Definitive winter tyre thread

What are you running this winter?

Last year I used Minion DHRII/Shorty and it worked well. This year I’m tempted by the Spesh offerings, Hillbilly and Butcher or Purg rear. The lower RRP seems attractive but the actual online price for Maxxis and Spesh is actually about the same, around the £60-70 mark for a pair.

I run Schwalbe for uplift days etc but the Mary is a bit big for general use where I live and the HD seems to pack out with mud a bit easy.

Onza I’m not convinced on, a mate runs Ibex and put a few splits in them in Wales last week, no idea about Bonty tyres.

Suggestions?

What are you running this winter?

Nates again.

That’s just cheating though isn’t it?

Depends what you’re calling winter 🙂

Either 3C EXO TR 2.4″ DHR2 or Shorty front, EXO TR 60a? 2.3″ DHR2 rear.

That was what I had on last year, and will be going on the HT this year, new big bike is 27.5 though so will need new rubber. It’s on Minion SS and Chunky Monkey at the moment so the rear will need changing out very soon, front will be ok till it gets proper sloppy though

Purgatory was crap last year as a rear tyre in Kent Mud

cheers leegee, the Butcher seems a bit draggy for the rear so that may be me out of Spesh then, If I end up with a DHRII I may as well buy a Shorty rather than the Hillbilly

Erm, XKings and Trailblazers 😯

Hardpack is still hardpack even when wet!

I did like Xkings but they rip to pieces a bit easily round here on the flint. Also no hardpack round here in the winter!

got chains for the car, tried socks last time it snowed and still got stuck
ice spikers for the bike.

My LBS said that there was a non-DH Hillbilly and a 2.3 Storm Grid in the pipeline. I had some 2.0 Storm Controls but they didn’t stay on the rim well at low pressures, so I took them back and swapped them for a Shorty, which will be paired with a somewhat worn and raggedy Minion DHR2 at the back. Bit I’ll try the Spesh ones if they do appear.

Hilbilly grid is available online, just Spesh don’t seem to do a viable winter rear tyre

Last winter I was on Shorty 2.3 3C front, DHR2 2.3 3C rear on the hardtail and DHR2 3C front, DHR2 dual rear on the full-sus (though the wheels swap back and forth depending on which is getting ridden in the filth).

Just ordered a Shorty 2.5 3C and High Roller 2 2.4 3C, so planning to run Shorty 2.5/2.3 F/R for the filth set and HR2 2.4 / DHR2 2.3 dual F/R when not quite knee deep in it…

Ice spikers…….

Shorty front and rear?

DHF backwards on the rear and Geax Datura front. But there again I’m still on 26″ wheels.

Conti Baron projekts front and rear.
Been running them since spring 😆
NE England, Hamsterley mainly doesn’t really ever dry out properly bar a couple of weeks.
Great grip, okayish rolling resistance and seem to cope with most surfaces /conditions

Chiefgrooveguru has it

In most of the UK, ‘winter’ is just a slightly cooler and wetter version of ‘summer’, so I’m struggling with the idea that you would need different tyres.

It’s not F1, it’s mucking about on bikes…

Can’t see me changing from shorty/dhr2, some other stuff I like doesn’t seem to work so well for 29er. And a pair of minions on the fatbike. TBH my riding doesn’t really require a lot of pedalling-through-slop so I can get away with a less muddy rear. (I do plenty of mud, it’s just mostly got gradient)

chrishc777 – Member

Hilbilly grid is available online, just Spesh don’t seem to do a viable winter rear tyre

Depends what you want but I always loved the Butcher as a rear, in 26- rolls respectably if not exactly fast, good grip and slides better than anything else I’ve used when it goes, made me look like a better rider. It lacks big deep pedalling power though.

Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite

Baron Front, Der Kaiser rear.

My E13’s will be staying on.

Minion DHF 3C front and rear, but tempted by a Shorty for the front.

In most of the UK, ‘winter’ is just a slightly cooler and wetter version of ‘summer’, so I’m struggling with the idea that you would need different tyres.

While I agree the variation in weather we have is smaller, I blame it on the crap Scottish summer…
I do tend to fit, ride and wear out tyres on my bike, however I never run summery tyres, grippy all the way. I also had an old Bonty Mud thing last year that was hilariously grippy in the slop here last winter…

lacks big deep pedalling power though.

That’s you that is.

Change tyres. Na, just bring out the winter bikes instead.

HR2 front rear, tried Hans Damf rear last year wasnt as good.

Big bike, shorty front, minion rear (with a shorty for the back if its proper shitty)

Trail bike (also used for midweek xc rides). Forekaster/ardent race

Will be ordering a third pair of wheels to go between the two bikes, with Minions fitted (or some combination)

HR2 front rear, tried Hans Damf rear last year wasnt as good.

Is that HR2 2.4 or 2.3? Seems Maxxis’s drastically change the tread depth / knob size when they change the tyre widths on some models, so HR2 and Ardent have much lower knobs in the smaller versions.

Err It’s still summer!

Just got Goodyear all season M+S on the car though (seemed daft putting slick summer tyres on to pass the test and change again in a few more weeks ready for ski season).

HR2’s on the bike and NN on the spare wheels. I don’t see any need to change that for winter.

stevenmenmuir – Member

That’s you that is.

Yes. Yes it is.

E13 sound great but 60 quid a tyre !!!! 😯

Shorty f/ vigilante r for lots of mud

Onza ibex / hr2 if it’s just crap

I’d have to say the only definitive answer is 2. The flavour depends on a lot of things.

thegreatape – Member
My LBS said that there was a non-DH Hillbilly and a 2.3 Storm Grid in the pipeline

OooO – I do hope so!!! Hope it’s 650b & a 2.3″, not a 2.6″.

chrishc777 – Member
Hilbilly grid is available online

Not in 650b it’s not. But I’d be rather pleased if you can prove me wrong.

It was once pointed out to me by Northwind that Schwalbe tyres, especially Hands Dampf are particularly shite in scottish muck. I refused to believe him until i moved to Maxxis Minion front and Aggressor for the dry and Shorty for the front DHR2 rear for winter. What a combination. Grip galore and sheds clag / mud so no cloggy daft tyres.

To be fair, it doesn’t take a genius to see that Hans Dampf isn’t going to be good in mud.

Yea, i can be a bit slow fifeandy 😆

Ran with Der Barons last winter in the Surrey Hills and they withstood everything I threw at them, bit of an overkill really. Only weakness would be on hardpack but managed to stay on the bike.