Tyre Choice

Line five Mountain bike riders up and ask them which tyres are good.  Be prepared for many different answers.  In fact hopefully most will probably ask questions first.  How muddy and how technical is it?  Are you doing lots of downhill and climbing?  How much single track?  Loose over hard?

So this week has been confused week.  How do you choose a tyre when you can't answer the questions?

The short answer is I have no idea !!!  The long answer is buy 4 different types of tyres and see what you like. It's expensive and the tyres you choose may not be the best choice.

So I'm riding Portugal from one end to the other.  I've only ever been there once.  And that was to a city and no where near where I will be riding.  The only guide I've had is to look at pictures on Facebook and a few blogs from previous years.  It looks fast and fairly smooth with not to much technical spots.

I've been using Maxxis High Rollers for quite a few years.  Why?  Well they have never given me any issues and I've not destroyed one except for wearing the tread out.  They are great for all round UK riding but way to slow for the flatlands.  They are awesome for downhilling in the Alps.

I've purchased the following

• Maxxis High Roller 2.1
• Maxxis Monorail 2.1
• Maxxis Aspen 2.1
• Maxxis Crossmark 2.1

I'll be testing the Aspen on the front and Crossmark on the back very soon.  Hopefully they are nice and fast and they do look it.  They both have low treads so should be fast.  Not sure how the Crossmark will go in the mud as there is not much gap between the blocks on the centre of the tyre.  This is hopefully where the Monorail will help on the back.  In extreme wet I'll be switching back to trusted High Roller with possibly the Monorail on the front.

What's interesting is that road tyre choice seem to go along the same lines.  But isn't a road a road and surfaces fairly similar?  Not quite the same as getting the right tyre for the course on an MTB.