tires for wet rocks

[mmerchant]

i need a tire for wet rocks (sized from softball to basketball) and with maximum width of 2.1 (narrow chain stays - hardtail ) and maybe tubeless is the way to go? there are a lot of rocks where i ride and it's always wet - thanks for the feedback


mmerchant

 

[kclw]

There are a lot of options. As with all cases choosing the right tire depends on what compromises you want to make.

I can easily steer you towards a tire that grips well on wet rocks and roots. However will that tire work in the mud that accompanies those wet conditions. If you live in an area mud sticks to tires then you need to go with a mud specific tire.

The Kenda Nevegals are a good XC tire with soft rubber that grips well in the wet. They are also a good tire in other conditions. However in really muddy condition they tend to pack up.

The maxxis Madussa is a mud sprecific XC race tire. Soft rubber, tall knobs, and narrow width (1.9) makes it a great mud tire. On open rocks you may find the knobs a little squirmy.

 

[G-Force101XTR]

The Conti rain tires are supposed to be really good aswell, i havn't tried them but the are definently looking good for the spring. I can tell you with 100% confidence NOT to use Pythons, they are absolutely terrible in the rain. The Conti Leader Pro is also not a bad tire, its a bit wider (2.1) but if its just the rocks woried about it should be fine if the ground is still solid.

 

[epictrailrider.]

The Kenda Nevegals are a good XC tire with soft rubber that grips well in the wet. They are also a good tire in other conditions. However in really muddy condition they tend to pack up.

Not a bad tire at all. The best all around tire I have found is the Paneracer Cinder.

Great grippy tire that works well in the mud!

 

[kclw]

In your neck of woods I was alway a fan of IRC rubber. I would like to try some of new rubber in winter conditions found on the island.

 

[mongooseboy]

Ive been riding on panaracer FIRE XC for the past 5-6 years and when i was doing lots of technical singletrack on my college grounds (i miss that), these tires would keep my 200lb (at the time) body rolling through and across anything, pumped up to about 40psi. Wet roots, rocks etc were never a problem for me, while some of my friends would slide around a bit. also, true hardpack gets pretty nasty when a light rain hits and these tires always worked for me!

However, the new CINDER that epictrailrider mentioned should be better with their new rubber compound, but the fire xc's can be had all day online for pretty low prices. i paid something like 35 for both tires 6 years back!

also, my fire xc's now see a lot of pavement and mostly bike path (small crushed gravel) and they really arnt wearing much, and have pretty low rolling resistance for an xc tire anyways

 

[davebee]

Have you considered running tubeless using something like the Stans system (if your rims are not UST compatible)? This enables you to run lower pressures and the risk of punctures is significantly reduced. If you have any notions of going tubeles avoid Panaracer, Michelin or IRC as the side walls are too thin to hold up effectively.