Often maligned or completely overlooked your tyre choice has a massive impact on your ride. So with some big stage races in mind Full Sus put six sets of tyres to the test for you – sus out our #MTBTyreReview.
It should be said that any tyre review is certainly subjective. We have not experienced any bad tyres but there are certainly tyres that perform better under certain conditions, or for body weights, terrain, and type or style of riding. All these need to be factored in when considering tyres. We haven’t tested the lightweight tyres as we feel the marginal gains in weight are offset by sturdiness and durability – as well as cost. We believe the majority of riders would (or should) rather have an additional 200 grams on a tyre, which will not only perform beter but will also last longer and offer greater reliability than the lightweight alternative.
Vittoria
Front: Peyote 2.25 | Rear: Saguaro 2.2 | www.vittoria.com | Tester: Seamus Allardice
The combination of Vittoria’s fast rolling 2.2 inch wide Saguaro at the back and their more aggressively lugged 2.25 inch wide Peyote have clocked up around 150km on all sorts of terrain over the last month. It would have been more but I’ve been testing bikes too. My first impressions were positive, the tyres roll with less resistance than the 2.3 wide Ground Controls I had on the bike before, and on tar road stretches there is far less road noise. They love dry, rocky and dusty trails, but where they did feel noticeably less secure was on muddy or wet terrain. That’s exactly what the packaging suggested though, so no surprises there. What impressed me most is their apparent durability, they’re not exactly lightweight (Peyote 720g & Saguaro 780g) and both feature sturdy sidewalls. I rode the harsh trails of Piket-Bo-Berg and never had to worry for an instant about punctures (or a loss of grip). The Piket trails are very much in line with what you can expect on the Tankwa Trek or the Robertson/Wellington days of the Epic, so they’re tyres I’d highly recommend for harsh, rocky races – where puncture resistance trumps light weight.
Innova-Pro
Front and Rear: Team Transformer Boutique 29’r Tires 2.10| www.2wheelsafrica.co.za | Tester: Adrian Winsor
When Shayne dropped a couple of new tyres on the table and said ‘try these’. I was immediately suspicious. Words printed on the box such as ‘Boutique’, environmentally friendly plant design’ and ‘we promise to encourage tree planting’ are not normally associated with performance tyres, not to mention that they spell tyres with an ‘i’.
Inflating the tyre to 2.5 bars I climbed the Long Green route at Bottelary to give it a workout on one of the steepest climbs in the trail system. Even at that pressure and me standing on the pedals out of the saddle the tyre showed impressive levels of grip, refusing to spin out. Deflating to 2 bars for the descent enhanced the ride comfort and gave it a more planted feeling. The outside lugs grip well in corners and the shorter ones in the centre keep rolling resistance low whilst still giving enough friction to keep you on the trail. The extra weight comes from a thicker carcass, especially the side walls, so expect this tyre to be tough. Buy if you are a tree-hugger who values longevity over performance. Leave on the shelf if you are a weight-weenie, as the 700g weight will upset you greatly.
Specialized
Front: Purgatory Grid 2BR 2.3 | Rear: Ground Control 2.3 | RRP R559 & R489 | www.specialized.com/za | Tester: Shayne Dowling
Specialized take everything about their products seriously so you know you are getting quality and a heap of R&D with their tyres – in fact tyres were the first products to be produced by Specialized. I found the Ground Control to be superb. It just works on all terrains that I tested it on. I had to play with the air pressure at first and found a sweet spot off-road at about 1.9 bar after which the tyre never gave me a minute’s concern. Traction was excellent in both fast corners and when climbing. I really enjoyed that while accumulating a lot of mileage in training the tyre rolled nicely and never felt heavy. I did on the other hand battle with the Purgatory – it ticks all the boxes when it comes to sidewall technology. The Grid casing ensures no problems in rocky terrain and the tread profile is great for mud that doesn’t have too much clay content, with its chunky side knobs making cornering a synch – however I was never really comfortable on our drier, fast rolling tracks and had to play with the air pressure quite frequently. This is definitely a tyre for the rough stuff and is superb in the rock garden and gnarly tracks but not something I would want to be on for a 3 hour plus stage ride. It will be my go to tyre when Tokai opens up again for sure though.
Mavic
Front and Rear: Crossmax Quest 29 x 2.35 | www.mavic.co.za | Tester: Shayne Dowling
This was my first ride with Mavic tyres. As I have said before there are a number of factors which influence your tyre choice and they all came together perfectly for me with the Mavis Quests – I absolutely love them. They are not the fastest rolling tyre out there but they are steady. They have a really soft feeling compound and this may compromise durability. The Mavic sealant which came with the set is sure to take care of any minor punctures but to date I haven’t seen so much as a white speck! The tyres are really sticky and I love that – it inspires confidence. I can run them at really low air pressures and get over, down, around anything I have come across so far – not a burp or a wallow – and I’m not a light guy. I have pumped them up and chugged up Hoogekraal no problem, let them down a bit and murdered the Cobra. Like all the tyres tested side walls are reinforced but the tyre still feels light and is so damn comfortable! I will be taking these bad boys with me on the Berg and Bush for a real test. I can’t see them letting me down.
Maxxis
Front: Ikon: 2.2 | Rear: Crossmark 2.1 | www.maxxis.co.za | Tester: Shayne Dowling
At some stage in your MTB career you would probably have ridden on a Maxxis tyre – more than likely the Crossmark or the Ikon. They are probably the go to tyre for most and certainly a tyre you will see on all types of bikes across all terrain. They are lighter than you would expect with good sidewall protection. These two tyres are not as chunky as some of the others we have tested and the Crossmark is narrower and has a really low rolling resistance. I have done a W2W on this pairing and despite being loose in the mud with less traction in the wet, they behaved superbly. In the dry and on hard surfaces they are a winner. The Ikon certainly gives you more confidence and needed traction on the rockier bits and is still very much a XC tyre that offers good speed. These are dry summer tyres for me, perfect for long distances where you need speed and reliability at good value. If this fits your riding description then the Maxxis Ikon and Crossmark combo are a great choice.
Bontrager
Front: XR2 Team Issue 2.2 | Rear: XR1 Team Issue 2.2 | www.trekbikes.com/za | Tester: Richard Pieterse
I have been running the Bontrager Team Issue XR1 rear and XR2 front combination on and off over the past two years and loving them. I have run other brands during this time but always gravitated back to the Bontrager. The tyres have held up well over time, across various terrain and riding surfaces from hard packed dirt, rocky roads and roots, plus a fair amount of road riding.
The majority of the wear that is evident can be seen on the XR2 due to tread pattern, but this is by in large from training on the road – which the tyre is not designed for. The knobs don’t tear off like I’ve experienced with some of the other brands, but they do lose their original sharp edge. The tread pattern on the XR1 consist of a simple regular small knob pattern, while the XR2 consist of more shoulder knobs for better cornering traction, while having minimal centre tread for improved rolling speed. The XR1 rolls extremely well, while providing good traction, while the XR2 provides that extra bit of traction on the front when cornering as well as at speed.
Choosing your tyres
When selecting your next set of tyres here are a few things to consider.
- Your Riding
What terrain do you ride? Answering this honestly will ensure you get the right rubber on your bike. Putting 2.4s on you bike if you hardly ever leave the tar is silly. But fitting 2.0s because they were the cheapest and then doing an Enduro is just dangerous (we’ve seen it happen).
- Tyre Width
Don’t be afraid of a wider tyre. 2.3 inches wide is ideal if you want confidence in the singletracks. If you do more gravel road racing then narrower is still better, look for a sweet spot around 2.0 or even 1.9 inches.
- Tread Pattern – Rear
Look for densely packed lugs, which don’t jut out aggressively down the centre of the tyre. That should be a sign that they’ll offer low rolling resistance. But if you want grip the lugs closest to the sidewalls should feature more dispersed and aggressive lugs.
- Tread Pattern – Front
A more aggressive tyre upfront is always a good bet if you’re riding a mix of singletracks and gravel roads. If you’re a trail shredder you’re probably a tyre choice guru by now. And if you clock up most of your mileage on gravel roads then you should go for the same tyre as you have on the back wheel.
- Casings
Not all rubber is made equal. Sometimes the lugs look just right but the grip just doesn’t match. The mixing of rubber compounds is a dark art, just watch an F1 race if you don’t believe us. So we suggest sticking to well established brands – for the tyres on your bike as well as those on your car.
- Durability vs Weight
You need to trade off the weight gains against the potential for punctures. If you’re doing a stage race we’d council a safety first approach as tearing a hole in a sidewall can leave you with a long and miserable walk home. Also a heavier casing should in theory wear down slower, meaning more miles before you need another set.
