The Best Mountain Bike Mud Tires of 2019

A good MTB mud tire needs tons of grip, a design that easily sheds the slippery clay, and a high-puncture resistance for all types of aggressive terrains. But picking a great mountain bike mud tire is not easy as there are many options out there that promise the moon but fail to live up to that promise on the trail.

Our article is going to help you with making a decision by reviewing and ranking eight of the best mountain bike mud tires currently on the market. As for the criteria that we used to rank our choices, we decided to use a combination of popularity, grip, durability, and affordability.

Coming in at the 8 spot on our list, the Maxxis High Roller II is one of the best mountain bike mud tires there is. This tire is an excellent choice for exploring trails and other outdoor areas in a wide range of climates. It features an extra deep tread pattern that does an excellent job gripping on both soft and hard surfaces.

Our only issue with this particular product is that the sidewalls feel a bit thin. This is partly due to the lightweight sidewall design that helps reduce the overall package size. However, it’s also a cause for concern for caliper brake systems that may put excess pressure on the sidewalls.

Another one of the best mountain bike mud tires is made by Continental. This tire offers a lighter tread pattern that is ideal for softer terrain types like gravel and sand. For most users, it offers just enough traction to help you gain speed easily. It also does a good job at not slinging too much mud.

The overall low purchase price is another big reason why we decided to feature it on our list. For riders on a budget, it’s an excellent mud tire to consider. The only issue we found is that the tire design isn’t the best for wet riding conditions.

Schwinn makes an excellent mountain bike mud tire too. This particular product offers a foldable design for simplified storage. In addition to being compact, the tread pattern is rugged and versatile enough to accommodate virtually any terrain type.

We also liked that the tread pattern doesn’t extend too far down the sidewall. Unfortunately, the sidewall itself felt a bit thin. However, the tire is still solid enough for all arond use and holds up well in a wide variety of riding conditions. In terms of price, you’ll likely not find a better option.

Maxxis earned another spot on our best mountain bike mud tires list with its Aggressor series. This tire is the preferred choice of riders in wet weather conditions thanks to its center channel tread design. With this feature, the tire funnels excess water away to help improve traction and handling.

This tire also features abrasion protection on the sidewall area. However, we did find that the small tread design tended to clog easily with mud and other small debris. With this in mind, be sure to wash the tires thoroughly after each trip.

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Going on a trail? Maybe upgrade to a whole new trail bike for maximum success!

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The Panaracer Fire XC Wire MTB tire is a great tire for off-road trails and aggressive muddy terrain. It has impressive traction both front and rear and since it has a bit higher resistance the front tire is predictable on all terrain. It is knobby but fares well on pavement as well and it is incredibly silent on the road.

It has performed excellently on packed mud, gravel, sand, wet and dry aggressive terrain. Overall, the Panaracer Fire XC is pretty tough but there have been user reports about the tread wearing out fast (after 350 miles or so). However, for the price you can’t beat the quality. Plus, this pup is Made in Japan.

Our third favorite mountain bike mud tire is Michelin. Their Country (2016) tire is one of the more durable options on our list that feature a reinforced sidewall design and thick grips on the tire tread. In addition to being quite durable, it has insane grip on both hard pack and loose terrain.

What’s more, the tire is very lightweight and comes with a semi-aggressive tread pattern, which makes them less than ideal when riding on pavement. The only major downside is that it lacks additional sizing options (there’s only the 26″ option) and the tire is tubeless. Just keep those small points in mind before making a final purchasing decision.

The CST Rock Hawn earned a spot on our list of the best mountain bike mud tires for several reasons. For starters, this tire comes in two different sizes and widths. It’s also made using single compound manufacturing guidelines. This helps to ensure that the tire’s tread pattern is consistent throughout the tire.

The last positive point we would like to mention is the affordable nature of the product. As for downsides, the only issue we found with the tire design is that the side tread pattern tends to stick a bit too far out.

The Maxxis Ardent TR EXO Tire are our indisputable winner of the Best Mountain Bike Mud Tire race. It has the best of both worlds: tons of grip on muddy, sandy, and even leafy (wet) terrain and an amazingly low rolling resistance thanks to the ramped knobs. It rolls faster than the Maxxis High Roller II or the Aggressor and comes with an impressive cornering ability.

What’s more, this tire can hold up to impressive levels of abuse thanks to the patented EXO sidewall protection, even though they are a bit fat (tubeless). Yet for the size, you’ll be impressed by the low rolling resistance. All in all, the Ardent TR EXO tire is durable, insanely grippy, and fast – hands down the best mountain bike mud tire we could find.

Conclusion

The tires we reviewed come in a wide selection of sizes with varying levels of traction. No matter what type of weather condition you ride in, you should have no problem finding a suitable choice on our list. Once you’ve had the chance to try one of our recommendations out, please tell us about your experience in the comments area.

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