[Closed] Winter XC Tyres

Storms, not ground controls for muddy xc.

Forekasters work pretty well on the front for me in the Dales in winter.

Beavers

That is all.

I use he same combo and just swap a Barzo onto the rear as well.   I do have a Gato 2 on a spare set of wheels which is very good if it gets really sloppy.

Thanks chaps

I’ve never heard of Storms or Beavers?

Always liked my Storm Controls (another South Downs rider) but they don't like wide rims in 2.0 flavour and I don't have the mud clearance for wider.

I think it might be time for a spare narrower rimmed rear wheel.

Isn't barzo a good winter tyre? I was thinking of getting them for my ht

In the sandy mud, barzos, forecasters etc all work well. The proper sdw clay/chalk clag needs a mud tyre like a storm, beaver, mud x etc. Depends how much of your riding is in the clag v sandy mud.

Any difference between Barzo and Forekasters?

Can’t find storms in 29ers now.

Knobs are slightly wider spaced on the forekaster - may clog a bit less, but the barzo should roll a bit quicker.

Thanks Yak

So Forekaster front/ barzo rear or barzo/barzo should be fine.

Barzo is my ‘go to’ front winter tyre on the xc bike and a rocket Ron on the back - both in 2.25” for white & dark peak riding

Would the 2" beavers be too narrow for my stand arch mk 3 rims?

Another South Downs rider and the challenge of balancing rolling resistance and mud shedding is a constant struggle.

Easy if you just want more grip - Spesh Hillbilly or similar block tread, but I doubt I'd even run two Hillbilly's on an ebike for rolling!

Bontrager Muds hold up well for me, for XC mud tyres. Narrow and light-ish though, if you have wide rims or damage tyres regularly.

There's a middle ground like some of the Michelins, Maxxis DHRs etc which aren't mud tyres but are widely spaced - might have to put up with them clogging in the very worst bits though.

I have twice this week thought i need more than Forcaster 29x2.35 on the front. But it was for quite short sections so maybe i'm over reaction. FYI I'm in Bedfordshire which is a stimuleer soil mix to south of london. Woburn yesterday the red was well drained and grippy. The blue the front was going side ways alot

In the past i have got on ok with a High Roller 26 x 2.35. So i was thinking of Forkaster on the back and High Roller 2 on the front.

I'm happy to have sugestions

I used to run Bontrager Mud X before wider wheels. They were brilliant, very narrow by today standards though, they used to look odd after running 2.2s all summer back then.

But they were amazing in the mud, and pretty good on everything else too, very light so def XC.

I’m fact maybe I’ll try get some on the gravel bike.

Ive been swapping to mud tyres on he winter hardtail for a few years now and it really was a revelation. Confidence in turns and non spinning out uphill transformed my enjoyment of winter riding. The only real compromise is on roots which are dotted around my local area but not for the majority of the riding. And anyway once wet I don't think there's a tyre in the world that makes you feel confident on them!

Finding proper mud tyres bigger than 2.1 at a decent price is a bit of challenge. I'm back on the Specialized Storms mentioned above but they are pretty skinny when you hit rocky sections (I've had a few punctures/burps). Ideally a 2.3 storm @ circa £30 would be cracking.

I have taken my spec ground control tyres off and put maxxis dissectors on.

So much more grip on wet roots and slop compared for only a little more drag.

For trad XC I’ve used maxxis beavers for a long time and they do work really well. Even on stony, rooty trails if you run the pressure low enough. This year, as I’m mostly just messing around on short local rides, I’ve gone for a more trail oriented HR2 front Forekaster rear and am finding them very good and more confidence inspiring but draggier on road than the beavers. Off road I can never really notice the difference in rolling once it’s muddy anyway

Barzo tread looks okay for mud but I found it a bit sketchy for South Downs winter use. I don't think Vittoria's compound likes wet chalk much. Somewhere else it's probably just fine.

Proper mud tyres are great but a bit draggy. I've found a Ground Control on the rear and Minion DHF 3C are a good compromise.

Not really xc tyres but I’ve found a 2.6 grid hillbilly front / dhr2 rear pretty good in mud. On steep tech sections the hillbilly is epic at finding out grip - a mate was on a 2.35 Magic Mary and it was clogged and sliding where the hillbilly was letting me brake to control my speed better. Dhr2 gives up before the hillbilly.

Although my new hardtail I’m going to try a 2.6 Magic Mary upfront and a 2.6 Forekaster at the back. Hopefully the Forekaster is fast rolling enough to offset the Mary on trail centre stuff!

I've got a nearly new 29er 2.0 Storm Control if anyone wants one. It's never been punctured. £20 posted.

Now do the Barzos and Peyote come up in sizing? Has anyone tried the Peyote 29er 2.25 as a rear tyre in winter? I have a Forecaster 2.25 on the front, which TBF comes up bit narrow compared to the Aspen and a Maxxis Aspen 2.25 on the rear but its all over the place at the moment.

For none chalky mud duties,

Barzo 2.25 comes up just under the stated size. Close enough though. Peyote is a tiny bit smaller and quite a bit smaller when new but it grows. But it isn't great in the winter. Barzo will be better with a bigger and deeper tread pattern.

ThNks. I ordered a mezcal rear and barzo front.

I run Forekasters all year round and they roll just fine on my skinny XC bike - very light for what they are. Mind you, mine are 2.2s.

Just bought a pair of forekasters cheap off someone's new bike, they look very promising for wetter xc racing.

Hopefully the local series will be running again next year so I can find out.

I’ve been running ardent front and back on one bike and find them acceptable in all conditions except the mud when the rear can just spin. I’ve used ground controls before and like them, so I would say yes give them a go.

Currently on storm control rear and hillbilly front, after previous thread on here. Good so far.