Panaracer Spike F&R

Advantages: Amazing grip in the wet
Disadvantages: Rubbish on hard or dry surfaces, Quite damaging to trail surfaces

...For those of you that hadn't noticed, it rains in the UK. The knock on effect for mountain bikers is that it gets rather muddy and, quite frankly, the tyres you've been running for the last five years which have nearly gone bald just won't cut it in really muddy conditions. This is where mud tyres come in, one of the classic mud tyres being the Panaracer Spike. If you get to see one of these beasts in the flesh, it will become instantly apparent why they chose to call it the Spike. The cross section of the tyre consists of four large rubber spikes about 8mm in length repeated around the circumference of the tyre. The resulting tread pattern looks terrifying and puts tractors to shame. Equally terrifying is the stern warning on the tyre "Not for road use!", but more about that later. The Spike that I fitted to my bike had... Read review

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Advantages: Grip, durability and looks
Disadvantages: Costly

...The Panaracer Fire XC Pro has proven itself to be one of the wisest, if costly, upgrades to my Cannondale Jekyll. In our murky winter (and summer) months you need a tyre that will cope in the claggy conditions, providing grip and shedding mud quickly and efficiently, but not so aggressive in tread pattern that it hinders progress on fire-roads and tarmac – The Panarcaer achieves this and is one of the most striking designs available, with its white writing emblazoned on the sidewall. It has performed admirably in the mulched leaves of the Dorking Redlands Trails; it kept my fatigued body moving on the punishing mud, roots, rock gardens, hairpins and drop-offs of the Afan Skyline Trail and has dug me out of the sticky Cotswold clay. A true all-round performer that is perfectly suited to our changeable climate. There are a great... Read review

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Advantages: Good durability, great for all day rides
Disadvantages: None

...Although to many tyre choice on a bike tends to come down to what the local bike shop have that's cheap, there's a few things beyond that which mountain bikers look at when buying tyres. The first main thing tends to be the use that the tyre's going to get. Shove a slick tyre with no tread on a bike that's going to get used in the mud, and you're going nowhere. Put a mud tyre on and go and ride on a hard surface and you'll be puffing and panting like Ivor the Engine with the flu. The Fire XC Pros fit in somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. As the XC in the name implies, this is a cross country tyre. Cross country riders expect some grip in the mud, but not at the expense of putting so much grip on the tyre that it's hard going all the time. Panaracer seem to have managed that quite well with the Fire XC Pro, although... Read review

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