Originally Posted by
TMonk
As the speed goes up, the rolling resistance matters more (same w aero). So on tough climbs - not a whole lot of difference. But on flat trail and flat roads, the tires make a huge difference!
And I hear ya on pricing; MTB tires are super expensive. I've slowly rifled through most of Maxxis' non-Enduro/DH options over the years, and discovered the low-tread tires that I like the most. One of the things that I'm enjoying about the full suspension is that my bike is more planted and so I'm finding I have more grip up front, and choosing lower rolling resistance tires than I did with my hardtail, that were too squirrelly before. So that does make the bike faster on flat under steady pedalling.
For low-tread Maxxis offerings, I like Rekon Race and Ikon the most. I used to do a mid-tread Ardent or regular Rekon up front on my HT, but I'm leaving those days behind and going XC up front and in the rear. Haven't tried the Aspen, but have heard good things about them.
Forekaster/Rekon F/R seems to be a popular combo for the terrain around here. I just think that the DHF/Aggressor is just way too much tire for the kind of riding I do. And from what I hear the DHF is one of the slowest rolling tires out there. I don't want to go really shallow tread or thin casings since there's a lot of roots and rocks where I ride, but it would be nice to shave a few hundred grams off the wheels if possible. I do know that I absolutely despise riding the bike on anything other than singletrack and the tires that are on it I'm sure contribute a lot to that.