Its winter time, the hard tail is out and some new mud tyre`s put on.
Been a big fan of Schwalbe Nobby Nics I decided on some Dirty Dans. The Nobby Nics perform great in a lot of conditions, including mud, but with my local trails beginning to get a bit sticky and riding a lot more, I went for a change.
Riding mainly XC and using a lot of roads to link up the trails, I went for the 2.0" width to reduce drag and also to cut through the mud for more grip. They also come in 2.35", which did seem a little too wide for general XC use.
On first impressions the blocks look well spaced apart to allow mud to be cleared from the tread and fairly deep to cut through the gloop. They did take some fitting to run tubeless on my mavic 721 rims, but once on they haven't been a problem.
With the soft compound I was expecting them to drag a little on tarmac, but on the first ride I was pleasantly surprised with the speed of them.On wet rocks and roots the lugs grip really well, but the tyres excel in the stuff they have been designed for, the mud.
I felt the difference more on the climbs. On the short, steep, ascents of my local trails they perform really well, offering me grip where other tyres haven't before. Allowing me to even get out of the saddle, instead of anchoring my bum on the seat for traction.
With the spacing of the blocks there is no problems with mud clogging up the tyre, they appear to be cleared as soon as the tyre leaves the ground, giving a mud free tyre to dig into the mud again.
I just wish I`d have changed to a winter tyre sooner.
Twitter: @AndyCole_AMR
No comments:
Post a Comment