How the hell do you ride in it? It has been raining the past 2 days and i went to the local trail to ride. I was flyin down the trail, it was real packed dirt, and its nice and then BAM! the trail turned into THICK cakey mud! I was sliddin all over the place and smashed into a fence (dont worry, i showed that fence whats up)..i had to walk a few times and my shoes got COVERED in mud and i couldnt clip in anymore. So i left. Now i have a few questions

1. The drivetrain is COVERED IN MUD!..thick, claylike mud..im letting it dry and then gunna knock all the mud off...that sound ok?

2. How the HELL can shed the mud off my cleats? (SPD)

3. I think my tires suck..i have no idea who makes them (i have a 03 Gary Fisher Tarpon)...any recommendations on what tires shed mud real well AND bite real good on loose rocks?

If it's heavy mud I just ride on the road. It's good training

1. The mud will clean off easier with a hose if you do it before it gets real dry and caked on.

2. Again, the hose is your friend. Just be careful with the bike and the cleats (i.e-no direct blasts of water on the bearings etc.)

3. I'm currently running Panaracer Fire XC Pros and love them, but you can find reviews of any tire you want on MTBReview

4. Most people don't ride their local trails when they're covered in mud like that because they don't want to damage the singletrack. Many trails around here close after it rains. Depending on what kind of trail it is, I usually wait about 2 days after a major rain before heading out.

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Let me guess, "Weekend Warrior", right?

There are only a few days / year that the trails around my area AREN'T muddy.... Like I've posted before, the average yearly rainfall here is 35"+, more so than Seattle, WA. That's why we have beautiful dense trees, vegetation & some exotic species of animal life that are found no where else in the world....

Now back to you question: Simply use the water hose (or do like we do & ride thru the river) after the ride and before the mud dries. Change tires only if the area is often real muddy, otherwise deal with it....
Finally, try to refrain from posting such "Weenie" threads.... This one was like asking,"Why does my bicycle get scratched whenever I wreck?", or "Why do my tires & chain get dirty after a ride?" C'mon man, it's part of the sport, you can't be a Wuss all your life....

I want to thank the first 2 replies to the post but the last one i take much offensive too, I live in Central Texas and it doesnt rain too much around here, not enough to get as muddy as it was. Weekend Warrior? I THINK NOT! I mainly ride road bikes, mountain biking is just something i like to go out and have fun with. When you ride road, you dint get mud on the chain...so this is the first time something like this has happend, just want to make sure it was cleaning it right. If you get your jollies calling people Wuss's on the forums, you need to take it else where...i dont have time for your punk ass...but thanks for the tires

Not all people in NC are bastards. Ignore him.

Just give it a good spray down, avoiding any bearings with pressurized water.

We only started getting rain for this year a couple of days ago.... I love riding in the mud, I go out of my way to go through a big patch of it instead of going around

I just clean the drivetrain by blasting it with the hose, then greasing the whole thing up again since it was washed clean... Not sure if this is a good way to do it though.

Never clean your bike by "blasting it with a hose." You stand a real good chance of contaminating parts such as the b.b your hubs etc. There are sveral companis that make long bristle brushes that will get alot of whatever off of your bike.
HTH,
May I reccomend that you not show fences "what's up." Some people run livestock on properties (like us) and fences is what keep them there. Anyway there are many tires that work well in mud. IRC Mythos work real well, Hutchison Mosquito Gold's work real well also. Theses two are from personal expwerience and the Hutchinson I ran through mud yesterday and they barely gummed up.

A few weeks ago, I rode through some thick, nasty mud. Derailluers, everything were caked(and my Altus and SIS acted as if there was no mud on them, they worked perfect). I just used a hose on normal(I didn't put my thumb over it to increase the flow) to knock off the mud, then I used a toothbrush to detail it, and get some hard to reach areas, then I cleaned the frame, wheels, all that, let it dry out overnight, then I applied oil to moving parts(derailluers, chain, brake cables) The bike worked like nothing happened to it the next day.

1. NO. As soon as you can after the ride, hose it down to get rid of the mud, Clean the chain with a chain cleaning tool, Then clean the whole lot again with soapy water and a brush, then hose off again, then spray with a water dispellant oil, But not only clean the drive chain, clean the whole bike while your at it. Then start cleaning the bike with a cloth.

2. Don't put your foot down. Hard but it is the only way. Either that or stop riding in mud. Let the screws off a bit on the pedals may help, but I don't generraly find mud and cleats is a problem. An alternative is to find a pedal that won't block in mud. Don't have a problem with my 515's so can't recommend any.

3. If riding in mud, get a narrow tyre that is mud specific or good in mud. Panaracer Mud Pro's are my choice or Conti Cross country in 1.5. These will have problems on rock, so a compromise to Panaracer FireXC in 1.8 will almost work in mud, but give better traction on the trail.

Further reply to my last response. If you ride a lot in mud, then set the bike up for mud. The narrow tyres help, a LOT. If you have V.Brakes then back them off a bit, Disc's will not be a problem. Tyre pressures set a bit higher than normal to stop snakebites, I would suggest 40 as a Minimum for 150 lb rider, and go up from there. The tyre will work by being narrower, and cutting through the mud to the hard base below, and then getting grip.

Riding. If the bike starts to block up with mud, look for the wetter mud, as this will not stay on the bike, and also take some of the crud that has stuck off too. Spin faster in mud, as it will shock you as to how quickly you will slow down of you hit a deeper patch. Uphill pull a higher gear to cut down on torque that will give you wheel spin. Then there is the golden rule, Don't lie down in it.

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Yeah, I'm a 42 year old "Punk".... get real dude. What I post is real & the truth, no matter how much it hurts. I really could care less if I hurt someone's feelings, honest... I did make a "mis-quote" in the 1st reply to your post. We actually get more than 60"+ of rainfall/year according to a posting on one of our local National Forest trailhead displays... My mistake.

Just because you live in an area where 3" of rain seems like the "Great Flood", doesn't give you any right to panic..... Sorry.

Ok, lighten up people don't let this thread get out of hand.

Ditto that.

Being new to the forums Haro, watch the tone.

Has someone in these forums emotionally damaged you or something? By 42 you should have learned to lighten up.

whooooaaa...this one is gettin' fierce...

Anyhow, back to the important part...MUD...once you get used to it, you'll love it, but like most people say, it can damage the trails...so I try to avoid it anymore, just outta respect for others and the future of the trail...

I've been using Conti Vertical Pro's since I got stuck with some packed-up, mud-coated tires that wouldn't do anything BUT spin last winter...it's about time for some new skins, so I'm not sure where I'll go...maybe the IRC Trailbears...

As far as the bike, wash it GENTLY as soon as you can...dried mud never really goes away it seems...Lube everything (but follow directions, too much can be TOO much...)
Last summer was really wet, so I washedmy rig everytime I rode (or every other time)...Mud, water and slime can really eat some stuff up when they dry...

Despite what some say, you learn to love the mud...it's just another form of dirt, like an evil twin...

I dont have a problem with mud, and im not afraid of it...its just the first time its REALLY rained good enough to get some THICK nasty mud. I like rocks and rock ledges..mud is a little different
Haro, i have NO idea what your problem is..but when you post you arent helping any

i ride in mud often.being from texas,comparing riding in mud to driving in snow probably will not work.i use trail blasters.they say 2.1 but they are not that wide(more like1.95).they do well in sticky mud(all these are for my style riding),loose mud,hardpack,rocks,roots and many other challenges.sand is the only problem i have and thats a matter of balance vs speed.slow down a little bit or better yet look further ahead so you can react sooner.uphill use a little larger gear than usual so you will have more traction.as far as dirty bike parts im wonderin why wash it(ha ha).it depends how much maintenence you want to do.clean it asap or replace it down the road.mud takes a little getting used to but just relax and go with it.whether we get 6"or 60" when we ride in mud it is different than dry conditions.most riding success comes from technique and practice.use your head and relax a bit and you will come to look forward to riding in mud.keep on bikin