im running a set of bontrager jones x mud on my 26er,i love them what are the best mud tyres for a 29er without loads of drag?

Hi

I use Schwalbe Albert 29×2 all year – they’re great tyres and durable too if you get the snakeskin ones. I raced on them all last winter at the Thetford series and the Brass Monkeys in some pretty bad conditions.

If it’s a consideration for you, they also go up tubeless very easily.

GB

thank you gee

bonty 29-3 with the 2.3 front and 2.0 rear combo tubeless at about 25psi are fab. Run a 2.3 for the rear if you want a bit more grip

schwalbe

racing ralphs are bloomin good and go ok in the winter depending on pressure and where you ride. They’re tops for places like cannock where it’s a muddy sandy slippy root mix

furious freds are the fastest thing ever but terrifying for my mincercore bike handling skills

Mud-X 29×2 are my winter tyre of choice. Dugast Rhino XL are amazing but kinda a specialist thing.

sam what are the dugast Rhino xl like?

tazzy, how big are the Bonty 29-3’s in 2.3″? How do they compare to say a 2.2″ Kenda Nevegal (which is huge for a 2.2 IMO) or anything else, and would they fit in the back of a 29er Inbred OK?

And what do they grip and roll like?

Oh, and anyone out there tried the Bonty 29-4?

Anyone tried Geax saguaro TNT tyres?

sam what are the dugast Rhino xl like?

Just amazing, roll so nicely and grip incredibly well for something their size. In serious mud they are almost cheating. Expensive though, require expensive rims and faffing with glue. Sidewalls are also not very durable. If you want a pair of race wheels for wet conditions though (not a bad idea in this country) they are pretty hard to beat.

how big are the Bonty 29-3’s in 2.3″?

They come up pretty big. I would say larger casing volume than a Nevegal, though not as knobby. Pretty solid all rounder though.

Anyone tried Geax saguaro TNT tyres?

Really excellent hard pack/dry conditions tyre. The TNT version is quite hefty and has a *very* tight bead. So much so you might struggle to get them onto a Stans or Bonty tubeless rim. The ‘normal’ folding version is a really nice light fast tyre in the right conditions. Not great once it gets wet though. The tubular Saguaros are a different story altogether. While they are not the mud plugger that the RhinoXL is, they do much better in mixed conditions than the clincher.

mboy, they fit fine in the back of scandal 29er and the weirdo version I now have with narrower stays has enough clearance as well

Very quick tyre designed specifically for 29ers and lower pressures and they grip lovely for the areas that I ride (chase, peaks, north wales) and they are tubeless ready!

For some good 29er tyre specs check here and here.

Thanks Sam. Looks like I’ve just bought the wrong tyres, or at least I’ll have trouble getting them on my Bonty tubeless rims!! Should have gone with Bonty 29-3…

Just found another couple of reviews of the front Bonty 29-3 on the net, sounds like they’d be pretty much ideal for me, in that they’re big, grippy, pretty fast rolling and tubeless ready…

And then I spotted the price!!! 😯

How the **** does an MTB tyre cost £40 each?

So any more reasonably priced alternatives (currently running Kenda Nevegals which I find fairly grippy, but heavy and slow) that will still grip ok in the winter (not expecting anything to perform as well as a Bonty Mud X though don’t worry) and be perfect for most of the rest of the year too…? How do the 2.25″ Maxxis Ardents fare? And is the 2.1″ Maxxis crossmark a summer only tyre, or OK on the back for winter use or not?

mboy shop around a bit and you can get them a lot cheaper. I’ll find the linky to where I got mine and post on here for you.

cheers tazzy, pretty sure I could get em a bit cheaper anyway, my LBS is a Trek dealer and always gives me a bit of a discount…

Which would take them down to a MEASLY £35 each I expect! 😯

I know it’s only money and all that, but I can’t help feeling that the consumer is getting a bit of a raw deal these days. I know there’s all sorts of factors, but Bontrager used to make some of the cheaper decent tyres, my Mud X’s only costing me £22 each brand new (and that was only with a 10% discount applied)…

here you go Mboy the non TLR also mount up tubeless very easily and are lighter take your pick £26.00 non TLR or £35.00 TLR

http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=416076

Cheers tazzy, saw the Swinno’s link. I don’t trust Bonty non TLR tyres, they’re too thin in the sidewall and the beads aren’t tight enough IMO.

all terrain cycles do the TLR’s for 33 quids as well. I’ve had no issues with non-tlr but I use stans rims and mince like lord mincey of mincington and ride a single speed, so they’re fine for talking the bike for a walk.

They come up pretty big. I would say larger casing volume than a Nevegal, though not as knobby. Pretty solid all rounder though.

Had a quick spin on a Rumblefish today (very nice, wish i had a couple of grand spare!) with a pair of 29-3’s fitted… They are most definitely narrower than my Kenda Nevegals, by some margin it would seem! Though I’m running my Nevegals Tubeless and I hear that stretches them a bit…

They do look pretty good though…

was that the rumblefish’s at about bikes?, nice @ £1600

was that the rumblefish’s at about bikes?, nice @ £1600

Yes mate

They’ve got a 17.5″ (Mitts off, it’s mine pending a lottery win!) and a 19″ there…

I’m still running my small block 8’s isn’t the point of 29 to have more traction maybe just let out some air. Rob Dean won the muddy set2dawn on the same.

How do the 2.25″ Maxxis Ardents fare? And is the 2.1″ Maxxis crossmark a summer only tyre, or OK on the back for winter use or not?

I was riding exactly this combination this morning. Ardent 2.25 up front, crossmark 2.1 at the back.

Much better than you’d expect for what should be summer tyres. I’ll probably change the front for something narrower for the Thetford Winter Series, just because the extra width leaves you pushing more gloop out of the way. If I wasn’t entering this, I’d leave them on.

schwalbe landcruisers

Ardent f and r 2.25 ghetto tubeless super grippy 26psi f 32psi r