Well I'm liking the Zesty so far. It got delivered to my office on Friday and the rain held off enough to head to Cannock after work. Just need to get used to the brakes which are a lot stronger than I'm used to, and swap the rear tyre (Conti Race King) which isn't grippy enough for me in the wet. Apart from that it feels great so far
However it did today lead my bravery to exceed my ability when I headed to the bmx track near my house, and made a right balls up of one jump and flew over the handlebars.
I now have a couple of nice lumps and gouges out of my ankle and elbow.
Realised my recently bought elbow pads aren't very useful when left at home, and that a better bike does not make me a better rider

Yes the more I read the more apparent that becomes.
Just after I'd fallen over on Sunday I got chatting to a guy, who said "woah that's a proper summer tyre you've got there!".
I've had a few recommendations for a Maxxis combo of high rollers and minions as decent all rounders.

Photos please

Went out again tonight and fell off again
Not sure if front tyre might be over inflated as it just seems to twang or pop off the side of stones.
Went to go down a log slope that I've never had a problem with before and the front tyre just twanged off the side of a stone as I went to go over the edge, tipped me to the left and straight towards a tree.
Hit the brakes, straight over the bars and landed on the same bloody elbow as yesterday, oh and walloped my jaw on a tree root.
I presume this just comes with the territory, as my wife keeps looking at me like I've gone mad, and helpfully reminds me that I'm now 40

Ha ha, the same thought did cross my mind as I picked myself up off the floor last night, and when I realised how bloody stiff I was when I rolled out of bed this morning

Anyway, I'm going to order a Maxxis High Roller II for the front and an Ardent for the rear, this combo seems to be a favourite on the Lapierre forum. I shall report back on any further injuries after my next ride on Friday as long as the new tyres have arrived.

try dropping your seatpost an inch too, sounds like you are pitching yourself too far forwards so dropping teh post may give you some sapce to hang off the back a bit more. also check the shocks are set up for your weight and increase the front brake lever travel becuase on a new bike, they can be quite "snatchy" so increasing the travel might reduce this.

I have to say I disagree as I run a set on my HT. The race-king is a superb all round tyre. Whilst wet weather grip isn't its strongest point it's a ~ 400g race tyre with low profile tread so it is never going to be a wet weather specialist. It's like complaining the R888s are rubbish at a wet track-day. Considering how minimal the tread pattern is, the way it finds grip in the wet is outstanding.

I don't buy this or that tyre is st comments these days as there are so few st tyres on the market. The truth is that all premium tyres have their strengths and weaknesses and you simply need to use the tyre for their intended use.

Undoubtedly they are a summer tyre, but they're far from 'shyte' as they were referred to in the post I was responding to.

One thing to consider about wet weather, tyre choice and novices is this: it's better to have a tyre that breaks away at slower speeds progressively than one that offers good grip and then lets go quickly at high speeds, as when this happens it hurts a lot. Like driving, you'll become a much better rider when you're confident in how your bike behaves beyond its limit.

Don't take my word for it though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGjrdG0FYws

Are you intimating that the High Roller is the latter ie. high grip followed by none, and if so what else should I be considering?

My issue with the Mountain King front is that I have no front end bite, and it just wants to run wide all the time, especially on off camber corners.

I used to run high rollers on my MTB Tandem - when it was set-up for black runs /steep rocky stuff - and they're an excellent tyre WRT to taking a battering and remaining inflated. Break-away is still reasonably progressive but they're draggy as hell and when they do let go you'll be going at a fair old whack. They take a hell of a lot of energy to keep rolling.

Rather than blame the tyres - I have them on my full sus and find them excellent - have a play with your tyre pressures and look at your body positioning. Nearly all cases of running wide can be attributed to rider body position. For corners weight should be slightly forward being pushed through inside hand and outside foot. This keeps the front wheel weighted. As the corner unwinds and get back on the gas to sit the bike upright. It's easier to say that do, so get your mates to watch you / video you so you can see what your doing.

e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm1ANkGUQI8&fea... watch from 7mins then look at part 2. It's worth watching the whole vid TBH as it has some useful tips.