Mountain Biking - Rear climbing tire

I need help with my climbing, and I figure the best thing I can do is get a better rear tire. Right now I have a kenda koyote rear tire 2.1", I'm not sure how it compares to others. Anyone having good luck with something else?

I like Kujos front and rear at pretty low pressure. (25-30psi) I run a 2.35 front and a 2.25 rear which add about 4 pounds over regular tires. Awe inspiring traction and pinch-flat protection but they are real heavy (1000+ grams) The nice thing is after riding them for a couple months, you can take them off and you are a lot stronger.

for general purpose riding the IRC Mythos set in 2.1 are prety light and offer good traction. Fire XCs are also a popular choice but wear out very fast.

In reality if you want to climb better......then practice/train at climbing and perfect your technique whilst climbing , learning how to propell yourself over wet roots and rocks etc .Even the best tires will loose traction on a variety of slimy surfaces,but a good riding technique and knowing what to do in these circumstances will help you overcome most obstacles......obviously your bike plays a big part..if youre riding a 35 pound K-mart slug then of course this will hinder your capabilities...then again assuming you've got a fairly lightweight hardtail and you're still having problems then you owe it to yourself to get down to buisness and work your lungs off CLIMBING !! off the bike you can beg ..borrow ,,buy..some weights and do some squats to produce leg strength..sit ups/crunches to harden those abs.. and practice in you're minds eye the parts of an uphill climb that present a problem "thinking about them"..I hope some, if any of this helps you in your quest to conquer those hills.

a tire has no effect on climbing, unless you have a slick tire and your riding up a mud slide.

I appreciate the suggestions, but I think most of you are missing my point. I know that strength is most important to power up a hill, that is not my problem. My problem is spinning out my rear tire on loose dirt or leaves during climbing. I need a rear tire that will hook up in those conditions that is fairly durable and doesn't weigh too much. Stabilty during decents and wet muddy conditions is less important to me. Klein99 I have to disagree with your comment that tire choice would have no effect in this situation.;)

Thanks for the suggestions so far...I'm off to check em out at MTBR...:thumbup:

Hutchinson Pythons are excellent for traction. I used the tubeless and they were super for traction but I cut them too easily. The tread pattern is the same on the non-UST tires though. DG

All tires aside, I do think your technique could use some work if you are constantly spinning out. Try bending more at the waist while keeping your butt in the saddle. Scooting up a bit onto the nose may be a little uncomfortable but helps get your weight over the rear tire as things get steep. Most importantly of all, ease your way over uncertain areas, you knees will thank you since they are less likely to knock the stem if you lose traction. Lower pressure will also offer improved grip.

I have always had good luck with a "paddle type" tire so to speak. Something like a Continental Cross Country or the rear WTB Velociraptor. They hook up pretty good on rough climbs and fling mud off pretty good too (bonus). By the way Downshifting helps to prevent torque enduced burn-outs.

tires arent going to hook up in sand, momentum and pedaling STEADILY will get you up the hill

Thanks for your input guys...Im considering the continental cross-country...also the panaracer smoke seems to be a good paddle type tire too. The Geax Hook looked to be promising, but alot of reveiws said it wasn't very durable. btw klein...I really don't ride on sand so I don't have those kind of problems, although alot of tires do claim to perform well in sand...seems 'fishy' to me because sand is tuff to get any traction at all on.

Panaracer Smoke 2.1 Kevlar - light weight, good price, wears good and works great for technical climbing.

HI Dil,

I can recommend Continental Cross Country tires...they're fab...they also make a 1.5 inch version...excellent for mud and my preferred MTB cross tire :)

Rich

I went with the panaracer smoke/dart combo. I got to ride yesterday and was very happy with them. The smoke rocks, it connects with most loose stuff that I was having problems with. Not so great at shedding mud, but I don't ride through that much mud so I'm not complaining. The dart has good cornering characteristics. If these tires last me a good long while I will definitely buy them again. Thanks for the tips!!
-Phil