2.1" vs 2.25" tyres in muddy conditions?

paulmgreen

I am looking at Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres .......... Currently using Maxxis Cross Mark , but in muddy conditions this week they were as much use as a handbrake on a canoe!

I an still fairly new to this malarky but was wondering about the characteristics of 2.1" vs 2.25" tyres ....... I have noticed a few riders with different front tyre / rear tyre choices ..... Both in size and type!

What is the science here ? Same back and front or diff sizes for diff conditions? Type of trail etc?.....

carrera_vulcan

Hi,

All of the guys that I ride with use Panaracer Trailraker 1.95 tyres. They say they are the best for mud as they are thin and can cut through it. A wider tyre creates more drag in the mud. In my opinion there isn't much difference between 2.1 and 2.25. The greater difference is probably between 1.95 and 2.25 or 2.4.

delcol

depends were you ride.. a thinner tyre would be better for mud as they cut through the slop to get better traction on the harder stuff underneith,,,
if your riding has any wet roots and rocks then a wider tyre would be better,,

bonty mud x is a good mud tyre...

Pudseyp

It depends of the manufacturer, Maxxis generally come up narrow anyway so one 2.1 and one 2.5 may be identical in width. Nobby Nic are great for all round conditions but are not mud specific and don't shed that well unless running at low volume which may give you pinch puntures...

Use mud specific tyres such as the Mud X, Trailrakers as suggested above or even Swampthings....the thinner the better for gloopy conditions.

Mojo_666

I run nobby nics 2.25's on my hard tail and they are not that great on natural stuff (mud) but stunning at trail centres, I have a 2.1 high roller which I will be putting on the back and possibly a minion up front to see how they fare as they are apparently much better. My new bike has 2.4 Nic on the rear and a 2.4 Albert up front and I will see how that combo and sizing goes but the reality is I have been on rides with 15 lads all with different tyres/sizes/combos and they all slip. :roll:

poppit

Mojo_666 wrote:

I run nobby nics 2.25's on my hard tail and they are not that great on natural stuff (mud) but stunning at trail centres, I have a 2.1 high roller which I will be putting on the back and possibly a minion up front to see how they fare as they are apparently much better. My new bike has 2.4 Nic on the rear and a 2.4 Albert up front and I will see how that combo and sizing goes but the reality is I have been on rides with 15 lads all with different tyres/sizes/combos and they all slip. :roll:

I've got the same tyre combination and they're not great in the mud, one of the reasons why I'm using my hardtail in the winter with 2.1 Fire XCs.

.blitz

Sadly there's no science involved in a choice like this it's what works for you where you ride on your bike.

Generally thinner tyres will cut through watery mud and find grip underneath and wider tyres will 'float' on claggy mud.

Mud tyres are generally most excellent but you have to be sure you will be riding in various types of mud because they suck on wet roots and rocks

Nobby Nics are not mud tyres. They are great in dirt and soft loam etc but don't have the knob depth to hook up in proppa mud. Still better than CrossMarks though.

stubs

Dont like mud specific tyres. Yes they work great in mud but they are heart stoppingly bad on woodwork, slick rock, loose rock, gravel and drag like an anvil on hardpack or tarmac.

I would rather slip and slide a bit on soft mud than fall off on hard rock. Carry a pump and when you come to a part of the trail that is slop let some air out.

benpinnick

stubs wrote:

Dont like mud specific tyres. Yes they work great in mud but they are heart stoppingly bad on woodwork, slick rock, loose rock, gravel and drag like an anvil on hardpack or tarmac.

I would rather slip and slide a bit on soft mud than fall off on hard rock. Carry a pump and when you come to a part of the trail that is slop let some air out.

For all the above mentioned reasons, or rather for the fact that it doesn't do any of the above things, I love Mud xs in the Winter. All that is except wet roots, but I defy anyone to find a tyre that really grips on wet roots, and doesn't have ice studs. For example, the much lauded High Rollers dumped me face first into a freezing pile of slushy snow last week in Surrey Hills after encountering a wet root. If I could only have one tyre all year, it would be a mud x.

delcol

you mean they have roots in the surry hills :shock: :shock:

i use to run mud x all year round, they were fine apart from the knobies flexing on hard pack..

cooldad

delcol wrote:

you mean they have roots in the surry hills :shock: :shock:

i use to run mud x all year round, they were fine apart from the knobies flexing on hard pack..

We have one root and everyone takes turns to ride over it. Precedence depends on credit card. Platinum and gold first. Normal cards can only ride it on Wednesday mornings.

delcol

Platinum and gold credit cards what are those..

we only have loan sharks ooooooooop here..

we choose the pecking order by the number of asbos you have or how much travel your bike has..