The MTB Tyre Tread Quiz – how well do you know your rubber?

Online Feature

by 35

How many times have you ridden along a trail and looked down to see tyre tracks that you could identify? Have you impressed your riding mates with call outs of "See that tyre track down there? That's a Magic Mary that is". Now you can put your tracking skills to the test with our tread pattern quiz. Please log in to access this quiz! It's free to do so - head here.

There's more to this story...

BUT IT'S A MEMBER-ONLY STORY.
JOIN US TO UNLOCK IT AND MORE FOR LESS THAN 6p/DAY

If you have an account, please log in. If not, you can get access to some of our features by registering here for free.

View Membership Options
Make a Donation

A message from all of us at Singletrack magazine

For over 20 years Singletrack has been a source of information, news and entertainment for millions of mountain bike enthusiasts and as an important focal point for an amazing community of like minded riders from around the world. But it has also been a provider of jobs and income for dozens of families of our team as well as a source of revenue for hundreds of freelance contributors.

We want to keep going through this uncertain period and create great content to inform and entertain you, but we will need your help to do it. More than anything else we want to have a reciprocal relationship with you and the best way to make that happen is through our memberships. We’d love you to join us as a paid member of the Singletrack community – we promise you a return on your investment through the content we have and will create for you plus the numerous added benefits included with all our membership options.

Author Profile Picture
Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

More posts from Hannah

Search the forum using the power of Google

Overview Chat Bike Members News Women
Viewing 35 posts - 1 through 35 (of 35 total)
  • The MTB Tyre Tread Quiz – how well do you know your rubber?
  • sillyoldman
    Full Member

    9/11
    Don’t know if I should be miffed at getting two wrong, or ashamed at getting 9 right.

    Posted 1 year ago
    Yak
    Full Member

    9/11. There were a couple of lucky guesses but most were ok.

    Posted 1 year ago
    weeksy
    Full Member

    6/11

    At least 10 out of the 11 were guesses.

    Posted 1 year ago
    schmiken
    Full Member

    <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>9/11 here!</span>

    Posted 1 year ago
    one_bad_mofo
    Full Member

    But where’re are the Tioga Farmer John, Panacer Smoke and Onza Porcupine?

    Posted 1 year ago
    Riksbar
    Full Member

    That’s not an Onza Porcupine…

    I remember the days when not only could I recognise the tyres, I would have known who’d been out riding that day.

    Posted 1 year ago
    kayak23
    Full Member

    5/11
    Safe to say I’m not a tyre nerd.

    Posted 1 year ago
    MrAgreeable
    Full Member

    No Conti Vertical Pro? This place has changed…

    Posted 1 year ago
    lawman91
    Full Member

    Full marks here, I need to get out more!

    Posted 1 year ago
    colin9
    Full Member

    5/11. More of a nerd than I hoped.

    Posted 1 year ago
    jd13m
    Full Member

    was this just an excuse to play with playdough? 😀

    Posted 1 year ago
    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    5/11 – failed on most of the XC tyres and the non mainstream brands.

    Posted 1 year ago
    fathomer
    Full Member

    6 and the only one I didn’t guess was the DHR2!

    Posted 1 year ago
    kelvin
    Full Member

    I only got 3/11. Haven’t heard of, never mind seen or ridden, most of the others.

    Posted 1 year ago
    endoverend
    Full Member

    9/11 = demi-nerd. To be fair most of these have way too much tread for my tendencies. Give us any xc race tyre made in the last 30 years and you’ll see full nerd alert.

    Posted 1 year ago
    Davesport
    Full Member

    Mainly guesses, got 5 correct but enjoyed the quiz. More like this please.

    Posted 1 year ago
    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    9/11 – and my only two guesses were both wrong. Nerd.

    Posted 1 year ago
    funkrodent
    Full Member

    6/11. More than expected. A couple of educated guesses and lots of (mostly wrong) common or garden guesses

    Posted 1 year ago
    nickc
    Full Member

    6/11 about what I expected. I got the obvious ones. I’ve not even heard of some of those tyres though, let alone recognize their tread pattern

    Posted 1 year ago
    AlexSimon
    Full Member

    9/11 and the only two I got wrong were tyres that nobody should buy, so feel fine.

    Posted 1 year ago
    tomparkin
    Full Member

    7/11

    I think the multiple-choice approach makes it easier to guess right in some cases if you’ve got any idea whether a given tyre is a beefy mudspike or a svelte XC slipper.

    I got the Magic Mary right, which is main thing.

    Posted 1 year ago
    jimthesaint
    Free Member

    10/11 – Bloody WTB Ranger ruining my 100%

    Posted 1 year ago
    lawman91
    Full Member

    Yeah the multiple choice makes it a lot easier, it’s more a process of elimination. Some I could guess without any hints, maybe 2 I only got because I knew it wasn’t the other options given, not because I knew what the tyre was actually in the picture!

    Posted 1 year ago
    mulacs
    Full Member

    2. Sigh.

    Posted 1 year ago
    zbonty
    Full Member

    2/11 Nearly all guess work. I do have some Maxxis DHR in the shed so that doubled my score!

    Posted 1 year ago
    tomhoward
    Full Member

    4. Meh.

    Posted 1 year ago
    reluctantjumper
    Full Member

    7/11. Not bad but not great either. I am slightly out of touch with tyres though.

    I remember the days when not only could I recognise the tyres, I would have known who’d been out riding that day.

    I got busted for going out for a ride once when I was 13 and meant to be grounded by one of my dad’s friends. He wanted to know my route as my tyre tracks went in a different direction to the regular rides! Caught all because I used an odd combination of tyres at the time (Farmer John Nephew up front, Smoke rear)! Next ride I studied the other treads in the mud and the next tyres were what everyone else was using.

    Posted 1 year ago
    landslide
    Full Member

    I absolutely refuse to believe in non-round-knobbled Onza Porcupines.

    Posted 1 year ago
    ads678
    Full Member

    4/11 only one I was confident about was the DHR. Only tyre I actually have out of the list is a magic Mary and I got that wrong!

    Posted 1 year ago
    P20
    Full Member

    6/11. Fun little quiz. Thanks

    Posted 1 year ago
    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    6 correct.
    *Sigh*

    Posted 1 year ago
    danieljohnreynolds
    Full Member

    8/11 – happy at a decent level of nerdery but livid I got the Eddy Current wrong after it even being in the Hannah/Benji video. CST – who? And i missed one of the other randommer ones!

    Posted 1 year ago
    belgianwaffle1
    Full Member

    10/11 – not bad I’d say

    Posted 1 year ago
    cynic-al
    Full Member

    4/11. 20+ years ago I’d have nailed it

    Posted 1 year ago
    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    0/10

    All I know is that tyres are mainly black and round and have some knobs on them.

    Posted 1 year ago
Viewing 35 posts - 1 through 35 (of 35 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Search the forum using the power of Google

Overview Chat Bike Members News Women