I was looking at the Mud 2s as they seemed pretty light, reasonably priced and the tread seems like a good compromise. We don’t get super muddy stuff down here in Georgia for most cross races, lot of wet grass, sand and with the drought a lot of hard pack.
Thanks,
Andrew
the michelins are nice, yes. hard to beat.
Trukweaz suggested those to me as well for when it gets muddy or snowy. I just bought 4 from Biketiresdirect. They seemed to have the best pricing for them.
Thanks a lot. That’s a heck of an endorsement for a tire so maybe I’ll try them out this season as well.
the new Maxxis Raze is an awesome tire. raced it last weekend and loved it.
If you are talking clinchers the Mich mud and the Challenge Griffo are the two main offenders when it is wet. When it is dry and fast there are a bunch of semislick with ridges on the sides or even the diamond tread tires to contend with.
Pressure is just as important as tread. So a softer Mich Mud will trump a harder Grifo or vice versa on some venues. I have never figured the pressure thing out. Some days I am golden and others it seems like grandma has her tires dialed in better than me. That is why the Euro pros have about 15 sets of wheels in the quiver to choose from. Tires and pressures do win cross races, much like skiiers and wax. So pay attention to what the others are doing.
Griffos cost almost twice as much as Mich Muds and would be hard pressed to argue that they are twice as good. There are a couple of online dealers with Mich muds on sale for like $32. I like both of those tires a lot. There are a bunch of folks that like the Tufos, I have not had much experience with them. The new sheriff in town seems to be Maxxis. They are working hard at their cycling division and have a good mtb history behind theme, and Hutchinson has some new stuff coming as well.
I don’t think you can go wrong with Mich Muds or Challenge Griffos on one set of wheels and one of the smoother tires on another set of wheels.
Thank you
.
Thank you very much. Any suggestions for dry fast tires? Are the Michelin Jets or Panaracer CrossBlaster good?
Was it wet or dry? Man that is a really light tire.
it was dry, with a good amount of loose dirt. they worked like a champ.
Again, I don’t claim to be an expert, but I think the old Ritchey speedmax for the low money is a pretty fast smooth tire. I have not run the Mich Jet, but you see plenty of them on the courses. Then there is the is the thick and thin tire debate. I think clinchers are better wide in all circumsstance due to the pinch flat issue and lower pressures. I think the tubie guys can play with the narrow profile during certain conditions and riding at unreal low pressures for increased sticksion. That is a cross specific term for making a tire stick in an impossible situation, which some folks other than me can do in ways I can’t even dream of.
I think that the Ritchey Speedmax tires are pretty good. I can get away with running pretty low pressure (for clinchers) with those. I usually run about 40 in back and 38 in front.
I am probably quite a bit heavier than you and add about 5-7 lbs on your numbers. But we are pretty close on numbers. Interesting too is to practice on low low pressures. It feals really strange from 50-60psi to 35-45. Not something to save for race day. I have heard the rule of thumb is to decrease your tire pressure a tad after every race until it gets to the best psi for you. Starting out from your 120psi road tires to 40 psi is a huge change. Some things are better eaten in smaller bites.