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Just a general enquiry to see what others ride at thetford. Thinking of changing, just thought I'd see what others use for inspiration.
Nobby nics or a nic and a ralph
maybe a bont mud x , i was riding there last weekend and it was pretty gloopy !
A mixture of Ralphs, Rons, Nics and Freds depending on temperature and ground conditions.
Right now, Panaracer Fire XC Pro, 1.8". Mainly 'cos when it's really gloopy the narrowness means you're having to push less mud out of the way.
I was thinking around 1.8-1.9".
Went out yesterday with 2.2" front and back.....was a bit interesting!!
More like surfing than biking in some areas!
Rode Thetford yesterday on Nokian NBX Lite's which come up a bit small for a 2.0 but cut through the muddy sections ok.
Else the suggestions of Nobby nics and/or ralphs would be good
Round ones, usually black. With air in them.
Continental Edge for when it's really gloopy
SpeedKings are pretty good there too, and are my 'normal' choice
Panaracer Fire XCs are OK too, although if the mud there is drying out, they tend to clog REALLY badly.
marathon xr's let the slinding begin ho ya baby or a serious note anything from schwalbe ie ron, nic, ralph, fast fred and furious fred depending on dryness
Easiest way is to head out on the brandon side, rarely gets muddy and grip is pretty much always good. The black esp. gets rotten in the wet
Having done a bit of research on the above tyres (and current bank balance), think going to give the conti edge tyres a go.
Graham, I just park up at high lodge - bought a season ticket so straight into the thick of it.......literally. 🙂
Cheers peeps.
Just started riding there, imho the red route flows [i]way[/i] better than the black. That's only based on four visits mind.
I agree (john), the red does have a nicer flow. There are some good flowing sections that are 'off piste' as it were.
Got shown a few tracks at the weekend and were pretty good. I only ever stick to the known trails - I'll only end up getting lost.
Does look worth an exploration - although I've lived in Thetford for the past 25 yrs and haven't bothered yet! 🙄
I run 2.1 ralphs in the summer and at the moment 1.8 nics as they just cut through everything.
What ever you get will be a compromise! The surface varys from stone, to mud, sand and grass, so you'll never get the best from any of them! I use high rollers in 2.1 there, they seem the best i've used (and i've been riding there about 15 years now!). I was up there on Sunday evening and it appears a chunk of the forest is now out of bounds around the Brandon farm section up to high lodge. Dont believe the 'Brandon park is not as muddy' note, its fairly churnned up in places since the race, but it never takes to long to pack down. I was growing to hate the surfaced section of the 'red' but now the weather's changed, i think they should rip all the trees out and tarmac the lot!!!
I think that the red is awful since they 'tarmacced' it. Yeah, it was boggy in the winter, but I used to enjoy a soaking wet mud-fest through there. Suppose it's not for everyone now, although it's a bit of a cycling highway.
Agree that tyres are a bit of a compromise there, but there's nothing that tricky/slippy/rocky or whatever, that requires a very specific tyre.
mrben100, the Edge is good there when it's very gloopy but are a little draggy when it starts to dry out and not great over roots. They'll do the job though. Just don't pump them up too hard & they work better over the roots. I've never pinch flatted at Thetford so you should be OK.
If you have only ever ridden on the red & the black, it really would be worth hooking up with some people & having a blast around the singlertrack on the Brandon side. It's very flowy & much better fun than the red.
Or just park up in Brandon and have a morning exploring.....