Witterings

Looking for something slightly better that GK SK's for the winter / mud that have reasonable puncture protection.

After the torrential rain we've had here recently I switched back to my 29er with Smart Sam Plus's and have noticed I have more grip but I'd rather ride my gravel bike with more suitable tyres ... if anyone has any suggestions for something between 38/42mm wide that can handle a bit of mud and aren't awful on the road would be appreciated!!

dwmckee

We have been riding the Vittoria Terreno Dry for just a little mud or the Terreno Mix if you have lots of it. They tend to clear tread of all but really sticky stuff, and roll very fast on pavement. We prefer the Terrenos over the Gravel Kings which used to be one of our favorites. The GKs seem to be okay at lots, but not good enough in mud as the tread packs up and becomes a slick. Especially in sticky mud...

tangerineowl

Probably the ReneHerse 38mm or 42mm knobby in the heaviest casing option.

shoota 

Terreno Mix

Witterings

I'll probably go with the Terreno Mix's ... cheers for everyone's input and happy new year!!

Witterings

Just before I press the button ... anyone using the Terreno Mix's .... what's the puncture protection like on them????

I've also found the Smart Sam Plus's I have on my 29er as 2.1's come in 700 x 40c which I didn't think they did, these have been fairly bullet proof and we do suffer a lot of thorns around here so could be very tempted with them as an alernative.

shoota 

A lot of us use Terrenos here and they've been very robust. I can't speak to the durability of them against the Smart Sam's though since I've not used those. But I can say the Vittorias have been dang near bullet proof for everyone I know, including myself.

Witterings

I did get the Terreno Mix's and with the awful weather we've had here recently have tried them out and in mud I don't think actually any better than the GK - SK's.

That said I do think they roll beter on tarmac so will find something better for the mud / winter and keep them as a summer tyre where we do more tarmac mileage in percentage terms .. thought I'd update in case anyone else googles tyres for mud and finds this thread.

redlude97

were you having a problem with shedding with the mixes? The biggest problem with the SKs in mud is that they become clogged easily. The mixes are basically grifo CX tread so should work as an all around, i used to run the vittoria cross xgs for my all around race tire and never really had a problem

CainV

maxxis rambler could be a good choice.

Witterings

Honest answer I'm not sure as it was pitch black but I don't think it was that as it was quite sloppy and they were certainly quite slippery.

I also bought some of the Smart Sam Plus's in 700x40c and used them at the weekend and last night and they were brilliant, friend that was following me last night on his 29er commented how well planted they were as he was slipping all over the place in comparison.

Think I'll use these as my default winter tyre now as 2 degrees C and pitch dark and you don't want a puncture combined with how good they are in mud and not too bad on the road .... I'll swap them over as soon as it dries up a bit going into the spring.

Cheers for everyone's input!!

shoota 

To be fair you did say "a bit of mud", and that's exactly what the Mixes are for. The Smart Sams aren't even in the same stratosphere of tire type with the Mixes. Apples to oranges.

All that to say if you're going to use the Mixes for your Summer tire then you'd be even better off with the Dry or Zero. They will be faster and can handle "a bit of mud".