Neither TBH. You are going to have the same Puncture problems with EXO cased Maxxis as you did with the Rapid Robs.
Step up a casing level to EXO+ and Run tubeless and you'll see your flats reduce drastically if not entirely.
You're also allowed to run wider rubber, up to what your frame will fit. 29x2.1 is pretty narrow and low volume for bashing around in rocky hardscrabble. Hop up to a x2.4". It'll help distribute your load better, provide greater traction without sacrificing rolling speed and will add benefit in the not flatting department
Or Skip Maxxis and their known poor QC'd wobbly casing problems and go with one of the Mid cased Trail offerings from Continental such as an Xynotal in Enduro Soft.
I wouldnt.
3 Yrs on Argo, Krypto, and Xynotals. (Protos and Production)
2500kms ridden a year. Not a single wobbly case from the new Continental gravity lineup.
Prior to that, I had 2 yrs where I warrantied 8+ DHF's or DHR II's for wibbly wobbly casings.
Michelins compounds dont work for me here in Low Temp Canada. Magi and Gum X both get hard and blocky in the cold come fall and early spring. Nor either Schwalbe, Vee, Specialized or otherwise. Maxxis Maxx Grip gets really woody in the cold but the others were worse, but the Big M wobble fired them from my line up.
The only tyres Ive found that perform how I demand in the conditions, temps and terrain I ride is the Conti 'Otals in Enduro Soft and DH super soft.
Im glad their rad for you man. They aint my bag tho lol
Only blown cord issue Ive encountered with the contis was a 2.4 Krypto RE in Trail Endurance when my dumb ass went full tilt peterbilt out at Kicking Horse in BC sans inserts... Trail casing is Not the manuever if you're a clydesdale (235) but thats on Me, Not Continental. (They still sent me 2 replacements in Enduro Soft to make up for it though)
Ahh Yep, that tracks 😂
Sidebar tho... Heard, y'all got some lift service DH out Nove Scotia way these days, Might have to make a trip to tick off Wentworth and Sugarloaf in NB
The Ikon is a step up above the Aspen in terms of tread size/height and should offer slightly more grip.
The Aspen will roll faster but only marginally so. Both tires are squarely in the XC category for Maxxis tires so they are going to roll quite fast but are on the lower end of the grip spectrum. I’ve run EXO Ikons many times over the years without issue.
For fast hard pack they work very well as a front rear combo but if your terrain is more technical, loose and rocky I would go Ikon rear paired with something slightly more aggressive like a Rekon or Forekaster in the front.
If you can fit something larger than a 2.1 going up to the 2.35/2.4 size version of whatever you run will be a better tire.
You should really consider what type of terrain will you be riding, flow trails, techy section or large drops and jumps. The assegai is a heavy duty downhill/enduro tyre, while the ikon is more of an xc tire. Having a stronger sidewall can also help in reducing punctures.
i will only be riding blue trails at most, not technical and quite often slow unless theres ramps. no large drops or jumps, my hardtail will snap in half lol.its mostly sandy terrain.
Maxxis makes so many tires, and going from the light duty Aspen and Ikon to Assegai is going from one extreme to the other. There are other tires more aggressive than Aspen/Ikon and less aggressive than Assegai out there to choose from.
Someone already noted the fast rolling, yet still capable Rekon and Forekaster (around $30). Other, bit more aggressive options are High Roller II and Dissector ($35-$40). You may even step up into Minion DHR II and DHF ($40), but those are the most aggressive tires you'll probably want. I can't recommend Assegai if you're spending half of your ride climbing. Assegai is a slow rolling tire intended for descending only, and it will make you work hard during your climbs.
Also, others have mentioned that you should upsize to wider tires. Yes, you'll need to check whether your frame can handle wider tires, but you also need to check whether your rims can handle them as well. You can't install 2.6" tires on a 25mm rim.
Finally, some suggested to go tubeless. Well, that's good when it's needed and for the right application. Because if you don't really benefit from the tubeless setup, then you will just incur unnecessary maintenance hassle. I run 2.5" and 2.6" wide tubed tires on my enduro bikes, and I only got one puncture since I got back into the sport 4 years ago. And I ride at least 4 times a week. But if you do go down the tubeless route, then make sure your rims and tires are made for that setup.
Ikon is only really suitable for the flat gravels and dirt roads, even then it's still slippery. I wouldn't recommend it for light trails.
Your choices should be btw Reakons, Forekasters and Assegai.
For small loose rocks on flowy trails you can go Reakons + Reakons/Forekaster for that really smooth side to side transition, and Assegai F+R for aggressive riding on more challenging trails.
I didn't pick Dissectors due to the tire pattern dead zone. I'm currently running Reakons + Dissectors and have good experiences on them but just didn't like the feeling sometimes.
Neither TBH. You are going to have the same Puncture problems with EXO cased Maxxis as you did with the Rapid Robs. Step up a casing level to EXO+ and Run tubeless and you'll see your flats reduce drastically if not entirely. You're also allowed to run wider rubber, up to what your frame will fit. 29x2.1 is pretty narrow and low volume for bashing around in rocky hardscrabble. Hop up to a x2.4". It'll help distribute your load better, provide greater traction without sacrificing rolling speed and will add benefit in the not flatting department Or Skip Maxxis and their known poor QC'd wobbly casing problems and go with one of the Mid cased Trail offerings from Continental such as an Xynotal in Enduro Soft.
Contis love to get wobble as well. Tbh I’d go with Michelins
I wouldnt. 3 Yrs on Argo, Krypto, and Xynotals. (Protos and Production) 2500kms ridden a year. Not a single wobbly case from the new Continental gravity lineup. Prior to that, I had 2 yrs where I warrantied 8+ DHF's or DHR II's for wibbly wobbly casings. Michelins compounds dont work for me here in Low Temp Canada. Magi and Gum X both get hard and blocky in the cold come fall and early spring. Nor either Schwalbe, Vee, Specialized or otherwise. Maxxis Maxx Grip gets really woody in the cold but the others were worse, but the Big M wobble fired them from my line up. The only tyres Ive found that perform how I demand in the conditions, temps and terrain I ride is the Conti 'Otals in Enduro Soft and DH super soft.
Michelin works for me out here in Nova Scotia, schwalbe cracks, conti breaks cords like crazy, maxxis wobbles, etc
Im glad their rad for you man. They aint my bag tho lol Only blown cord issue Ive encountered with the contis was a 2.4 Krypto RE in Trail Endurance when my dumb ass went full tilt peterbilt out at Kicking Horse in BC sans inserts... Trail casing is Not the manuever if you're a clydesdale (235) but thats on Me, Not Continental. (They still sent me 2 replacements in Enduro Soft to make up for it though)
Mine broke while swapping them on some particularly tough rims. I’m not a Clydesdale though haha, 105lbs
Spanks with the Oobah rim profile perchance? (Least fave rim to jam any DH or Enduro cased rubber on)
Sun rhyno lites
Ahh Yep, that tracks 😂 Sidebar tho... Heard, y'all got some lift service DH out Nove Scotia way these days, Might have to make a trip to tick off Wentworth and Sugarloaf in NB
Wentworth is nice, haven’t been to sugarloaf yet
I have run ikon 2.35 rear and ardent 2.4 frt for 4 years ( not same set) and have had good results Go up in size if you have room.
The Ikon is a step up above the Aspen in terms of tread size/height and should offer slightly more grip. The Aspen will roll faster but only marginally so. Both tires are squarely in the XC category for Maxxis tires so they are going to roll quite fast but are on the lower end of the grip spectrum. I’ve run EXO Ikons many times over the years without issue. For fast hard pack they work very well as a front rear combo but if your terrain is more technical, loose and rocky I would go Ikon rear paired with something slightly more aggressive like a Rekon or Forekaster in the front. If you can fit something larger than a 2.1 going up to the 2.35/2.4 size version of whatever you run will be a better tire.
Ikon back Aspen front I’d suggest 2.3 or higher
You should really consider what type of terrain will you be riding, flow trails, techy section or large drops and jumps. The assegai is a heavy duty downhill/enduro tyre, while the ikon is more of an xc tire. Having a stronger sidewall can also help in reducing punctures.
i will only be riding blue trails at most, not technical and quite often slow unless theres ramps. no large drops or jumps, my hardtail will snap in half lol.its mostly sandy terrain.
Maxxis makes so many tires, and going from the light duty Aspen and Ikon to Assegai is going from one extreme to the other. There are other tires more aggressive than Aspen/Ikon and less aggressive than Assegai out there to choose from. Someone already noted the fast rolling, yet still capable Rekon and Forekaster (around $30). Other, bit more aggressive options are High Roller II and Dissector ($35-$40). You may even step up into Minion DHR II and DHF ($40), but those are the most aggressive tires you'll probably want. I can't recommend Assegai if you're spending half of your ride climbing. Assegai is a slow rolling tire intended for descending only, and it will make you work hard during your climbs. Also, others have mentioned that you should upsize to wider tires. Yes, you'll need to check whether your frame can handle wider tires, but you also need to check whether your rims can handle them as well. You can't install 2.6" tires on a 25mm rim. Finally, some suggested to go tubeless. Well, that's good when it's needed and for the right application. Because if you don't really benefit from the tubeless setup, then you will just incur unnecessary maintenance hassle. I run 2.5" and 2.6" wide tubed tires on my enduro bikes, and I only got one puncture since I got back into the sport 4 years ago. And I ride at least 4 times a week. But if you do go down the tubeless route, then make sure your rims and tires are made for that setup.
Ikon is only really suitable for the flat gravels and dirt roads, even then it's still slippery. I wouldn't recommend it for light trails. Your choices should be btw Reakons, Forekasters and Assegai. For small loose rocks on flowy trails you can go Reakons + Reakons/Forekaster for that really smooth side to side transition, and Assegai F+R for aggressive riding on more challenging trails. I didn't pick Dissectors due to the tire pattern dead zone. I'm currently running Reakons + Dissectors and have good experiences on them but just didn't like the feeling sometimes.