recommendation for tyres?

[Mule]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good all-round tyre for a mtb or is there no such thing?

My first idea was to get one of those that are "slick" in the middle and knobbly at the edges but
I've been to Sheldon Brown's web page on tyres (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html) and he
doesn't recommend "combination treads".

Currently I have:
1. A pair of knobblies (26 x 1.85) that came with my '00 rockhopper. Unfortunately they're
quite worn now.
2. A pair of Maxxis High Rollers (26 x 2.5) which I used for a while over the winter. They were very
comfy because of the extra cushioning but oh-so- heavy and almost impossible through thick mud!
Also the rear is too wide for my bike frame and has caused some of the paint to come off.

Basically I'd like a tyre that is more comfortable (for my sensitive behind) than my 1.85's, wears
fairly well, is hopefully fairly puncture resistant, has good traction and low rolling resistance.
Low weight would also be a bonus.

If you could also help answer some other questions I have on tyres:
3. I've also looked into "greentyres" (for puncture resistance) but one review I read said that they
weren't very good. Has anyone had any experience on them?
4. I've also been looking into Maxxis Hookworms for riding on pavement/tarmac. Are they any good?
What recommendations here?

A big problem for me is that I usually need to cycle (quite a bit) on pavement before I get offroad.
What does everyone else do?

Sorry for a lot of questions. Any help appreciated, Thanks!

--
...meandering mule...

 

[B. Sanders]

"mule" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi all,
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations for a good all-round tyre for a mtb
or
> is there no such thing?
>
> My first idea was to get one of those that are "slick" in the middle and knobbly at the edges but
> I've been to Sheldon Brown's web page on tyres (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html) and he
> doesn't recommend "combination treads".
>
> Currently I have:
> 1. A pair of knobblies (26 x 1.85) that came with my '00 rockhopper. Unfortunately they're quite
> worn now.
> 2. A pair of Maxxis High Rollers (26 x 2.5) which I used for a while over the winter. They were
> very comfy because of the extra cushioning but
oh-so-
> heavy and almost impossible through thick mud! Also the rear is too wide for my bike frame and has
> caused some of the paint to come off.
>
> Basically I'd like a tyre that is more comfortable (for my sensitive behind) than my 1.85's, wears
> fairly well, is hopefully fairly puncture resistant, has good traction and low rolling resistance.
> Low weight would also be a bonus.

I recommend IRC Mythos 2.1". They're in between your 1.85 and 2.5" tires, and are spec'd on lots of
bikes because they are excellent all-around tires. They're very light, with good snakebite
protection. Should last a long time, and not expensive (on sale for $15 here in the States at
www.performancebike.com). That's what I chose for my XC rig. I run Specialized Dirt Baldys for
street and light trail use. Very fast tires, super light and tough; but alas, discontinued.

The only other one that comes to mind is the Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1", which is also an excellent
choice, and not expensive. If you like colorful tires, get the Panaracers with a yellow, red or blue
sidewall (they also come in blackwall, of course). Fire XC Pros are some of the best all-around XC
tires on the market.

Barry

 

[MTBScottie]

"B. Sanders" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<w%LSa.109842$N7.15363@sccrnsc03>...
> "mule" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Does anyone have any recommendations for a good all-round tyre for a mtb
> or
> > is there no such thing?
> >
> > My first idea was to get one of those that are "slick" in the middle and knobbly at the edges
> > but I've been to Sheldon Brown's web page on tyres (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html) and
> > he doesn't recommend "combination treads".
> >
> > Currently I have:
> > 1. A pair of knobblies (26 x 1.85) that came with my '00 rockhopper. Unfortunately they're quite
> > worn now.
> > 2. A pair of Maxxis High Rollers (26 x 2.5) which I used for a while over the winter. They were
> > very comfy because of the extra cushioning but
> oh-so-
> > heavy and almost impossible through thick mud! Also the rear is too wide for my bike frame and
> > has caused some of the paint to come off.
> >
> > Basically I'd like a tyre that is more comfortable (for my sensitive behind) than my 1.85's,
> > wears fairly well, is hopefully fairly puncture resistant, has good traction and low rolling
> > resistance. Low weight would also be a bonus.
>
> I recommend IRC Mythos 2.1". They're in between your 1.85 and 2.5" tires, and are spec'd on lots
> of bikes because they are excellent all-around tires. They're very light, with good snakebite
> protection. Should last a long time, and not expensive (on sale for $15 here in the States at
> www.performancebike.com). That's what I chose for my XC rig. I run Specialized Dirt Baldys for
> street and light trail use. Very fast tires, super light and tough; but alas, discontinued.
>
> The only other one that comes to mind is the Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1", which is also an
> excellent choice, and not expensive. If you like colorful tires, get the Panaracers with a yellow,
> red or blue sidewall (they also come in blackwall, of course). Fire XC Pros are some of the best
> all-around XC tires on the market.
>
> Barry

I have the Panaracer Fire Pro's on my Rainier and am not as impressed with them as I am the IRC
Serac XC's on my singlespeed. I think you would find the IRC's roll fast, are light weight, offer
good traction, and have a good self cleaning design.

 

[Super Slinky]

mule said...

> Hi all,
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations for a good all-round tyre for a mtb or is there no
> such thing?

If you find a tire that does everything, please let me know. My riding sounds a lot like yours. I
use my mtb for a little bit of everything. Sheldon is right about the combo treads in a way--they
aren't perfect for on or off road, but what he forgets to say is that if you want a tire that does
both tolerably well, you don't have much choice. Besides, the kind of tire he talks about with one
ridge in the center aren't very common, at least I haven't seen many. I have an old one on my backup
bike and I think it does pretty well.

I have tried a variety of do it all tires:

Michelin Jet S: my current favorite. 2.0 width. Light (500g). Fast rolling and supple ride. High
thread count. Very expensive. Does best on hard packed dirt, which is what you find the most on
trails around here. Good on the road, but you get into the knobby part going around corners.
Obviously, it won't be as good as a knobby in mud.

Michelin Wildgripper Rock: 1.75 width. Cheap at $20 MSRP. At 700g, it is hefty for a narrow tire.
Smooth on the road, but the narrow size, very low thread count and thick rubber give it a much
harsher ride than the Jet S. As the name suggests, it is designed for hard surfaces.

Performance Topo Fast Trac: Looks like it was designed to be a cheaper alternative to expensive,
name brand XC specific tires like the Jet S. I got a pair for $15 each on sale. You can only get
them from Performance Bike. 1.9 width, light (< 500g), high thread count. They are only 0.1"
smaller than the Jet S, but they look a lot smaller. The tread design is obviously a lot less
sophisticated than the Jet S. Rolling resistance seems high compared to the Jet S, but that's kind
of hard to prove.

The Maxxis Hookworms that I have seen described on the Web are huge and weigh a ton. They
have almost no tread and look like they would be very slippery off road. The Maxxis Wormdrive
looks similar to the Jet S and the Fast Trac. They are on sale for cheap ($17) right now
direct from Maxxis.

 

[Outofline]

I second the IRC Mythos vote...

 

[Craig Brossman]

mule wrote:
> Hi All, The Mythos, Fire XC Pro and Jet S (expensive here in UK!) all do sound quite
> reasonable but I still can't decide. I've seen photos of the Mythos and Panaracers but I
> wonder how they would cope on tarmac - which I have to ride a bit. I have to admit that I find
> riding on cement tough going on knobblies - but I've also never had experience on anything
> other than knobbly tyres.
>
> Again help much appreciated,
>
> =o]
>

I think that you will always have some trade off between off-road capability and nice rolling on
tarmac. I recently went back to the Mythos after removing the Hutch. Pythons. The Pythons were nice
in hard pack and the road, but I didn't think they had enough grip on loose trails, rocks and roots.
Once they broke loose on a turn, there was no getting them back, not the case with the Mythos, I can
control them if I get into a little trouble and usually get back on track. FWIW, the Mythos are
satisfactory on the road.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove ".nospam" to reply)

 

[x]

RE/
>My first idea was to get one of those that are "slick" in the middle and knobbly at the edges but
>I've been to Sheldon Brown's web page on tyres (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html) and he
>doesn't recommend "combination treads".

One thing that's missing from that analysis is the prospect of going "splat" when landing sideways
on an embankment or getting sucked into an erosion gulley. The lugs on the sides will prevent that.

I've used Heng Shin semislicks for road-biased riding and they worked pretty well. No buzzing on
pavement, enough meat so you can run them at, say, 40-45
psi without pinching, but when you forget and do something dirt-ish they'll keep you from doing a
face plant. OTOH, they're several steps below useless on that quarter-to-half inch of mud that
forms when frozen ground has just thawed a little bit. "Below" because I tend to fixate on the
side lugs and forget that there's zero mud traction on the smooth center portion....

>A big problem for me is that I usually need to cycle (quite a bit) on pavement before I get
>offroad. What does everyone else do?

Having said all that, I ride WTB Mutano Raptors most of the time now. I'm on my second set of the
big ones - but am sort of intrigued by the smallest size they offer - apparently the same tread
pattern - maybe I'll try a set as "semi-road" tires.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[x]

RE/
>Thanks for your replies. I haven't yet been out to buy my tyres yet so if you have ideas please
>keep posting!

Just a PS on the WTB Mutano Raptor tread pattern:

Ibe thing I like about it is that although it buzzes a little, it's not anything that bothers me -
and I'm fairly neurotic about things like that.

Another thing is that it seems to have plenty traction for what I use it in yet the lugs/knobs
aren't that big or high. I've had other tires where the lugs were so high that they tended to break
off in anything but soft ground.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Mule]

Hi Pete (and all),

Thanks for all of your replies again! I'm off to visit a few cycle shops tomorrow to see what
they have.

After having read reviews I hope to find either IRC Mythos or Serac. If I'm feeling adventurous I
might try a pair of semi-slicks too, to find out how they ride.

One of my worst days riding was just as Pete describes. Deep, thawing mud. There were 3 of us,
almost knee deep in really sticky stuff. It clogged our wheels every 10yards. My tyres became about
4 inches in thickness and weighed about 3kg apiece! One reason perhaps to try disc brakes since they
wouldn't be affected by the mud like our v's.

Anyway, will let you know what I buy, if I can find them.

Thanks,

P.S. Any advice on WTB Weirwolf 2.3/2.1s? They're at a discount right now.

--
...meandering mule...

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> RE/
>>My first idea was to get one of those that are "slick" in the middle and knobbly at the edges but
>>I've been to Sheldon Brown's web page on tyres (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html) and he
>>doesn't recommend "combination treads".
>
> One thing that's missing from that analysis is the prospect of going "splat" when landing
> sideways on an embankment or getting sucked into an erosion gulley. The lugs on the sides will
> prevent that.
>
> I've used Heng Shin semislicks for road-biased riding and they worked pretty well. No buzzing on
> pavement, enough meat so you can run them at, say, 40-45 psi without pinching, but when you forget
> and do something dirt-ish they'll keep you from doing a face plant. OTOH, they're several steps
> below useless on that quarter-to-half inch of mud that forms when frozen ground has just thawed a
> little bit. "Below" because I tend to fixate on the side lugs and forget that there's zero mud
> traction on the smooth center portion....
>
>
>>A big problem for me is that I usually need to cycle (quite a bit) on pavement before I get
>>offroad. What does everyone else do?
>
> Having said all that, I ride WTB Mutano Raptors most of the time now. I'm on my second set of the
> big ones - but am sort of intrigued by the smallest size they offer - apparently the same tread
> pattern - maybe I'll try a set as "semi-road" tires.
> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

(Pete Cresswell) <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> RE/
> >Thanks for your replies. I haven't yet been out to buy my tyres yet so if you have ideas please
> >keep posting!
>
> Just a PS on the WTB Mutano Raptor tread pattern:
>
> Ibe thing I like about it is that although it buzzes a little, it's not
anything
> that bothers me - and I'm fairly neurotic about things like that.
>
> Another thing is that it seems to have plenty traction for what I use it
in yet
> the lugs/knobs aren't that big or high. I've had other tires where the
lugs
> were so high that they tended to break off in anything but soft ground.

I have this tyre on the rear of my FrankenBeater commuter now - bought it about 3 or 4 years ago as
a rear tyre for my MTB, and _hated_ it. I found off road traction was next to useless in most
conditions, although it was much better as a front tyre (very rounded profile) than a rear, it saw
hardly any service before I removed it altogether and threw it in the emergency pile.

Shaun aRe - but they wear well, heheheheheh...........

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

Shaun Rimmer <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I have this tyre on the rear of my FrankenBeater commuter now - bought it about 3 or 4 years ago
> as a rear tyre for my MTB, and _hated_ it. I found off road traction was next to useless in most
> conditions, although it was much better as a front tyre (very rounded profile) than a rear, it saw
> hardly any service before I removed it altogether and threw it in the emergency pile.
>
>
> Shaun aRe - but they wear well, heheheheheh...........

It isn't the Mutano Raptor I have, rather the Primal Raptor. And yes, it sucks! My mistake.

Shaun aRe - But for all I know, the Mutano may well be **** too, heheheh.......