Tyres for the winter (but not a which tyre question)
molinari
Posts: 3
Hello all,
I spent ages yesterday writing a post in the Buying Guide section asking which tyres I should get for my upcoming trip to Wales and the onset of the winter months. I then used the search function and found a huge number of posts all similar to mine, so I read those instead. I came to the conclusion that tyre choice is quite a personal thing with different people saying different things about the same tyres. So, I'm now in here asking a slightly different question.....
I have Kenda Small Block 8's on my Giant XTC 2 and they're great in the summer. I had thought about getting a completely new set of tires for the trails in Wales but then thought about leaving the SB8 on the rear and putting something like a Maxxis High Roller on the front to give me good grip downhill. Is this a good choice or is the back end likely to fly about on the wet forrest, gravel, mud and stone tracks in Wales?? (and the Surrey hills where i usually ride). I'm not expecting swamp like conditions but being Wales, it is likely to be wet!
I spent ages yesterday writing a post in the Buying Guide section asking which tyres I should get for my upcoming trip to Wales and the onset of the winter months. I then used the search function and found a huge number of posts all similar to mine, so I read those instead. I came to the conclusion that tyre choice is quite a personal thing with different people saying different things about the same tyres. So, I'm now in here asking a slightly different question.....
I have Kenda Small Block 8's on my Giant XTC 2 and they're great in the summer. I had thought about getting a completely new set of tires for the trails in Wales but then thought about leaving the SB8 on the rear and putting something like a Maxxis High Roller on the front to give me good grip downhill. Is this a good choice or is the back end likely to fly about on the wet forrest, gravel, mud and stone tracks in Wales?? (and the Surrey hills where i usually ride). I'm not expecting swamp like conditions but being Wales, it is likely to be wet!
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Comments
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I have used an SB8 on the back with a 2.4 Nic on the front during Winter and it wasn't too bad. Not the greatest choice and obv. the SB8 would give up in proppa mud but that's not a criticism. Cannock is covered in pebbles of various sizes and there's not much that will find grip especially when wet but the SB8 was OK, it smeared on the wet stuff but found grip in the dirt when it could.0
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alot of wales is covered in till or boulder clay which can clag small tread patterns quickly, so can the peat if your covering moorland areas.
soils in steep exposed areas higher up on the hills (so where the trail centres are) tend to be thin and to have a higher gravel/cobble/boulder content (dedicated bike trails are designed not to turn into an approximation of the somme in 1916) so are less prone to this but if your riding in the valley bottoms or areas with a gentler gradient you might fare better with a more open tread on the read as well.0 -
Will be in the Surrey hils next week so I'll try just a new front tyre there, but in Wales we're not doing trail centres so I guess I'll go with new front and rear tyres.0
