UKC

Hi - a friend recommended a swampthing on the front and something else on the back - what do others recommend plse? - for somewhere like Peaslake (Surrey) , not travelling great distances but XC ish rather than pure downhill.
Thanks - I've got Nobby Nicks at the moment , but for winter i'm happy to swop a bit of weight for grip
ian

In reply to iani:

Panda racer mud rakers are great for the Surrey hills in winter

In reply to iani:

maxxis minion super tacky:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4620

In reply to iani: Specialized Storms

In reply to iani:

Swamp things are good, but pretty draggy and crap in anything but mud. You may also struggle to get hold of them cause I think they've been discontinued.

Continental baron in black chilli compound I've found to be excellent in mud, and good all round. expensive though.

Bontrager mud x's are ales decent, and cheaper.

Best pure mud tyre I've used is the panaracer trail raker, but it's quite skinny, and not an all rounder.

In reply to iani:

Bonty Mud X's or for a bit cheaper Specialized Storm Controls, Im running the storms, in very muddy rooty conditions at my local trails in Bringewood, very impressed with them.


Trailrakers are the best PURE mud tyre, but if your riding involves roots or rocks stay well clear, they are famously bad on roots.

In reply to supafly: Minions are terrible in proper mud! Don't dig, don't clear, don't track. Rubbish.

I ride a Schwalbe Dirty Dan for innerleithen "cross country" which is pretty much slowly winching up fireroads or singletrack then descending steep mud and root. I'd only recomend it as a front tyre for rolling resistance reasons and even then it's noticably harder work than what you have now, but the grip on most surfaces is good and in mud it@s like cheatoing.Weight is not too bad. Maxxis Wet Screams are not dissimilar, though much smaller volume and just as hard work to pedal round on. If you don't want to run a proper mud spike, then the Bonty Tyres mentioned above would be a decent compromise.

In reply to iani:

Continental Rubber Queens (Black Chilli version) have been a revelation this past few months.

Have ridden them at Peaslake several times, in really muddy conditions, with no trouble whatsoever. Even riding across off-camber rooty sections they seem to have no movement at all.

In fact, so far I haven't found any surface they don't seem to excel on

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Thanks for the feedback everyone - much appreciated.
Bontrager Mud X seem to be discontinued too!- the Mud XR seems to be a different tyre

ian

In reply to iani: being a bit old school i love the panaracer fire xc pro 1.8, narrow rear cuts through the mud, i use a more directional tread on the front like an older school dart pattern

In reply to neil the weak:

OP asked about wet roots - not mud.

ergo maxxis minions super tacky, they stick to wet roots like mud. if you know what i mean.

In reply to iani: Schwalbe winter tyres with studs are the only thing that will stay on wet roots - they're shit every where else tho

In reply to iani: I have been using Maxxis Medusas for my local riding at Hopton Wood from a couple of years. With a bit of a reduction in pressure they seem to work for me on the mud and the roots. I notice a big difference if I don't change from the Highrollers I use in the Peak.

In reply to iani:

I regularly cycle on Pitch and Holmbury Hills and use Maxxis High Rollers year round and they seem a pretty good compromise.

If you have not discovered the app Strava it is also worth a look at as there are many "segments" in this area.

Specialized Captains 2.0 - run at about 25 psi, too hard and you won't get grip on much - fantastic tyre and not too expensive £25-£30 each - use pretty much year round. Good grip on rock n roots and not too bad in the mud - pretty quick XC tyre.

Have also used Kenda Nevegals which are pretty good all round tyre.

Friend has used swamp things during winter, no complaints... why not run them both front and back?

Reasonable tyres are important but not as much as smooth relaxed pedalling when going over roots and other technical ground

In reply to iani:
conti rubber queens black chilli.. a stunning tyre.