Trials tires in sloppy weather???

kendunn

New member
I went back to a knobby after almost a year with my first trials tire thinking the ground will be wet for the next 4 months but I was pretty disappointed in it. Do you guys run a trials tire even in nasty weather? I was having a little trouble in the deep mud hence the reason for changing, but I found it wasn't worth the trade off. It helped in 10% of the places, hurt in 50%. Do I need more time to switch back or is a trails tire the hot set up all year long? Right now the knobby is looking like a short timer.

Edit-guess I made it sound like I ran one tire for a year, but I just meant trials tire(s) for a year.
 
Last edited:
Like you figured out somewhat, it really depends on the terrain as a whole and if the +s out weigh the -s. For example if a ride or race is technical with more rock than deep mud then its an advantage. If the terrain is good dirt with fast cornering, not too much rock then why run the trials? You also have to change your style between the two, being smoother with the trials and cornering more upright, but the terrain will dictate that to a degree as well. Two wheels, for a quick swap is the answer. For those situations where its a toss up, a good knobby with a Tubliss @ less than 10 PSI is a good choice.
 
+1 on the Tubliss. I ran a knobby last week, 4 psi front and rear in the snow. Snow is actually the only terrain I have found the trials tire is no good. The slop is not so hot either, but we have slop in sections here, not entire riding days. The Trials tire is even better with less air too. 4-5 psi in a trials tire is NUTS!! If you do the Tubliss, keep it a secret with your riding pals, run 5 psi, and smile all the way to the top of the hill no matter which tire you're running.:D
 
i only ran knobbies,never trials tires before on my bike (i've only got my gasser for about 5months :-p ) but i went out for a ride yesterday, just before the snow came in.
the grip wasn't great,neither upfront with the knobbies, but when you really mean it, pin it to the floor, you crack the throtlle open en she'll dig in thrue the mud and when she get's the grip, hang on... :p
but in less wet conditions, i can imagine trials tires being a very good option.

hannes.
 
+1 on the Tubliss. I ran a knobby last week, 4 psi front and rear in the snow. Snow is actually the only terrain I have found the trials tire is no good. The slop is not so hot either, but we have slop in sections here, not entire riding days. The Trials tire is even better with less air too. 4-5 psi in a trials tire is NUTS!! If you do the Tubliss, keep it a secret with your riding pals, run 5 psi, and smile all the way to the top of the hill no matter which tire you're running.:D

5psi???? what about your rims if you hit a rock or tree? :eek:
 
i only ran knobbies,never trials tires before on my bike (i've only got my gasser for about 5months :-p ) but i went out for a ride yesterday, just before the snow came in.
the grip wasn't great,neither upfront with the knobbies, but when you really mean it, pin it to the floor, you crack the throtlle open en she'll dig in thrue the mud and when she get's the grip, hang on... :p
but in less wet conditions, i can imagine trials tires being a very good option.

hannes.


Yeah, you pin and grin guys that come and ride my single track take off like a bat outtahell whilst I try working on my clutch/throttle control. Hard to keep them in sight for the first mile or so, but the first time we hit a nasty, off camber hill I go by them trying to push their bikes back up the hill :D ! The little engine that could!
 
To improve trials traction in the snow & slop...

1) low pressure - going down from 6.5 psi to 5 psi made the difference between an unclimbable deep snow hill to motoring up.

2) cut out every third row of knobs makes for a big improvement in mud, slop and loose stuff, without much downside.
 
To improve trials traction in the snow & slop...

1) low pressure - going down from 6.5 psi to 5 psi made the difference between an unclimbable deep snow hill to motoring up.

2) cut out every third row of knobs makes for a big improvement in mud, slop and loose stuff, without much downside.

good to know eric! :-)
can i allso run 5psi without tubless?
i do realise that i'm limited with knobbies, they're worth sh*t in the street.

hannes.
 
To improve trials traction in the snow & slop...

1) low pressure - going down from 6.5 psi to 5 psi made the difference between an unclimbable deep snow hill to motoring up.

2) cut out every third row of knobs makes for a big improvement in mud, slop and loose stuff, without much downside.

I saw that cutting knob trick and thought about trying it. Do you guys use some type of groover or what to cut the knobs?
 
Very interesting Erik. I run the MT43 rear because I ride blacktop to get to local trails. I wonder if cutting every third row would cause the tire to wear faster on blacktop?
I would think your method would work great on all the loose rock in this area. How about getting over exposed roots? Thanks.
 
The low tire pressure is the key. If you run 5 psi with a knobbie, you will get flats. Tubliss inserts are the way to go, even if your tire is flat, the bead stays seated on the rim, thus protecting it from getting hammered. Of course, if you are riding in fast terrain, you'll want a little more pressure, but I have had absolutely no trouble.
 
I have had trials bikes for years and have run trials tires on the back of my dirt bikes for about 5 years. If it's a little bit of mud, where you can carry your momentum through, no big deal. If it's real soft and muddy everywhere, trials tires suck and I go back to regular knobbys.

I have run down to 8psi with no problems, but we have some rocks here and I don't want to risk my rims, so I haven't tried any less. The same rocks it's 4psi on a trials bike, but you not slamming into them and finessing your way around on a trials bike.
 
I've been on the fence about trying a trails tire on the rear of my GG DE300.

I've read about changing your riding style and I think I'm cool with that.

How do they do in off camber situations, especially if its muddy? We ride at a park that has a ton of off camber single track and I'm afraid the lack of side knobs will have me sliding down the hill?

My other concern is the main perimeter trails. When dry, they are almost packed down like concrete. Of course, when it gets wet, they turn into a slimy snot top layer. Knobbies actually don't do very good either as there's nothing to bite into and the slick upper layer just guarantees you'll be on your butt before you know it. I'm thinking the trails tire with more surface area, might actually do better here, especially if aired down.
 
The trials tire gets traction by adhesion and surface area of a sticky compound. Surface mud is no problem as long as the tire has something hard underneath to stick to, and your smooth enough on the throttle to allow it to do so. As far as off cambers, I have to ride up a hill from my house with off camber rock slabs, no problem rain or shine.
 
Very interesting Erik. I run the MT43 rear because I ride blacktop to get to local trails. I wonder if cutting every third row would cause the tire to wear faster on blacktop?
I would think your method would work great on all the loose rock in this area. How about getting over exposed roots? Thanks.

It will wear slightly faster with low pressure (6 psi).

The key to reduce wear and increase traction is low tire pressure. Low pressure provides more knobs to spread the load over.

Exposed roots no significant difference.
 
I went back to a knobby after almost a year with my first trials tire thinking the ground will be wet for the next 4 months but I was pretty disappointed in it. Do you guys run a trials tire even in nasty weather? I was having a little trouble in the deep mud hence the reason for changing, but I found it wasn't worth the trade off. It helped in 10% of the places, hurt in 50%. Do I need more time to switch back or is a trails tire the hot set up all year long? Right now the knobby is looking like a short timer.

Edit-guess I made it sound like I ran one tire for a year, but I just meant trials tire(s) for a year.

I use it all year round...even in the sloppiest of mud.
But, I also use a tubliss system, drop the pressure to about 4psi, the other thing I do is remove some knobs.
There's a row of 3 across the middle of the tire, I remove the left and right knob leaving the center knob alone.
I do this every 5th row...leaving three rows intact between the cut rows.
But you can do what you want, a friend cuts every 4th row.
There always is some trade off, but I think this gives you the best of both worlds.
 
Don't forget how long a trials tyre lasts. I put 800 miles on one before I replaced it. It still worked, but all the knobs were sloped, so I ditched it. Who knows how long one will actually perform?
 
how much can you drop the pressure when not using an tubliss system?
rrials tire seems like a good option for me here.
i am doing some tarmac (+- 5-10km) before getting to some off road. :rolleyes:

hannes.
 
Don't forget how long a trials tyre lasts. I put 800 miles on one before I replaced it. It still worked, but all the knobs were sloped, so I ditched it. Who knows how long one will actually perform?

I ditch mine, when they start looking like this...

603832318_2ywWd-XL.jpg


:D
 
Back
Top