A mountain bike is particularly made for tough terrains. All off-road bike excursions are easier with a perfect mountain bike. Due to all the abuse, it’s put through, a mountain bike should have exceptionally good tires. The tires should have thick treads to resist sharp objects that cause punctures and cuts.
Additionally, the materials used to make the tire should be bouncy and comfortable to help the bike move over rugged terrains. A reliable mountain bike tire should also absorb shock and last longer. Once you find a tire that can match this description, you can consider yourself ready to go. Without excellent tires, your mountain bike will be useless as it cannot adequately support your riding adventures. As choosing excellent mountain bike tires can be a daunting task, you need our help. And to grant it, here is a list of 12 mountain bike tires you should consider buying.
1. Maxxis Aggressor EXO/TR Tire
Summary
As the title suggests, this product is made by Maxxis, a popular bike brand. Maxxis Aggressor EXO/TR is the tire you should buy if your budget is small. The black tire is tubeless with a foldable bead design. Meant for high-speed trails, this mountain bike tire produces a better grip along the edges because of the knobby pattern. It also has advanced side knobs that offer more stability when taking corners hurriedly. This trail tire can be used for cross country, bike racing and heavy-duty all-mountain riding. It weighs 885g and has 60TPi.
Pros and cons
The tire’s main advantages are that it has a mesh sidewall. This is made of four layers of materials and is designed to prevent punctures and increase the tire’s lifespan. The main con is that the tire’s extra-large size might slightly slow down your riding speed. This may force you to use a little more energy to ride your mountain bike.
2. Goodyear Folding Bead Mountain Bike Tire, Black
Summary
Goodyear Folding Bead Mountain Bike Tire is claimed to take a few pounds off most bulky bikes. It can fit a range of rims, including 2” to 2.125” and is a 26-inch folding bead tire that offers good performance and durability. When riding terribly difficult terrains or gravel road, the Goodyear tire may function well.
Pros and cons
This tire is affordable, lightweight, and ideal for most off-road bike expeditions. It makes a functional front wheel tire that can also fit most bike rims. Its sidewalls are softer though, requiring maximum pressure to roll smoothly.
3. Continental Contact Plus Bike Tire
Summary
The Continental Contact Plus Bike Tire is made specifically for your mountain or trekking bike. It comes in four sizes: 24”, 26”,27” and 28”. This bike tire is designed for all off-road bike journeys and can handle tough terrains just fine. Sold as an upgrade for the touring tire, the Continental plus is performance-r75 Certified. It boasts a breaker lining and an extremely detectable reflective sidewall for additional safety. Also featuring Plus for puncture protection, this tire guarantees that you will not stopover anywhere to repair a flat tire.
Pros and cons
The Continental Plus tire is ideal for all your biking activities, including those you do on gravel trails. It offers reliable puncture protection and supports e-bikes. It is also among the most affordable mountain bike tires. As for the cons, it’s not as quick as its predecessors.
4. Kenda City Slick Mountain Tire K838, Black
Summary
This pair of tires is highly rated by past and current users. It is designed specifically for your mountain bike and measures 26’’ by 1.95”. It offers the recommended maximum PSI, which is 40 to 65 and is the most durable tire you can buy. Durability is ensured by the wire beads while the directional grooves carry water toward the outer tire edge. Designed for more speed and low rolling resistance for mountain bikes, the Kenda K838 tire can maintain grip on dry and wet surfaces alike. Although it is not for difficult trail riding, this tire can benefit riders who want a smooth ride regardless of the ruggedness of the road.
Pros and cons
This black tire by Kenda is stylish and compatible with most mountain bikes. Besides being appropriate for a mountain bike, it can also be bought for your hybrid bike. With it you can expect less rolling resistance and excellent traction in sharp turns and corners. This tire is not made for serious trail riding though, and will not be very helpful if this is what you like.
5. Schwinn Bike Tire (Black, 26 x 1.95-Inch)
Summary
If you are searching for the easiest way to upgrade your mountain bike, get the Schwinn Mountain Bike Tire. It is a black tire that measures 26”x1.95”. This is not only durable, but also the tire that could make your rides smoother. It is foldable and easy to store or carry. If your bike wheels are not 26 inches don’t buy this tire. If they are, then you can rest assured that your wheels will respond well to the new tire.
Pros and cons
This is a high-quality bike tire with excellent grip and likable off-road performances. It is affordable too and is one of the best tires if you are aiming for durability. Once you get used to riding this tire, you might never look for different tires. A reviewer with a standard bike with no gears found it hard to peddle their bike after installing these tires.
6. Schwalbe Hans Dampf Snake Skin TL – Ready Mountain Bike Tire
Summary
This tire comes in different sizes, including 26 x 2.35inches, 27.5 x 2.35inches and, 29 x 2.35inches. Designed by Schwalbe, an industry leader, this mountain bike tire is authentic. It guarantees three things: weight reduction, low rolling resistance and puncture protection. The tire combines a tubeless design with the SnakeSkin sidewalls protection. This ensures that the sidewalls and shoulders are kept safe from sharp objects like rocks.
Pros and cons
This tire offers excellent grip in all weather conditions. It is thick enough to stand up to any riding challenge you may present it with. Unfortunately, some reviewers think it’s on the heavier side.
7. Continental Mountain King II Wire Bead Mountain Bike Tire
Summary
This is a bike tire you can use for months without feeling disappointed. What you read about it is not hype but the truth. The Continental Mountain King II features wire a bead construction that makes it tough and durable. It offers comfortable weight too and is very puncture resistant. Its grip is strong and will make your mountain bike much more efficient.
Pros and cons
For the low price it is offered for, this tire rolls quietly and smoothly. It offers decent performance on different terrains too and its improved center lugs allow quicker and more accurate cornering. If you are searching for a wide tire, this one is not a good choice.
Conclusion
To conclude, make sure you reflect on one major factor when selecting a perfect tire for your mountain bike. This is your bike riding style. Do you do downhill riding, trail riding, cross-country riding or all-mountain biking? If you do downhill riding, choose a strongly-built, tenacious mountain bike tire that can handle a great deal of abuse associated with your style. Trail riding requires a tire that can offer speed, improved grip and durability.
As a cross-country rider, choose a tire with advanced climbing power, less weight and a quick rolling ability. If you like an all-mountain biking style, then you could do with tires that can offer good traction and resist wear and tear. Once you pick a proper riding style, it will be much easier to select the correct tire width range, tire treads, tire threads and tire construction materials. There are definitely one or more mountain bike tires you can pick from our list without regretting your decision. So go on and pick it.
You can also check some other valuable mentions:
- Tire size: 26" x 1.95” PSI: 65 ISO: 559 Weight: 789g
- Black tread with black side wall
- A classic MTB tire with large, widely spaced knobs suitable for all conditions
- Two tires, bike tubes, rim strips, and BL tire levers.
- Tightly spaced, blocky tread minimizes rolling resistance until braking allows the knobs to truly dig in.
- Supportive side knobs deliver traction when trying to keep the bike upright on off-camber surfaces.
- Rear tire of choice for our enduro athletes, while also excelling as a front tire on hardpack trails.
- 670 g
- Steering specific front designed to provide maximum cornering traction.
- Braking specific rear with wide knobs that dig in while braking in loose terrain.
- Tube-type tire with a wire bead, these tires are very durable.
- Dual compound, 3C MaxxSpeed, or 3C MaxxTerra options
- 60 TPI or 120 TPI casing options
- EXO sidewall protection
