What tires are you using?

[wavedancer]

My Titus Racer X came with Hutchinson Python tubeless tires that have been good on dry hardpack. However, I live in the Northeast and our conditions include a lot of wet leaves, roots, sand, mud, loose stuff. So I am hoping that getting a different set of tires may help me stay upright in those conditions!

What's your favorite tire and what in conditions do you usually ride?

I am considering getting some IRC Seracs...any experience with them?

Thanks in advance,
Linda

[fatbottomedgurl]

Sorry Linda our conditions are dry, hardpack, rocks, sand & gravel. Complete opposite. But for those interested almost everyone in my club and their SOs ride on Panaracer Fire XC Pros. The Japanese ones, not made in Taiwan (let the buyer beware). Available in wire bead, kevlar, and UST.

[rocknrollgirl]

I too have a Titus racer X with Kenda Nevegal tires. I live in the NE, and I really like them. The DH has them also and likes them.

[Popoki_Nui]

I'm currently using Maxxis MoFo XC's. I've read some poor 'reviews' on MTBR about them, but I find them great tires for general XC and downhill riding on loose gravel/roots 'n rocks, and excellent in mud conditions. My last pair were Kenda Koyote's, which were probably the best MTB tire I've ever used. No longer available, I'm afraid.

[mellic]

I have tried a lot of different tyres out over the last couple of years. Where I live we have a lot of different types of track, from really loose pea gravel (which is like riding on marbles) boggy track, to your hard compact track, to your slippery rooty muddy track.

Each type of track really does require a different set of tyres.

For the gravelly sandy tracks I primarily use Hutchinson pythons, but if the corners are really sketchy I put a Hutchinson Scorpion on the front just for a little more control.

For the hard compact tracks I love my Schwalbe Racing Ralphs.

Then for the muddy tracks I like the Michelin XCR Mud tyre.

[tattiefritter]

We also have a bit of everything - very rocky (usually wet), greasy limestone, roots, sandy/gritty tracks, mud, wheel sucking bog... As we can encounter all that in a single ride I use all round tyres and only change them when they wear out. Have used Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 for the last couple of years ok but have recently bought a Kenda Blue Groove/Nevegal combination which I am really loving and think they are better all round than the Panaracers. Both the Panaracer and Kenda tyres are crap in deep claggy mud but there isn't much of that around here.

[telegirl]

Roots, rocks, slime....etc.... The FUN mountain bike terrain!

I use IRC Mythos MTB tire - it seems to give me a lot more traction than I had with my other tires, so they are now my favorites!

[madisongrrl]

This year I've exclusively raced on Kenda Karma's (tubeless tire with stans sealant). They are great. I went from April until now with no flats (knock on wood). They preform well in dry conditions. They are o.k. in mud (not great), but they do shed mud well in awful conditions. I'll probably race on them again in 2007.

[sarahkonamojo]

Kenda Nevegal. So far so good.

Riding in mud best to avoid around here. My Racer X can't handle much mud, but the tires seem ok in the mud.

Rocky Mountain/Moab riding.

sarah

[Pebble]

I've got Panaracer Fire XC 2.1 Pro (the wire bead version). Weighs 780g

Recently I've brought a set of Michelin Hot S 2.2's reinforced sidewall 127tpi version (got them cheap and they still had 98% tread) I have put one on the front. Weighs 676g

So my current set up is Panaracer 2.1 up back and Michelin 2.2 up front.

Specialized Ground Control (came on my old bike) not very good in comparison to the Panaracers and others.

Synchros Point & Chute 2 (2.1) were good - very low profile, cleared mud pretty well and very good rolling and light tyre. I'd say they're probably better for xc racing than general use though. Kicking myself for selling them with hubbys hardtail!

Hutchinson Bulldogs - as came stock on my Trance were absolutely crap for cornering (supposedly a good mud tyre though). Don't know - I like confidence in the corners and good overall grip which these didn't seem to provide.

I've mostly ridden in dry rocky & very loose sketchy stuff with the panaracers. Of course it only got muddy when it rained - some real bogholes.(mx tracks!).

My riding now consists of parts being very dusty, some rocky sections and some rocky creekbed type riding, including sharp corners with small berms. When it's wet it stays reasonably dry except for bogholes and muddy patches.

I'm really liking the Hot S on the front - excellent cornering and good mud clearing. All round grip seems ok and haven't had it long enough to gague wear (seem like it would be close enough to the Panaracer in that dept but probably wear a bit faster as it's a softer compound). They were specifically built as 4x tyres I think?
Oh & it seems to roll well at around the 35psi mark.


The Michelin is alot better as a front tyre compared to synchros or panaracer. And it clears Mud better than the Panaracer tread pattern - but the Panaracer seemed to do almost as well.

If possible probably best to get advice from those in your area though. Tyre choice I reckon is almost as personal as saddle choice!

Oh & talking about mud (slightly OT) - my recent muddy ride was only yesterday. Probably first time I've gotten real dirty since I've brought the Trance. Anyway I wanted to say that the sram X7 components performed flawlessly throughout the whole ride (using Prolink lube atm). On my old bike the Shimano Deore / Alivio would always mis-shift & chainsuck etc at the mere sight of mud! (with finishline wet lube and then later I tried white lightening).

[wavedancer]

I ended up getting some IRC Serac tubeless tires at a great price from Cambria Bikes. I rode them today on a short ride on mostly flat trails with a couple of moderate climbs. Conditions were mostly dry but a lot of leaves down over roots. They felt much more secure than my Pythons. I rode faster and felt much more confident. I could feel them biting into the corners and when they did slip a bit a couple of times, they took hold again quickly. No crashes today! :D I hope to take them out on some more technical trails tomorrow or Monday. I'm psyched to ride some more. :) what a difference to have tires that better match the conditions in which I ride.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

Linda