quite honestly there is no reason to not ruin the widest possible tires you can on your bike with one catch assuming they weigh similarly.
pros
a. a wider tires roll faster due to its short contact patch
b. a wider tire grip corners better due to its wider contact patch
c. a wider tire can be run at a lower pressure due to its high volume
d. a wider tire has more momentum, due to its higher weight.
e. heavy tires are more damp
cons
a. a wider tire weighs more making the bike slower on steeper climbs and harder to accelerate
b. a wider tire has less grip while pedaling and while braking assuming both are being done in a straight line
I see at XC race and XC enduro race most people running 2.2 on the front at least and 2.1 on the rear at least. You would be surprised how many World Cup XC racer guy who are looking for the most speed on pretty buff courses use 2.35+ especially on on the front.
Julian Absalon multitime WC champ runs a a 2.35F and 2.15R tire both in full UST. its shocking how he can be so fast despite his 700 gram 26 inch tires. The fast americans who ride for giant(decker/craig) are running 2.35f/2.2r on there 29er in again GASP Tubeless ready. IMO if the fastest guys in the world understand the physics and use what they is feel is fastest why do people keep insisting on not like they do and run pizza cutter 2.0 and below tires which really only have a place in mud.
As for profile. I personally prefer super round on the front with squarer on the back. Super round on the front because when your leaning the bike over it lets you. Square on the back because its easier to pedal then. What I like might not be what you like but it is worth a try.
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