Back in the old days of Cross, the Michelin Mud's were known as some of the best tyres on the circuit. Whether there was ever actually any advantage to it or not, their iconic green tread certainly seems to have begun a trend, as Pros nowadays often run custom tyres with coloured rubber compound from brands like Dugast or FMB. Talk to anyone who ran the old Muds and they'll likely give the tyres glorious praise. The tyres are so sought after in fact that CXMagazine used to track the tyres' values at auction. Unfortunately, the original Michelin Muds have become more difficult to find than Luke Skywalker after the fall of the Empire.
Trying to run with their previous success, Michelin released a new line of CX tyres, the Michelin Mud 2's. Available only in a 700x30c width, these tyres are definitely purpose-built for cyclocross. They're also priced rather moderately. In a world where many tyres are approaching triple-digit expenditures, the Mud II's can be had for less than $50 a wheel if you know where to look. These tyres aren't green, which may be a deal-breaker for some, but I got a chance to run these on my own bike for a while and was not disappointed.
First off, they were extremely easy to fit. I've dealt with some stubborn Michelin tyres meant for road riding and cursed the puffy man on the package at every step of the process for my aching thumbs, but the Muds went on without a fuss, and not the kind of lack-of-fuss where you think something must be wrong. As long as you make sure they're facing the right direction (they are directional tyres) you'll have an easy time mounting these tyres up.
First off, they were extremely easy to fit. I've dealt with some stubborn Michelin tyres meant for road riding and cursed the puffy man on the package at every step of the process for my aching thumbs, but the Muds went on without a fuss, and not the kind of lack-of-fuss where you think something must be wrong. As long as you make sure they're facing the right direction (they are directional tyres) you'll have an easy time mounting these tyres up.
Reported weight for these tyres is 340g - definitely light enough for the price and pretty competitive. One major place where these tyres may be lacking however is their lack of tubeless compatibility. Sure it can be rigged up and work fine, but with modern dedicated tubeless systems it's hard to go back to a tyre that doesn't snap into place on the first go. Some people might say that the way to go is tubes anyway, but you run into another problem there, since the tyres are pretty thin along the tread. One wrong move and you could flat pretty easily. On a Cross course a puncture probably isn't a huge risk, but the rubber really doesn't seem thick enough to dissuade many thorns or assorted sharp bits. Conversely to this, the rubber does seem to be very supple, and at no point no matter what pressure I was running, did I ever feel like I was running the tyre too low. It consistently gave a very nice, smooth ride quality; pinch flats did not seem to be an issue, nor did any rolling of the tyre on corners. They also seem really durable - despite some flatting from thorn-punctures in the woods, I didn't ever doubt their structural integrity. So overall, well-performing, but for the sake of lightness Michelin did sacrifice some puncture protection.
I can't really compare tread patterns between the new and old Muds because I've never ridden the old ones, but I can say that the Mud 2's appear to have a more aggressive directionality to them and a generally rounder profile on the rim. While the original Muds were composed of blocky trapezoids and steep side-knobs with a very shallow angle, the Mud 2's have a staggered pattern of knobs with more frequent spines. In essence, it's a lot easier to tell which way is forward with one of the new Mud II tyres.
So what conditions should these tyres even be used in? Michelin tries to steer consumers in the right direction with the name of the tyre I suppose, but I found it to be surprisingly efficient beyond that. The spines and directional pattern mean that mud is shed very efficiently, but the directionality also means that the tyres can keep you moving pretty quick. At no point was I wishing that I had a tyre with less tread on it, though perhaps that was the nature of the Cross courses I was riding. While I didn't try many very technical sections, I also didn't have many if any moments where I was missing grip, aside from the odd damp log here or there.
I can't really compare tread patterns between the new and old Muds because I've never ridden the old ones, but I can say that the Mud 2's appear to have a more aggressive directionality to them and a generally rounder profile on the rim. While the original Muds were composed of blocky trapezoids and steep side-knobs with a very shallow angle, the Mud 2's have a staggered pattern of knobs with more frequent spines. In essence, it's a lot easier to tell which way is forward with one of the new Mud II tyres.
So what conditions should these tyres even be used in? Michelin tries to steer consumers in the right direction with the name of the tyre I suppose, but I found it to be surprisingly efficient beyond that. The spines and directional pattern mean that mud is shed very efficiently, but the directionality also means that the tyres can keep you moving pretty quick. At no point was I wishing that I had a tyre with less tread on it, though perhaps that was the nature of the Cross courses I was riding. While I didn't try many very technical sections, I also didn't have many if any moments where I was missing grip, aside from the odd damp log here or there.
What I found most impressive about the Muds though was how they performed once Winter set in. I like warmth as much as anyone, but if there's snow out there I have to blast through it at least once. On one of these little escapades I took the Muds out for a spin, but they didn't spin like I thought they would. While most tyres usually become rolling snow-donuts within a few pedal-strokes, the Muds kept shedding snow ridiculously well. Only when I slammed on the brakes and did a little sliding around could I get any substantial amount of snow to stick.
In the end, the Mud 2's may have been my favorite CX tyres I've ever used so far. Not just for how surprisingly capable they were outside of their comfort zone, but for how versatile they were. For me, the extra hassle in rigging them up tubeless was definitely worth it for the versatility and reliability of the Mud 2's.
In the end, the Mud 2's may have been my favorite CX tyres I've ever used so far. Not just for how surprisingly capable they were outside of their comfort zone, but for how versatile they were. For me, the extra hassle in rigging them up tubeless was definitely worth it for the versatility and reliability of the Mud 2's.