Tyres

delete_my_account

I'm after some opinions on tyres - well width really.

Last winter on my 456C I rode Nobby Nics (2.1 rear and 2.25 front.)

I've just found the same tyres but 2.4s for £24 each. Is 2.4 inches ridiculously wide for trail use? I mostly ride at QECP which gets really really wet and muddy at winter

njee20

The bigger issue is that Nics are shit in the mud. The 2.4s are big, and consequently heavy and slow. If they'll fit in your frame/fork (and that's not a given) and you're ok with that then go nuts.

lostboysaint

MichaelMLFC92 wrote:

I'm after some opinions on tyres - well width really.

Last winter on my 456C I rode Nobby Nics (2.1 rear and 2.25 front.)

I've just found the same tyres but 2.4s for £24 each. Is 2.4 inches ridiculously wide for trail use? I mostly ride at QECP which gets really really wet and muddy at winter

I wouldn't go near Nobby Nics in the winter, especially for QE which is very rooty as well. Bontrager Mud XR Team Issue, Specialized Storm Control or Panaracer Trailraker are the rubber of choice for slogging around there. I use the Bontys there and elsewhere around the region and they are the best, offering excellent mud grip, the best wet chalk/slush grip and rolling well on harder stuff.

delete_my_account

So the Bontrager ones would be grippier than NNs eventhough they're considerably narrower?

The Rookie

Width doesn't always mean grip, especially in mud and over roots where you want the higher loading to help dig into the surface.

njee20

I'd heartily recommend the Bontragers as a winter tyre. Better all out mud tyres out there, but as a winter tyre they're superb.

poah

problem with mud tyres is that on everything else they tend to be crap so unless your whole trail is muddy they are not worth it. consider a continental baron 2.3 BC or a WTB vigilante

The Rookie

I have a Panaracer mud tyre (1.8) that works very well in winter on any surface with mud on it, I can often get up muddy hills my mates just don't have the grip to (nice offset to their better skills and fitness) wouldn't take it to a trail centre though.

lostboysaint

POAH wrote:

problem with mud tyres is that on everything else they tend to be crap so unless your whole trail is muddy they are not worth it. consider a continental baron 2.3 BC or a WTB vigilante

Hence both Njee and I recommending the Bontrager.

I have also ridden that tyre extensively where the OP rides.

poah

lostboysaint wrote:

POAH wrote:

problem with mud tyres is that on everything else they tend to be crap so unless your whole trail is muddy they are not worth it. consider a continental baron 2.3 BC or a WTB vigilante

Hence both Njee and I recommending the Bontrager.

I have also ridden that tyre extensively where the OP rides.

unless I'm mistaken they suggested the Bontrager Mud XR Team Issue which is a mud tyre which is fine if you're ride is completely muddy all the time so I'm assuming the trails are just a mud bath then.

lostboysaint

You're mistaken. Whilst they call them a mud tyre and they work very, very well in the mud they are easily the best all-rounder of all the "mud" tyres. Hence the recommendation and the summary of why.

Yes, those trails are very muddy and get dug out very badly (braking bumps and pre-root) so suffer badly in the wet.

njee20

unless I'm mistaken they suggested the Bontrager Mud XR Team Issue which is a mud tyre which is fine if you're ride is completely muddy all the time so I'm assuming the trails are just a mud bath then.

If you read what I actually wrote I said they're a great 'winter tyre', there are better pure mud tyres (my preference is the 1.5" Schwalbe Black Shark, but they're horrendous on anything but deep mud). The Mud X (now called XR Mud) is a great tyre in general wet conditions IMO, helped by having quite a stiff carcass, so it responds well to low pressures if necessary. Although the 2.0" Dirty Dan has a near identical tread pattern (and significantly lower weight) I think it suffers for this reason - they squirm a fair bit below 20psi.

If you're riding somewhere rocky then more of an all round tyre will likely suffice. I used to ride Racing Ralphs or Conti Speed Kings year round when I rode at Cwmcarn.

jfry94

qecp is my local and i have no problems using wtb vilgilante.

roger_merriman

POAH wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

POAH wrote:

problem with mud tyres is that on everything else they tend to be crap so unless your whole trail is muddy they are not worth it. consider a continental baron 2.3 BC or a WTB vigilante

Hence both Njee and I recommending the Bontrager.

I have also ridden that tyre extensively where the OP rides.

unless I'm mistaken they suggested the Bontrager Mud XR Team Issue which is a mud tyre which is fine if you're ride is completely muddy all the time so I'm assuming the trails are just a mud bath then.

As others have said the MudX is a mud/intermediate tyre. A dedicated full on mud tyre such as conti Mud King is better in deep rutted mud etc, but the MudX is far better on roots, gravel, wet stone and so on.

BloggingFit

Combination of Mud X and XR4 works well for mixed surfaces that aren't pure mud.

mcnultycop

I'd get some Beavers, I run the 2" ones on my hardtail all year round and they are just a great tyre. I bought them as mud tyres, but left them on. I imagine the larger size (2.25, I think) would be just as good, with a little more grip and cushioning (and drag).