Monday 25 September 2023

Greatest mountain bike mud tyres reviewed and rated by specialists


Choose the perfect mountain bike mud tyres and also you’ll be capable to trip, not slide, by way of the winter with final management.

Right here’s our rundown of the perfect mountain bike mud tyres that can assist you beat the gloop and carry on rolling till spring comes round. With the suitable rubber you’ll find grip whereas throughout you slip!

Each winter, slightly than slip and slide defensively by way of the gloop and muck, it pays actual dividends to suit the greatest mountain bike tyres particularly designed for mud. They bring about additional grip and promote larger confidence at each flip, permitting you to maintain attacking the paths.


Specialized Hillbilly GRID Gravity T9 tyre

Greatest worth mud tyre and nice on an e-bike

Weight: 1,360g | Dimension examined: 29 x 2.4in | Score: 10/10

Causes to purchase: The superb value, Works nice on slimy roots and rocks in addition to free mud, Superb in drier situations too, Robust and sturdy.

Causes to keep away from: One of many heaviest DH/Enduro mud tyres round, Slower rolling than some related tyres.

Specialised’s Hillbilly was the unique lower down mud spike impressed by DH champ Sam Hill’s mechanic, and dropped at market over a decade in the past. Total grip is certainly on a par with the Maxxis Shorty II, and really even marginally higher in some eventualities, however the Hillbilly is barely slower rolling and heavier within the equal DH casing model. The Shorty is barely extra versatile, rolling with extra tempo on more durable path centre-style surfaces, and it’s arguably extra optimised to combined situations than the very open, barely spikier, Spesh tread. So horses for programs then, that means this Hillbilly completely deserves prime marks too, notably because it’s £30 cheaper than the Shorty.

Learn assessment of the Specialised Hillbilly Grid Gravity T9


Wonderful in combined situations in addition to mire

Weight: 1,090g | Dimension examined: 29 x 2.4in | Score: 10/10

Causes to purchase: Way more versatile than earlier era, Quick rolling for a mud tyre, Clears mud fantastically nicely, First rate on arduous pack too, Maxxis confirmed compounds and casings

Causes to keep away from: Very costly, particularly in comparison with the Specialised Hillbilly

The Gen 2 Shorty nonetheless gives tons of chunk into mushy soils, and holds on like hell in slimy off-camber turns, however, crucially, it’s extra repeatedly related with terrain when crossing arduous obstacles like roots and rocks. It’s additionally sooner rolling on hardpack surfaces like path centres. Total, the Shorty Gen 2 tyre is way improved with this tread redesign. It has gone from a tyre that divided opinion – nevertheless muddy and horrible the paths had been – to a close to excellent wet-weather choice that’s versatile sufficient to combine it up on bone dry trails, with out far more than a penalty in rolling resistance.

Learn out full assessment of the Maxxis Shorty Gen 2


WTB Verdict

WTB Verdict

A fearsome chunk in mushy grime by way of to slick mud

Weight: 1,280g | Dimension examined: 29 x 2.5in | Score: 9/10

Causes to purchase: Nice grip on mushy terrain, be it mud or loam. Extra helpful than the Verdict Moist throughout a spread of driving situations too

Causes to keep away from: Not the quickest rolling or lightest rubber on the block. Barely imprecise on hardpack earlier than the tall aspect lugs chunk in

With towering 7.5mm edge incisors and 5mm centre blocks, that is about as meaty as you possibly can in a mountain bike tyre. It’s the toothy sibling to the Verdict Dry, and each centre and edge knobs have been lengthened significantly for additional grip in every part from damp situations to full-on quagmires. There may be an much more aggro model of this tyre known as – the WTB Verdict Moist – however we reckon the usual Verdict will swimsuit extra as a match and neglect winter tyre.

Learn our full check assessment of the WTB Verdict


Schwalbe Magic Mary

Schwalbe Magic Mary

All-season shredder that’s as blissful in winter as a porcine in poo

Weight: 928g | Dimension examined: 29 x 2.35in | Score: 9/10

Causes to purchase: Tremendous assured on steeps and on moist  rocks and roots. Clears nice. Run all of it yr spherical.

Causes to keep away from: Not the last word grip of a pure mud spike.

For aggressive driving in UK situations, the Magic Mary is a good performer. The moto-style blocks clear crud nicely, cornering and braking is superb and the tyre by no means over or beneath steers on extreme cambers or dragging brakes down ruts. With easy, big sq. blocks jutting out in any respect angles, the tread sample appears to be like rather a lot like a basic motocross tyre, and, certain sufficient, chuck it at some gloop and it’ll take every part in its stride — solely a pure downhill spike has extra chunk.

Learn assessment of the Schwalbe Magic Mary


MIchelin DH22

MIchelin DH22

Greatest gravity mud tyre

Weight: 1,490g | Dimension examined: 29 x 2.4in | Score: 9/10

Causes to purchase: Robust. Insanely grippy.

Causes to keep away from: Heavy, draggy outdated tyre to lug round if there’s no uplift

Massivley heavy. Massively powerful. Massively grippy. You might not need to pedal these round a path centre or your standard Sunday loop. However if you need a tyre for uplift days – or race days – that by no means, ever enables you to down and instills an insane stage of confidence regardless of how slippery and sketchy the terrain is – right here’s the rubber for you. The gradual rebound nature of the Magi-X compound rubber is nearly like micro suspension. There’s a severe stage of calmness and holding with the DH22. Sam Hill makes use of these tyres just about on every part no matter how moist or dry the path. A distinct segment choice however certain to develop a cult following as so many Michelin tyres do.

Learn of full check assessment of Michelin DH22


What to search for in mountain bike mud tyres:

You possibly can dodge the mud however neglect attempting to remain dry

Entrance tyre precedence

Entrance-end safety stays a precedence in winter — a back-end slide is all the time far more manageable — and mixing and matching tyre manufacturers, compounds and sizes at both finish is the easiest way to steadiness rolling pace, weight and management. When you’re a correct tweaker, you possibly can all the time trim knobs down for customized grip ranges.

Rear winter tyres face a tough balancing act, since weight and rolling friction are way more noticeable out again, and rear tyres are additionally far more inclined to break and punctures, so require additional casing thickness and safety.

Traction versus drag

Nicely-spaced, spiky blocks are the signature tread sample of winter-friendly tyres, however the peak and aggression of those knobs, and the burden and width of the tyre casing, are additional elements that immediately have an effect on drag, total bulk and a product’s optimum terrain and goal.

Even with mud tyres you possibly can have an excessive amount of of a great factor, which is why it’s essential steadiness moist climate grip with acceptable rolling resistance.

Rubber compound

Durometer is the quoted measure for rubber hardness, with greater numbers signifying a firmer compound, i.e. 60a is more durable than 50a. This durometer measurement is simply a suggestion, as proprietary compounds and blends also can make big variations to grip, rebound damping and rolling pace. On this respect, rubber is one thing of a ‘darkish artwork’, with sure tyres typically stunning on particular terrain and surfaces.

Weight

Mud tyres want considerably extra assist to maintain large tread blocks secure, which provides weight. Extra cloth and rubber within the building of grippier, wider tyres additionally provides weight, however larger air volumes provide extra consolation and isolation from the bottom — particularly helpful on hardtails to easy out the rougher trip.

Total rotating weight turns into very noticeable when large tyres decide up clag, and due to this fact muddy tyres could make it arduous to vary course at pace — though that isn’t all the time a nasty factor in excessive situations!

nukeproof mega 275

Strengthened casings, corresponding to Double Down, creates a stiffer tyre, giving the tread a extra constant base to work from.

Casing

It’s more durable to stay to express traces to guard sidewalls from abrasions and sharp edges in slippery winter situations. Due to this fact it’s value excited about operating a heavier casing with higher safety and sturdiness — the caveat being that driving within the winter is slow-going, and a heavier carcass can lower acceleration and rolling pace additional.

Photo showing the tread detail on the Continental Hydrotal MTB tyre

The Continental Hydrotal mountain bike tyre

Tread

Extra open tread patterns ought to maintain onto much less gloop and clear extra readily as soon as on top of things, however the draw back is larger rolling resistance. Mud tyres get pronounced shoulder blocks for higher cornering maintain and off-camber chunk. Rubber formulation and particular coatings on the outer casing floor (beneath the blocks) are additionally designed to shed sticky mud extra shortly.

Width

Thinner tyres carve by way of deep, thick mud extra successfully, however be practical as to how a lot of your trip time is spent in correct gloop, as wider tyres are usually higher in all places else. A great compromise is a wider ‘grip’ tyre up entrance and a thinner ‘drive’ tyre out again, however beware that super-fat entrance rubber can ‘float’ somewhat in severe mud slightly than ‘slicing’ in.

Tyre pressures are nonetheless necessary with a mud tyre.

Air stress

Completely different tyres require totally different pressures and, usually, the thicker the casing the decrease the air stress you may get away with.

Yr-round, goal for the minimal air stress that retains the tyre casing from twisting an excessive amount of beneath arduous cornering forces and nonetheless prevents rim strikes beneath impacts. When you typically run with greater than 30psi, strive decreasing stress and experimenting with softer tyres in winter.

The post Greatest mountain bike mud tyres reviewed and rated by specialists appeared first on lickscycles.com.



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