I ride a huge variety of terrain. I live in central Arkansas, which the state is half Loamy Delta type farmland, half rocky as anywhere in the world mountains. We have 2 mountain ranges here, the Ozarks are eroded, flat, square edged mostly loose rocks, the Ouachitas are similar to the Ozarks in some places but in other places imbedded crystal and shale based rocks, usually planted firmly in the ground. We even have some sand near the rivers. We have swamps like Louisana and Mississippi.
I ride in summer, winter, rain, snow, whatever. Both mountain types are equally hard on tires and in winter the weather is unpredictable. I've probably tried every tire made since 1988. I trail ride, race a little, (former A level many years ago), dual sport, do extreme terrain simlar to LMS and crazy stuff like that. I just do it slower these days, with more rest stops. I'm not fast anymore, but I can still ride most anywhere and keep going as long as anyone else does.
Last weekend I rode in a really weird place (for Ar.), that was perfect loamy dirt with MX track type traction. Dirt that was loose but tacky enough for the tires to sink in and really grab. The weekend before that, I rode in the Ozarks, in the rain. The weekend before that, rode in the Ouachitas, dry. The Mitas was pretty darn good everywhere I've ridden this year, last year, the year before that. A few years ago I lived in east Georgia, rode all over that state, used a Mitas then too. I even had one on a KLR 650 with an 18" wheel laced up, and it worked fine. I had to use 18 lbs of air on road and 15 off, but it worked. And on a dry day at Deals Gap, with 20lbs of air, I was dragging the pegs! KLRs don't have low pegs.
Overall, nothing is better than a Mitas trials tire. Many knobbies excel in certain places. Some trials tires excel in certain places. Mitas trials tires are almost never the best tire in any one place, but they are never the worst anywhere.
The one on my 250 XC now has been on 3 different bikes, has at least 3500 miles on it. It is dry rotted, the knobs are worn round, it has cracks in the sidewall and between knobs, I'm scared every time I look at it that I'll get a flat. But it still holds air and works. I'm gonna try a cheap Shinko next, for 50.00 because another GG guy said they were pretty good, but I bet I go back to the Mitas.
Thanks for finding and posting this info. If I hadn't just placed an order with Rocky Mountain I'd be buying another Mitas.
