Are there any restrictions on the treads you can trail ride with? I live in MN.

 

The only restriction the I have is my bank account and it is closely linked to my wife. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

As to the local regulations - none.
Heck they have just passed a local law to allow us to ride on the roads in the country side and small villages. As long as you're behaving everyone is happy!

 

Ya but arn't you a Canadian guy? What about Minnesota?

 

On my own property I don't allow extremely aggressive tires. I had 589s at one time and they really tore the trails up terribly as did a friend's outty which had executioners. It got really bad when we got some rain. While less aggressive tires could go on the same trails with minor damage the heavy lugged ones just tore the crap out of everything. They were great on the couple of bottomless creeks crossings but for 90% of the rest of the trail they just tore things up. In fact the banks where I use to cross all the time with my 589s is still rutted and torn up even after several floods.

If you're concerned about tearing up the trail, try to use the least aggressive tire you can get away with. They can do a great deal more damage than you might think. If you're doing it on public land it just gives more of a reason to shut the trail down.

 

Same here - mud tires make a real mess. I tried one set, saw what they were doing to my farm, and got rid of them.

You don't need a real aggressive tread for most riding. They just tear the ground up, and give ammunition to people who want to close a trail. I went back to a milder tread, have yet to get stuck, and it handles a lot better on hardpack. My main trails through my woods are showing no erosion or substantial wear since I canned the mud tires.

 

What type of tires do you recomend to save trails yet still have decent performance off road?+

 

I find that the 'Stock' tires that come with the bikes from the factory are much better than a lot of people give them credit for.

You have to keep in mind that the folks that are willing to buy 'Mud Lites' and other 'Specialized' tires are very purpose dedicated people and anything less than perfection is 'Crud' AND these folks are the ones that are willing to voice their opinions - LOUDLY!

BUT, for the rest of us that are happy to bop down the trails - Stock tires are a good blend of rubber for general purpose riding.

Happy Trails. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: beungood

What type of tires do you recomend to save trails yet still have decent performance off road?+</end quote></div>

That really depends on where you ride. Personally on my place I've found dirt devils or mudlite xtrs are about as mild as I can get away with on my farm. I'd like to use something more along the lines of a holeshot ATR but they simply won't do the job I need them to. I'm stuck far too often.

If I just rode on average public trails or didn't have the creeks or extensive muddy areas on my place the ATRs would be fine and I change to them in a second. I have multiple muddy creek crossings to negotiate on a daily basis as well as one particular trail that has very deep mud in all but the driest of weather so it necessitates a more aggressive tire.