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The rear tyre on my rigid El Mariachi needs replacing, I was all over the place when I went for a muddy ride on Friday night
I have a Maxxis High Roller 2 and Ardent combo on my Solaris but they are draggy as anything on the road, I'm looking for something less draggy than that
Most of my riding is fairly tame, I do local paths and tracks most of the time with some XC type riding thrown in. The regular 3 mile loop is tarmac'd, but I often go further and those rides then to be muddy
So requirements are:
Cheap(ish), I know it's relative but the cheaper the better
Can be set up tubeless
Grippy enough in the mud
Not too bad on tarmac
I can't remember what's on the front but if it matters I'll check tonight. It's going on a Mavic 319 rim if that matters
PS - I'm aware i'm probably asking for a tyre with a foot in completely different camps, but hey, it's the internet!
beaver
Have a look at this [url= http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews ] rolling resistance chart[/url] - how good a tyre is on the road is inversely proportional to it's rolling resistance. Of the ones on here, Schwalbe Rocket Rons are the best in the mud, and roll pretty fast too.
Storm
I asked this, I was told Specialized Butcher/Purgatory, and they are pretty decent. Not as good as super mud tyres but decent enough, and they are fine on road.
At £30 a pop they aren't bargain bin but that's quite good for folding tubeless ready tyres.
Beaver in wire version. £18.99 on CRC.
But Beavers are soooooooo slow!!!
Maxxis Ignitor?
They seem to roll OK and will work in mud until it is really sticky from my experience
I'm running this on the back of my hardtail that I also commute on:
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/wtb-vigilante-comp-tyre/rp-prod128382 ]Vigilante[/url]
Cheap, grippy, goes up fine tubeless and is fine on tarmac if pumped up hard.
You can't have grip in the mud AND fast rolling... That tyre doesn't exist! Everything is a compromise...
The Beaver is about the fastest rolling of the dedicated winter/mud tyres. The Ardent you're running at the moment is relatively fast rolling (the HR2 up front a LOT less so) but already not much use in the slop.
I'm sorry, but you can't have your cake and eat it!
He wants an all-rounder, that's what he's asking for.
Butcher/Purgatory, I'm tellin ya.
I'd say a butcher is quite draggy
Compared to what?
Compared to something that's rideable in mud?
Trad mud tyre - storm, beaver, mud x - I could go on
I want my cake, I want to eat it, I want it to be low calorie and I want it to be free. This is STW right?
I know it's going to be a compromise, I just want the compromise in the right balance
So shortlist is Maxxis Beaver, Specialized Butcher or Specialized Storm Control
I'd go for the beaver over storm, beavers are very good all rounders, I didn't even bother taking them off this summer.
racing ralphs or a full on mud tyre for me. nothing really sits in the middle and works that well imo.
Jones mud-x
Moon on a stick in my opinion.
But if you want cheapish, grippyish and not completely horrible on tarmac try a On-One Smorgasbord.
just fit a thunder burt and get used to sliding around 😉
The Beaver is about the fastest rolling of the dedicated winter/mud tyres.
This.
Nanos. Not a mud tyre at all but suprisingly predictable and capable in the wet and about the only thing I can think of that won't feel like the same sort of drag as ardents or HRs on tarmac.
on tarmac .. forget it : )Specialized Storm Control
I just fitted a 29x2.2 Mud-x to the front of my el-mariachi. It was like riding with the front brake on all the time!Jones mud-x
For me ive used Vredestein Black-Panther-xtreme for the last few years. Bit worn now but still quite consistent. Sit somewhere between a ralph and a nobby-nic. The el-mar is good fun in winter but full mud tyres rob it of its zip and just turn it into a slab of dead feeling iron. So unless you need them, and it sounds like you dont, id say just get a new all-round xc tyre like those above.
Purgatory for the rear. Not brilliant at anything but kind of fits your description.
The four you've shortlisted all roll way slower than an Ardent.
You need a Mac's Sis Moononastick with Flying Pig compound.
Oh and no idea if the do a 29 version but my favourite winter tyre always used to be the panaracer Fire xc pro - cheap and good!
anything but kind of fits your description.
And pretty awful in the mud... And very slow rolling...
NOT what the OP was after!
Purgatory is an ok tyre in the right environments, just not these. If buying Specialized, the 2.1" Ground Control would make more sense. The new Maxxis Minion DHR2 2.3" in the standard dual compound (rather than the more expensive 3C) is remarkably fast rolling for the amount of grip it gives. It's reasonably good in the soft conditions too, though won't match a Beaver or other dedicated mud tyre in the slop.
And pretty awful in the mud... And very slow rolling...
I'd say it's OK in both respects.
DHR2 is slower rolling IME. Slightly wider and with deeper knobs. About the same in mud, DHR2 maybe slightly better than the Purg.
Have ridden both in 29er a lot.
For me ive used Vredestein Black-Panther-xtreme for the last few years. Bit worn now but still quite consistent. Sit somewhere between a ralph and a nobby-nic
This.
Ground control is a possibility fit the rear, but definitely avoid on the front. Vredestein front ground control rear was what I ran last winter, works reasonably well and rolls OK
Hutchinson Toronto
Pretty awesome at everything.
Moon On Stick- HR2/Ardent is already fast rolling, there's nothing faster rolling that's half decent in mud. Unless you want to go with bravery and a semi-slick rear- Slaughter or Thunder Burt or similiar, something with great speed but essentially no grip at all in a straight line. But cornering grip, when you lean it
Specialized Captain might be worth a look- it's about as fast as an Ardent but quite a bit better at mud. Though hard to find in 2.2 in the UK and that's probably what you'd want.
Beavers, I've had summer tyres that roll worse.
Sidewalls on the non grid Purgatory aren't the strongest. I've just replaced a ripped Purgatory with a Spec Slaughter out back to go with Butcher up front. So far so good - fast rolling and good corner grip.
Molgrips has my vote - Butcher & Purgatory here on my 29er and they seem to cope with everything - winter South Downs gloop excepted.
The only word of advice I give is to go for the Grid carcass on the rear tyre.
I'm just switching off the Purgatory/Ground Control for a pair of S-works FastTraks I picked up for £15ea in the Corleys Black Friday sale. These are for my mucky commute which is 10 miles back lanes / 4 miles un finished dirty tow path with off camber slime... I'll report back.
padkinson - Member
Have a look at this rolling resistance chart -
The chart stops before anything I'd consider 😉 I'm impressed with my ardent races for a compromise tyre
No such a thing as a slow tyres - all you have to do is to push those pedals a bit harder! 😆
To be honest I think the Beavers are really nice on tarmac. I commute on them everyday, normally it is about 30% woods (mud, roots, rocks) and the rest is solid roads - so tested properly 😉
I would also recommend a smorgasbord - if you pump them right to the max they are ok on tarmac, you'd just need to let some out when you get to the singletrack
Vittoria/GEAX suguaros.
I think they should be cheap enough, I commute to work on them and can still take the long way home.
Thanks for all the tips
The front is running a purgatory at the moment, so a butcher makes the most sense
one last question, is the grid carcass worth the extra fiver?