Whether it’s the cold or wet, winter riding brings its own challenges. And while there are a variety of ways you could set your bike up for winter riding, one of the very best and perhaps simplest is making the switch to winter tyres. Here are the best we’ve tested.
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Why should I move to winter tyres?
Moving to winter tyres when the trails get muddy is one of the things every rider must do in order to have a better time out on the bike. To put it simply, such tyres will provide more traction over softer terrain, enabling better braking and boosting overall control over the bike.
Winter tyres come with one key downside, however. They don’t roll as quickly as summer-focused alternatives. Because of the soft rubber and more aggressive tread profiles, the greater surface area of the tyre, and the drag of a soft compound, it makes for a tyre that simply rolls slower, so it’ll be tougher to pedal around. But if you’re looking for all-out grip where traction is scarce, there’s nothing quite like a good winter tyre.
That said, if you are looking to reduce rolling resistance, there’s nothing stopping you from going for a more aggressive tyre at the front wheel and a faster rolling option at the rear. This puts all of the traction-hunting greatness of a winter tyre at the front, where it’s the most important, while helping the bike pedal a little better, perhaps at the expense of some rear wheel grip.
What should I look for in a winter tyre?
When shopping for winter tyres, look for options that have taller and more spaced-out tread patterns. Taller knobs will dig through a trail’s soft surface and hunt for traction in the firmer stuff underneath. Softer rubber compounds also come in handy, providing better chemical grip over firmer trail obstacles, such as roots and rocks.
Of course, your tyre choice depends solely on the conditions of the trails you ride the most. Surprisingly, many trails might ride perfectly well when they’re wet, making full-on winter tyres overkill and unpredictable. But when it’s properly soft on the trails, winter tyres are a go-to. Many winter tyres can also work well in the dry, as long as the terrain is soft, dusty and/or loamy.
The best winter mountain bike tyres 2026
- Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro
- Maxxis Severe
- Maxxis High Roller III
- Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T DualWALL
- Continental Argotal
- WTB Verdict
- Maxxis Shorty Gen 2
- WTB Judge Tough/High Grip SG1
- Schwalbe Magic Mary
Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro
£99
Mountain bike tyres don’t get more winter-ready than the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro. As its name suggests, it’s loaded with metal pins to provide grip over the one surface it’s hardest to come by – ice. With that, it’s a tyre that’s only useful in very niche conditions, but if you’re often riding over ice, it provides tonnes of traction.
It’s not without a couple of downsides. It’s noisy on tarmac, if that’s your thing, but most notably, it’s a pricy tyre at £100.
If you ride ice and need all of the possible traction, head over to the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro tyre review to learn more.
Maxxis Severe
£65
Alright, so I said that winter tyres should have taller knobs, but for cross-country racing, that’s a bit of a different story, as lesser rolling resistance is still a priority. However, Maxxis’s Severe is designed especially for traction in wet conditions, where it balances a reasonably quick rolling speed, solid mud clearance, and plenty of cornering grip.
However, when mounted onto the rear wheel, Matt found that it’s not as capable, and it’s only available in a 2.25in wide size.
If you’re in the market for a solid front tyre for winter riding, check out the Maxxis Severe tyre review.
Maxxis High Roller III
£80
Now in its third iteration, the Maxxis Highroller has seen an almighty overhaul. Having received some inspiration from the Shorty, its more aggressive range mate, the Highroller III is built to provide traction in mixed conditions, making it a real contender when the trail’s surface switches from soft to hard.
If you ride natural trails, it works great in the dry while still being able to hook up in the wet. It clears mud commendably, and despite its soft rubber and aggressive pattern, we found that it rolled surprisingly well, too. It is only available in the soft MaxxGrip compound, however.
Click on over to the Maxxis High Roller III tyre review to find out why it’s one of our favourites.
Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T DualWALL
£80
With the ‘T’ in its name standing for traction, it comes as no surprise that the Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T is one grippy bit of rubber. With tall shoulder knobs and a lower, but spaced-out centre tread, the Scorpion Enduro T delivers excellent cornering grip, while balancing a friendly rolling resistance. Although like many aggressive tyres, the softer rubber compound and tall shoulder knobs can make it feel more vague when the trails harden.
There’s a lot to like about Pirelli’s traction tyre, but it’s only available with the softest compound rubber, the sidewalls are a touch stiff, and it’s a heavier tyre than Pirelli has claimed.
For more details, check out the Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro T DualWALL tyre review.
Continental Argotal
£75
Coming as part of Continental’s Gravity range, the Argotal is the second most aggressive tyre in the collection, after the slop-specific Hydrotal. Built for loose conditions, it handles them with ease, finding traction in the wet, loam, and plenty of natural trails. In fact, it’s at its very best when there’s something for those tall and widely spaced knobs to dig into.
That said, it’s more of a soft-trails specialist, as we found that it got a little unpredictable over harder sections of trail. We did test it in the durable Endurance compound, however, so no doubt that a softer compound would boost overall versatility.
If you’re up for something Conti-flavoured, take a look at the Continental Argotal 2.4in Endurance Trail tyre review to find out more.
WTB Verdict
£70
The Verdict is WTB’s most aggressive mountain bike tyre that’s more of a mixed conditions specialist rather than a winter-specific ripper. That said, we found that its ability to find traction in slippery conditions is rather excellent, especially with the recent TriTec rubber compound. Whether it’s natural trails or wetter stuff, the Verdict works excellently on the front wheel, where its knobs provide plenty of bite and great braking traction.
Although rolling speed isn’t the Verdict’s priority, it’s not too shabby.
For more on this tyre, head over to the WTB Verdict tyre review.
Maxxis Shorty Gen 2
£75
The Shorty is a mainstay in the mountain biking world. Starting life as a shorter knobbed Wet Scream, the Gen 2 Shorty is now a more manageable tyre in soft conditions. Saying that, we found that it worked reasonably well when the conditions were mixed, providing dependable and consistent grip.
Kitted with a refreshed tread pattern that spreads its knobs out, it clears mud effortlessly, and its revised siping brings heaps of traction under braking. And although the Shorty isn’t known for fast rolling, its updates make pedalling a lot more tolerable.
Check out the Maxxis Shorty Gen 2 tyre review to get the full lowdown.
WTB Judge
£70
The Judge is WTB’s rear-specific gravity tyre that’s recently seen a little bit of a refresh. Now, it comes with the option of WTB’s super supportive SG1 carcass. Combine that with its aggressive tread pattern, with softer rubber, and it’s a serious performer for rear wheel grip.
The tyre has also seen a bit of a change up in its rubber compound as the brand has added more silica and reduced the use of carbon black. That switch in formula has resulted in a tyre that provides solid grip in the dry and wet.
Head on over to the WTB Judge Tough/High Grip SG1 tyre review to learn more.
Schwalbe Magic Mary
£67
Schwalbe’s Magic Mary and winter riding go together like strawberries and cream. Thanks to its widely spaced but rather aggressive tread pattern, the Magic Mary manages to find grip in a huge range of conditions, only becoming nervous at the extremes of the riding conditions spectrum. Expect it to be more on the draggy side, especially when equipped with Schwalbe’s softer rubber compounds, but it makes for an excellent front tyre when combined with something faster rolling at the rear.
Better still, the Magic Mary is available with Schwalbe’s latest Radial casing, which should provide a little more grip and a little more comfort.
To get the full lowdown, check out the Schwalbe Magic Mary tyre review.
