Working out what tyres are best for you is a bit of a mine field. Knowing the difference on which black rubber tyre beats another black rubber tyre in terms of performance, traction, durability and gip, where do you start? Here is where I started and how I ended up riding the Metzeler MCE 6 Days Extreme.
First up, there are legal implications on tyres. If you’re wanting to do any green laning / byway ffr-road riding, they’ve got to be road legal or you’ll risk having the cops on your tail. You’ve then got to consider any events on your calendar, are you planning to race? Many events have specific tyre regulations, such as complying with ACU [Auto Cycle Union] or FIM regs. Otherwise you’ll hit the pre-race inspection and be rather disappointed. The Metzeler MCE 6 Days Extreme are race and road compliant.
For me, I want something that could handle an array of terrains. I tend to mix things up, pushing myself in different conditions to broaden skills and keep things interested. This means a specific MX or trials tyre is immediately vetoed. I need something soft enough to give me decent grip but no so soft I’m burning through like a chain smoker. This terrain element also leads you to the question of tubes, tubeless or mousse. Having had three punctures in just two days riding, one being in the pouring rain, I’m a mouse girl.
For mouse’s you’ll be running at a constant and non-adjustable tyre pressure, and in tricky terrain a softer tyre can really help you out for grip and balance. That means I wanted a softer compound tyre to give back some of the variability in pressure for more technical terrain. This effectively gives you a softer footprint. I want the world on a stick with a durable strong carcass that’s going to take a lot of punishment in very rocky technical accents that you might find in a granite quarry, such as Cown Leisure or Wern Du, but also something to help me out when I’ve facing gnarly rock steps and logs. It’s not unknown to tear a side wall in these gnarly conditions resulting in your precious mouse or tube being exposed. When doing tougher competitions such as Romaniacs I will be drilling out my mousses to effectively reduce the tyre pressure. The drill holes create air space through the mousse which enables additional compression and thus a softer ride.
One thing to bear in mind is that mousses are not legal on UK roads, you will not pass an MOT. Many cut out a valve from an old inner tube and leave it in the rim. Not fool proof but I’ve heard on the grape vine it does the trick. Disclaimer – you didn’t hear this from me.
I’m currently at 64 hours riding on my MCE 6 Days Extreme in a broad mix of terrain.
I’ve punched out about 62 hours riding on the MCE Days Extreme tyres, riding in a real mix of locations, terrains, weather conditions and disciplines. My tyre walls are in really good condition, the box blocks are wearing down but they’re still all in tacked. No reason why I couldn’t do another intense rally or enduro weekend on them. A balance between rigidity and overall flexibility of the polyester provides excellent resistance to puncturing or damage, especially on rocky terrain. They are basically wearing nice and evenly, nothing has broken off, ripped, torn etc. Wear you would expect from the riding.
I really can’t say a word wrong about their grip. They’re profile track always bite and engage when put under pressure. In cornering they grab hold and hold a firm line, giving me confidence to braap out laying down the power. The only place I’ve felt I struggled for traction was in the Wye Valley in snotty terrain. Smooth rock faces encrusted with alge that never seeing the light of day. They would be wet and slick in the midst of a drought. But, I’m not sure many tyres would handle it, it’s a low-pressure super soft trials tyre territory so again, nothing bad to say on the MCE 6 Days Extreme there.
I really feel like these tyres have given me the extra confidence in my connection to the ground, the feel, grip and corning stability, helping push my riding faster and harder.
If you’re like me, riding a mix of topography, you’ll need your motorcycle to adapt to different terrains, and so versatility in the tyres is vital. Without getting into the tech, the MCE 6 Days Extreme use a casing with Polyester material with high strength and X-Ply construction…techy. It results in greater structural characteristics and an overall upgrading of stiffness. The benefit is an increase of shock absorbing properties and structural stability. It’s still all a bit techy, but it ultimately means more predictable feedback from the tyre, enhancing control in all conditions.
When it comes to grip, it’s important to think about the tyre compounds, the MCE 6 Days Extreme uses a high-performance Carbon Black to reinforce the structure of the knobs. It basically means a more stable tread, especially at high temperatures, which gives better accuracy and trajectory, resulting in better grip both on dry and slippery surfaces.
This is the area where my experience is the least effective to review. I’ve only done a few odd bits on tarmac linking byways and I always hate it. The vibration on a 200 2-stroke braaping down the road means I just hold on and get back off-road as swiftly as possible. I’ve never felt a lack of traction or noticed any high wear from the hard ground. No dramas on the road.
Ultimately for sand you’re really after a big paddle sand tyre, but these aren’t going to be road legal and will be useless in other conditions. It really is about finding the best balance of tyre performance for the conditions you ride. I hit some deep sand with the MCE 6 Days Extreme and it was dreamy. They dug in and powered me through, I felt as must traction as you can hope for in deep sand, felt impressive directional control, but again as much as you can hope for in sand without a sand tyre. Winner to me.
With great spacing in the chunky treat the 6 Days Extreme are ace at self-cleaning. Yes in mega Welsh bogs you’re going to get a lots of mud everywhere, but give them a spin up and they quickly clean out, regaining your traction and grip.
I highly rate the Metzeler MCE 6 Days Extreme. They’re a tyre that offers feeling, grip and stability, brilliant braking authority and a strong durable tyre to last across a variety of terrain.
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