What tyres? The Ultimate Tyre Thread

ikaramboo

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Sep 21, 2018
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Anyone

Ahh great - already noticed that one, but I think its the 60tpi DH casing, too much for me. Looking for Maxx Terra DD / Maxx Grip DD ideally. Cheers!

Bike components has the DD / Maxx grip soon available:



Are you planing to ride the shorty both front and rear for fall and winter? Heard that maxxis has some issues with colder temperatures 🤷‍♂️

Any thoughts on the magic Mary in 29“ 2,6 Front in ultra soft (purple) and rear in soft (orange)? Better to go with 2,4 instead in muddy / wet conditions?
 
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Rob Rides EMTB

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Are you planing to ride the shorty both front and rear for fall and winter? Heard that maxxis has some issues with colder temperatures 🤷‍♂️

Any thoughts on the magic Mary in 29“ 2,6 Front in ultra soft (purple) and rear in soft (orange)? Better to go with 2,4 instead in muddy / wet conditions?
I prefer 2.4" - I have the MM at the moment in 2.4 Super Trail but would like to try the new Shorty on the front in the winter.

Also, I think i prefer the feel of the 120 tpi Maxxis tyres vs the 67tpi MM. I dont really suffer from punctures and pinch flats, so don't really need the lower TPI / tougher casing.
 

apac

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Bike components has the DD / Maxx grip soon available:



Are you planing to ride the shorty both front and rear for fall and winter? Heard that maxxis has some issues with colder temperatures 🤷‍♂️

Any thoughts on the magic Mary in 29“ 2,6 Front in ultra soft (purple) and rear in soft (orange)? Better to go with 2,4 instead in muddy / wet conditions?

the shorty in the link is not available for shipping to the U.K🤔
 

ikaramboo

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Sep 21, 2018
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Germany
Are the WTB tires a good choice for fall / winter season? Conditions here in German are comparable to most UK trails.
People usually only go with maxxis, Schwalbe but others probably makes also good tires. 🤷‍♂️

Tried Michelin e-Wild but not my tire. Knobs are too small and hardly any traction.
 

1oldfart

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Oct 6, 2019
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Are the WTB tires a good choice for fall / winter season? Conditions here in German are comparable to most UK trails.
People usually only go with maxxis, Schwalbe but others probably makes also good tires. 🤷‍♂️

Tried Michelin e-Wild but not my tire. Knobs are too small and hardly any traction.
If you stay away from the fast rolling models they have a great reputation, check the vigilante
 

ikaramboo

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Sep 21, 2018
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the shorty in the link is not available for shipping to the U.K🤔
:eek: Didn’t know, must be the Brexit 🤷‍♂️

Fitted today the magic Mary in 29“ 2.4 in Soft and Super Trail in the Front. Nice grip, however I found it a bit too stiff compared to Maxxis DHF Exo+.
Want to try the big Betty on the rear. Would you go with a 2.4 or 2.6?
 
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apac

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:eek: Didn’t know, must be the Brexit 🤷‍♂️

Fitted today the magic Mary in 29“ 2.4 in Soft and Super Trail in the Front. Nice grip, however I found it a bit too stiff compared to Maxxis DHF Exo+.
Want to try the big Betty on the rear. Would you go with a 2.4 or 2.6?
I would tend to go a little thinner on the rear. My choice would be the 2.4. I'm happy for the rear to move around, but it gives me the willys when the front does it. 😆
 

Pivot

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:eek: Didn’t know, must be the Brexit

Fitted today the magic Mary in 29“ 2.4 in Soft and Super Trail in the Front. Nice grip, however I found it a bit too stiff compared to Maxxis DHF Exo+.
Want to try the big Betty on the rear. Would you go with a 2.4 or 2.6?

Depends where you ride, in wet/mud season on the island I want max traction on the rear, so I would go 2.6 or 2.8
 

Doomanic

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2.8 Magic Mary is super draggy and actually not that good in the slop. As @Mikerb says, a narrower tyre will cut through the slop better and gives much better chainstay/mudguard mud clearance. This winter, on the rear I'll be running either a 2.4 DHR 2 or a 2.6 MM as that's what I have on the bike or in the garage. For the front I'll be looking for a Hillbilly or a Shorty.
 

Pivot

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I would say it depends on how much pressure/weight you can apply to the rear tyre. A narrower tyre is more likely to penetrate a top mud layer to find grip

Very interesting point.
I am currently riding on Pirelli Scorpion 29x2.6 front and 27.5x2.6 rear.
I had better traction with Hans Dampf 27.5x2.8 in the rear (on my previous bike)
The Assegai 27.5x2.6 gave me the best traction (from within my options), however, it is currently classified as unobtanium
 

Hob Nob

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Jun 4, 2020
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Are the WTB tires a good choice for fall / winter season? Conditions here in German are comparable to most UK trails.
People usually only go with maxxis, Schwalbe but others probably makes also good tires. 🤷‍♂️

Tried Michelin e-Wild but not my tire. Knobs are too small and hardly any traction.

WTB only make 2 good tyres, but they are really good (if you can get them).

Verdict/Verdict Wet on the front is decent & the Judge is a great rear tyre. The rest, no.
 

Waynemarlow

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the 4wd community often get that wrong too. Big floaty tyres are great ON sand, but not ON mud.
You do realise that some of the very large 4x4 tyres are more window dressing than practically tested. Better ask the Quad Bike owners which are about the best vehicle going in mud ( which was one of the main reasons farm motorbikes died a death as soon as quads arrived ) . You don’t see any of the high end Quad racing scene going narrower in sloppy conditions.
 

RustyMTB

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2.8 Magic Mary is super draggy and actually not that good in the slop. As @Mikerb says, a narrower tyre will cut through the slop better and gives much better chainstay/mudguard mud clearance. This winter, on the rear I'll be running either a 2.4 DHR 2 or a 2.6 MM as that's what I have on the bike or in the garage. For the front I'll be looking for a Hillbilly or a Shorty.
Yeah, not loving the Mary's on mine, had a few sketchy moments on the front in places I'd expect endless grip. They look like they've only got a couple of hundred miles in them too. Going Maxxis I reckon, get the wobble ftw.
 

steve_sordy

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Are the WTB tires a good choice for fall / winter season? Conditions here in German are comparable to most UK trails.
People usually only go with maxxis, Schwalbe but others probably makes also good tires. 🤷‍♂️

Tried Michelin e-Wild but not my tire. Knobs are too small and hardly any traction.
I had a WTB Vigilante on the front which was much better than the Maxxis HRII before it. I also switched out the Maxxis Aggressor for a Trail Boss on the rear. I found both to be excellent tyres. They come in a variety of formats; Light, Heavy, Tough ...
Here are a couple of reviews.


The above reviews were taken from a big survey "Best mtb tyres of 2021" - 29 of them. The survey doesn't just say "best" but says best for what function: front, rear, gravity, life......

 

RustyMTB

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And I've ditched the Marys. Assegai & DHR II on the way. Let's see how they get on.
 

Mikerb

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You do realise that some of the very large 4x4 tyres are more window dressing than practically tested. Better ask the Quad Bike owners which are about the best vehicle going in mud ( which was one of the main reasons farm motorbikes died a death as soon as quads arrived ) . You don’t see any of the high end Quad racing scene going narrower in sloppy conditions.
...the physics is completely different so there is no comparison. Powered vehicles whether quads, MX bikes, or rally cars have the option to displace the mud by spinning the wheels. They just need tyres that do that effectively. Spin the back tyre on a climb on an EMTB and you usually end up failing the climb. We depend on the tyre being a ble to penetrate down to a firm surface so we need to put weight on to the tyre and it needs to have a deep tread to achieve that and an open tread so that the mud does not clog the tyre.
 

Waynemarlow

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...the physics is completely different so there is no comparison. Powered vehicles whether quads, MX bikes, or rally cars have the option to displace the mud by spinning the wheels. They just need tyres that do that effectively. Spin the back tyre on a climb on an EMTB and you usually end up failing the climb. We depend on the tyre being a ble to penetrate down to a firm surface so we need to put weight on to the tyre and it needs to have a deep tread to achieve that and an open tread so that the mud does not clog the tyre.
This argument is so subjective to so many different things affecting it that virtually every reader of this will go, " we had that argument in the bar the other night". There are those who agree and an awful lot of people who swear by plus width in the winter.

As all motorcycle trials riders ( think low power engines with a torque not akin to an EBike rider and motor ) tend not to spin their wheels, ride in deep water and mud, get superlative grip and have 50 years of working out what works, we have to ask whether in the winter they put on skinnier tyres or wider fatter tyres running at lower pressure. From 30 years of being involved with motorcycle trials and enduro riding, I think the consensus is wider fatter tyres running at lower pressures is the winner in the winter mud. Now wet rocks thats a bit different.

But equally some dude will turn up with 3/4 worn summer tyres with virtually no tread depth and win the comp.

As I'm the best in riding in mud by some way in my group of riding buddies, some of who put on winter specific 2.2" - 2.4" tyres on the back, I'll stick to my 2.8" running at 16 - 18 psi on 35mm internal rims thanks.

But is it the rider or the fat tyres ? :cool:
 

urastus

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You do realise that some of the very large 4x4 tyres are more window dressing than practically tested. Better ask the Quad Bike owners which are about the best vehicle going in mud ( which was one of the main reasons farm motorbikes died a death as soon as quads arrived ) . You don’t see any of the high end Quad racing scene going narrower in sloppy conditions.
I can't speak for racing - that kind of goes against the mud theory / practice too. Fast on sand (to stay on top), slow in mud (to stay on bottom). I always assume that anything said is a generalization though; I thought that was a general assumption too. To me, sloppy isn't mud. Mud has a base, sand generally doesn't for vehicle use - hence stay on top (big floaty tyres, lots of speed / power, preferably light weight). For mtb I imagine all this is kind of less significant because our power to weight is (I'm guessing) a great deal less - unless you're a very light person? Although on sand we'd still have to be better off with fatter tyres and all the power we can muster. And weight really has a lot to do with both.
 
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apac

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I have a couple of Maxgrip Shorty v2 on the way, no luck with DH22/34 atm
Did you have to order them from Europe? Are they 29er's? tonight I fitted a Mary ultra soft for the front. The compound is very soft indeed, makes me wonder how the knobs will hold up. The super gravity carcass is pretty thick n stiff.
 

Loamranger

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Dec 10, 2019
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Did you have to order them from Europe? Are they 29er's? tonight I fitted a Mary ultra soft for the front. The compound is very soft indeed, makes me wonder how the knobs will hold up. The super gravity carcass is pretty thick n stiff.
Yes, Bike Inn, 29 DH Maxgrip. I’m using DHF DH Maxgrip front atm.
 

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