I think Im probably going to need real mud tires for an upcoming race. Im not going to buy wetscreams as Im only going to probably use them for one race. So anybody have a good CHEAP alternative? I normally run minnions if that matters to anybody.
Off the grid mud tire
- Thread starter freeridefool
- Start date
my minions always did good in mud, maybe its just me haha
Id try and find a used set of wet screams or dirty dans... Ive ran those and minions and theres no comparison in the muck.
Are you racing the GRT or what????
Im sporting Dirty dans on the other wheelset for the NW series stuff.
Are you racing the GRT or what????
Im sporting Dirty dans on the other wheelset for the NW series stuff.
Last edited:
What's cheap? CRC has Maxxis Swampthings - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4616
Even cheaper, and closer to home:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/TI405A08-Maxxis+Swampthing+Tire.aspx
Edit: Though it seems they're now out of the super tacky =(
Last edited:
Sorry for the spam, but...
I have a set of 2.2 wetscreams I'll sell you for $30 plus shipping. One has never been used (but it has been carted around to races) and the other was used for maybe 3 runs at most. I can ship them today.
I have a set of 2.2 wetscreams I'll sell you for $30 plus shipping. One has never been used (but it has been carted around to races) and the other was used for maybe 3 runs at most. I can ship them today.
Here ya go!!!Sorry for the spam, but...
I have a set of 2.2 wetscreams I'll sell you for $30 plus shipping. One has never been used (but it has been carted around to races) and the other was used for maybe 3 runs at most. I can ship them today.
I've been riding the Tioga Black Turtle and really like it. It's a little harder compound than the wet scream but seems to track really well. I can't compare it to the Wet Scream as it's the only mud tire I've tried. It seems to be popular around the Portland area, though, which says something. I think you can find it cheap, too.
whoa! how about a local get that...I'll even save you delivery.Sorry for the spam, but...
I have a set of 2.2 wetscreams I'll sell you for $30 plus shipping. One has never been used (but it has been carted around to races) and the other was used for maybe 3 runs at most. I can ship them today.
Sure man. I'm up to my eyeballs in credit card debt so anything that I sell right now will help out.whoa! how about a local get that...I'll even save you delivery.
No I wish I had the cash flow to race the grt's. Im going to be racing a local race in jacksonville oregon.
Thanks for the links guys. Ive never been in the market for mud tires and I dont expect to use them much. Id like to spend under 100 for a set if possible.
How are the swampthings? Ive heard amazing things about the wetscreams but kinda just mumblings the swamps. Any real imput compared to minnions?
Minions are good but not great for mud. They are OK, Ive beaten the minions here and they did alright but I wouldnt push them in the NW loam on a race weekend. Just my .02
If you can get a designated set of spikes do so, they will shed mud and bite through the crap to grab a handfull of grip wherever possible....
I tried the Dans in the mud/snow and I will keep a set of spikes in my arsenal for certain conditions.... Hell I have one cut down rear for dry/wet conditions where the course is a mixxed bag of tricks...
Ill be at the GRT race this month given the wife makes kiddie accomodations since I missed otter.... Guaranteed to be a set of Dans in my truck just incase the NW plays havoc......
Besides living there Id have a set in the garage for those days it really packs up.....
Cant go wrong with a good set of spikes!
If you can get a designated set of spikes do so, they will shed mud and bite through the crap to grab a handfull of grip wherever possible....
I tried the Dans in the mud/snow and I will keep a set of spikes in my arsenal for certain conditions.... Hell I have one cut down rear for dry/wet conditions where the course is a mixxed bag of tricks...
Ill be at the GRT race this month given the wife makes kiddie accomodations since I missed otter.... Guaranteed to be a set of Dans in my truck just incase the NW plays havoc......
Besides living there Id have a set in the garage for those days it really packs up.....
Cant go wrong with a good set of spikes!
Last edited:
I really like the dirty dans. But I dont want to/ cant affort do spend 65ish per tire for tires that are going to be a couple runs a year tires. I had a set of mm's but put them on my brothers bike when he needed tires... ya im a good brother.
Ill probably just pull the trigger on the swampthings and see how it goes.
Ill probably just pull the trigger on the swampthings and see how it goes.
Swampthings are amazing, so good I wish I had never tried them actually because now I'm going to have to buy another set at the begining of winter every year. If its a total slop fest a full blown spike will work better. What I really like about them is they do great in the mud but also ok on the hard pack. So say your local trail will be muddy on the upper half, but drains pretty well on the lower part, your golden.
I just ordered the Tioga Black Turtles... 14.99 on cambria. I know I wont beat 30 a set for anything else so if I dont like them or end up not using them, I wont be too sad
Its a good looking tire.... should be fine.
I can second this. I bought a pair of these on the Jenson deal (in super tacky) for the winter here in BC. They were absolutely amazing in the wet rocky and rooty terrain that we have here, working solid as in the soft and slop but also very solid on the rock and roots. I do notice them wanting to dance a little on hard pack, but it is predictable and controllable, where-as a full spike tends to get way more out of control and becomes somewhat of a hindrance on the hard pack. I'll run these every winter i recon.
Swampthing is another optio, love that tire, I'm trying out some cut down Wetsreams myself at mo / 2.5 front 2.2 rear bit of a experiment no scientific cutting or anything I jst jumped i before I thought what the hell am I doing cutting up some new tires 
Don't know about current tiogas but some older models had the tendency to loose knobs a lot.
as did the schwalbe, now they are gold!
Though schwable changed their tires and tioga doesn't seem to bother
Don't know about last 2 years as no one runs them anymore but for good 2-3years they were crap all over the line and changed as much as irc 
I'm surprised at the positive reviews for the Swampthing, I think it's the weakest tyre in the Maxxis range. I have used one on the back with a Wet Scream in the wet, but I'll be getting another WS when I can. Compared to a WS they don't have the knob height or profile to properly dig in when it's sloppy, so not much better than a HR in full on mud. They have a rounded profile, no real cornering edge and big gaps between the nobs that are on the outside, so I find they slide out very easily and are dodgy as a front tire. On wet roots and rocks they might be a slightly safer option than WS but not as good as a HR. I think it's a case of Jack of all trades, master of none, and I regret buying them. Just my opinion though.
pricepoint has intense intruder DH tires on sale for 24 bones at the moment, might be worth a look.
Good news is hes only running them 1 or 2 times LOL so there is a use for them!!!
Ehhh he paid $15 a pop cant really go wrong and it will hook up better than the minion in the slop so even if he rips a couple of lugs the positives should still outweight the negatives!
Keep us posted how they did for you!
Arrow racing makes a pretty gnarly mud tire. Its the only one i have tried though....
http://arrowracing.com/home.html
http://arrowracing.com/home.html
Exactly. If I dont like them, one of my friends trying to build a bike will get them. Im not giving up my minnions, just based on weather reports for next weekend... Im gunna need a mud tire.Good news is hes only running them 1 or 2 times LOL so there is a use for them!!!
Ehhh he paid $15 a pop cant really go wrong and it will hook up better than the minion in the slop so even if he rips a couple of lugs the positives should still outweight the negatives!
Keep us posted how they did for you!
Good for you and Im looking forward to seeing how it worked out!
Pics and good luck man!
Mud X: probably not something I would rock on a downhill bike.
We've got a couple local hills here that get a nasty tacky slop to them for a good portion of the year(rain is like 70% of our weather), however winter gets far worse. Last year a handful of use started experimenting with mud tires.
Alot of us grabbed Wet Screams. However a local guy called up Maxxis to ask about the flexy knobs. Maxxis said they don't reccomend them for anyone over 180lbs. A few guys still rock them, but the heavier guys went searching else where.
Those of use who are 180lbs or less have loved them in the slop. Cut a set down for days where there is a layer of slick on top and hardpack underneath and then sections of fast rolling dry course as well.
2 guys bough Arrow Mud X's.
Mud X's are narrow, tall lugs and don't flex for anything. They really have little traction on rocks and roots and what not.
1 guy bought some Kenda King of Tractions.
I don't think they were ever run. Try them out and let us know.
Black Turtles.
Black Turtles are what we rocked prior to wet screams. I still really like the Black Turtle on course where it's got slop, but there is going to be alot of roots, rocks and dry dirt as well. They roll far better than a Wet Scream. The traction in the nasty muck isn't quite the same, but it's a very good tire none the less. None of us have had any trouble with ripping off knobs.
The guys that bought the Mud X's are now switching over to the Black Turtle as the lugs aren't as tall and the tire doesn't wash like a Mud X when you start to lean it over.
That's because you've been using them in the wrong conditions, its not a competitor to the Wetscream its an inbetween wet tire between the Minion and Wetcream!
Its probably one of the most underated tires out there!
You don;t use it when its sloppy hence the WS!
U use it when its wet tacky, but not deep mud or super soft terrain, its best when its hard slick wet, I use it allot especailly up front because its like a moto tire, it blasts trough foliage and we have heaps here that a Minion would sit on top of e.g it won't dig to the hardpack, or when it gets wets slippery, but where the knobs of a Wetscream would squirm, these don't, its also critical ime to get the tire pressure right with this tire.
And it clears or sheds mud better than any other tire in the Maxxis range!
I love all 3 too so I'm not biased, but I probably use this tire more than any other especially up front,
Weve just gone into Autumn but the last few months of Summer in the dry Ive had the Swampy 42a ST 3up front and the DHF 3C on the rear, great combo, and fast too, Ive had guys crash in the corners behind me and Ive not looked like going down.
Wish I had it on front last weekend as I wacked a Big Betty 2.4 on the rear and a 3C Minion up front and stacked a corner into a series of drop offs and went over both in a crash induced scrub not fun but walked away so anytime that's a good thing, for this weekend though I'll be running my cut down wetsreams and we've been getting it cats n dogs this week.
It may not suit everyone this tire but I love it, go the Swampthing
Well, I suppose it depends on your preferences and where you ride. I've found that the High Roller works well for me on everything up to when it's really wet and it starts to get boggy, where the Wet Scream comes into play. I don't feel the need to have a tyre for inbetween them, I'd rather keep it simple with a set for the wet and a set for everything else. Each to their own though, glad somebody finds them useful.That's because you've been using them in the wrong conditions, its not a competitor to the Wetscream its an inbetween wet tire between the Minion and Wetcream!
Its probably one of the most underated tires out there!
You don;t use it when its sloppy hence the WS!
U use it when its wet tacky, but not deep mud or super soft terrain, its best when its hard slick wet, I use it allot especailly up front because its like a moto tire, it blasts trough foliage and we have heaps here that a Minion would sit on top of e.g it won't dig to the hardpack, or when it gets wets slippery, but where the knobs of a Wetscream would squirm, these don't, its also critical ime to get the tire pressure right with this tire.
And it clears or sheds mud better than any other tire in the Maxxis range!
I love all 3 too so I'm not biased, but I probably use this tire more than any other especially up front,
Weve just gone into Autumn but the last few months of Summer in the dry Ive had the Swampy 42a ST 3up front and the DHF 3C on the rear, great combo, and fast too, Ive had guys crash in the corners behind me and Ive not looked like going down.
Wish I had it on front last weekend as I wacked a Big Betty 2.4 on the rear and a 3C Minion up front and stacked a corner into a series of drop offs and went over both in a crash induced scrub not fun but walked away so anytime that's a good thing, for this weekend though I'll be running my cut down wetsreams and we've been getting it cats n dogs this week.
It may not suit everyone this tire but I love it, go the Swampthing
UPDATE:
The rain that was forcasted never showed and the weather was about 75 degrees and sunny. In practice on saturday I ran my minnions and was completely happy with them. But my friend and teammate needed a better set of tires on his bike so I handed my minnions over and mounted up my black turtles. I cut down the center knobs to help my rolling resistance and left the outside knobs as they were
The only run I have made on them was my race run so I didnt know what to expect at all on a moist course with lots of rocks.
Well I finished 1st in cat 1 so Im happy with them. I ran 8 seconds faster then any of my previous timed runs. They were amazing in the big berms at the top of the course, and I was pleased with the rolling resistance on the fast straits. My top speed was a bit slower than with my minnions but that could just be because of anything.
They were flat out scary in the really dry high speed rock sections, but I actually think it helped me just go and not worry about my traction.
Would I run them again... probably not if I had to make another run in those conditions. But Ill keep them around for the wet and see how they do.
The rain that was forcasted never showed and the weather was about 75 degrees and sunny. In practice on saturday I ran my minnions and was completely happy with them. But my friend and teammate needed a better set of tires on his bike so I handed my minnions over and mounted up my black turtles. I cut down the center knobs to help my rolling resistance and left the outside knobs as they were
The only run I have made on them was my race run so I didnt know what to expect at all on a moist course with lots of rocks.
Well I finished 1st in cat 1 so Im happy with them. I ran 8 seconds faster then any of my previous timed runs. They were amazing in the big berms at the top of the course, and I was pleased with the rolling resistance on the fast straits. My top speed was a bit slower than with my minnions but that could just be because of anything.
They were flat out scary in the really dry high speed rock sections, but I actually think it helped me just go and not worry about my traction.
Would I run them again... probably not if I had to make another run in those conditions. But Ill keep them around for the wet and see how they do.
Congrats man way to go!
that's good to hear...i may pick up a set of those at 30bucks...
This little cut will make a Arrow MudX rail thru rocks and roots..
