Well, I’ve been lurking for a while, but I thought I’d break cover and ask you lovely people at STW for some advice.
I’m a relative newbie to this MTB malarkey, having bought a Trek 6300 WSD last summer. A friend has introduced me to the delights of proper mountain biking, and it’s ace!
However, I’m coming to the conclusion that the Bontrager Jones XR 2.25 tyres that came as standard are a little bit rubbish. I’ve really struggled on the trails this winter, especially in the mud, and had one spectacular off because the tyres just went from under me.
A lot of my riding is with friends with hybrid bikes, so we do a fair bit of canal tow path or flat fire road cycling. However, I also need my tyres to be able to get me down a reasonably technical red route with some confidence. I’d like them to be on my bike year round, cos I just don’t have the patience to be changing them every few seasons. Ideally they would be reasonably fast rolling, but I don’t need them to deal with really gloopy mud. I’m not gonna be entering any races, I just want to feel confident on the technical stuff without compromising my speed on the smooth stuff too much. I don’t mind spending a bit, so long as it’s on the right tyres!
A few suggestions from friends so far:
Nobby Nic front/Racing Ralph back
Panaracer Fire XC Pro
Panaracer Rampage SC
Any thoughts?