newbie off road tyres

jamesmcdowell

Hi all,

I went on my first off road ride the other day, and have now got the bug.

The only problem that I found was that the stock tyres from my bike are pants, any time i leant into a corner, i could feel the bike going from underneath me.

I'm planning on riding mostly cross country, with a few more technical down hill and loose gravel bits. It'll be in Britain so something that can handle a bit of wet, but im not too keen on having to change tyres too often.. The other problem is that I also ride on the roads every so often when I decide to commute to work.

Is there a decent tyre that does it all? - or am i best off buying some road and off road tyres?

The Rookie

No one time will be best for all conditions (obviously).....
Panaracer Fire XC Pro are a good all round (round always helps of course!) tyre, they are not the best on any surface, but neither are they bad on any. Like any knobbly they will drag on road far more than a slick(er) tyre, so if you are doing fairly long rides off road I'd strongly suggest some road tyres (Schwalbe city jet are a great budget option, can be had for around £10 each).

sprite1275

Got me some 2.3 Michelin Mountain dry 2 tyres on mine. I too commute to work and these pumped up to about 40psi are very fast rolling on paths/roads, but also great off road.
Went up cannock chase at the weekend and reduced the pressure to around 34psi and the grip was superb. Very fast on dirt/gravel but also had great grip riding through some boggy marsh I came accross. There not so good on wet tarmac though, just don't go storming into corners.

jamesmcdowell

Thanks for the replies guys,

I'll research some of the Michelin, sound like they will fulfill the purpose nicely.

I'm also pretty tempted by some slicks for the commute.. but we'll see how the Michelin fare.

The Rookie

I have Dry Mountain 2's for summer, they are aptly named, fast rolling on tarmac (uber fast) and great in dry weather, in mud they clog readily and grip on wet rock and roots is scarily poor....I didn't use my DM2's last year at all.....

jamesmcdowell

so then maybe the best option would be, a set of DM2's for dry and road and some better damp/wet tyres for the fun stuff?

The Rookie

That is an option, or road tyres and off road tyres, or 3 sets, only you can decide!

lostboysaint

On One Smorgasbord, go with the dual compound "Trail Extreme" versions. Quick rolling, grippy, clear mud well. http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYOOSM26X225/on_one_smorgasbord_26x225_tyre

Otherwise the XC Pro that's been mentioned. Classic allrounder.

jamesmcdowell

Thanks for the advice guys. I'v bitten the bullet and gone for some XC Pro's they got great reviews and I can get them from the shop down the road in time for the bank holiday!

I'll cross the road tyre decision after some muddy time..

Your help is much appreciated!

Cheers!
J