New rubber for muddy / winter months

kinioo

Morning All,

I am after a pair of new tyres for my Anthem X2.

Currently on Racing Ralph - good for summer but not great for muddy conditions.

I am on standard (non-tubeless ready) rims Giant S-XC2, however I converted them to tubeless.

Was thinking of something like:

a) Nobby Nic - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-nobby-nic-evo-mtb-tyre-snakeskin/rp-prod128940

what's the option: TL Easy, Easy Gate Star, Trsailstar ??

b) Maxxis High Roller II - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/maxxis-high-roller-ii-exo-tyre/rp-prod77864

only single ply available.

Any other options here you would recommend??

swod1

well if your going to ride places that gets muddy then also look at mud tyres like bontrager xr mud and maxxis medusa.

The Rookie

How muddy is your muddy? Do you want a mud tyre or a winter tyre?

kinioo

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19723900#p19723900]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

How muddy is your muddy? Do you want a mud tyre or a winter tyre?

Good question Rookie, well, yes I would like to have something to use now (rainy and very muddy conditions) and also during the winter - therefore, I will use my 'mud tyre' during winter )

Chris.

The Rookie

Mud tyres are narrow, about 1.5", and pretty useless for anything else, so presumably you want a tyre for winter that will cope with a bit of mud? Where do you ride? What sort of surfaces?

lostboysaint

Specialized Storm Control (2.0) and Bontrager XR Mud (2.0) are fantastic allrounders. Brilliant at finding traction but still big enough and with decent enough tread pattern and compound to make harder surfaces ok as well.

kinioo

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19723958#p19723958]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

Mud tyres are narrow, about 1.5", and pretty useless for anything else, so presumably you want a tyre for winter that will cope with a bit of mud? Where do you ride? What sort of surfaces?

Well, mostly local green lanes in Herts, Essex ,Bedfordshire.

Few ride outs in Shropshire and Wales also plan to do few trips around Garmisch Partenkitchen -but I don't think this is going to happen this winter.

Yes, you are correct I need tyre for winter which will still be OK for mud and better than what I have now.

C.

The Rookie

Either of the two above, or a pacestar Nobby Nic (just got one for 21.95 off eBay) or a Maxxis Beaver would all be decent options.

poah

if you are on 26 get a pair of conti barons from bike-discount.de

apreading

I got some Bontrager Mud-X for muddy conditions and found them so good in all conditions that I pretty much leave them on now, great all rounder. OK, not really suited to tarmac but just about anything else. 1.8 on the rear, 2.0 up front.

kinioo

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19724050#p19724050]POAH[/url] wrote:

if you are on 26 get a pair of conti barons from bike-discount.de

I should have said Im on 26"!!

Many thanks chaps,

C.

dusk

Another vote for Bontrager Mud X, great in mud and perfectly good in other conditions

rockmonkeysc

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19724080#p19724080]apreading[/url] wrote:

I got some Bontrager Mud-X for muddy conditions and found them so good in all conditions that I pretty much leave them on now, great all rounder. OK, not really suited to tarmac but just about anything else. 1.8 on the rear, 2.0 up front.

Mud X are the worst tyres I have ever used. Great in sloppy mud but terrible over roots and rocks, zero grip in the dry. Dry trails destroy them. Cornering grip is non existent as well.
I prefer a proper all round tyre like Specialized Purgatory or Bontrager XR4

lostboysaint

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19725269#p19725269]RockmonkeySC[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19724080#p19724080]apreading[/url] wrote:

I got some Bontrager Mud-X for muddy conditions and found them so good in all conditions that I pretty much leave them on now, great all rounder. OK, not really suited to tarmac but just about anything else. 1.8 on the rear, 2.0 up front.

Mud X are the worst tyres I have ever used. Great in sloppy mud but terrible over roots and rocks, zero grip in the dry. Dry trails destroy them. Cornering grip is non existent as well.
I prefer a proper all round tyre like Specialized Purgatory or Bontrager XR4

Strange one that because I've found both them and the Storm Control to be fine over roots and rocks and certainly no problems with dry grip. They certainly wear quickly in the dry.

As with all these things it's about knowing your local trails and what is important to you. The Bonty and Spec suit me because most of my riding is very muddy now that the rain's arrived and they work brilliantly in that but also roll well on harder stuff.

kinioo

Thanks for the info lads.

I think I will go for something like:

a) Nobby Nic;
or
b) Bontrager XR4

Any good deals about ???

The Rookie

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400654541183?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Amazingly good value, mine just arrived.

paulmon

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727268#p19727268]kinioo[/url] wrote:

Thanks for the info lads.

I think I will go for something like:

a) Nobby Nic;
or
b) Bontrager XR4

Any good deals about ???

I use XR4 Team Issue all year round. Superb do it all tyre.

poah

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727268#p19727268]kinioo[/url] wrote:

Thanks for the info lads.

I think I will go for something like:

a) Nobby Nic;
or
b) Bontrager XR4

Any good deals about ???

wouldn't go for either TBH for the winter months

hainman

Minion or Magic Mary for winter,Not full on Mud tyres but good on roots,rock and mud

The Rookie

Depends on your riding, the Mary is a big old lump of a tyre if you are doing XC to moderate trail riding, the OP has an Anthem that was on Ralphs, so the Mary sounds a daft suggestion being marketed as a DH/Enduro tyre

wmorgs

I used these Panaracer Fire XC, good for mixed conditions:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/panaracer-fire-xc-asb-tyre/rp-prod54055

njee20

^^ they are truly the worst tyres ever. Nothing going for them at all.

I'd say +1 for Mud X/Storm/Beaver/Dirty Dan, used them all, there's not much in it. Nics arent much good for a winter tyre IMO.

The Rookie

I rate the Fire XC as a decent all round tyre, if you just want one tyre to fit all year round on an array of surfaces it's not bad on any of them, just not the best either.

I guess it depends where you ride as NN's are very popular locally for winter riding where we have either wet hard packed or short quite boggy patches.

bigmitch41

Get a set of Storm Control's on the way! With the amount of rain we've had recently they should make for a big improvement on my Hands Damf F/Rocket Ron R I run for the rest of the year.

lostboysaint

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19745729#p19745729]BigMitch41[/url] wrote:

Get a set of Storm Control's on the way! With the amount of rain we've had recently they should make for a big improvement on my Hands Damf F/Rocket Ron R I run for the rest of the year.

Been riding on mine for two weeks now and they really are very impressive in the sort of mixed conditions that are currently plaguing the trails - everything from axle deep standing water and thick mud through to mushy grass and the usual slippery chalk/topsoil surface layer over bone dry around the Downs.

njee20

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19745712#p19745712]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

I rate the Fire XC as a decent all round tyre, if you just want one tyre to fit all year round on an array of surfaces it's not bad on any of them, just not the best either.

Just shows the subjectivity of such things, as I genuinely found them horrendous. I'd rather ride Furious Freds.

The Rookie

Indeed it is subjective!

My Local riding has a big mix of surfaces, my old club rides had a lot of Fire XC users, the new club (local so I can ride to and from rather than using the car) a lot of NN users. I would say having used both that I prefer the NN's slightly although they aren't as fast rolling on smooth hard surfaces like road links are hard packed gravel.

Note that our local riding has little in the way of rocks or roots (although we do have some man made wooden features such as step edging to negotiate), it tends to be gravel tracks or grass/mud trails with odd patches more closely resembling marshland (at this time of year). Without the wet in summer Ralphs or a Ron/ralph combo really works.

FishFish

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727506#p19727506]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400654541183?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Amazingly good value, mine just arrived.

Good tip, thx - just ordered.

hainman

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19744062#p19744062]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

Depends on your riding, the Mary is a big old lump of a tyre if you are doing XC to moderate trail riding, the OP has an Anthem that was on Ralphs, so the Mary sounds a daft suggestion being marketed as a DH/Enduro tyre

Daft??He mentions Muddy conditions to which his Ralphs are Pants,Therefor My suggestion of the Minion or Magic Mary would be ideal NO??My mate has an Anthem who puts a Wet Scream on for mental muddy conditions,Maybe its where i ride,but these tyres have been awesome

The Rookie

Daft, I think so, the Mary isn't a mud tyre like you said, but is designed for wetter muddier conditions, it's also designed for a use you wouldn't use an Anthem for, so there are much better tyres for the bike, you would put on a Beaver, Nic, Purgatory etc.

crazymac680

Continental mountain king mk2. Chilli rubber.
Currently £22 merlin cycles. Bargain!