The Bontrager XR Mud clears mud well and its low weight adds life to the bike once conditions get testing
There’s a whole lot of chat out there on wider tyres, with the latest 27.5 and 29 ‘Plus’ widths of 2.8 to 3 inch said to offer the year-round trail rider more grip, control and traction whatever the conditions. We’ve yet to spend a winter on these sizes but here at Dirt we really feel that a narrow, light, two inch mud tyre such as the Bontrager XR Mud is essential equipment on mid-travel trail bikes from October through April, dishing out plenty of bite in softer ground. Testing mud tyres is an ongoing business. Many riders really miss out on the hard charging capabilities of trail bike wet weather rubber.
It’s largely a class dominated by downhill casings with few lightweight and medium depth rubber available for riding that take you up and across as well as down. Bontrager’s XR Mud has always been our rubber of choice, especially on a 29er, enhancing the improved wet weather grip that this wheel size already gives, yet still rolling well on fire roads or when trails start to dry out.
