Originally Posted by
rosefarts
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Wider and knobbier tires help. So do reduced gears from the road. You pretty much have to learn to climb everything sitting. Stand and even a MTB will lose traction on sand/rocks/dirt.
Yep! I bought a new bike last year — DeVinci Stellar Acera — which the mfg markets as a "XC Sport"; 3x9 gearing (44/32/22 T to go with the 11-34 T cassette).
It came with 27.5 x 2.4 tires, this year that got slimmed down to
Continental Tires Race King ShieldWall Mountain Bike Tire - 27.5 x 2.0 Folding MTB Tire
The way I see it it's a happy compromise on gravel/dirt and on the road. Also gives me that "better feeling" when hitting 64 km/h (40 mph) on downhills even if the pavement is not perfect.
