Muddy Weather Tips

Front mudguards

1. Fork mudguard
   
   Since there is quite a lot of space on a mountain bike suspension fork for a splash guard, this solution is also easy to implement. Until some time ago, plastic mini-mudguards were often fixed in place with cable ties. The best-known solution is the "Marsh Guard", developed by Jason Marsh, the World Cup mechanic of downhill legend Greg Minnaar. The great thing about it is that it can be easily adapted to all kinds of forks, is inexpensive, effective and relatively unobtrusive in appearance. Many of these mini-mudguards are now available in various sizes and shapes - of course also from us. Feel free to take a look at our shop! 
   

   The disadvantage: If you want to clean your fork properly, you have to remove the mini-mudguard. To do that, you have to cut the cable ties and use new ones for reassembly, which is of course not particularly sustainable. They can also scratch the paint on the fork due to vibrations while riding, which you probably want to avoid. The major fork manufacturers have therefore recognised the need for an alternative and now offer integrated, bolted solutions that also ensure a cleaner look. They blend in much better with the overall appearance and are usually attached directly to the arch with 3 or 4 bolts, making them very user-friendly. The brands RockShox, Fox Racing Shox, Marzocchi, DT Swiss, DVO Suspension and Suntour now rely on such integrated solutions.  

2. Downtube mudguard
   
   If your fork does not offer any space or mounting option for a small mudguard or if the covered area is not sufficient for you, you can mount a downtube mudguard as an alternative or an addition.  

Rear mudguards

There are hardly any integrated solutions for the rear wheel as there are for the suspension fork, as splash protection is not quite as essential at the rear as it is at the front. However, there are two different approaches to keeping your back and bum dry and clean.

1. Seatpost mudguard
   
   Mudguards for mounting on the seatpost are very universal and effective. They are usually attached to the seatpost with a kind of quick-release fastener and then often adjusted to the rear wheel via a joint. Admittedly, these mudguards are often not the best looking, although this is of course a matter of taste - but they offer impressive protection.
   
   
2. Saddle mini-mudguard
   
   If you want a more inconspicuous version on your bike, we also recommend a mini-mudguard at the rear, which is clamped directly under the saddle. Super light and easy to attach, this is a nice solution, but it doesn't offer as much protection as a seatpost mudguard. Only the bum and part of the back are covered.

You should therefore carefully consider which solution to choose. The following questions can help in the decision-making process:

• How often and how long do you ride in the wet / the mud?
• How important is a clean, tidy look to you?
• Should the mudguard be quickly removable, or can it stay on the bike permanently?

You can also contact our service team by phone or e-mail if you have any questions or are unsure.

Funktionsweise und Beschaffenheit

With a little experience, you can usually tell what a tyre is made for by looking at the tread pattern and design. A tyre for wet or muddy conditions must above all fulfil four important criteria:

1. Higher profile, longer lugs
   
   Longer lugs allow the tyre to bite through the liquid, "slippery" mud and reach the grippier, firmer ground where it finds traction. A tyre with a flat tread hardly manages this - it does not get to the firmer ground, but slips away more quickly on the slick top layer. An impressive example of an MTB tyre with very long lugs is the Maxxis Wetscream or, in the gravel sector, the Maxxis All Terrane.
   
   
2. Open profile with large gaps
   
   Even if the tyre rolls less smoothly on firm ground as a result, an "open" tread with plenty of space between the individual lugs is fundamentally important. The background: Sticky mud clogs the tread, so depending on the ground conditions, the advantage of the long lugs would be lost after a short ride - the tyre practically becomes a slick tyre. However, if there is more space between the lugs, the mud cannot hold on so well and the tyre cleans itself through the centrifugal forces of rotation. Examples of tyres with plenty of clearance, especially in the centre of the tread, are the Continental Hydrotal for MTBs and the Schwalbe X-One for gravel bikes.
   
   
3. Narrower design
   
   While tyres for dry conditions or all-rounders are usually very wide in order to maximise grip, traction and damping, designated mud tyres are traditionally somewhat narrower. There is a reason for this: A wide tyre tends to "float” in mud - it generates less pressure per surface area on the ground. Only when the tyre becomes narrower can it literally cut through the mud and build up grip on the aforementioned firmer ground. Of course, the tyre width should not be too narrow either, as otherwise the performance will get worse again and grip and damping in particular will suffer. A prominent example of a narrow mountain bike mud tyre is the Schwalbe Dirty Dan, which was only 2.0" wide in its 26" days. In the gravel sector, it is better to use cyclocross tyres, which are traditionally narrower (up to 35 mm).  
4. The rubber compound 
   
   With every tyre, the rubber compound plays a decisive role in whether your bike rolls better or worse and whether it offers a lot of grip and traction. A softer rubber compound is usually used for mud tyres so that the lugs grip even better on wet stones or slippery roots. But here, too, a certain balancing act is required to prevent the long studs from buckling if the compound is too soft.  

Differences between gravel and mountain bikes

While manufacturers go "all out" with mountain bike mud tyres and don’t make any compromises when getting them ready for their area of use, things are a little more discreet in the gravel sector, because a gravel bike is rarely ridden at the limit; in addition, the tyres should not roll too slowly on the road and on paved paths, which is almost irrelevant for a special mountain bike tyre. Apart from the manufacturer's design, however, every cyclist should clearly ask themselves what is more important to them: Do I accept high rolling resistance to get the best off-road performance or should the tyre still offer a good balance between grip and speed? Our service team will be happy to help you.

Grip and traction

As these two terms are often confused, we would like to clear up the confusion and shed some light on the subject.

Grip means the tyre's ability to hold on to the ground when lateral forces occur, which normally occur in corners, but also in so-called "off-camber" sections. These are straight sections along a slope where the ground slopes to the left or right.

Traction means the ability of the tyre not to slip when accelerating or not to lock up when braking. If traction is lost, you will usually feel it on the rear wheel when going uphill (slipping) or on the flat and downhill if you brake suddenly and too hard on a loose surface (locking up).