One of the projects we are currently working on is individual testing of the current crop of Trials tires with an emphasis on trail riding. Recently there’s been some new tires coming into the market while some of the old reliable’s are still with us. So to give you an idea of how they perform and how they last we’re running them all through the paces.
Trials tires on regular dirt bikes are nothing new. But the look and feel of the trials tire definitely has some advantages and disadvantages in lots of different conditions. In a nutshell the rider is the biggest factor in whether a trials tire is the correct choice. If you like to skid and spin the rear wheel, forget about a trials tire, you will hate it, especially on the brakes! If you are looking for a little more traction and willing to see of the tire can help, some trials tires will accomplish that for you. Over the next few months you’ll be seeing the tests and finally a comparison of the tires when we have all the all of the information. 
Would you like to help out and offer an opinion? Use the comments form below and let us know what you think about any of these tires and the information you’d really like to get out of the comparison. 
Here are some links where you can purchase these tires. Just click on the image and if you buy, you’ll supporting this site:
7 Responses to “Trials Tire Comparison–In the works.”
ETicket55 .
Looking forward to this one! I absolutely love the Dunlop D803 for woods/trail riding and the Pirelli MT-43 for rocky/pavement in Colorado.
It will be interesting to see how all the brands stack up against each other.
Will you be using heavy-duty tubes as well? (so you can drop the tire pressure.)
Son_of_Pappy
Your gonna love the Motoz Hybrid. Easy prediction…
Jimmy Lewis
Thanks for the notice, we fixed it.
Chris
For me, Tubliss obviated trials tire use for trail riding. A low pressure knobby offered all the same climbing traction but also vastly improved braking and no sudden stepping out as with a trials tire.
Joe Smith
Thanks for this research, Jimmy. Id like to see if you can show how much these trials tires reduce damage to mountain trails ( ruts formed, rocks dislodged, etc) compared to traditional knobbies.
Jimmy Lewis
It depends on the rider. A wheel spinning rider will do more damage on a trials tire as they spin more and easier and never get traction when spinning. I’ve seen it in person, a rider who can’t trust low power and low torque levels needs a knob to grab when they let the clutch out. (This person is generally bad for the trails in the first place, but they’ll learn or quit riding like this right after their first day of repairing trails damaged by wheel-spinning riders.)
Mike
Looking forward to hearing your opinions. I’ve been using trials tires for several years, primarily in rocky trail situations in Colorado and eastern Oklahoma. First tried Dunlop 803 which worked pretty well but chunked knobs very quickly. Didn’t stay with that brand long. Have also tried Michelin which were very sticky and worked great, but were very squirmy on faster trails and roads. Felt like riding on a flat even though I had 9 psi. My favorite so far has been the Pirelli MT-43. Decent grip, wear like iron, and they are DOT approved so they work great on roads. Am currently testing a Kenda Equilibrium that look promising. Seems to work great on the trail and is wearing well, but no experience on roads yet.