Winter tires

Been rocking the Maxxis tires for the last few seasons. Wondering what is your fave for wet and mud during the winter months? Looking to possibly change it up… for a change.

Last year I used the dhr2 2.3 Tr 2.3 rear and dhf 2.3 TR front 3c. I found it a good combo. I am going to go for 60A instead 3c for rear next time as a 3c rerar wears very fast in the dry.
My neighbour and friend uses the new 2015 nobby nic rear and muddy mary front his favorite combo.
I find tire pressure way more importent in the winter.

I've just swapped my tires to a couple of 2.3" WTB tires, a Vigilante and a Breakout. I've only got 1 ride on them so far (injured my knee on said ride) so I can't really formulate an opinion as of yet, but I'm sure with well siped widely spaced knobs on the front tire I'll be shedding mud and getting grip on most surfaces this winter.

Magic Mary tires are my go to. Used to run minion dhf and Dhr2. Maxis shorty could be good.

I tried some Vigilante 29x2.3s last winter and didn't think too much of them. They seemed promising but they were pretty average in the wet. I was relieved to go back to triple compound DHF and HR2.

I have a Michelin Wild Mud I'm keen to try when it gets wet enough! Not sure how it will fare on rock slabs though…

Magic Mary tires are my go to. Used to run minion dhf and Dhr2. Maxis shorty could be good.

Front and rear?

I love these tire threads.

Magic Marry 2.35 sublime winter grip. Minions don't even come close.

Magic Marry 2.35 sublime winter grip. Minions don't even come close.

Rock slab and wood? Might give them a go-

Magic Marry 2.35 sublime winter grip. Minions don't even come close.

Agreed. I have a MM on the front that is quite worn. I think I got a full year out of it. Still has some bite, but the nice soft grippy rubber has been worn away. Have a new one ready to go on.

I did run an EXO DHF 3C for a while, but it wore surprisingly fast. I also found DHF to be less consistent in that it slipped and let go where I thought it would have grip, causing some rather uncomfortable moments.

So for me, after being a Maxxis guy for ever, I prefer what the Schwalbe tires provide over Maxxis.

On the back I ran a new Nobby Nic this summer and thought it rolled a little nicer than the Hans Dampf or the Minion and had good grip as well. Just switched out the back to a fresh HD, rolls a little slower than the NN or the Minion, but provides better grip. Couple that with the MM up front and I should be good to go.

Haven't tried the new DHR II, but would consider giving that a go as a winter tire as well.

Moving to 650b I think I am going to miss the Maxxis Super Tacky compound for winter! The 3C is great, but at least when you wear down a ST tire, the compound is the same sticky goodness all the way through! With the 3C you wear through to 70a which can lead to some fun times!

Anyways, I run DHF front and will switch the rear to DHRII for winter when the current DHF rear wears out.

For all you guys riding Schwalbe MM, which sidewall and compound are you running (Trailstar vs Vertstar/Snakeskin vs Supergravity)? They don't publish rubber durometer anywhere, so it's tough to compare to the equivalent tire from Maxxis or Specialized. For winter riding I'd like to run the softest Vertstar up front, but it's only available in SG casing. Probably run a Hans Damf out back, unless somebody has a better suggestion?

Also looking at the Mavic Charge and Roam, which come in at 40a and 50a respectively, curious if anyone has experience with this combo.

Currently running a Specialized Butcher SX up front, control rear. I'm happy with the grip and would probably buy Specialized again, but they are impossible to find locally and don't sell online.

Also looking at the Mavic Charge and Roam, which come in at 40a and 50a respectively, curious if anyone has experience with this combo.

I picked up a Charge and am not a fan. The cornering knobs are pretty flimsy, so it's pretty easy to overwhelm the tire. Overall, it's a bit driftier than I'd like for a front tire. I also tried it in back and it is noticeably slower than a DHF as a rear tire. If you want to take mine off my hands, I'd let it go pretty cheap.

I haven't tried the Roam but it's pretty low-profile for a winter tire.

If you can get your hands on one, the Bontrager SE5 is a fantastic all-rounder. The Magic Mary is better than it by a bit in soft, wet dirt, but the SE5 has the MM beat everywhere else. I find the MM too squirmy on harder trail beds, even when it's wet. In contrast, the SE5 is more predictable and more planted in corners.