I'm normally a maxxis man, however I feel I need to swap my 2.35 high roller and Larsen combination as the trails round here are rather sandy/muddy/gloopy.
I'm pretty set on maybe swapping for some maxxis Medusa's or some 2.1 high rollers for the winter but was wondering how a Nobby Nic compares in terms of grip and cornering speed compared to say my current high roller, which is the bench mark in my opinion.
a narrow nobby nic will be faster in mud but cornering not as good
medusa a good mud tyre if you are really in the gloop, but the nic will get you by
i should probably mention i prefer maxxis as they are generally better all round, wheres schwalbe tend to excel in one area, eg weight or speed compromising durability and grip
quite happy to ride with what I've got but after last weekend the back end was all over the place, hence the reason for swapping.
Nobby Nic's not a great mud tyre, it's pretty much the only thing they don't do well IMO- though not terrible, just worse than highrollers, nevegals etc. Great 3 season tyre though. Usually too expensive but On One's sale makes them good value.
Lose the Larsen, I know loads of people love them but it's a rotten tyre IMO. Only really does one thing well * and Kenda's Small Block 8 does the exact same thing better. In fact there's other tyres in Maxxis' own range that outdo it, for anything but sand or sandy soil, so it's pretty redundant for most people (* OK 2 things- it's good as a rear tyre if you prefer sliding to gripping).
It's not so much that you need a mud tyre, you just need a tyre that isn't disasterously awful in mud. Again IMO of course. But which one to get's such a wide question. Is it a super-tacky Highroller? If not, it'd make a good rear so if you're not happy with the front performance, move it there maybe.
its an ST 2.35 single ply. in summer the combo IMO is awesome, not so in winter! maybe just sling another High Roller on the back?
Nobby Nic's not a great mud tyre, it's pretty much the only thing they don't do well IMO
not really imo, lots of people use it to race on in winter instead of a racing ralph as its fairly grippy and doesnt clog too bad, not as good all round as say a mudx but they are slow in comparison.
i can quite happily ride with my maxxis monorails in winter still, cornering is a little sketchy on the off camber though. using them now.
though if the mud is super sticky i'll use a thiner tyre.
dobo - Member
"not really imo, lots of people use it to race on in winter instead of a racing ralph as its fairly grippy and doesnt clog too bad, not as good all round as say a mudx but they are slow in comparison."
NN is able to plug through mud better than a RR of course but that's all relative, it's still a sacrifice of traction for speed that makes sense when racing, but not so much when just out for a fun ride. If you want something specifically to grip well in mud for general use, it makes sense to look elsewhere IMO. I wouldn't suggest racers go and fit Nevegals or Highrollers any more than I'd go and fit what they use, put it that way.