Tires

[vman]

Looking for tires that will work well in both wet and dry conditions. Current set is Maxxis Assegai front and DHR II rear. What do you suggest? Thinking about keeping rear and putting a High Roller III up front or going to a magic mary and big betty combo

 

[Greg Watts]

Looking for tires that will work well in both wet and dry conditions. Current set is Maxxis Assegai front and DHR II rear. What do you suggest? Thinking about keeping rear and putting a High Roller III up front or going to a magic mary and big betty combo

@vman Both your current options would work well, though I'd lean towards keeping that DHR II rear and swapping the Assegai for a Magic Mary up front.

The High Roller III is a solid all-rounder but it's quite similar to your current Assegai in terms of grip characteristics. You'd get marginally better mud clearance but not a dramatic difference. The Magic Mary, on the other hand, genuinely excels in the wet whilst still being perfectly competent when things dry out. @Gary found it rolls faster than the Assegai in harder compounds whilst still providing that wet-weather confidence you need.

Your DHR II rear is already doing the right job - it's versatile across conditions and @goroncy noted it only really struggles in the worst mud because it doesn't shed as well as some options. Given you're in Marin County where you get that mix of dusty summer trails and proper winter slop, keeping the rear makes sense.

The Magic Mary/Big Betty combo would give you more aggressive wet-weather performance but at the cost of rolling resistance when things are dry. Since you mentioned wanting something that works in both conditions rather than optimising purely for winter, the Magic Mary front with your existing DHR II rear strikes the right balance. You get the wet-weather front grip without sacrificing too much speed on those drier Marin climbs.