WET OR DRY

CONIFEROUS

If it’s been dry for weeks and it’s just started to rain then watch out as everything will be slick. The dirt will be hard packed from a lack of moisture for a while, meaning that your tread can’t sink in to hook up. There will also be a layer of wet slime over the top of all that hard ground, meaning that your traction while braking will be unpredictable.

Conversely, if your trail has been wet and is in the process of drying out then the dirt will be spot on. Hero dirt is that perfect balance when the roots and rocks are dry, and there are no puddles anywhere, but there’s just enough moisture in the dirt to bind it all together. Your tyres will be able to sink into that soft ground for grip, but you won’t get wet and you can charge with confidence. Perfect.

As pine needles decompose they tend to create mulchy dirt that binds together really well. This works in most conditions. As your tyres start to lose traction the slide will tend to be linear – meaning that you can predict the drift.

■ DRY: Hard packed dry conditions are good as the dirt will feel gravely. If it’s too deep though, it will explode into dust clouds, so don’t rely on anything soft in dry conditions. ■ WET: It will rut up easily which will cause lots of puddles, but generally you’ll have good grip. That gravely feeling from the dry will work well in the wet and any slide that you experience will be predictable and released in a uniform or linear fashion.