I’m not really one for swapping tyres, but the muddy slop on some of the steep traversing trails in the valleys around here are testing the limit of my minions. If I throw a shorty on the front is is going to be OK on the mud, and then crap everywhere else? Are they just for sloppy conditions? will it be shockingly bad when it starts to dry out a bit?

Shorty isn’t a full mud tyre. I’m running one on the front at the moment and it won’t come off until it’s dead. Obviously it’s going to be at its best on softer (be it mud or natural) surfaces but won’t kill you on hard pack either.

Shorty is great for any natural riding, particularly when soft to wet (i.e. The UK). On trail centre hardback and big bits of rock you can feel it getting wandery if you push it.

I have a Shorty but took it off in favour of a Mary, just something a bit more ‘allrounder’ about the Mary whereas the Shorty always looked very extreme to me.

I ran a magic mary for a long while but after trying a shorty Ive never changed, all year round for me 😯 😀

Same for me – it needs to be really dry before I think I need to take a shorty off. As long as the ground is either soft or wet its often my go to choice.

big bits of rock you can feel it getting wandery if you push it.

this is my worry, I ride in Calderdale and it’s an odd mix of sloppy muddy valley sides with gritstone flags and slabs. while I’m mostly content with Minion, they struggle to bite into the slop, but are excellent of the rocks, I might be just swapping where the tyres work well.

Big fan of the Shorty but fancied a change and have a WTB Convict on the front and very impressed. Not quite as good as the Shorty in the wet but better on harder surfaces.
I’d say it’s a better all round tyre

is it a front specific tyre, I’m running the shorty in the rear and struggle on anything slippery esp roots and slick ground

Tried a Shorty on the front last winter in 3C compound, found the side lugs quickly wore round and stumpy whereas the centre tread was nearly new so it lost most of it’s grip! This was a mix of natural Beacons riding and the odd trial centre. Switched to a DHRII in 3C and it’s much longer lasting and 9/10ths of the mud grip but better everywhere else. Still wearing faster on the sides than the centre but then that’s to be expected with the compound and I tend to wear all my tyres that way regardless, too much time going round corners 😀

It’s a big lump of a tyre, but supergravity Mary is a better all round tyre imo. My local riding is pretty sloppy, but I ride the lakes regularly and it’s great on both.

I’m a Kirklees and Calderdale rider, and have been using a Der Baron Projekt for 6 months or so, it’s wearing well and is a great all rounderer, it doesn’t shed quite as well as a Beaver/Mud X but digs in well and is superb everywhere else.

I bought a 3C Shorty but haven’t tried it yet. I’ve been in MEGA SLOP at Wharncliffe today and thought I’d regret not trying the Shorty but the Baron was superb, don’t be a dick in corners and keep speed up so it sheds and it is great.

I’ve run a Shorty since late summer (Scotland can be ‘wet’) on the front. And for Christmas one of my lads got me a new one.

So put the old one on the back – both 2.3 3C 29er.

Their only real failing are slippery roots and rocks, otherwise they’re great, especially on the many off-piste trails we have in the Tweed Valley. Looking forward, I’ll replace the worn rear with a Minion, but the Shorty will stay on the front.

benpinnick – Member
Same for me – it needs to be really dry before I think I need to take a shorty off

out of curiosity what do you change to when it is really dry?

Fitted/used a Shorty for the first time on the ‘puffer with a Mary. On the rear, think I have finally found a tyre combination to suit my bike and raise my confidence. Due to numerous reasons I’ve not ridden my bike since then but am looking forwRd to getting out on my local ‘Enduro’ trails to verify the initial impression 😀

put a shorty on last week, it got suggested for a rear tyre. everyone using it on the front then? sidewall tore yesterday on the second ride. it was good while it lasted though!

11.5 months a year on the front in the Tweed Valley and a Minion on the back 😆

I replaced my Shorty with… a shorty 2.5, for this winter. It’s pretty slow rolling but is otherwise pretty much incredible, the extra girth gives it much better grip on rock and harder stuff without really taking anything away (apart from a bit more drag). Ace.

A pair of Schwalbe Fat Albert Fronts have been a great all round high volume winter tyre for me,I’ve been running a set since October and they’ve been pretty darn good everywhere-not the best for pushing on hardpack style corners but not terrible.Nice supple carcass,trailstar compound so nice and grippy,great mud cleaning,comfortable volume and smooth(but not fast) rolling on harder surfaces inc roads.

Not fancying my luck with braking grip from that ^

I ride in Calderdale and it’s an odd mix of sloppy muddy valley sides with gritstone flags and slabs.

Snakeskin Magic Mary 2.35 in trailstar compound

By far the most popular front tyre choice when I’ve been riding with groups in Calderdale.

🙂

Shorty on the back for me in 3c mode. Magic mary on the front

chakaping – Member

Snakeskin Magic Mary 2.35 in trailstar compound

is a less sticky rubber than shorty 3C, and not as good at wet rock. Vertstar supergravity is softer though, at the expense of slower rolling

Bike radar tire test:
https://youtu.be/wqrbqRYrnB0
The Spesh Hill Billy came out well, similar looking to the shorty but better and faster rolling in their opinion.
Plus their only £35.
Not tried one myself but tempted to try the 29 version.

where is the mud/ thats like a summers day here!

Bontrager SE5s are proving a very good all rounder for me do far. Don’t seem to lack grip at all compared to others in the group on MMs or Vigilantes.

Ive a shorty on my FS and a MM on my hardtail. Shorty is much better at dealing with mud but not so good with rocks and roots as the Mary. I often find my Mary resembling the wheels from Fred Flintsone’s car.

On pure grip, the Magic Mary is a better tyre, IMO. The Shorty is a more intermediate spike. It rolls faster than the Mary as well.

But, the Mary has a lifespan measured in minutes. A day of uplifted riding can see the side knobs tearing at the base, and from that point onwards the tyre is junk.

Bike radar tire test:
https://youtu.be/wqrbqRYrnB0
The Spesh Hill Billy came out well, similar looking to the shorty but better and faster rolling in their opinion.
Plus their only £35.
Not tried one myself but tempted to try the 29 version.

I ran a Hillbilly 2.3 on my 29er last winter, not ridden much this winter so not felt the need to stick it on, the few times I have been out the Butcher control has been fine.

I was very impressed with the Hillbilly, deffinitely an underrated tyre, it is not particularly wide, it is noticably narrower than the butcher 2.3 however this deffinitely helps when the going gets really wet and muddy, I found it to shed mud really well and maintained grip in places I know the Butcher would have been struggling previously.

Its currently hung on the wall in the shed, but will deffinitely be going back on if/when I need it. Great value for money too!

Last winter I used a folding SHorty on the front of the big bike and it was better than the Minion it replaced in general-purpose loose dirt but I felt the tread was writing cheques the carcass couldn’t cash. This year I’ve been using a wire-bead 3C Shorty and it has that feel-good go-where-you-point-it stability that was missing from the folder. Generally though the Shorty is what it says it is – loose dirt/rubble/wet/dry but not particularly confidence-inspiring on rocks. Minion has the edge in hardpack conditions.

I think my Magic Mary SuperGravityVertStar covered a wider range of conditions than either of them but it didn’t last very long

I have a Hill Billy, looks great for a rear with a Mary up front….however I cannot bastard seat the bloody thing and give up with grazed knuckles, lots of swearing etc after about an hour!

Very much liking 2.4 DHR’s on the front at the moment, that’s a beast of a tyre in all but the worst slop.

MM supergravity doesn’t have the greatest of longevity, I reckon I’ve had 10 months out of the one on the front of my big bike, and it’s about due replaced. It’s the trade off for the grip, ho hum.

is a less sticky rubber than shorty 3C, and not as good at wet rock.

Not my experience, but how have you found they ride in Calderdale?

On the whole I’m a pretty big fan of them – Peaks riding, most of the year. They’re not draggy like a full on mud tyre, but are definitely better on that horrible clay mud we have or loam than a Minion or an HR II. Not had any issues with roots, and there’s plenty of them on some of the cheeky stuff/Wharncliffe etc. They’re even not bad on green Limestone!

Re the side knobs wearing quick – completely agree, however IME they’re rather longer lasting than an HRII (can trash the side knobs on those in no time) or a Minion (a couple of months). The knobs are bigger and more solidly moulded so don’t fold over as easily when worn. As of yesterday I’ve decide the one on the front of my Rocket is dead, but that went on about Nov 2015 and was only off for a couple of months last summer, so I’m happy with that.

By far the most popular front tyre choice when I’ve been riding with groups in Calderdale.

Y’know I don’t know anyone who rides with Magic Marys! Nearly everyone use a maxxis of some sort

I can get through a minion on the front in about 9-10 months I think, ordered a shorty, see how it goes, if it dries up and the sun comes out, you can all thanks me 😆

I replaced my Shorty with… a shorty 2.5, for this winter. It’s pretty slow rolling but is otherwise pretty much incredible, the extra girth gives it much better grip on rock and harder stuff without really taking anything away (apart from a bit more drag). Ace.

Ditto. Though I haven’t tried the 2.5 on much wet rock it’s a whole load better on wet roots and in harder drier conditions. Liking the Shorty 2.3 on the back instead of the DHR2 when it’s filthy.