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Hi all,
I currently have a Mondraker Foxy, running Hans Dampf tubeless 27.5 front and rear.
I want to gear up for winter as its getting wet again and wondered what the recommendations would be?
Cheers,
Andy
Depends on many things, including how muddy your local trails are. For starters though, not the Hans Dampfs! They clog badly in the mud.
I find Specialized Purgatory and Butcher combo works fine all year round - Peaks and Derbyshire Dales. £30 an end too
Something like a Maxxis Shorty/Magic Mary up front would be my recommendation
Maxxis Shorty Front and Maxxis Minion Rear
+1 for Shorty and Minion, I'm running a Minion DHRII on the back and it was always going to be grippy looking at it but it rolls extremely well considering. Shorty is great, but beware of hardpack!
no need - apparently summer tires work just as well in the winter and having the correct tire will only get your stuck behind someone on the trail whos sporting a "summer" tire and your stopping distance will increase........*
* absolutely tongue in cheek.
Cheers for the advice so far!
Forest of dean are my local trails so it gets pretty muddy in the winter, very rooty. Could find 27.5 minions online but not many Shorty's!
My local trails are a north facing hill near glasgow, and I ran Maxxis Swamp things which were excellent for grip in those sort of conditions (supertacky dual ply flavour - I think the dual ply was unnecessary but supertacky and 2.5" width made it good on roots whilst the tread was good on mud and cleared well).
I have had Nobby Nics and Fat Alberts running tubeless in the triple compound, they both roll surprisingly well and are almost as grippy as the swamp things in the gloop and on roots.
I'll second that Hans Dampfs do clog in thick gloopy mud quite badly. Had them on last winter. Couple of times they picked up so much mud on the sidewall they were wiping it off on the chain. Where it wasn't properly gloopy though they were very good even on snow with icy patches. They dig in nicely.
I'm running tubeless Magic Mary front and Minion DHR II 3C DHR II rear now. Massively impressed how well they roll. I had the non 3C rear before and I'm sure the 3C version is rolling faster.
Not had any proper mud yet but I'm happy to read it's a good combination.
By all accounts it's going to be a muddy weekend so I should be able to test them.
Nice, let me know how you get on!
Shorty is the business, if there's roots in your mud then the 3C shorty is miles better than the trailstar magic mary ime, better compound. There's a stickier Mary but it's heavy and slower.
Minion DHR seems good so far. I loved the Spesh Butcher as a bad conditions rear but DHR might have it pipped.
Are swampthings still available? Had a pair a few years ago and although draggy they were the best tyre I have ever used for muddy conditions, used them in the wyre so very similar to FoD for mud and they were brilliant.
You might find old stock, but they're discontinued. Conti Baron is probably the nearest equivalent, it's like a better swampthing. Shorty fills the same role now.
A good friend has just put 3C Shorty's on his bike and if I have any issues with the Mary out front that's what I'll be trying next if he says they're good but so far from June onwards with the mixed dry/wet summer, through loose, natural, rocky, rooty, hard pack, trail centre, all mountain, dusty trails, loam, an Enduro race or two and local DH tracks the Mary TS SS has been superb at everything.
The DHR II non 3C absolutely hates slightly wet grass though... it's quite fun sliding the back end but it's a full on tank slapper on grass. I only put the 3C DHR II on last week so I've only done two dry mountain rides on natural and rocky trails so far.
I don't have an XC bike and I'm not buying one or special tyres for the one XC I do a year so I'm racing a charity XC on what I've got. Last year it was a mud fest and I had no rear traction with a Maxxis AdVantage rear tyre. If it's the same again this weekend I might be better off anyway. I'm going for a bit of fun and to test my fitness against myself from last year. Overtake on the downs again and try to get less overtaken on the ups this year!
Maxxis Beavers are worth checking out..never tried some of the above mentioned tyres but find the beavers excellent in mud.
I've been wondering about winter tyres too (this being my first winter trail riding).
Currently running with Vigilante front and an Onza Canis on the rear.
Most of my riding is Surrey Hills, so sandy and muddy with a few roots.
Tempted to give the shorty/minion combo a go. Heading to Triscombe on Sunday so could do with sorting it out before then!