Hi, winters here I think, what is your favourite winter tyre combo? I am running Specialized purgatory 27.5 x 2.30 front Ground control 2.10 rear.
What do you think?

That’s what I run in summer. 2.3 Butcher front and 2.3 Purgatory rear in the winter for me. The purg is too sketchy in the wet and I find the GC clags up in thick mud.

The narrower the better in slushy conditions.

Shorty Front and Minion/Cut Shorty rear for the Reign, Riding in Shropshire is steep and muddy!
Local XC rides, XR4 front and XR3 rear (both 2.2). Mix of mud/gravel/tarmac/concrete

Still on a summer combo of Barzo 2.25 front and saguaro 2.25 rear. Might swap to a Ground Control 2.1 rear soon for a bit more mud room.

When I lived in the South East and conditions got slushy, muddy and clay-like I subscribed to the idea of the narrower the better…..it does work, they cut through the mud to harder terrain underneath….but wide tyres with moto style knobs also work, the widely spaced tread spits out mud and they clear easily….they also seem to float across the gloop better in my opinion.

Now I live in rocky Wales tyre choice is simpler, I can keep high-rollers on all year….or use a minion front….or if there is a little mud I have a magic mary that does the trick too….new/old FS is being refreshed and rebuilt this winter with a shorty on the front, I’ll give my opinion when it’s finished!

Shorty front and minion dhr2
Minion FBF and FBR 4.8
Occasionally ice spiker pros

Shorty/DHR2 would be my normal recommendation but I’m about to try a Convict/Vigilante combo at a local (off piste/loamy/rooty) race this weekend

Been on Maxxis for the last 8 years, hope it’s not a mistake

Michelin Wild Muds, amazingly grippy in/through deep mud, no wheel spin and clear in seconds. Feel ‘tall’ when its dry though which you’d kinda expect

I Run a 2.3 Butcher and 2.3 Purgatory for most of the year, although when it gets really wet I swap the butcher for a 2.3 Hillbilly, which is abit of a monster in wet off piste/natural conditions! I keep the purg on the rear, although I am cosidering upgradng to the GRID version to give a little more support at lower pressures.

29er using Bontrager Mud-X 2.1 i think.

These all sound like mud tyres rather than winter tyres…….

Nates

I keep the purg on the rear, although I am cosidering upgradng to the GRID version to give a little more support at lower pressures.

I’d recommend the Grid version over the standard Control casing. I have both and the Grid is only about 60 grammes heavier, but so much easier to mount tubeless and run lower pressures.

ghostlymachine – Member

These all sound like mud tyres rather than winter tyres…

Really? Most aren’t.

Northwind – Member

ghostlymachine – Member
These all sound like mud tyres rather than winter tyres…

Really? Most aren’t.[/quote]

Kinda depends where and what you ride doesn’t it.
If you are used to riding fairly hardpack trails end hence choose tyres with smaller closer spaced knobs then a Shorty does indeed seem like a mud tyre.
If on the other hand you are used to riding steep loose natural trails then a Shorty seems like a winter tyre (or even a 4 seasons tyre in sunny Scotland 😆 )

vigilante up front all year, swap the trailboss for a breakout over winter.

Same as summer. Personally I find it rains in the summer as well as winter and I’ve got bikes more muddy in summer. I don’t do winter bikes, just bikes.

But my usual Minion front and either HRII or Ardent rear, works great in all conditions. Minion slices through mud or slices through loose in the dry. HRII and Ardent have grip enough to plough through the crud, but roll well (Ardent more so, but less grip on the steeper stuff).

For the Surrey Hills either:

Magic Mary Trail Star front / Nobby Nic Pace Star rear

or

DHF 3C front / DHRII Dual rear or High Roller II Dual

Ran Der Barons last year but they where a bit of an overkill.

Currently still running DHF 3C on the front and Minion SS dual on the rear but will probably change them after the weekend for one of the above.

OK, tyres for when it’s a bit muddy and soft going, maybe a bit gloopy. Certainly not winter tyres.

For the record, winter tyre…….

😉

bonty mud x

Depends which bit of winter.

Mixed mud and wet rock/roots: Conti Barons.
Hard-ish packed snow: pretty much anything with bigger volume (Butchers for me just now).
That one week of ice at the end of winter: Schwalbe ISPs, if I can even be bothered.

Magic mary upfront here all year, supergravity vertstar. I have a trailboss on the back, but really need to get summit else on there, a bit bitier.

Maybe give a vigilante a go.

I have an anti-OCD stopping me from having matching brand tyres…. 😕

ghostlymachine – Member

For the record, winter tyre……

I have ice tyres, but this is britain, they’re not a winter tyre- they’re an ice tyre for the tiny number of occasions that’s the right tool- for all the rest of winter you’re better on a normal tyre. Maybe an outright mudcutter like a Mud X, maybe something more allroundy and capable like a shorty, maybe even just a knobbly everyday tyre like a minion.

I’ve not used spikes since moving to the Cairngorms.

I’ve used studs every year since moving somewhere that has a winter.

OK, tyres for when it’s a bit muddy and soft going, maybe a bit gloopy. Certainly not winter tyres.

For most of us winter = mud.

Magic mary front, Bontrager mud x rear at the moment. Seems to work nicely.

I could handle a bit more volume at the rear, but the MM wouldn’t fit (in the 29×2.35 size) without rubbing.

Or, 26×2.1 ice spikers if it’s really icy. They work well on roots too…

Bonty XR4/SE4 or Mud X

I could handle a bit more volume at the rear,

As the actress said to the bishop.

Seriously though, I don’t think I’d want a MM on the back as well. Would be hard work.

Using a Trail Boss 2.25in on the back of my FS 29er at the mo, but it’s a bit skimpy for mud. DHR2 on the back of my 29er HT is better. Worth a try in 2.3in Exo 60a variety, if the casing will be sturdy enough for your needs.

Last year I used Shorty 2.3 / DHR2 2.3

This year I’m trying High Roller 2 2.4 / DHR2 2.3 for less muddy conditions and Shorty 2.5 / Shorty 2.3 for the filth. Not muddy enough for the latter yet!

It gets properly muddy here sometimes but if you’re in the woods the wet greasy tree roots are more of a liability than the mud is, and dedicated mud tyres aren’t as good on slippery roots as intermediates or cut spikes.

I find true muddy conditions that need full on mud tyres is relatively rare. Not every day of winter, and often my regular trails will be part dry and then some are muddy, occasionally very sloppy, but then back on to relatively dry. Those mud tyres are mostly dragging away for me. So I just stick with normal nobblies that cope with everything except utter bogfests. So long as you avoid Hans Dampfs in the mud, it’s usually good 😉

Will try the Onza Ibex 2.40 this winter. I know, it’s not a winter tyre but it should be OK for my wet trails. I use the winter for climbing and endurance training, not for downhill and fun trails.

use the winter for climbing and endurance training, not for downhill and fun trails.

Weirdo.

😆

Looking forward to giving these a try tomorrow:

2.3 Butcher front and 2.3 Purgatory rear in the winter for me. The purg is too sketchy in the wet

+1

Stevied – are those convicts? look the business.

Yep, Convict for the front (light/high grip) and Vigilante for the back (tough/fast).

The Convict looks like a hybrid of a Shorty and Minion (Morty?) which are 2 of my favourite tyres so have high hopes for it.

Some thing nice about taking out a new set of tyres for the first time.
Those WTBs look the business 🙂

Just noticed those WTBs are now in 26″ 🙂