaughter. The cornering knobs are in constant contact at reasonable air pressures (22-26 psi). If you nerd out on rolling resistance tests it becomes pretty clear that rubber compound and casing are way more important for speed than tread pattern. I think the slaughter fails on both if you want a fast trail tire.

Hard to say which is the main cause but I'm about ready to go for some i26 rims and a Forekaster or Nobby Nic on the back. I'm really rambling on here but my takeaway is this: wouldn't be at all surprised if an EXO aggressor or DHR in Dual Compound rolls faster than a Grid slaughter, and a Pacestar/addix speedgrip snakeskin Rock Razor should be in a whole different league.

(this all from the perspective of trail riding without super gnarly rocks- Grid casings are certainly tough and supportive, EWS results nonwithstanding)

Maxxis says to go with a times 1.5 - 2.0 of Rim width so a 30mm internal rim width would be good out to a 60mm width tire or 2.36” if you use this for tire & rim sizing it removes some of the confusion

WTB Breakout is a good rear tyre. Comes in a proper casing not so slick as no have no cornering grip or braking traction. Similar to an aggressor rolls pretty quick for me. 2.3 pumps up pretty big too...

@traildog -> good points. I guess we'd need to compare apples to apples. The SS and RR blue addix would be equivalent to the Slaughter Control as opposed to the Grid. And we'd have to compare the Grid to the SS Double Down or RR Super Gravity. Someone needs to do a head-to-head-to-head test of the three, i reckon.

I agree that an i29 rim is about the max for a Slaughter and even then you can feel the side knobs starting to drag. Despite that, I still prefer the Slaughter Grid to the other two on an i29, probably because i feel it has more traction, support, dampens trail chatter, and corners awesome, but of course still rolls well.

I'm not sure why your enduro setup feels so draggy. I could see an Ardent rolling similarly to a Slaughter but for me it's not a viable all around tire. I agree on casing and compound. The problem is..... I'm trying to have it all. A sturdy and grippy rear tire that corners awesome and rolls very well. My ultimate tire would be a 29x2.4 Slaughter Grid, none of this 2.6 nonsense like they're doing in 27.5.

So for my i30 rear rim (upgraded to LB carbon over the stock Roval) based on tire profile the SS and Slaughter are probably out tho i'd love to try an SS in DD. The RR 2.35 blue addix (which i just bought) feels way too flimsy in the casing (800g-ish) but rolls fast and hooks up well, though the side knobs are harder to get to, but that's what makes it suitable for widths up to i35 and maybe beyond. I didn't choose the RR in super grav because i didn't want a softer, faster wearing compound, though i'd welcome the extra weight, durability, and ride qualities of a burlier RR. Maybe that's my answer tho, to give the RR super grav a try because it has the best profile of the 3 on an i30. Problem is it gets damn expensive to be trying different tires all the time, especially Schwalbes. Their "new and improved" compound tires are hard to find on sale so you're shelling out $85 or $90

Finally, because of my current situation trying to find the holy grail of semi-slicks with burly side knobs, i'm running the Aggressor 2.3 EXO in the meantime and can't complain.

For me i don't see how the DHR or NN in any compound/casing could hold a torch to the Slaughter Grid for rolling resistance/speed.... just seems nonsensical. But Aggressor EXO vs Slaughter Grid might be worth some nerd tests, tho as long as the Slaughter side knobs aren't contacting the ground, i don't see how the Aggressor would roll faster.

The forekaster and rekon look like cool tires but are too lightweight for my needs.

The end. Hopefully this thread is helpful to someone. If not, shut it down and take your confusion out on the trail.

#3 EVERYWHERE FOR ME. Supergravity Casing F and R.

Another one i just thought of was the Specialized Purgatory. I run this in the grid compound at enduro races. Nice and tough casing with medium center lugs and larger outers.

I'm a big Aggressor fan. I ran the 2.3 in the back last summer. Good wearing, predictable cornering grip, good sidewall. It's my go to all arounder.

@Matt dogg, hahaha love the nerddom. You yhrow price into the the mix and we're really never going to figure this out.

I know what you mean, forekaster and NN are hardly real tires but im feeling to outta shape to push fun rubber this year

Check this out: nobby nics are weirdly fast on drum roller tests, like, XC race fast (obvi, test may not reflect real world exactly)German reifen tire tests

Looking at it again I think Purgatory grid is my goldilocks: rather fast at 24W, middling weight at 850g, and with some tread. Compound be damned it's dry here.

Also take that resistance testing with a grain of salt, the new addix magic Mary scores 27W which is similar to Ardent, Forekaster etc which is just hard to believe, even if Addix soft is 120% faster than trailstar as schwalbe claims. Other soft, aggressive tires are 40ish watts

It can never be stated enough. Nobby Nics suck. They could work well enough in the back I guess, but as a front tire, they are death.