Looking for something for the front that is doesn’t clog up immediately in the squirm and is okay on the slippy stuff. Not interested in skinny cyclocross tyres like the Mud X … this needs to be man-sized.

My ideal winter tyre on 26 was the Swamp Thing super tacky … is there a decent 29er spike out yet, cos I can’t see it?

Google is your friend!

http://bikemagic.com/gear/10-of-the-best-mud-tyres-mountain-biking.html

Otherwise look at the Spesh Butcher. Not a mud tyre per se, but designed for loose conditions and probably the best front tyre I’ve ever used.

Ive also been on the hunt for a 29er winter tyre (not really mud specific). Currently on the short list

Maxxis Beaver/Ardent combo
Spesh Ground Control
Bonty Mux x

I’m currently waiting for the new schwalbe magic mary for the front and a beaver 2.25 on the back.

Both due in December.

Buzzard – I’ve got a Ground Control on the rear at the moment. It rolls well, but I’m not sure how it’ll cope in the mud as the tread isn’t that deep. I’ll be switching it for a Purgatory at some point soon (assuming it’ll fit).

I still have a Geax Saguaro up front and an Ignitor on the rear and I have been amazed at how well they have behaved in the gloop.

A wider Maxxis Beaver was announced recently. I had a look around and it seems that places might start having stock towards the end of this month.

I’ve been using a pair of 2″ Beavers. Very good. Hook up well even in clay-ey muck and aren’t too slow-rolling either. The sidewalls on the lightweight version are a bit thin so probably not so good for training and general larking about.

michelin wild grip r.. go on check-em out 😉

Not interested in skinny cyclocross tyres like the Mud X

Why out of interest? Mud tyres generally have a narrower profile for good reason to cut through the slop although I wouldn’t describe Mud X as skinny – if anything they’ve got more volume than other 2″ tyres I’ve used and work really well on most stuff here on Dartmoor:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/bontrager-29er-mud-team-issue-29×2-tyre-id74400.html

I posted a similar question a month or so a go. Someone recommended a Chunky Monkey as a front, and it’s been perfect so far (it’s 2.4). Still have a Mud-X on the back, mind…

Spesh Pugatorys my favourite, unlike the mud-x, storm, and swampthing it works acceptably in mixed conditions too, the others, particularly the storm and swampthing squirmed horribly on hard surfaces, and how often are muddy rides actualy 100%mud, they’re probably 5% at worst unless its CX or MM/SITS/etc.

Becoming more and more impressed by my skinny 2.0 Beaver on the rear, waiting impatiently for the 2.25 version to throw on the front. Though the Ardent fitted doesn’t clog, it slides far to easily.

The latest WhatMTB test say that Conti Mud King 1.8 (!!!) & Michelin Wild Mud Adv are the way to go. Only wider tyre they like was the WTM Moto 2.3 (mid table)

I’ll be sticking with the Beavers…

I did and have often googled this, but I’m genuinely still unaware of something to match my wants. Personally, I’ve always found Swampy’s great on wet rock and had enough bulk and volume to take a hard edge hit. Mud X are too easily shredded from my experience. Decent in mud but a liability on loose rocky stuff and not very confidence inspiring on drops.

I used a Purgatory on the front last winter and it was okay, but still clogged up. I tore the wall of it, but could try again as it’s patched. I’ve got a Trail Extreme Smorgasbord on now and it’s similar, but maybe slightly better on wet rock and root. No desire to run narrower tyres than these on a mix of terrain.

A bigger Beaver sounds nice 🙂

The latest WhatMTB test say that Conti Mud King 1.8 (!!!) & Michelin Wild Mud Adv are the way to go. Only wider tyre they like was the WTM Moto 2.3 (mid table)

I’ll be sticking with the Beavers…

You obviously don’t ride in real mud if you don’t understand why they might recommend a narrow tyre.

Been using storm controls front and rear, as a pure mud tyre for xc use through the winter and they are pretty good, real bite from the rear on steep muddy/grassy climbs. Im less convinced about the front one though as not too great on rocks, roots or more mixed conditions. Keen to try a new 2.25 Beaver on the front and leave the storm on the back.

Obviously I do Mrmo, but like most ppl I want something a bit wider for the front tyre, as not all of my riding is 100% mud 😛

Hans dampfs work well in muddy clag..but the only big mansized rootin tootin face rippin 29er front is a wtb dissent. Run it tubeless on a wiiiiiide rim at about 10psi on a rigid frontage for ultimate winter grrrrrrr

Obviously I do Mrmo, but like most ppl I want something a bit wider for the front tyre, as not all of my riding is 100% mud

trust me, if you were in the mud i see each winter, you wouldn’t even think about a wide tyre on the front…. Even worse than a wide tyre on the back.

If your after a winter tyre fine, but if you are after a mud tyre then that is a very different beast. From my experience the best compromise i found was a Mud X, in the past used Conti 1.5’s and still got them to clog the frame up!

geax gato works pretty well as a winter alrounder.

Not as good in the clag a s amud X but more volume for the hard stuff.

A bigger Beaver sounds nice

Hmm. I always prefer them a little smaller… 😀

If your after a winter tyre fine, but if you are after a mud tyre then that is a very different beast.

Okay, maybe I should change the title to “Is there a decent 29er winter tyre?”

I think most are getting the picture anyhow. This is for mountain biking … trust me if you rode where I ride you wouldn’t dream of running a skinny tyre on the front 😉

Gato sounds interesting, Dissent at low pressure sounds a bit sqirmy.

No squirm at low pressure otherwise I wouldn’t ride it

Okay, maybe I should change the title to “Is there a decent 29er winter tyre?”

Again, have a look at the Butcher.

Where abouts do you ride? It’d be good to add some context to the question.

You know you need a Bud 😉

Highlands … main routes from my garage door include muddy peat, roots, forest, scree, bedrock and lots of steepness. Might have a look at the Butcher but does it shed? Looks like a Minion which is an ace tyre but not so in peaty mud IMO.

Bedmaker, is that what you had on your steed last night fatty? Who coped best? The guy with the fatbike … easily. I’ve got a Chunky Monkey on another wheel … might try and squeeze it in the Reba and drop the pressure to sub 15.

I’ve just fitted a 2.5 Maxxis Minion on the front and a 2.3 Geax Sturdy on the rear of my Bandit for the Dudes of Hazzard enduro this weekend, I’m hoping they’re a bit grippier than the Ardents they replaced 😉

Mud X are too easily shredded from my experience. Decent in mud but a liability on loose rocky stuff

mud tyre rubbish on rocks shocker, really? Have a think about that

mud x are great for muddy plant trails, if ur riding rocks get a more suitable tyre.

beavers are good too, looking forward to trying the bigger version

Geax Gato here, 2.1 on Hardtail and 2.3 front on FS, both in 29″

Much less drag on Tarmac than Mud X

Beaver on the rear and 2.4 Ardent up front, works well.

Hi,

I was looking at posting a similar question. I’ve been running a Hans dampf 29×2. 35 on the front and a 2.25 nobby nic on the back as a tubeless setup.

Although I’ve been really impressed, the rear Tyre pacestar has worn so quickly and now I’ve slashed it at snowdon.

So after googling I was looking at the beaver or the bonty mud but I prefer a wider Tyre and I want a tubeless ready Tyre that weighs less than 700 grams.

Bontrager mud x

mud tyre rubbish on rocks shocker, really? Have a think about that

Thanks … I’ve thought about that now and no I never had any problems with Swamp Things on rock. They are/were a dedicated mud tyre several leagues above the Mud X.

I thought we’d already established this is about riding mountain trails. I agree the big Beaver could be good tho.

My current winter set up are as follows:
Solaris – Smorgasbord Enduro front, Ardent 2.25 rear.
Trance X 29 – Hans Dampf front, Ardent 2.25 rear.

I’ve got a pair of Beavers as well which will replace the Ardents on the rears shortly. No trouble with the front ends running as they are.
Riding Highlands, Contin, Fyrish and a bit of Laggan and Golspie.

Cheers Chipbutty … I’m gonna play around with pressures on the Smorg and see how it goes. Poor performance last night was in sections of Forbidden Forest on Novar where it’s steep and gloopy rutted peat. Only a proper spike would hold a line I guess … or a fatbike.

By the way, do I know you?

Alright Swayndo. I met you a couple years back at Laggan I think. I was riding with Pete Devlin (Devs). Aren’t you from Evanton? Fyrish will be your back yard. I don’t really know too much of the trails in there. Ridden a couple of times with some of the Ben Wyvis club and have just followed my nose the other times. Some great stuff in there though, apart from some of the longer climbs which are pretty sticky just now.
I’m running the Smorgasbord with 20psi just now, seems to be the middle ground for it just now.
If you fancy a local ride sometime drop me a PM, always up for a night ride as well 🙂

Specialized Butcher is very, very good. Overkill for XC & weighs more than a small child, but huge confidence.

I’ve not used the Swamp Thing personally, but have ridden in the Highlands. I can see why Swamp Things work. 😉

I’d still have a peek at a Butcher (although I’d imagine it’s draggy on the back), otherwise have you looked at the Bonti XR4? Not ridden one personally, but a mate that rides a lot in the Lakes swears by them on his 26er. They’re also a 2.3 in 29er flavour.

Problem is a lot if tyres that work well as a mud tyre as a 26 don’t seem to cut it as a 29er tyre for some reason . Mud X and Storms are 2 examples although the Mud X isn’t made any more as a 29er tyre . Bonty 29-3 or 29-4 if you don’t mind the weight seem to work well as all round winter tyres .

trust me, if you were in the mud i see each winter, you wouldn’t even think about a wide tyre on the front…. Even worse than a wide tyre on the back.

Nice bit of willy waving there!

Having ridden the local trails of both of you, if anything, I’d say z1ppy’s are slightly worse when it gets really sloppy.

Anyway… Ultra narrow, mud specific tyres make sense if all you ride is deep mud. If your local trails are 100% deep, cloggy mud, then pull the trigger and get some. Tyres like the Bonty Mud X are a bit more of a nod to there being some firmer ground on the trails, but still with good mud performance. But there are many of us who ride trails that even in the winter, might only have say 10 or 20% mud coverage (or less if you only ride trail centres) where a narrow, squirmy tyre makes no sense at all. That said, at Mountain Mayhem in 2012 (last one at Eastnor), where 90% of people couldn’t ride more than 200 yards at a time without stopping to clear the mud off their tyres, I was lapping as fast if not faster than some of the elite riders simply cos I was running 1.8″ Maxxis Medusa’s! That was a rare occasion that really called for very thin mud specific tyres.

FWIW running Spesh Purgatory’s at the moment, can’t fault it on the front, on the rear it’s got slightly less drive traction than ideal in the mud, but makes up for that by having better edge grip and behaving better on firmer ground than something like a Mud X. The Butcher also looks like a good choice up front if you really want a lot of grip, and the new 2.25″ Beaver (when it comes out) will be popular I’m sure.