Hi all,
Looking for opinions on the best allround winter tyre … want something that as well as working in all conditions will also hopefully inspire confidence in my girlfriend who is very new to the mtb world!
We have mainly been riding at the FoD and cannock trail centres but also spend a lot of time on the malverns (we live there!) and are going up to CyB in Nov for 3 days

Also after the shops doing the best deals as I’m buying 4 tyre and am a skinflint!!! 🙂

Mud-X is my preferred one, works well in a lot of conditions (not just mud as it’s name implies), certainly a lot less sketchy than a Trailraker for all-round use.

Mud-x – JEJAMES had them at £20 each

conti edges are ok mud tyres that are as cheap as chips

Bontrager Mud-x or Spesh Storm Control, much of muchness in them.

I found a 29er mud-x on the front was quite alarming going over rooty stuff at any kind of speed in anything other than a straight line in the dark. I bought a Nobby Nic the following day.

They’re not great on roots but then not many tyres are, you need a super tacky compound to have much of a hope. I wouldn’t have thought the OP would be riding much over roots at night with his GF though if he’s trying to raise her confidence levels :p

Mud X are great (and cheap) when the going’s soft but are a tad sketchy on wet rock/paving slabs. Anyone tried Schwalbe Dirty Dans?

Andy

Panaracer Trailrakers are brilliant in the snow or mud and very grippy on wet roots and rocks. They are very draggy though so hard work on wet trails. I ride to stay fit so it doesn’t bother me on short 2-3 hour rides.

I would say Spesh Storm Control have the edge on mud x’s.

Continental Mountain Kings 😆 😆 😆

……just removed the above piles o $hite and replaced em with Bonti XR4s – 2.2 (which are bloody wide).

Did a 23 mile mud plug around calderdale yesterday and they were absolutely stunning!! on all terrain right through to shedding 8″ deep bog “slart”. I can now see how they were highly reccomended by many people on here. Even better considering All Terrain are doing them at £14 each!!

Mud-X are good but I use Intense System 5’s well into Autumn and find them fine.

im having a go with some of these for this coming winter

Panaracer Trailrakers are brilliant in the snow or mud and very grippy on wet roots and rocks

They have all the grip of a pair of greased wet socks on roots, in my personal experience. I was riding with these yesterday (no other bike available) and was astonished at just how terrible they were on roots, and how easily deflected they were on off-camber sections. On loose rocks they were, if anything, worse.

I’ve got about four pairs, which I’m going to get ride of. The bloody things are never going to wear out, and other tyres are available which are a load better.

conti edges are ok mud tyres

Had a hell of a wash out on some wet offcamber stuff with these (protection version). As did a mate of mine from up north, and he is a decent rider…

Honestly, people recommend Mud-Xs and Trailrakers as “all round tyres”? Unless you’re plowing through swamps constantly they’re not worth it, for all the drawbacks. For anything less than really grim mud, stick with some sensible allrounder- Minions maybe, or Nevegals with half the knobs cut off so they don’t clog up. Something that works in stuff that isn’t mud. Otherwise, you’re taking a hit everywhere else, just to make the least fun part slightly less unfun.

Mud-X are pretty good for all round use ‘down sarf’ tbh.

As above I find the Intense System 5 to be a bit more biased away from mud towards ‘normal’ riding and use them from March through to October.

i would say that Mud X are good for half the year, not the best mud tyre and not the best rocks and root roots tyre. But on the whole a decent tyre.

Another vote for the Specialized Storm Control, although in my case I like to use those on the back and a Purgatory on the front.

Another mud-x vote here, had them on for the last 3 years, go for the 2.0″ if u decide to get them as they are quite skinny.

What about those new Maxxis Beaver, had a quick look the other day and they look like a nice mud tyre.

Other than that I found Nobby Nics way better than expected last winter and bloody great in snow too!!

I just use the same tyres and mtfu.

If you found the 29er mud x dodgy over roots then you need to drop the pressure or sell it to go down to the 26 inch variety ;O)

I’m tempted to try the new Panaracer CG Soft Conditions 2.25 – decent volume and look like they’ll roll quite well for a mud/soft ground tyre.

Ran Dirty Dan 2.0 last winter and they are really good in mud and on wet roots and rocks but too small volume as a do everything tyre and have very thin sidewall.

Sofaking – Is that a Nate?…..Mine should be here by end of week along with BFL 😈
For rest of bikes splesh storm control get my vote

Not tried mud-x so can’t comment on them.
A few of use use nobby nics regularly in the Malverns (coped well in 6/8 inches of snow the last couple of winters too). They’ll be good for ‘summer’ use too, fast rolling for their grip levels. Though summer tyres is probably a different ‘tread thread’.

….check out prices at OnOne

motorman, yes . mine are being delivered today 🙂

Maxxis Medusa? Are they any good?

Anyone tried Schwalbe Dirty Dans?

I’ve got the Black Sharks (1.5) that the Dans are based on and they are fantastic ‘gopping mud’ tyre. Shite everywhere else though.

forget the mud tyre unless you are actually going to be riding in gloopy mud mostly. for cannock,fod,codey, mud tyres will be useless. just go for an agressive tread patten tyre such as maxxis minion or high roller but run a super tacky on the front, which will inspire loads of confidence compared to the 60a compond and you will not really notice the differrance in rolling speed if you just use the tacky on the front.

I agree mud tyres for say the chilterns. But certainly not for trail centres

I did last winter on High Rollers. Not a mud tyre just a tyre with a bit of tread

oldnpastit – Member
I found a 29er mud-x on the front was quite alarming going over rooty stuff at any kind of speed in anything other than a straight line in the dark. I bought a Nobby Nic the following day.

Do they grip any better in the day?

for winter riding I tend to go for mudX on the front and kenda klaw or michelin xcr on the back

mudx is a great front tyre for damp winter conditions, the rear is all about shedding mud

Ride the tires you ride in the summer, get used to how they handle in the winter gloop, job done.
For what its worth, I’ve rode with Larsen TTs in the winter, much drifty fun, teaches you lots about bike handling…