I'm glad you enjoyed it!

If you get a puncture on the side wall you're done. They're a nightmare if you ride hard in the desert.

​@@danielchrabolowsky2859- well, I didn't say dessert sand so I have no idea what your point is. Most tires are a nightmare if they get a sidewall tear.

My XC bike came with Racing Ralfs 29 2.25 F/R. The original RoRa was good fast rolling tire and climbs well. The side nobs on the 2.25 though always felt a bit sketchy though on the decants. The newer RoRa I have not tired. Since then I have also tried Rocket Rons and Nobi Nicks. F/R. Rocket Ron F/R is best when riding rolling terrain in mixed conditions and very fast rolling, but the shallow nobs have limitations in looser terrain which is not well suited as a front tire in certain conditions. Where I ride is a mix terrain and the routes I chose to ride one is rolling which favors fast rolling setup with a few loose rocky sections. The other is try rough rocky and slightly loose gravel. Current setup is NobiNIck F / RoRo R. This has been a great combo but the RoRo wear faster than I like.( Adixx Speed) The new Racing Ralf with a Nick up Front would also probably work well with longer tread life. The Schwable tires have always been a challenge to get on tubeless where other brands like Maxxis have been a bit easier. Also have run IkON R / Nick F. Works well and fast rolling but the cornering on the Ikon is not ideal. Rekon / NIck : also works well but feels slower than RoRo or RoRa in the rear. Rekon has good grip and corning feels pretty good on the rear. May work better as a front tire. I may try a full Barzo setup next. Some tire types may also work better with larger profiles and the brands out there make the smaller version to fit that category maybe. May also try a bigger tire front and rear.

Maybe try Rocket Ron up front? Even more grip if to compare with Racing Ralph.

I actually meant I don't change tires for the "race year" which is typically spring through fall. Sorry about the confusion! I love a good, heavy, beefy tire in the winter to train on. I am super curious about the new lineup of bikes but I agree with you on it being a bad year to get something new. I think Giant will try to hit the same price points which will require de specing the bikes. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!!

Thank you!!

I appreciate the sub! I currently weigh 155lbs

I haven’t personally ran the Barzo but a lot of people I know do and love the tire. Excellent grip and durability is what they tell me. I stick with the forekaster for now simply because I know exactly how the tire reacts. I haven’t used continental the past two years because they had a massive sidewall tubeless problem. At least half of the people I know that we’re running conti’s at the time had to have them warrantied because the sidewall would weep sealant. I’d hope they would have fixed the issue by now but it left so many people with a bad experience that I don’t know anyone that has tried newer continental tires.

Which Maxxis xc tire did you switch to

Maybe good but too heavy for XC for most people who race. Assume you have it on a trail bike or just like thrashing your XC bike down crazy rocky trails. I could of course be wrong.

The aspen is a great tire as well and if I could have another set of race wheels I would set them up with that combo. The forekaster has more bite but isn’t as good in the rolling resistance department.

@@MossieRidesBikes for me it depends if I can get enough traction out of 2.2’s. If I need to go to 2.35 then I’ll have to change it up.

@@MossieRidesBikes Aspen front and Rekon (race) rear?

One of the best xc semi slicks yeah 👊🏻

I got a new bike in April and they came with the Barzo. It's the closest thing I've come to the perfect tyre in terms of versatility. It's fast rolling, mud is not a problem, light but still descent puncture protection (1 sidewall puncture during this time and I've ridden the shit out of them to be honest) etc. The only small complaint I have is that the rubber isn't the best I've tried when it comes to slippery roots n rocks.

Barzos are great and super versatile. does everything well. using Barzo trail 2.35 front and a Barzo race 2.25 rear. near perfect for texas hill country type stuff. You can always roll faster but making up time and fixing flats isnt part of the ride i look forward to. great vid.

@@Nexxxus1 hi I’m in Dallas. I need to bike on road to get to a beginner trail to practice. Would you think barzo front and rear is good or mezcal front/rear, or barzo front, mezcal rear? I’m looking for best year round setup, rain or shine. I’d be on 2.1 on 650b. Thank you if you can recommend!

I’ve been running Mezcal’s for last 2 seasons and absolutely love them! However, I’m always a little timid on ripping through corners with them and thus have just ordered the Barzo’s, stoked to hopefully have a little more bite cornering and still have same fast rolling resistance

I never liked the Ikon on the front. I found it washed out too fast in the corners for me and my skills.

Ususllay used IKONs front and rear. Last year used an ikon front and aspen rear. Have a forecaster for mud but never tried it in loose dry dusty Cane creek courses. Did it work well at MayoDan and Manzeppa? Had front end washing issues at those places with the IKONs

Icons are not great. If maxxis it is, I find you get almost the same rolling resistance but more aggressive cornering performance with a Rekon race. The Rekon race does have a nervous characteristic at at initial lean angles, but grips well enough once leaned over properly and definitely holds corners better than the Ikon. Even for rear, I'd rather have an Aspen or Rekon race instead of the Ikon, because the Ikon fails to have aggressive enough side lugs vs it's center tread.

For Barzo, which sidewall option? Protected anthracite/ grey trail version with a bit more weight, or the slightly lighter tan XC race version without sidewall protection?

@@JeanPierreVanRiel I’ve been using the grey wall without a single Isis

It's the only tire I would use as a front and a rear

@@MossieRidesBikes Rekon 2.4 front, Rekon Race race 2.35 back on xc. Trails with a little downhill and rocks Rekon 2.6 front Rekon 2.4 back.

Wassssssup

Right now I’m running Victoria barzo in the front and mezcal in the rear of my bike. Sidewall does seem thin but I’ve scraped a few rocks and no problems yet

@@garrethammond7082 that's good to know, I was a little skeptical when I first picked them up😅 I think I'm going to try them once I run through my current setup.

@@MossieRidesBikes I'm also on the Barzo/Mezcal combo and haven't had any issues. I am running the TNT casing which has noticeably thick sidewalls without too much of a weight penalty. I've seen many people run the TNT casing for technical XC races (as I do). Also, great vid! Always great to hear another racer's perspective.

I could definitely see the ardent race being a viable rear tire. I've only tried it on the front and didn't care for it. I appreciate the sub!!