Due to my cycling season being all messed up, I did not get to the mountain bike until just the other day. It is good to be back out in the woods again, even though it would appear that the snow will be arriving by next Friday (give or take a day or two, forecasts being what they are in Southern Ontario and all that.)
I arrived at a decision yesterday about 30 seconds before the reason for my decision became apparent. I am going to buy some dedicated aggressive mud tires for the off road machine next year. The bike currently has some Maxxis tires (Larson TT tires - they roll fast, and are great on hard pack, but...) on it which, quite frankly, suck for the clay soil that most of the local trail networks are make of. The top soil in the forest is OK with these tires, but introduce just a hint of moisture, and they pack up, become slicks, and skitter all over the place. Even moist air is enough to make the trails slightly slick and with these tires? It can get a bit sketchy.
Anyhow, I had just announced to my friend that I want new tires when I hit a bit of a slick spot in the middle of a curve. Out skidded the front tire and down went the bike. I was not hurt (largely because I remembered how to change direction in mid fall and missed a large log) and the bike was not hurt. What a coincidence.
Maybe I will order up a set of Maxxis Medusa tires for next spring (26 x 1.8). They look like they will do the trick.
To follow up: I ended up ordering a set of Continental Edge tires for the bike. They should do the trick quite nicely I hope. I will report back later (as in, when I am riding again!) and let everybody know what I think of them.
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