Running 4 inch jumbo jims and they roll great but finding they don’t have the bite needed as the trails start to get slicker.

I’ve picked up a second set of wheels to reduce faff swapping tyres. I’ve got a set of floaters that look like the centre nobbles are higher but i know didn’t have great mud edge grip.

I’d looked at Nates but anyone know if they’re any better than floaters?

Riding off piste at Glentress, Dumyat, Witches and trail centre reds. Yes i should use my full suss and magic Mary but that’s not as much fun.

I have a Nate 27tpi 3.8 on the front of mine. It grips really well but finds its limit in mud. A bit bouncy as the harder sidewall isn’t that supple. I have a knard on the back and the difference in grip is quite noticeable – the back end slides around a lot while the front grips, but I quite like that. I think most fatter tyres float on mud.

I’ve tried Nates , knards , floaters and hodags.
The Hodags roll well and I reckon are better in the mud front and rear than the Nates.
They don’t wash anywhere as bad as the others and offer better traction .
The knards are simply the worst tyre ever invented.
To actually answer the question I’d go floaters over Nates.

Not all nates are made the same…, the 120 tpi are far superior to the 27’s

I’d go 120 tpi over floaters.

Spec GC’s are a good compromise as they have grip enough for most places…. for all but winter I run a BFL upfront with a GC on the back

These might do the job.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/718295778279805?ref=bookmarks

120 Nates for proper slop and/or snow.

Husker Dus are a good general purpose tyre.

As the tyres are off the rims now, go tubeless and fit Maxxis FBF and FBR. Tubeless ready and at a good price point.

Can you fit a 5 inch? Minions or Bud/Lou basically if you can. Minions for playfulness, feel, and trailbikeyness, Bud/Lou for damped thumping fun-soaking but tenacious predictability.

For your use there’s no argument for a narrower tyre imo, 4.8 or gtfo. The 4.8 JJ is a fairly different beast to the 4.0 too. For “proper fatbiking” that’s not so simple but for trailbiking bigger is better afaic.

^agreed. I was also going to suggest a Bud, but I’ve not ridden a Minion

I run 45Nrth Husker Dus in summer (they came with the bike) and 45Nrth Vanhelgas in winter. Neither are cheap though.

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m running a BR2250 front rim on a bluto (already tubeless) and had read that 4.8 is a bit tight so not sure about 5.0. Any experience of running the Bud with the bluto?

I was ready to pull the trigger on the Nate but wanted more opinions before spending more on a bike tyre than I do on the motorbike!

120tpi nates are loads better than floaters

if you can fit em, run BUD/BUD front and rear

I’m with the previous suggestion on FBR and FBF as the normal STW recommend what you use approach.

I run Vee Bulldozers (came with bike) summer (those few days / week or two) and the FBF / FBR the rest.

I found i ran out of legs way before I ran out of grip last winter and I tend to ride slop fest 90% of the year.

James

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m running a BR2250 front rim on a bluto (already tubeless) and had read that 4.8 is a bit tight so not sure about 5.0. Any experience of running the Bud with the bluto?

Yes, I ran that combination (same rim, Bluto and Bud tubeless) for about a month. It’s tight, but even with a mudhugger it didn’t actually rub.

I did worry that something might get wedged under the crown and throw me over the bars. I hasten to add that never happened and maybe there is no real danger. With single digit tyre pressures I suspect the tyre would happily deform around anything small enough to actually get picked up by the tyre. But I switched to 4.4″ JJs shortly after, just in case.

Just to redress the ballance I have floaters and and get allong just fine with them.

Floaters and spend the considerable change on a dirty weekend to some european city or other with the OH. Guarenteed to be more fun than the difference between floaters and another tyre.

The FBF is a little smaller than the Bud. Not massively but a couple of mm

dufusdip – Member
…I’d looked at Nates but anyone know if they’re any better than floaters?..

I use Floaters as a 3 season tyre, and Nates for when conditions are dire.

Best example is a Nat is the tyre I’d use if I had a fast downhill with a muddy sharp corner at the bottom.

BTW I’m talking about the 120 tpi Nate not the other version.

I also have Buds which are even better, but I find them hard work on climbs because of the grip.

That Bud looks good but squeaky-bum tight. Will give the FBF a go and stick with floater on the back – happy for it to slide and follow!

Thanks for all the help.

Just to add – yes – JJ’s are a great dry weather tyre – nut for the slop – I’ve got nate 120’s – very, very good.

BTW – keen to try the FBF myself on the front – good prices anywhere?

Also – I have a Surly Larry – pretty much unused for sale if anyone wants it?

Bud FTW

Is a bigger tyre comfier?
How out of whack would a 4.8 front, 3.8 rear make the steering?

Steering is fine ime but what I found is basically the front would write cheques the back couldn’t cash- I needed more pressure in the rear because of the smaller volume so it was basically less “fat” and it’d bounce about on stuff that the front effortlessly glommed up. It’s not a terrible option but I just found full fat better.

Thing is I can’t claim to be a typical fatbike rider, I’ve been on a beach once, barely ridden in snow (and mostly hashed up crappy scottish snow at that), never bikepacked or bog snorkelled. Mine is a trailbike… So I know what works for that but it might fall apart for Coastkid or Scotroutes.