[DirtEveryDay]

Spring is here, and the ground is...FUN! dead weeds and long grasses, soggy clay and dead stuff. it's only this soppy for a few weeks, then it's seldom rest of the summer. My Kenda Nevegals are perfect for about everything here...when dry, but they have been packing up(like every other non-mud specific tire) pretty badly. We can't reach speeds to get them to self clean and they basically just ball up and shut me down when the fork/chainstays get plugged. There are no other features like rock, road, etc to worry about losing traction on, just the goo. So what do y'all think would happen if I non-sticked 'em??? Thin it would work, that is, think they'd self clean at very slow speeds? And i'm assuming the cooking spray would simply wear off mid ride anyway. I assume...

 

[PatBranch]

I've never heard of that. Try it.

I know R/C people put wd-40 on their tires, then dry them off after a day, and they become softer.

 

[S.K.C.]

I wouldn't recommed it.

Anything oil or petrol based will decompose rubber. It might work in the short term but in a few weeks you may find small cracks in the sidewall (if the oil/petrol gets there) or that knobs will literally be falling off the tread.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

...but you can eat it....

It's made outta Canola oil, Sunflower oil, and soybean oil. And it only adds "a trivial amount of fat..."

 

[S.K.C.]

Lol...

I think the best way to go would be to cut the knobs on the tire to open up the tread - if you do it correctly you'll maintain traction but get better mud-shedding ability.

How to do this for a Nevegal - I have no idea.

 

[PatBranch]

Maybe you should just get some wet screams or hookworms (they clean the best).

 

[SteezyWeezy]

hookworms fer sho:biggrin:

 

[pinkshirtphotos]

damn i just use road tires in the spring. it makes life so much easyer

 

[DirtEveryDay]

I've got wetscreams. New ones, even. But A: They're friggin SLOOOOOW. B: They're USELESS for anything other than mud and like I said, we don't have mud every day. Hell, we don't really even have mud every MONTH!
And honestly, if I actually had one 2.3 or 2.5 for a front, I prob would stick them on... But I only have a pair of 2.1s, which actually spec out to like 3/4" wide, and they dig slots and track like SH!T. By the time I did get a wider Scream orderd up, mud season would be over. No point in spending the money for it now.

And I also had another little theooy behind the non-stick spray... New tires, even tight void ones, clean great...until you leave the mdirty over night or let the msit in the sun for a bit while dirty. THEN they ball up and make like doughnuts. So me thinks there's just enough oil/residue of some sorts on the mfrom the molding process that helps them shed. Hence my question on the spray. How about spray butter? Slightly more fattening, though...

 

[Monkeybidnezz]

Been using Pledge for a few years, works awesome and smells good to boot. Pretty similar principal and no issues to date. Just be careful when near the rotor/brakes.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

THANKYOU! Geez! I knew there had to be SOME little garage tech trick that worked! It's just too easy to NOT be possible.

Any negative effects of it? Like lack of traction? Any certain fragrance I should go for?

 

[rosenamedpoop]

You should try Super-Tacky Swampthings in 2.35". They are made for mud and work really well there, but they are way more manageable than Wet Screams. Swampthings even work pretty well in the dry.

If you must cover your tires with something I suggest Pedro's Bike Lust. This is a silicon based "bike polish" designed to be applied to a clean frame to ward off dust/mud/grit/grime/etc. It works well and because it's silicon based your tires won't suffer. It also dries, so your tires won't be slimey (or waxy).

 

[Threepointtwo]

I have tried Pam in the WV greasy mud and it helped somewhat but not for long. After one good mud run, there was nothing left.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

One run is all I need.
And I thought about the Swampthings as well, but I'm unsure on the rear fitment...My 2.35 Kenda stuffs the rear chainstay, and I know Maxxis runs small, but don't know how long the lugs are. There are PLENTY of mud tires, just don't NEED them. I can stop every mile and poke the mud out with a stick if I have to. I'm just riding, no racing up here. Hence the quick easy fix and then the weather will be back to norm.

 

[pinkshirtphotos]

if silicon base is ok why not just use silicon spray?

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Hmm... cuz....that would be too easy? Isn't even our chain lubes and such a silcone lube?

 

[ChrisKring]

I used to use "Butter Favored Pam" spray on my SPD pedals to keep the mud out. The downside on tires is that it would wear off quick. I don't think you could get a run in. If this actually worked on tires, MX guys would be doing it.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

I hear ya... but the MX guys also have.... BRAAAAAAAAP! Clean tires.

 

[ChrisKring]

I hear ya... but the MX guys also have.... BRAAAAAAAAP! Clean tires.

So do you. Don't lock the brakes. If you look at the super fast guys (Hill, Peete, Rennie), they don't use the brakes in muddy areas. Thus, the mud get flung out of the tires.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

EEEERRRRRRR Wrong answer, Johnny! I'm in South Dakota. My local trails have(seriously) 200-300 feet of elevation change MAX...throughout the AREA, not the trail. Basically XC stuff that we manage to sneak some fun things in on. Like I said, not worth buying new tires for. I rarely get to leave the 26t ring until I can get out west, and then it's all granite. Don't need muds there....
And for brakes...I bet I could go 2 or 3 days without using brakes. Maybe a touch when we get to the parking lot so I don't hit my truck.

 

[rosenamedpoop]

One run is all I need.
And I thought about the Swampthings as well, but I'm unsure on the rear fitment...My 2.35 Kenda stuffs the rear chainstay, and I know Maxxis runs small, but don't know how long the lugs are. There are PLENTY of mud tires, just don't NEED them. I can stop every mile and poke the mud out with a stick if I have to. I'm just riding, no racing up here. Hence the quick easy fix and then the weather will be back to norm.

The 2.35" Swamptings are smaller (to the outer edge of the knobs) than Any Kenda 2.35" with knobs. They work well as a mud tire because of the tallish casing profile and widely spaced knobs. They also function well as a moist-to-dry tire because the knobs are much shorter than most mud tires. They shed mud very well without any slippery stuff on them, and probably even better with it.

 

[Kornphlake]

Mold release is silicone based. I'd give that a shot, it's less likley to degrade the rubber than petroleum based oils like WD 40 and I'm not exactly sure what a canola is or where it's oil comes from, I'll let McDonalds cook my fries in it but I'm not going to spray it on my bike. I've walked through factories where a little silicone mold release has been oversprayed onto the floor and it's slippery stuff, it will make the soles of your shoes slip on concrete for the rest of the day.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

I'm going to try the silicone lube as soon as my tires dry out fully. Anyone think a Blue Groove might clean better at slower speeds? I've had a newish 2.5 BG in the basement that I actually managed to forget about! I don't run it becasue the Nevs have been doing the job, and I know the BG's main arena is big rock. No chance of finding that here!

 

[slowracer]

dont use the silicon based ones, they evaporate really quick. use teflon spray, that stays on really long, for really muddy races i will clean my tires at the start line and apply the spray. otherwise pushing the bike up will clog it up anyways...

sonax also make a really good product, its a bike wash or spray thingy, you apply it after you clean your bike, then dirt wouldn.t stick on your bike so bad the next time its gets dirty.... it works very well, even if you just apply it when your bike is dirty...

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Thanks slow, I'm still playing with some ideas yet, mostly of finding a better slow speed mud shedding tire... maybe i'll get lucky and it'll be a rainy year! It's nice when the grounds actually a bit tacky around here!

 

[JRogers]

I'd be wary of the utility and effectiveness of any lubes, but I can vouch for the Swampthings. For muddy races, I've run a 2.5 ST front and 2.35 60d rear. On supper muddy stuff, the bike was on rails. On intermediate/mixed stuff (damp soil, some puddles, wet grass, rocks...), they are good as well. Way better on rocks and hard conditions than many other mud tires.

 

[mandown]

just an idea - try lube designed for "adult" toys. find the stuff that is safe for use with latex and your tires should not suffer any ill chemical reactions. that stuff is also designed for prolonged... umm..."friction fighting" and based on the intended use, it should last a full 3 minutes you can also find polish designed for latex clothing that might work too. it is similar to lube, but not the same.

 

[big-ted]

Is no one concerned about the effect that a layer of lubricating film will have on your tyre's adhesion to wet rots etc?

 

[dexter]

only on the frame

 

[Killerbarbies]

won't the adult toy lubricating gel also have the knock-on effect that at the end of your ride your tyres will rapidly deflate?