Wondering what tyres to use now the drier trails are with us? What rubber will give you get dry weather performance yet cope with a wet weekend?

We pick our BEST DRY 650B/27.5 MOUNTAINBIKE TYRES for enduro and trail use.

It’s always a gamble as to when to switch from the heavily treaded tyres your bike has been wearing for most of the winter and early spring to faster rolling, quicker treads for the drier trails ahead. With many of us now running tubeless we are ideally looking to make the switch and to leave these new boots in place for the next few months; less fuss, no faffing about, more riding time. OK, so if you’re racing enduro events then the weather forecast needs to be checked and maybe a change of treads required before you leave home.

A summer of dry dusty hardpacked tracks is often only a hazy dream and a mix of wet weekends and heavy used (and abused) trails can brings challenges when choosing new rubber; many of us keeping our 50/50 mixed conditions treads fitted until late spring. Trails often get more traffic from the spring onwards and it only takes a wet weekend for things to get messy. But as the ground dries out, riding speeds increase and getting a tyre combination which balances steering and cornering grip with a reduced rolling resistance is the ultimate aim.

What are we looking for in a DRY WEATHER tyre?

Up front we are looking for confident cornering grip along with stability to keep the bike tracking correctly. Correct tyre pressure and suspension set-up plays a huge part in getting the best out of the front of your bike as your speeds increase on rougher, drier tracks. Getting weight distribution balanced and bar height correct will aid grip too. Good support from a reinforced sidewall can help, especially for a heavier rider on rockier terrain, although too stout a tyre may take some feel and suppleness from the ride quality

Out the back we can look at maybe a slightly narrower tyre with a lower profile centre tread or one with a closely spaced pattern, resulting in a faster rolling wheel now the ground is dry. Cornering tread is still important and we are now seeing a new breed of reinvented ‘semi-slicks’ giving a good turn of speed but with plenty of traction in the turns but still in high volume sizes up to 2.3/2.4″. If you are racing enduros this season then these may be just the ticket and there’s now a good range to choose from.

Tyre prices may seem to be getting high these days but a quality pair of treads can be a huge performance upgrade over the stock tyres on your bike. Dual or triple rubber compounds, tubeless compatibility (and reliability) along with ‘fit for purpose’ reinforced sidewalls can give both your bike and your confidence a real lift. Tweak your pressures (both in your tyres and shocks) for the drier faster tracks and you are ready to go…