"You won't have any fun here with those chubby tyres!" That's what a biker said to me recently on a rainy Alpine trail. "That's what you need here!" he grinned, pointing to his chunky freeride tyres.
The theory of traction, or grip, is a key factor when biking. After all, it largely determines whether you experience the trail in flow or as a "dance on raw eggs" or even have to dismount. More traction means more safety - when braking, cornering and on sloping surfaces. And that's exactly why most bikers can never get enough of it. But which tyre is the first choice on muddy surfaces? For years, classic mud tyres were the "masters of traction". Now they have competition. Thick plus tyres allow low air pressure, which promises a lot of grip due to the large contact area. Mud tyres, on the other hand, dig deep into the ground with their narrow tread and pronounced lugs. Two fundamentally different concepts. The Maxxis Rekon with its width of 2.8 inches and moderate lugs is a prime example of the young range of trail-oriented plus tyres. On the other hand, the Michelin Wild Mud represents the "narrow and aggressive" genre. The Wild Mud is characterised by its wide, high lugs and soft, grippy rubber compound. Both pairs of tyres were ridden on the same bike (Scott Spark 700 Plus Tuned) on identical wheels (inner rim width: 35 millimetres). While the testers had to inflate the mud tyres to 1.55 to 1.7 bar for puncture protection, the Plus tyres could be ridden with 1 to 1.2 bar. The test terrain included forest, root and rocky trails, as well as wet mountain meadows and muddy forest tracks.
The practice "Wow, these tyres are really holding up!" The Plus tyres were remarkably strong in terms of traction, and not just on dry ground. Even on wet stones and slippery roots, the tyres could hardly be rattled. Even though the tread and rubber compound contribute to this, the low air pressure plays a major role. This allows the plus tyres to adapt to the ground and always generate a large contact area with the ground - and more surface area usually also means more traction. They also roll over obstacles noticeably more smoothly thanks to their inherent suspension. The mud tyres, on the other hand, are much more direct. In terms of traction potential, they are superior to the plus tyres on most surfaces - even if only just - but require a more precise line choice and driving skills. Only in really deep mud can the wet weather specialists clearly set themselves apart. On loose gravel and gravel, the plus tyres are smoother to ride. However, the ability to brake later and take corners even more aggressively comes at the price of significantly higher rolling resistance with the mud tyres. Okay for enduro racing, but not for touring or all-round use.
Our conclusion: Both tyres offer plenty of traction. The mud tyre narrowly wins the isolated traction rating, but the plus tyres come up trumps with high versatility and thus win the overall practical rating.
WHAT THE TESTERS SAY
Wide, moderately profiled plus tyres versus more aggressive but narrow mud tyres - which pairing offers the most traction? While the plus tyres generate most of their grip through low air pressure, the mud tyres rely primarily on the interlocking of the high lugs with the ground. The difference in width is around eight millimetres.
Maxxis Rekon 2.8" EXO 3C
Price 84,50 Euro
Weight 979 / 996 grammes
Construction EXO, 3C Maxx-Terra/Maxx-Speed Triple Compound, 120 TPI
Format 27,5 x 2,8"
Width 67 mm
Michelin Wild Mud 2.25" Advanced Reinforced
Price 86,95 Euro
Weight 1016 / 1005 grammes
Construction Reinforced, Magi-X Compound, 30 TPI
Format 27,5 x 2,25"
Width 59 mm
