I realise that even starting a thread about…. whisper it… ‘summer’ tyres is a suicidally bad idea, and could curse us all to a biblical deluge, that could last for months, the second I press ‘post’. But I’ve never started a ‘What Tyres’ thread and I feel left out

I have a number of routes home on my commute (for my route in I just do all road). They all tend to be tarmac to start (about 5-6 miles), then its off-road the rest of the way (10+ miles). Everything has dried up nicely at the moment and I feel absolutely confident it will remain so until at least September

I want to get the tarmac out of the way as painlessly as possible then have something with enough grip to play silly buggers for the last 10 miles, which can take in the likes of Cragg Quarry. So I’m considering something nice and fast rolling – Kenda Small Block 8’s or DMR Moto’s.

Is anyone using either? Do you have a preference? What are they like when things get a bit sticky/muddy? Buttock-clenchingly slidey/sketchy? Or not that much worse than ‘normal’ tyres? I’m presently running Nobby Nics or Maxxis Advantages.

Basically… will I die?

Small block on the front I found not fun- it’s not just wet, there’s some surfaces they really struggle to grip on, no teeth. Other stuff they grip brilliantly on.

I like SB8’s, I have them on 2 bikes and find them pretty darn good.

I ran a sb8 on the rear and ignitor up front.
Coming from bonty muds it felt so slow. Put a bonty mud on the front and I now feel rocket powered.

Hi
First of all I must congratulate you on your optimism…dry until September…I hope so 🙂

I used Moto Diggers for 2 seasons and rode Lee and Cragg quarry most weeks and raced in the Brown Backs series. They were fantastic tyres for that terrain and very cheap compared to other brands. Very fast tyre and grippy, highly recommended.

Thanks for the words of wisdom folks. As always.

Thats what I wanted to hear cyclewerx. I thought the DMR’s would have the edge on the SB8’s To be honest. The grip looks a bit more substantial. Think I’ll take the plunge and get a set ordered then. What size were you running? I’m looking at the 2.4″. Nice and chunky!

Not tried DMR motos.

I’m currently enjoying SB8’s though.

In proper mud they are crap but in damp conditions they are still very grippy – lots of gripping edges I think is the key, so as long as they don’t clog they are really grippy.

On dry hard pack and tarmac they are very fast

I used SB8’s for ages on my all round type bike. I loved them and they were surprisingly grippy in moist conditions too.
They are pretty featherweight so pinch flats can happen at lower pressures, but otherwise, excellent.

I ran SM8s for a while and they worked really well for a summer tyre in the local woods. definitely for the dry though, they don’t like much mud but they roll and corner really well. I’ve worn mine out and will probably be getting another pair soon.

I’ve a DMR moto’R for the Pitch in summer as a rear tyre it’s great.

Got some SB8’s to fit on the 29er so can’t comment yet.

MTFU and get some Stans Crows…

Never used SB8s, but have a pair of Moto Diggers on my jump bike. Great on the road/concrete and dry trails and decent enough on damp trails. Not so good in mud as you’d expect. Front is a 2.35 and rear a 2.1 both at about 60psi.

I like DMR motos on the rear, coupled with Maxxis Holy Roller up front~ perfect for the majority of trail centres, work well in the skatepark and even held their own for a week in the alps including mud and snow.

SB8’s are great in the right conditions. I just found they lack bite when leant over, which on some surfaces can make them rubbish, especially on the front.

Why not just pick proper tyres, pump them up to 40/50 psi for the road then let them down for the soft bits? I often ride 7 miles to the station to get the train to a ride and that’s what I do.

Thats what I’m doing at the moment brakes. I whack the pressures up with the track pump in the morning on the Nobby Nics, then let them down when I turn off road in the evening

Actually, being honest… I normally forget. Then I stop to let the pressure out when my front wheel literally bounces off the first rock I hit.

I’m just going to try the DMR’s as another option. I’ve got a spare set of wheels so I can still keep those with the ‘proper’ tyres on for the 363 days when its not sunny and dry

The larger SB8 is a lot better than the smaller ones, has a bit more meat to it and is less likely to puncture from my experience.

I have just gone tubeless with mine and it is performing well on the front.

Your post has got me thinking about putting one on the back as it is going to be dry until September! 😉

Good point that- also the 2.35 can roll faster, surprisingly. Not always- it’s draggier in sticky mud obviously.

For whatever it’s worth, I’m not sure I’ll go back to the SBs this year- they’re excellent but I reckon Kenda’s Slant 6 is better, it’s not much slower but it works well in more conditions- surprisingly good in mud as it clears so well. Does wear faster though, lots of pressure on the central “knobs” I think.

Well, having decided to let you lot enjoy the summer, I’ve held back from ordering a pair. Unfortunately it was an itch I had to scratch, given the present conditions. I’ve just ordered a set of Small Block 8’s

So apoligies in advance if you’re presently watching black clouds roll in. It’ll no doubt rain until next May now 😳

Anyone else been provoked by the weather into risking some stupid-fast, non-UK-Freindly, mud-averse, daft tyres on then? And how are you finding them?

Maxxis Larson could be another option. I have DMR motos, used them recently on the South downs link as its flat the whole route. Not much fun if it gets muddy though but good on bone dry trails.

Had slant 6 front and block 8 rear since June, awesome summer combo. Got slant 6 front and rear on the 29er.

Have a look at Maxxis High Roller Semi Slicks if you can find them – I have a pair that I’ve had for years, never used them last year because the trails never dried out, but in the recent conditions they’ve been fantastic.

Rocket Rons make a great front tyre, nice small blocks, clear really well, not the grippiest but very predictable had no trouble @ Afan in mid winter deluge…

Ran a pair of cheap-as slicks on my hardtail a few years ago, when we had the last similarly dry summer (2007?).

Plus points, faster than everyone else I rode with.
Minus points, when the grip ran out, it really ran out.

These days I’d choose ITS System 4. Small block tread, fireroad/dry trail tyre. As a bonus they’re (a) tubeless ready if that’s your thing, and (b) currently £15 at CRC. Tread is a bit more open than the Motos, I guess it depends on how “all season” you want.

Tubed or UST, Binners?

Tubed Dezzy. For some irrational reason I haven’t gone tubeless. In this case I suspect its because these tyres may well be a temporary appointment

good choice with SB8s – the USTs are a nightmare to fit! Great tyres though 🙂

I would echo some of the above about SB8’s

1, Bigger is better – the 2.35 is substantially more robust than the smaller sizes

2, You can run them tubeless (even the normal ones) I have had a front 2.35 as my first foray into tubeless and it has been fine for 2 months now.

Hope this helps!

Big fan of Moto Diggers. Bought them initially as they were big and suited the fun build I was doing. Started to ride them more and more in all conditions. Constant tread pattern to the edges makes them very predictable and do surprisingly well in the mud.

I’ve had good results with Maxxis Crossmarks for dry XC duties, including tarmac, and dry singletrack. Fast rolling, pretty big volume.