Tire options for desert/moutain terrain?

[123bybye]

I ride around Palm Springs and Twentynine Palms etc…
And I just got a new bike and have managed to destroy the tires it came with but I have no Idea wich ones are best for the terrain I ride in. Its alot of down hill and uphill moutainous terrain with loose gravel and sand. As well as alot of solid rock.
I just want some tires that will last a while and have some better grip for my terrain.

Thanks for the help, im new here so hello to everyone as well.

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

They’re not the lightest tire, but for traction and toughness check out WTB Velociraptors.

I’ve used them in Colorado and Utah on terrain similar to yours and they work well.

[Dorado]

Your trails sound a lot like mine. I used to ride with the tires that came on my bike until I wore them out. Now I’m running Panaracer FireXCpro front and rear. They are directional tires and they bite like a rabid pit bull. I’ve run them on loose dry silt beds, mud, rocks, roots, gravel, wet and dry. They are a slower tire but they grip very well.
But I think that before we go making suggestions, we could use a bit more information.
What kind of trails are you riding? XC, DH, Technical, heavy roots, etc.
What is your skill level/experience?
What kind of bike are you riding? HT, FS? Though that may have less to do with your tires as much as our curiosity.

Welcome to the community. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to answer them either.

[stumpyfsr ✓ supporter]

In my opinion if You ride sand and rocks better get a wide high-volume knobbie tires so You’ll have enough traction in sand and will not suffer from pinch flats on rocks. And more aggressive tread will shed mud when starts raining on the middle of the ride. Big knobs also provide stability and traction on loose rocks too. I rode my Purgatory 29×2.2 in Colorado, Utah with no problems. Cut sidewall in Arizona, but this could happen anywhere. Also tried Schwalbe Fat Albert on the rental ASR-7 and those tires worked great on Slickrock and Whole Enchelada too. Try to ask people at LBS – they must ride Your trails and will offer some good combo of price/quality.
Good luck. 😀

[123bybye]

Thanks for the answers, the velociraptors look pretty badass but look like they will suck majorly on the street, and some of the time i like to ride my bike to the trails, how bad are they on pavement?

(What kind of trails are you riding? XC, DH, Technical, heavy roots, etc.
What is your skill level/experience?
What kind of bike are you riding? HT, FS?)

I ride XC, DH and technical. Havent really ran into roots around here except for big bear. But I ride anything I can get to honestly.
Im just an intermediate rider, x motocrosser who loves to ride bikes and isnt afraid to try much.
FS 2011 Trek FuelEX 7

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

"123bybye" wrote

how bad are they on pavement?

bad

[capbenedict]

If you ride in the 29 Palms area you must live in the high desert. I live in JT. Right now I’m running a specialized GC 2.3 in the rear and an older Weirwolf 2.5 in the front. This is the best combo for the local trails and fireroads I have had so far but here’s my opinion on some tires I have run in the past (I’m an older rider, 52, but raced moto x and even BMX cruiser class with my kids…I am not slow on the trails):
Mutano’s 2.4 great all a round tire just not awe inspiring in the turns. Not for me but my buddy loves them. Specialized Captain 2.2 is a great tire and rails pretty well but it seems to dive a bite in the sandy stuff…I weigh about 200. Nevegal 2.35 rocks out hear but they are heavy and don’t roll that well; for just singletrack and sand they do well. another one of my kids likes the small block 8 but says they don’t do well in the sand but he has the 2.0…he too weighs 200…he has the GC up front an dloves it.

I will be getting a WTb Bronson 2.3 for my rear. I tore my GC sidewall and it has a small buldge that’s ready to let go. If you end up with Specialized tires the S-works sidewalls just don’t do that well out hear but the control versions do great. I’ve also run the fire XC but it just didn’t do it for me.

enjoy

[Author]

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