Mountain Biking - Help! What tire for triathalon on 4 different surfaces: Pavement, gravel roads, grass

Hi,

I have a triathalon coming up next month and the bicycling portion is described as being on road, trails and I am seeking advice on what brand of mtb tire to use. It is a 14K mountain bike course over 4 different surfaces: Pavement, gravel roads, hilly trails and grassy fields.

Unfortunately, I have not yet seen the course, but I have heard that there are some hills.

Currently, I have 2 Specialized ground control tires (26x1.95) and I just ordered a Panaracer Fire XC Pro (26x2.1) to replace one of the tires. I want to get another tire and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I think the paved surface might be approx. ¼ of the distance – i.e. 2 miles of the 8 miles.

I ride hard and I weigh about 185 lb and my KHS has no suspension.

Also, the event will be held rain or shine, so mud is a possibility.

Perhaps I should not compromise to get a fast rolling tire for the roads, while sacrificing performance for the other 6 miles. Should I go with a faster tire only on the front? Perhaps a WTB All-Terrain asaurus tire?

All insight would be greatly appreciated!

-jack

Hmmmm, tough decision. A semi-slick would be a good compromise, but it will suffer if the terrain is loose or the conditions do turn muddy.

I would probably run a semi-slick in the rear and a short knobby in the front. Most of your weight is on the back tire and a semi-slick will be better for the road section. A knobby will hum on the road, but will be of significant benefit during the descents. Especially if it's rainy!

If it does rain the days before the race and the forecast is for rain, I would forget about on pavement performance and run full knobbies front and rear.

If you do get a chance to pre-ride the course and it's pretty tame. i.e., no steep climbs, not a lot of loose soil, mostly jeep roads or smooth singletrack then I would go with semi-slicks front AND rear.

L8R

Thanks for your reply! I hope to find out sooner than later the actual course so i can use your suggestions.!!

I like WTB Nanoroptors for anything dry. Good in sand, packed gravel, one of the best true offroad tires for paved work, really fast on tacky to hard singletrack. All bets are off for this tire in the mud, though.