In this article I’m going to give you an overview of the best 27.5 inch mud tires.
When you move into the category of MTB mud tires, you undoubtedly move into the direction of downhill and enduro tires. Because these are the disciplines where you’ll find the tires with the most grip and traction necessary to get you through rough courses and down a mountain while still in the saddle.
Lots of grip, lots of traction, and lots of cornering confidence, means adding more weight for wider tires with larger knobbies and lower rolling resistance. So XC-lovers should stay clear from what this list has to offer and look somewhere else.
But if you’re someone who still wants to ride and doesn’t mind plowing through wet and muddy trails, or you just want the amount of grip enduro and downhill racing demands of your tires, this list of the best 27.5 inch mud tires is for you.
Continental Der Baron Projekt ProTection Apex
The Continental Der Baron Projekt is a very aggressive mountain bike tire. Massive blocks sufficiently spaced ensure you have both maximum grip and maximum mud clearance, making this tire a solid enduro allrounder in both wet and dry conditions.
Even in the 2.4 inch width version, this tire weighs 890, which makes this tire a great option if you want to ride all year round, but you stay away from the trail in the worst of conditions.
The BlackChili compound from Continental is known for its great durability. So if you’re also looking for a tire that’ll last you a very long time, and save on cash that way, the Der Baron Projekt is a solid choice as well.
- Extremely lightweight gravity tire, durable
- Meant for downhill or enduro
Maxxis Assegai
If you know mountain biking you know Greg Minnaar. And the Maxxis Assegai is said to be designed with his help. So what does that say about this tire?
Well, he’s a downhill champion, so expect monstrous level of grip and traction in a tire well-suited for the most aggressive trail riders among us. For such an aggressive tire, the profile is relatively rounded still, smoothing out transitions from straight to cornering, without that vague feeling you sometimes get in between.
This tire sits just below a true mud tire, so all of that traction will come at a premium, and the price you pay is of course a slow, and heavy tire in those times when you don’t need as much grip. When choosing tires you have to compromise, and when the going gets tough this is the tire you want to be riding.
- Very grippy tire, meant for bad conditions
- Meant for downhill
Schwalbe Dirty Dan
If the trail gets really nasty you might want to opt for the Schwalbe Dirty Dan. This tire was designed specifically for the worst of conditions and features the most aggressive tread pattern of any tire in Schwalbe’s lineup.
It features Schwalbe’s UltraSoft compound for maximum grip and feel as you plow through the mud. The huge blocks are spaced openly to keep in control of your bike as the tire sheds mud quickly and maintains braking power.
It comes in a 26 x 2.35 inch version, not too wide so mud won’t clog up your entire frame.
- Very aggressive tread pattern, extremely grippy
- Meant for downhill or enduro
Schwalbe Magic Mary
The Magic Mary is Schwalbe’s grippiest tire from their entire lineup. It performs both brilliantly as a downhill tire, but is just as effective for all-round trail riding in brutal conditions.
It has top-of-the-line traction combined with super fast rolling characteristics and a good feel for the trail at high speeds. If you want to be in the moment and experience flow going down sloppy slopes the Magic Mary delivers big time, with virtually zero cons.
Good braking power, allround riding characteristics in dry and wet conditions, this is Schwalbe’s top tire for all-mountain, enduro and downhill, no matter what the conditions are.
- Very grippy, go-to gravity tire, solid braking power, 4-season downhill tire
- Meant for downhill
WTB Verdict
The WTB Verdict is a versatile MTB tire for wet and muddy conditions.
Since WTB states this is a front tire, you might want to combine it with the WTB Vigilante mentioned here as well. The reason this is a front tire is because the core focus is grip. The soft compound does not perform well on hardpack, but gives amazing levels of traction and grip in loose, wet, and muddy conditions.
With so much grip at your disposal it also means that climbing becomes easier as well. Which means this is a very solid enduro tire for allround rough trail conditions.
There are two different casings to choose from a single and dual ply. The single is obviously faster, but the dual will provide you with more protection and a longer life, so it’s up to you what you prefer.
- Great enduro or trail allrounder, lots of grip and traction
- None
WTB Vigilante 2.5/2.6/2.8
The WTB Vigilante 2.5/2.6/2.8 is a solid contender to many of the premium offerings from other high-quality brands.
Obviously there are a number of tire widths to choose from, depending on your personal preference when it comes to grip. What this tire has got going for it is that’s prefers grip and handling over weight. The rather widely spaced and high soft knobbies do very well in keeping your bike connected to the trail, ensuring high levels of confidence in hard cornering.
WTB offers this tire in their TriTec compound, which basically means that the casing consists of three layers, with each layer having a different firmness. The harder durometer is reserved for the center, reducing the risk of punctures and making the tire faster in a straight line. This gradual increase in softness from center to side sounds great on paper, and indeed works exceptionally well on the trail. It makes for a really grippy and reliable tire in corners and reasonably fast on the straights with adequate levels of puncture protection.
I tend to disagree that this tire works as well in the rear as it does in the front when it comes to braking and traction. The widely spaced tread pattern without those distinctive horizontal rows simply isn’t the best setup to support those two rear tire characteristics. On the other hand, if you like a loose feel and don’t mind the occasional drift, this tire actually enhances such a way of riding.
In the end the WTB Vigilante rightly deserves its spot on this list with grippy and fun riding characteristics that’ll suit a great number of riders.
- Great all-round rear trail tire, good level of puncture protection
- None
Specifications 27.5 inch mud tires
Name | Size | ETRTO | Weight (gr) | Tread color | Sidewall color | Compound | Puncture protection | Tire bead | TPI | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WTB Vigilante 2.5/2.6/2.8 | 27.5×2.50 | 60-584 | 1092 | Black | Black | TriTec Single | tlr | 60 | ||
WTB Vigilante 2.5/2.6/2.8 | 27.5×2.50 | 60-584 | 1174 | Black | Black | TriTec Dual | tlr | 60 | ||
WTB Vigilante 2.5/2.6/2.8 | 27.5×2.60 | 65-584 | 1340 | Black | Black | TriTec Dual | tlr | 60 | ||
Maxxis Minion DHF | 27.5×2.50 | 63-584 | 1005 | Black | Black | 3C MaxxTerra | EXO+ | tlr | 60 | |
Maxxis Minion DHF | 27.5×2.50 | 63-584 | 956 | Black | Tan | Dual | EXO | tlr | 60 | |
Continental Der Baron Projekt ProTection Apex | 27.5×2.60 | 65-584 | 925 | Black | Black | BlackChili | ProTection Apex casing | tlr | 3/180 | |
Continental Der Baron Projekt ProTection Apex | 27.5×2.60 | 65-584 | 935 | Black | Black | BlackChili | ProTection Apex casing | tlr | 3/180 | |
Maxxis Assegai | 27.5×2.50 | 65-584 | 1005 | Black | Black | 3C MaxxTerra | tlr | 60 | ||
Maxxis Assegai | 27.5×2.50 | 65-584 | 1090 | Black | Black | Dual | tlr | 60 | ||
Maxxis Assegai | 27.5×2.50 | 65-584 | 1049 | Black | Black | 3C MaxxGrip | tlr | 60 | ||
Maxxis Assegai | 27.5×2.60 | 65-584 | 1002 | Black | Black | 3C MaxxTerra | tlr | 120 | ||
Schwalbe Dirty Dan | 27.5X2.35 | 60-584 | 1115 | Black | Black | ADDIX Ultra Soft | Super Gravity | tlr | ||
WTB Verdict | 27.5×2.50 | 65-584 | 1108 | Black | Black | TriTec Single | tlr | 60 |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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