Can you have too much grip ?

[Psycolist]

Over the wet winter months, part of the tracks I visited on my off road ventures called for me to travel over an area between fields where the farm machinery used it to turn around 180deg or swing left or right. While fully wet, it was IMPOSSIBLE to ride through the mire left behind, in fact it actually claimed one of my shoes on one attempt. Its still there somewhere. However, since the drier weather has arrived I have made repeated attempts to traverse the same area without dabbing down or coming to a complete stop, without much success. So deep are the ruts and so many of them , going in so many differing directions that its become a personal challenge to keep trying. At the weekend I swapped my winter rubber ( Saguaro rear and Fat Albert front ) for my less heavily treaded Summer tyre choice ( Ritchey WCS rear and Race King at the front ). To my utter disbelief, I just sailed through this problem area, no hesitation, dabs or stops. Across I went without any problem. It is still in a very heavily rutted condition, mostly as hard as concrete with several wet areas, which by the way STINK, still very deep ruts popping off in all different directions, the only difference was my tyres. Just to prove to myself this wasn't a FLUKE , I turned around and went back across the opposite way, this time a little dab half way but only the one, spun around and went back across from my normal direction and again went across with no problem. So, I repeat, to some of you more experienced off roaders, could it be that I had too much grip with the other tyre selection ?

 

[Motozulu]

No - you weren't pedalling hard enough

 

[Shadowfax]

The ground was firmer therefore you had a faster rolling speed.

 

[Gixxerman]

The only time that I wished I had less grip was when I put down too much power, which coincided with the front wheel hitting a tree root, which resulted in an uncontrollable wheelie and the bike rotating round the rear axle and dumping my on my arse out the back door. So in that case, I would have preferred wheelspin.

 

[02GF74]

I don't think you are describing grip, sounds more like drag.

 

[Acesand8s]

Yes though u could have too much, its called a fat bike, or studded tires.

 

[Psycolist]

What ever the cause, I am thoroughly enjoying the dry weather we are having. The extreme mud tyres are cracking for what they are designed for, but hard work when on road. My 'off roading' relies on me finding footpaths, bridle ways and farm tracks, and there is always an element of road riding to connect up these pathways. Perhaps not the most extreme type of surface to use but I ride what the countryside presents to me. And believe it or not, some of the tracks I go over are as challenging as I could cope with. Forest floor is a favourite for slow technical balance type riding, any time of the year, footpaths for getting along nice and quick, again anytime, any weather, and bridleways and farm tracks for the mixed type riding, usually not an option in the really wet periods, but great when its been dry and then rained on top of the dusty stuff. As the OP says, the surface can be as diverse and in some places, unrideable. At one point this winter, I was up to my BB in water where a well trodden footpath should have been. That's the side of off roading that makes it much more enjoyable than the road riding I was used to up until last year. Unpredictable ! Love it !