Soo a few weeks back I was riding with a couple of friends around 1 of our local loops up here in lovely Oxford and I couldn't help but notice that one of my friends tyres were coming up very thin, infact so thin it made my Bonty XR4s look like fatbike tyres...
Now I can't remember what the actual tyre was but it was coming in at 1.8"...my Bontys are 2.35". It was very muddy/gloopy and both of us stuck/gripped very well, probably running similar pressures, about 28 and travelling at similar speeds, I wasn't far behind him when behind and vice versa. I'll just add that my Bonty XR4s are my all-condition tyre and used them for 6 months last year and v.impressed.
I've been thinking on it since this ride and with the arrival of my new bike I'm weighing up the pros/cons of thinner tyres. I clogged up a couple of times but then he also struggled for traction at one point up a hill...Is it just swings and roundabouts?
So what are your tyres of choice for the thick stuff?
Is it just swings and roundabouts?
This
What you gain in one area, you'll lose in another. Thinner, more agressive tyres make more sense if you're riding very muddy trails, but will lose out on rough and rocky trails where something bigger will make more sense.
I used XR4s on rooty, rocky trails in the peaks.
Now riding in gloopy mud on twisty nadgery stuff. Currently on a trailraker 2.1 front and a fire mud XC rear 1.8. There's not enough fast off road sections to need the security of big tyres - I need traction in sloppy mud.