As we enter into the off season falling leaves and softer ground leave us mountain bikers with less traction. Here are a few fat tire reviews from our service manager Mike, for your off season riding pleasure.
Up first, the Maxxis Ignitor has been a long time favorite of mine. It comes in both UST tubeless and standard casings. The Ignitor rolls smoothly for a knobby tire and corners well in loamy, wet, and hardpacked conditions. The knobs and side walls hold up very well season after season...I've had my Ignitors for 2 seasons and they are still going strong. I change my tires seasonally and for trail conditions, this helps them go a long way. Maxxis' Ignitor is my go-to cross country tire for Fall - Spring and is available in 26x1.95, 2.1, 2.35 and 29x2.1 sizes.
Next up is the Specialized Sauserwind. I recently gave these tires a shot beginning in the middle of the summer. Developed by Christoph Sauser, 2008 XC World Champion, the Sauserwind is a great all around tire that rolls better than the Ignitor and also grips corners in the wet with tenacity. These are true cross country tires as they are available in only 26x1.8 or 26x2.0. I can't wait until these tires are available in a 29" version. Another great feature about this tire and many other Specialized tires is that they are 2Bliss. 2Bliss is a Specialized technology that uses a UST tire bead, allowing the tire to work with UST & non-UST rims and has a standard tubetype side wall while also offering noticeably lighter weight than a standard UST side wall casing.
Finally (almost), Cyclocross season is now here and so far this season has been one of the muddiest that I can remember. The Specialized CX Captain Pro (700x34) is new for 2010 and provides me traction on the sloppiest and most technical courses. I rode these at the Granogue cross race last weekend in epic cyclocross conditions: soaking rains in the two days leading up to the event and moist conditions on race day turned the course into a mud showcase. I don't know if I was crazy or stupid to race that day but I was sure that the Captain's would keep me upright on the muddy off camber downhills that Granogue is know for.
The Captain has been a staple MTB tire for Specialized for a few years now. It's a tire that provides superhero traction much like it's creator, MTB and multi-sport legend, Ned "The Captain" Overend.
Warning:
The following is my (ahem, 2 time Delaware Downhill MTB Champion) favorite tire.
If you're not into downhill riding, thanks for reading! If you are, read on!
The Specialized Storm has been redesigned for 2010 with the help of Two-Time World Champion Sam Hill. This is strictly a mud/wet tire, only available in a 26x2.3 DH casing. What's unique about this tire is that it has a step in the center knobs that can be trimmed down at the bottom of the step to make the tire roll better on courses that require more pedaling. Not only do these tires clean extremely well, but they grip on wet rocks and roots as well. These tires allow me to ride turns as if I am on rails. Whenever a race course gets muddy these tires give me the cornering confidence and provide me the traction I need to reach (or come close to!) the podium.
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