29er tires

[m_monahan]

Any recommendations on 29er tires? I just bought a 2011 Trek Cobia and it has the Bontrager tires on it. I don’t like them at all. I have used them for about 35 miles so far and i just don’t like how they handle in mud or any surface needing a little extra grip. They slide way too easy. Thanks for your help in advance!

[dozzerboy]

Depends, Where do you live? What terrain do you ride? What is more important? Grip or speed? Do you care about weight?

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

"dozzerboy" wrote

What terrain do you ride? What is more important? Grip or speed?

"m_monahan" wrote

i just don’t like how they handle in mud or any surface needing a little extra grip.

Unfortunately, I don’t know what to recommend for mud as we seldom have mud out here and I don’t ride in it.

[dozzerboy]

I believe IMBA has a rule about riding on muddy trails. Or is it just an etiquette thing?

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

I think it varies from trail to trail, and it’s always an etiquette thing.

Some places are so consistently wet though that some mud riding is inevitable.

[Jeff Barber]

I’ve been doing a little mud riding myself over the last few weeks and I’ve gone through a number of different 29er tires over the last 2 years. Riding muddy trails isn’t kosher most places, but that isn’t to say you won’t run into muddy sections even on dry trails. I’ve gotten into the worst mud recently on horse/ATV trails.

I’m running Maxxis Ardent UST 29×2.25 tires up front right now and they’re working well in the mud – good cornering and grip plus they shed well. I don’t like the Hutchinson Pythons in the mud (or the dry for that matter) – they’re too "square shaped" in profile.

Next up I plan on running Specialized "The Captain" tires – they seem to offer a good trade-off between traction and rolling resistance. Most of the other 29er tires I’ve run are more XC/hardpack oriented and work well – just not in the slop.

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