Mountain Biking - Northwet= Velociraptors or ?

I have used Velociraptors for years as my Winter meats, wet/muddy winters here. They seem to be pretty decent at not packing up and shed mud well. They have excellent traction and steer pretty well. I have always used 2.1 kevlar beads. I am strictly an XC rider.

Thinking that I'm perhaps too much a creature of habit for using Velociraptors exclusively all these years, and perhaps I should try something new. Granted, the 'raptors have performed very well and I know their characteristics like the back of my hand.

Anyone have some alternate suggestions?

Well, for strictly crap conditions...I really want some feedback on the Kenda KOT's.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:KXgmfeHI2-Y0KM:http://www.kendausa.com/_DOWNLOADS/images/model/07kot.jpg
I have a suspicion that I may be ordering two pair in the not so distant future.

^^^

WAY crap conditions! How bad does it get out there, Ed?

^^^

WAY crap conditions! How bad does it get out there, Ed?

Get's pretty sloppy here. Heck...it seemed like it would never dry out a couple months ago. In winter...it's kind of a crap shoot.

You can use a skinny tire with 3/8" spikes and go pretty much anywhere when it's really cold and icy. You can use a really wide tire for the powdery snow and hopefully stay somewhat on top. The hardest part is when the sun hits the snow and melts it a bit, somebody makes ruts, and then it freezes that night causing a rut that the bike just wants to follow no matter what you do.
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There are a couple kinds of mud here. The sloppy stuff that is easily thrown out of the tires and the thick clay-mud that rolls up like a snowball. 20 yards in the clay-mud and you don't move at all b/c it's packed up in the frame. I was going DH about 25mph through it and it actually brought me to a dead stop...down hill with me pedaling.

I think around here, the best thing to do is find a frame that'll clear a 3-4" tire and put a 1.8" KOT on it. Sure, you won't float over some of that float-overable sludge, but when the thick stuff starts to accumulate...you "may" have a fighting chance.

There is a local guy here that rides an "Alaska Bike" that is similar to the Pugs. He is little bitty lightweight that runs a 2.8" tire almost flat. Prob. no more than 8psi. It works very well for him, but we can't all have a bike specifically slated for mud.

I think now that I have my '05 built up, I'll put some skinny 1.8" KOT's on the old Crapper. That thing will clear a 2.4" or so which will give me somewhat of a chance in the thicker mud. I'll prob. still have to get off and walk a bit. Been considering a different fork for that one.

1. Tora - Good all-rounder, but wouldn't give me a ton of tire clearance
2. Pugsley- I could run a skinny mud tire in back and a 3" knobby or better in front for stability in the turns.
3. Karate Monkey - I could run a 69'er setup or just have a slacker rigid setup like Scrub.

Decisions, decisions.

The Velociraptor rear is a great tire, never tried the front. I put a Kenda Nevegal on the front and the stickyness of the edge rubber (dual compound) is pretty amazing. It's nice to not skip off the side of stuff. The downside is the Nevegal definately clogs up faster than the 'raptor.

I'm tempted to try the same tire on the rear but the 'raptor's paddles just do such a wonderful job in my local soil that I'm hesitant to try. I wish they offered a dual compound version of the 'raptor.

I've been using Velociraptors for years too, and they are a great tire for fall-spring conditions here in CT. I put some Motoraptors on this spring to try something different. They definitely roll a lot faster.

Well, for strictly crap conditions...I really want some feedback on the Kenda KOT's.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:KXgmfeHI2-Y0KM:http://www.kendausa.com/_DOWNLOADS/images/model/07kot.jpg
I have a suspicion that I may be ordering two pair in the not so distant future.

Riding those things on anything even resembling hardpack would make me want to slit my wrists.

Riding those things on anything even resembling hardpack would make me want to slit my wrists.

From the pics I've seen it looks as though the center knobs are considerably shorter than the cornering knobs. May not ride any worse than those Paddle tires

I live in the north east and we get pretty crappy mud ‘round these parts. I use the Panaracer Fire XC pro’s (the 2.1). These tires continue to impress me. They shed mud very well and work great in all types or weather and soil conditions. If the Velociraptors work well for you, why fix what aint broke? But if you want to try something new, the Fire XC’s are pretty inexpensive and work great. Just my $0.02

The fie XCs ae decent at mud shedding, but the rubber compound does not grip well on wet, hard surfaces in my expeience.

The fie XCs ae decent at mud shedding, but the rubber compound does not grip well on wet, hard surfaces in my expeience.

Just wondering, were you running the 60tpi or 127tpi Fire's? Our mud around here is kind of a sandy clay mix, so maybe in your area the soil is different.

Honestly can't remember. Haven't used them for about 4 years.

So I suppose my advice should be taken with a grain of salt if they've changed the compound since them. This was in the pacific northwest though, which has all ind sof mud. You know how the Inuit have like a billion names for snow? Yeah, like that.

Yeah, we have all kinds of mud here.

Wet and kinda loose that doesn't stick too bad.

Sandy kinda mud that also doesn't stick much but tends to grind up drivetrains and rim brakes.

And then the way sticky clay-based crap that packs up around your wheels/fork/stays.