stapfam

Time for an off road ride today so I changed off the Panaracer Fire XC tyres to The Panaracer Mud Pro tyres. Boy are these noisy on the road- And uncomfortable. As soon as we hit the Trails after 2 miles I noticed the difference though. The other two were on the Fire XC's and although they were not slipping in the Mud- I did notice they were taking lines to miss it. Then the first climb and the covering was a 1" slurry of clay over chalk and absolutely no grip problem at all. Across the Top of the Hill and no real mud problem till the end. 2" of mud over More mud and we were getting a bit Sqirmy on steering. So much so that the other two were having to go way off path to get grip. Then a Downhill- Rutty- Stony and Mud. I went first to make certain I could pick the line and Had no problems. Took it a bit slower than I normally do, but Conditions Said that was sensible. I needn't have bothered- Full grip but I did get annoyed at having to pedal when I hit the deeper mud. (On a Downhill remember) All that was left now was a stiff climb and after a couple of Hundred yards- there was a walker that I knew. He is 73 and had a bypass 3 years ago. Every day- without fail- He walks to the top of the hill. Only about 1 mile long at around 10% but it is a Bu**er to cycle up- Let alone walk, but That is his recuperation and he enjoys it.

Rest of the ride gets boring as it is just cycle past the Golf Club and down a boring 15% grass slope. I took a diversion and Found out that Mud Tyres don't work on grass but at the bottom is a stiff climbing path that is Muddy. The other two walked up once they lost grip and I did lose grip at one point and restarted. Then the road for a cup of Coffee and Breakfast. Mud Tyres don't work at speed on tarmac and at one point I stopped to see if I had a puncture. All it was in fact was the Knobbles on the tyre moving about at any speed above 15mph, so it had to be a slow ride for me to the cafe and an even slower ride back home on the road.

I do not know why this is the first time I have got the Mud tyres out this winter. They work!!. Doesn't matter what type of Mud- clay, thick, watery or just that slippery covering over a firmer surface---They Work. They do cause problems on tarmac though so I guess that is why I have not thought of them for this year. But then they don't fit the road bike in any case.

NOS88

[QUOTE=stapfam] I do not know why this is the first time I have got the Mud tyres out this winter. They work!!. Doesn't matter what type of Mud- clay, thick, watery or just that slippery covering over a firmer surface---They Work. QUOTE]



It's nice to know that some manufactured goods live up to their name!

Retro Grouch 

I used to have a pair of Specialized Storm Control tires. They had a bunch of individual oval shaped knobs. They weren't all that great for anything else, but they were great at self-cleaning so I nearly always had some decent exposed tread for traction in the mud.