MTB Tyres

rash

Can anyone recommend a good XC MTB tyre that gives good grip in mud and good rolling in forest tracks and road

I bought a Focus Black Forest Pro before Xmas http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/-_-/5360037558/ the stock tyres are Continental Race King 2.2 which are fine for most of the limited riding I have done so far which is mainly forest roads.
I did a race last weekend and while the track was not very muddy I did find a lack of traction on the decents which i suspect was caused by the tyres and bad braking technique .

Morgan

I find Maxxis Ignitors pretty good. Not the fastest rolling tyres but they offer good grip in varied conditions.

Whatever you end up getting I'd strongly recommend setting them up tubeless - the difference is remarkable.

mockler007

I swear by 26x2.35 Maxxis Ignitors
on tarmac they roll fast, maxing at 25mph on a slight hill, a little effort and your hitting 35mph
At cruise they will roll between 13-19mph with hard inflation, i was using them in the snow in jan, and never fell once. over ice
you name it, they have you trusting them in hours
off road they throw the muck off at speeds of 5mph upwards and reach speeds that are fast for mtb standards. no treacle effect
they will get muck stuck to them, but this still doesn't effect your grip, The Thread pattern Flings the mud off keeping the tire cleanish,ive yet to fall with them and ive had them a year, you trust them, and thats a factor when cycling, trusting your rubber
it was my tire choice on the boards Howth to Bray race in jan 2010 against the roadies,
Ive yet to get a puncture!!!
i got 1,500miles out of the rear and that was constant childish abuse, like morgans advice go with tubeless
I have had contis, 2.3s and they aren't in no way any way near ignitors
As for your riding decents, and loosing grip, whats your position when you do go down a drop or hill, you will get movement,
on any tire, you are on a surface that is moving ie sloppy muck.

boomdocker

+1 for the iginitors, good all round tyre for irish conditions

however, if you dont mind splashing the cash then i would go for schwalbe nobby nics 2.25's, and as previous poster says run them tubeless. best all round tyre i have used, they aint cheap tho:(

rash

Thanks for all the replies, Ignitors it is then, I presume the 62a compound is better http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=9880 or does it really matter.
Also are folding tires always more expensive than wire, I'm surprised by the difference.

mockler, I've only been out on the MTB about 6-7 times since I got it so my riding skills are lacking, I need to get out more on more technical routes, when descending I try to hover my butt behind the saddle. In the race I think I used the brakes too much..... a few of the lads I was talking to after the race advised that the tires I had were not well suited to the course...hence the pursuit of better ones.

I need to investigate the tubeless option, but as a beginner I'll probably stay with tubes.

Gers_punto

like yourself rash im a beginner 2 and after 1 outing on my new rothar i could tell the tyres that were on it were rubbish i had so many slippery moments off road.

Just before my buddy moved to aussie land he suggested that i go for the maxxis ignitors and i havent looked back.

I find them very grippy altho the road noise is slowily starting to annoy me

mockler007

Gers_punto wrote: »

like yourself rash im a beginner 2 and after 1 outing on my new rothar i could tell the tyres that were on it were rubbish i had so many slippery moments off road.

Just before my buddy moved to aussie land he suggested that i go for the maxxis ignitors and i havent looked back.

I find them very grippy altho the road noise is slowily starting to annoy me

Dude the rolling noise kicks ass, i just have to twaek my nipps then its on tarmac. its like the huey of tires.
Next sunday the Phoenix Park Meets will be back up and running at 2pm
Good place to practice the skillage, IE balance
If yous want to tag along you guys are welcome
Going Down steps, Over Roots, the lot, a few from boards go
PM me for details

Drapper

lads,
a common mistake by new mtbrs is to run tires too hard! very simple rule is that you should be able to squeeze the tire about 1/2 inch from the side. This allows the tire to 'do its grip' thing and also when cornering proivde enough rolling grip. To hard it don't grip.

Do not run tires solid as the will slip and 'bounce of everything'. Your weight and bike need to be also considered. So take a pump out the 1st few times and run hard and then run low and you'll see what I mean! there are forums after forums about tires and everyone has their prefs. Me I use Schwalbe.

I like to mix tires, nobby front and less on the back. Play around with pressre, but most of all don't blame tires for lack of skill! ;-) get out and ride more!

SubLuminal

going the other way, can anyone reccomend good cheap tyres for road use on an MTB? Girlfriends beater bike has these offroady looking tyres that are about 10 years old on them and when I ride it its like riding through treacle compared to my bike with 700c 25's