[manteufel]

I am buying a new set of wheels for rainy and wet weather. Some mud, wet rocks and roots.

What tires should i put on?

I was thinking (29ers):

Option 1 Magic mary front and back (2.35)

Option 2 Minion dhf 2.5 WT front and forekaster 2.35 back

Anything better? Nothing slower rolling than a minion please.

 

[davideb87]

Magic mary soft sucks on wet rocks and roots

 

[manteufel]

What about the E13 TSR?

 

[Curveball]

I'm having good luck with a WTB Vigilante on the front. Rear is a Spec. Eliminator which is working better than I expected.

This is in PacNW wet roots and rocks.

 

[dwyooaj]

hold out for the upcoming wtb verdict wet

 

[Lone Rager]

As a general rule, I like more smaller knobs than fewer larger knobs for slippery wet rocks and roots.

 

[manteufel]

So something like a xr2 or recon would be better?

 

[jimPacNW]

I've had good luck with Vittoria Barzo in wet, those would be about my 1st choice, because they also do dry well. I may be in the minority, but I also have had good luck with Spec Ground Controls in wet.

 

[One Pivot]

Are you guys really getting good performance on wet roots?

I've used a lot of tires, and I can honestly say, they've all been terrible on wet roots. Either I hop the root or hit it straight on, or Im just sliding off it. Zero traction. The roots here are mostly large glass-slick redwood roots though. Maybe other roots are substantially different, but chasing traction on roots seems like an uphill battle.

 

[Lone Rager]

Are you guys really getting good performance on wet roots?...

Good performance on roots means getting a slight amount of traction rather than absolutely none.

 

[Curveball]

Good performance on roots means getting a slight amount of traction rather than absolutely none.

This statement is so true!

 

[ashwinearl]

Hans Dampf trail star for front ( I haven't tried Addix), WTB trailboss light/high grip rear. Others that have worked well (meaning better than most), Chunkey monkey/smorgasbord, Vittoria gato, maxxis Beaver, SE2

My opinion for front tires for wet roots is more smaller knobs, rounder profile, minimize open areas on tread, soft rubber compound. I've found that tires advertised as mud tires are typically not good as wet root tires. Mud tires have tall, spiky knobs for punching into the ground. I find that these squirm on wet roots/rocks.

Tires like an HR2 in grippy rubber were ok straight line. But the large open area with no tread would slide immediately when leaned over just a bit.

The downside is that I don't corner as aggressively with my wet root specific tires compared to a dry set of tires where I like to go a little squarer.

The beaver was the best, but it only came in a very narrow 2.0, so flatted easily or got knocked off line.

 

[NordieBoy]

I liked the 2.35 Ikon at 20psi on roots.
Good compound and suppleness.

 

[eshew]

Dhf 3c

 

[Muddy-Runs]

Magic mary soft sucks on wet rocks and roots

My experience with the Magic Mary soft is completely the opposite - once i changed the tires to MM front and HD in the back (from HD front\RR rear) i got full grip on wet and muddy conditions.

Someone tried or using the MM as a rear tire? Im wondering how it be will...

that been said, my next set i will be DHF\DHR2, never tried them and i want to see why everyone rave about them.

 

[Miker J]

DHF 2.5 WT in a 3C front and rear. Run at least an i30 rim, ideally an i35, drop the psi a bit and thank me later. Maybe a 2.6 DHF 3C up front. Depends how hard you want to push the bike.

Got a nice pic to attach but mtbr keeps flipping it. This place is getting glitchy. All the delays from the ads/spam, posting issues,.... Sup ??? I'm stuck inside with the flu and cranky.

Got it. Learned to crop it a hair. Somehow that "resets" something.

 

[Kolchak]

Last year was a very wet year in PA and I had a lot of luck with the 2.4 wide Maxxis High Roller 2 in a 3c compound. I don't know how it rolls in relation to a DHR/DHF but it is not real fast. I ride lots of roots,rocks, and mud, and this worked best. I am running ONZA IBEX 2.4 now which is also great in mud but the slightly harder compound slips on roots and rocks a little more. I think the soft 3c compound and equivalent is really what helps over tread pattern for rock and root traction.

 

[Gman086]

DHF front and rear as others have stated. I prefer the narrower sizes for mud (at least for the rear tire) as the wider ones spin out with more surface area whereas the smaller ones sink in and get traction sooner (why most mud specific tires are actually narrow). DHR2 is a nightmare on wet roots because the longer horizontal knobs slide out. The HR2 sheds mud well but doesn't have aggressive enough knobs to bite good enough. Pacific NW rider so I ride in a lot of wet conditions...

Have FUN!

G MAN