Best tyres for road / bridleway mix

[Gixxerman]

After my first off-road recently, I have discovered that they tyres on the second hand Trek 7400 I bought are next to useless off-road. They are the sort of tyres that you get on lower spec hybrids and have very little tread on them.
So I need some knobblies.
I will be riding on bridleways that are to be strung together by shortish sections of road (no public footpaths anymore - I have been educated by people on here).
It has been suggested to me to get a Continental Slash (Edge in some shops) for the rear, and a Continental Gravity for the front.
Thanks.

 

[Ticktockmy]

After my first off-road recently, I have discovered that they tyres on the second hand Trek 7400 I bought are next to useless off-road. They are the sort of tyres that you get on lower spec hybrids and have very little tread on them.
So I need some knobblies.
I will be riding on bridleways that are to be strung together by shortish sections of road (no public footpaths anymore - I have been educated by people on here).
It has been suggested to me to get a Continental Slash (Edge in some shops) for the rear, and a Continental Gravity for the front.
Thanks.

Really hard to say what to recommend, I use Panaracer FirXCPro 1.8 when I have the MTB set up for trails, but if I am using the bike for touring I change the tyres to Schwalbe Marathon XR, which has a claw type tread, and they love deep mud seem to grip the mub like shoot to a blanket. So one is a expedition tyre and one is a Cross country tyre.. and both seem to me to work well over a large range of different terrian.
I guess you can only try different ones over time to find what one suits your style of riding. One point I know thta some Peeps have different tyres and makes on the fornt and rear wheels.

 

[RedBike]

It all depends on just how much abuse you can withstand and how muddy things are.

Wider tyres will give you more 'suspension' and grip over rougher ground but you'll pay the price for a bigger tyre by having more rolling resistance and weight.

If the grounds very muddy then you want a tyre with very aggressive widely spaced tread. The trouble with mud tyres is they don't roll well and they have very little grip / they squirm all over the place on harder ground.

Most people tend to rate either the Panaraser Fire XC or the Panaracer Cinder as a good all-rounder tyre. They don't like deep mud, but they seem to cope with everything just fine.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have just ditched my panracer fire xc pro's - hated them. gave them 2 weeks on the bike and that was it. they were hard work and not very quiet on tarmac and on the bridlepaths I cycle, the grips just filled with mud/sand coating the tyres, making the bike much heavier and harder the handle and leaving me with little to no grip, then when I got to tarmac, for the 1st mile would simply spit mud/sand at me as I got up speed until the wet sand/mud had been loosened from the grips.

I have changed to Schwalbe Extreme's and love them, they have plenty of handling (better than the other set) on all of the bridlepaths and roads I commute on. I have had the Schwalbe Extreme's on since Saturday and have cycled everyday since then and much prefer them. The extreme's collect far less wet sand/mud than the others and loose it much more quickly - the grip is really good on my bike and the roll very quietly and quickly on tarmac.

Ask yourself the question - what is going to be the bigger part of your cycling? tarmar or bridlepaths? and then reconsider your tyre choice.

 

[Gixxerman]

Well for the most part it will be bridlepaths and the like.
I will only be using the roads to link up the paths.
I want something that will grip OK off-road on light mud / dirt / sand and not have too high a rolling resistance on the road.

 

[RedBike]

It's often worth putting up with a bit more rolling resistance on the roads for more grip and a better ride off-road.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It's often worth putting up with a bit more rolling resistance on the roads for more grip and a better ride off-road.

It might be - but I didn't get a better grip with the panracer fire xc pro's! I get the better grip off road (editted to add the word off road) (and better road use) from the Schwalbe Extreme's for some reason. In fact I got a better grip off road with the old (worn out and bald) manufacturer's tyres than with the panracers which has me totally perplexed and with 2 tyres I hate with around 200 miles on them.

 

[RedBike]

It might be - but I didn't get a better grip with the panracer fire xc pro's! I get the better grip off road (editted to add the word off road) (and better road use) from the Schwalbe Extreme's for some reason. In fact I got a better grip off road with the old (worn out and bald) manufacturer's tyres than with the panracers which has me totally perplexed and with 2 tyres I hate with around 200 miles on them.

It sounds as though your problem was caused by the tyre clogging. Once any tyre has clogged with mud or sand then it looses most of its grip.

The FireXC tyre, has got quite an aggressive but tightly packed tread. This means it rolls well on hardpack (roads) and hooks up well on loose ground, roots and rock. However, it unfortunately means it's not very good at shedding mud. If you ride in deep/thick mud or sand the tread will become clogged.

For a tyre to work well in sand it needs to have a large volume and shallow widely spaced knobbles/ ridges. The tyre needs to shed the sand quickly and it doesn't want to dig in too much. Effectively something like your Schwalbe Extreme's. Unfortunately this sort of tyre isn't the best when it comes to wet roots or deep mud.

For deep mud you want the tyre to dig in as much as possible. So you want the tyre to be thin, large knobbles (again widely spaced).

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It sounds as though your problem was caused by the tyre clogging. Once any tyre has clogged with mud or sand then it looses most of its grip.

The FireXC tyre, has got quite an aggressive but tightly packed tread. This means it rolls well on hardpack (roads) and hooks up well on loose ground, roots and rock. However, it unfortunately means it's not very good at shedding mud. If you ride in deep/thick mud or sand the tread will become clogged.

For a tyre to work well in sand it needs to have a large volume and shallow widely spaced knobbles/ ridges. The tyre needs to shed the sand quickly and it doesn't want to dig in too much. Effectively something like your Schwalbe Extreme's. Unfortunately this sort of tyre isn't the best when it comes to wet roots or deep mud.

For deep mud you want the tyre to dig in as much as possible. So you want the tyre to be thin, large knobbles (again widely spaced).

Sounds exactly like the probem - but to date every morning and evening has been wet and muddy cycling home across the same route as using the FireXC's and I have found the handling on the Extreme's better and with few if any issues over the wet roots, and all tyres will have issues with the mud I cycle through. I did try perservering with the FireXC's (2 weeks and 200 miles) but they are thankfully off the bike now... they were ok on roads but I found them hardwork on tarmac and noticed it considerably. For my purposes I have found a better tyre.

I did post some weeks ago about the route and tyre recommendation... (post link) and after much hard work and expense (& 3 sets of tyres later) have found the best option to be the Schwalbe Extreme's. They don't clog as easily - when the do (which they do) they unclog faster and at lower speeds and handling across the nature reserve I cycle has been fantastic (I cover every type of surface in my 45 min commute). They have shown very little handling change between the surfaces I commute (with the exception of hitting soft dry sand or deep mud) and given that the OP is suggesting road and bridlepath, I'm not so convinced that the FireXC's are the best option for him and was just commenting on my experience with them... I don't find wet roots or mud, just not deep mud (roots & mud are a large part of my route across the common) to be an issue and there has not yet been any issue with loss of grip and I would notice it considerably with me not being fully able bodied. Anyhow it is just a different opinion for the OP, but my FireXC's won't be any good for him because they are 26's not 700's...

 

[RedBike]

On no!!!!!!!
I hadn't realised the Trek 7400 was a 700c hybrid.

In that case (assuming there's enough clearance) you need to look at some of the cyclocross tyres.
http://www.wiggle.co...s_-_Cyclocross/

I can recommend the Panaracer Cindercross and the Mitchelin Mud 2. But both are rather expensive but they work well in the muddy gloop you get a cx races. Both are relatively quick on the road BUT I suspect they'd wear out alarmingly quickly.

Next time I need a set I will probably go for the Conti Speed kings.
http://www.parker-in...ampaign=pid7563

 

[Gixxerman]

Oh no!
I hadn't realised I had suffered a bout of dyslexia. It is a Trek 4700.
What a pilock I am.
Can moderators please edit my first post please.

 

[homercles]

My regular ride is 50/50 road/bridleway and I have been impressed with the Scwalbe Marathon Cross tyres that I have used for most of this year. They are narrow (1.75in) and low profile so give very low rolling resistance on tarmac and compacted soil but also surprisingly good grip in mud and loose gravel even at very high pressures and the mud doesn't cling to them like knobblies. They also have good puncture resistance and very low wear and with prices as low as £15 each a bargain imo! I have even ridden on them on several red and black MTB trails and the only place they have struggled is Cannock Chase when its wet as they offer very little cornering grip or traction on the shiny rocky surface and they are not designed to be run at low pressures.

 

[Gixxerman]

Went for a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Cross in the end.
Found some for £15 (reduced from £22) from Spa Cycles.
First class delivery for only £3 also.
I will fit then at the weekend and go out and get dirty.
I will report back here what I think.

 

[Gixxerman]

I can't try them out this weekend as Spa Cycles have sent me the wrong ones.
I asked for 26's and they sent me 700c.
I even says 26's on the dispatch note. Damn.

 

[Cubist]

I can't try them out this weekend as Spa Cycles have sent me the wrong ones.
I asked for 26's and they sent me 700c.
I even says 26's on the dispatch note. Damn.

I saw this all too late, but to reassure you, if you do send the Schwalbes back, your proposed combination of Slash/Edge rear and Gravity front is a great combination, I run it on my XC. Rear has loads of traction on sloppier surfaces and the front really sticks well. Both are great value, esp if bought online, but be aware the compound is softish and will not last a lifetime......!