Whats it like riding with 2" tyres? (wet weather)

Sorry if this is a dumnb question. I have never gone below 2.2″ (26″ wheels). But I am looking at a pair of specialzed storms for the winter as my purgatories are next to useless on wet roots. Never ridden wet tyres before and never 2″. So do the they generally feel a bit sketchier… not as good at taking drops etc? Or will I not really notice a difference except better grip on roots. I am not an XC/light rider. More of a heavy footed/downhill orientated kind of chap. But I dont want big heavy DH wet weather tyres and dont want to spend £40 a tyre. So storms seem like my best option. Buying wet weather tyres already feels a bit extravagant for me.

Am aware it depends on the tyre, on how it feels… but in general, like for like kind of thing.

What casing are your Purgs? IIRC the compounds get softer as the casing gets more gnarr (Control/Grid/DH).

Narrow tyres are great at cutting through soft ground and because they’re light they don’t drag as much the same tread on a wider tyre but anything with small widely spaced blocks is going to mean instant death on wet woodwork

Kindof squirrely on hard pack too

If they are mud tyres you will find they are great cut through the mud no problem does not matter if you ride DH or XC when it gets very muddy most people go for smaller tyres they clear the mud much better.

But I am looking at a pair of specialzed storms for the winter as my purgatories are next to useless on wet roots.

Storms are worse on roots as they’re a mud tyre, so optimised for mud (you’ll be surprised to hear)

They are a good tyre, and rocketmans assessment is pretty accurate, but sounds like you’re looking for something with volume and sticky rubber. However, wet roots (especially polished ones) are never going to be grippy.

In fact, just go get a Maxxis Shorty

my purgatories are next to useless on wet roots.

most tyres are.

The purgatories are good winter/allround tyres. I used to use them all the time, front and rear, though swopped the front to a Butcher 6 months back for some more grip.

get some Bont MudXs 2.0 I reckon they’re one of the best mud tyres out there. I had a pair of 1.8s a few years ago, the skinnier the tyre the better it cuts through and find the grippier stuff under the mud.

Maxis Beavers are also quite good but I found the sidewalls a bit thin. I’ve just looked at those Spesh Storms and whilst they have a similar tread pattern it looks very deep and possibly a bit draggy. More like a swamp tyre. Bonty MudXs roll great for a mud tyre.

From what you say about you and your riding – I’d recommend trying a 2.35in Magic Mary in Trailstar compound and Snakeskin casing on the front. You could keep a purg on the rear.

Have you checked out Pinkbike buy/sell for 26in bargains?

ive got controls… yeah I get its kind of like asking for the moon getting tyres to work on slimey wet roots. But i have just noticed on the last few rides they have really quickly kicked out on me on single roots. To the point I cracked a rib because of a completely unexpected front wheel going from under me super quick on not much of a root. These are for my zesty… I have nevegals sticky on my dh bike and they seem much better on wet roots, although not a wet weather tyre, i can skip across a set of roots with out them going ballistic squirrely. My old maxxis high roller stickies where better on roots, they slipped but not super fast, but pretty poor in gloop. Some of the reviews on the wet weather tyres like the storms seemed to say they were ok on roots as they are pretty sticky. Did have a look on pinkbike but couldnt see much, plus you dont know if the tyres have been sitting around for two years going hard. I’ll have a look at the magic mary… although more than I wanted to pay £30 itns too bad… ( I am super cheap 🙂 )

Never found a better mud and wet stuff tyre than Mud X 1.8s.
Tend to stay indoors these days though 🙂

the bonty mud x looks in my price range too, found for £28. i might give them a shout… could just try one on the front to start. i dont mind the rear kicking out.

To be honest the gloop isnt an issue… the purgs have been fine enough for me in that sense. I don’t mind slipping about. Its the ‘grab my front wheel from under me’ effect on the roots that really is starting to freak me out. As I say my high rollers never used to do it. But they used to weigh a ton. I think the leaves have played a part, but all things considered I still think the purgs are lacking up front on slimey roots.

Im my experience Mud X are crap on wet rocks and roots. Great in mud but no good on anything else.

I run Storm Controls in the winter on my XC bike and find that they’re a good compromise for mud, wet rocks and wet roots.

But you do want the moon on a stock don’t you? 😉

Some of the reviews on the wet weather tyres like the storms seemed to say they were ok on roots

…. for mud tyres.

A mud tyre is not what you’re after. Nothing about what you’re asking for makes me think a mud tyre is the answer, especially if “gloop isnt an issue”

legend has it.

you need a winter tyre, not a mud tyre.

Maxxis shorty type of thing maybe?

cool… I think i should have said wet root tyre rather than wet weather tyre. Thats maybe why I like my nevegals… they arent wet weather but grip well. So, yeah I think your right, maybe I shouldnt be looking at wet weather tyres, because the reviews talking about roots are relative. I assumed maybe wet weather tyres have a softer compound.

And yes, moon on a stick… at a cut down price 😉

I might also have to think about the fact its only just started getting properly wet again and I am barreling in at dry speeds 😀 . I am not quite letting the go of the hold ‘er open and grin dry days… PSD (post summer denial)

Real mud tyres, your XC storms and Mud Xs and that, are basically for one job- XC mud slogging. They’re awesome at that, and bad at everything else. I ended up deciding that if they were the right tyres, it was the wrong riding, they make joyless riding possible and fun riding joyless.

Sounds like you want a shorty or a baron or a magic mary or a hillbilly or a vigilante or something else just like this. These all work on hard stuff but find grip in the most orrible of conditions. Roots in mud are a challenge for any tyres mind but it’s the difference between oooer, and icy doom.

Or failing that a knobbly trailbike tyre that clears well with soft rubber, like a minion, is the second best way.

problem is summer/all weather reviews hardly ever refer to wet roots!

Buy a Maxxis Shorty, job dun.

Michelin wild mud Enduro casing

cheers chaps… legend, I think my inner steptoe cant let me stretch to the £40 pound for a shorty, i know i know its better than a broken rib. My problem is my inner miser is really saying ‘is it noooowwww? surely a rib is a small price to pay for an extra £10!’ i know its crazy talk…

so maybe a magic mary… oh bugger its christmas… what the hell I’ll get a shorty bob cratchit would be proud… (my wife wont shhhhh… 😯 )

I ride in the wyre forest on these exact tyres and have managed this year to remain on them over summer, big mistake I should of swapped to a more summer orientated tyre. Where is it you ride mostly? They suit the wyre forest well because the mud is deep and all natural, somewhere thats not really ‘muddy’ I think you would notice the narrowness. I do find them fairly twitchy compared to my other wheels/tyres but thats largely down to the difference between arch and 2″ tyres and some derby rims and 2.3/4 tyres.

but anything with small widely spaced blocks short of ice studs is going to mean instant death on wet woodwork

Can’t make tyre choices based on wet roots, all you can do is hit them square and ride light, or work out where you’re going to slide to and figure things out on the way. Like I didn’t on Tuesday night. ow.

I ended up deciding that if they were the right tyres, it was the wrong riding, they make joyless riding possible and fun riding joyless.

Nicely put! 😀

golfchick are you talking about the shorty? I ride north downs most of the time… So it’s not that muddy on most of the trails, normally hard pack and wet. So I think a sticky compound would be good.

After several glorious months of dry trails we had our first muddy ride last night. I had put 2.1 Schwalbe Rocket Rons on my Swift rigid SS to see if they made much of a difference. Short answer, no they didn’t.

Squirmed through the muddy patches at any sort of speed and little traction on the wet climbs. Would agree they make joyless riding possible so it’s back on the road until things dry up a bit.

line choice is v. important on wet routes.
For tyre grip you want: Low pressure & soft compound, wider tyres help because they can be run at lower pressures. Tubless helps as they deform more.

never found a tyre that grips well – but some are better than others.

My winter (all round xc bike) choice is for a wide tyre run soft on the front and a mud tyre out back. Currently geax gato/ mud x.

Real mud tyres, your XC storms and Mud Xs and that, are basically for one job- XC mud slogging. They’re awesome at that, and bad at everything else.

This. I had some trailrakers BITD, and they were terrifying on everything except thick, deep slop.

Only thing i’ve found that works on wet roots (we have a lot of wet roots here, almost all year) is studs.

The amount of wood they rip off the root is significant though……

Technique is a better option.

never found a tyre that grips well – but some are better than others.

+1

I like a wide, square-ish tyre like a Magic Mary.

You still can’t brake on wet roots obvs, but with a Mary on the front I seem more likely to get across them without going down like a sack of spuds.

forzafkawi – Member

After several glorious months of dry trails we had our first muddy ride last night. I had put 2.1 Schwalbe Rocket Rons on my Swift rigid SS to see if they made much of a difference. Short answer, no they didn’t.

Definitely rocket rons? The fast, XC race ones with the teeny knobs? What did you think would happen?

Northwind – Member

forzafkawi – Member

After several glorious months of dry trails we had our first muddy ride last night. I had put 2.1 Schwalbe Rocket Rons on my Swift rigid SS to see if they made much of a difference. Short answer, no they didn’t.

Definitely rocket rons? The fast, XC race ones with the teeny knobs? What did you think would happen?

Well they are rated Mix to 50% Soft terrain on the Schwalbe website so I thought they would be able to handle wet terrain (not a total mudfest) but it seems not. Maybe Schwalbe’s ratings are a bit over-optimistic.

The only Schwalbe tyres with a softer rating are Magic Marys and Dirty Dans and they are both DH tyres.

There’s an XC Dirty Dan too, and trailbike versions of the Magic Mary, they’re not just DH tyres

I bought a pair of 2.0 narrow mud tyres on the advice of a friend. First ride out was one of the most unpleasant un-enjoyable rides I have ever had. They had no grip in any circumstance. I took them straight off and put a Magic Mary on the front and Hans Dampf on the rear which works really well on the mud round these parts. Thinking about it the riding I do wont ever suit a skinny little tyre.