We’ve written this guide to help you choose the right tyres for the Adventure Bike Rider festival.
We get LOTS of calls from customers in the run-up to the ABR Festival and we’ve tried to condense all of the relevant information into this guide so you can choose the best tyres to tackle the ABR Trails.
If you’ve read this guide and you still have questions, feel free to email us through our contact form.
The ABR Trails
There are approximately 30-miles of different trails at the Ragley Hall event, where you can ride your big Adventure bike or smaller traily.
Bridgestone Trail
In previous years the larger trail has been sponsored by Bridgestone and has been designed more for large Adventure bikes, although any bikes are allowed. It is about 22-miles long, and is open to road-legal Adventure and trail bikes (Enduro bikes aren’t permitted) and is suitable for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. The trail includes gravel sections, tight woodland trails and open grassland. Weather dependent, there are also a few water splashes. There’s a no-racing rule and a speed limit of 30mph. You won’t be turned away if you have road-biased tyres on this trail but ABR strongly recommend off-road capable tyres.
TRF Trail
Or there’s a more challenging 5-mile trail, which has been sponsored by the TRF in the past. It is better suited to smaller bikes (or more skilled riders!). It involves a series of climbs, descents and some water crossings. The more technical terrain will test your slow-speed skills. You’ll also be able to take on sections such as the ‘Bog of Doom’, ‘Swamp Man’, and ‘Woodland Wonderland’. You’ll need off-road capable tyres to be allowed on this trail.
Beginner’s Loop
Aimed at novices, the pure grass loop takes you over an undulating course. Depending on the weather this trail will stay dry and grassy or will rip up a bit and become a light muddy trail.
You can ride to the festival on a learner’s licence, but only fully road legal bikes and riders only can ride the on-site trails. No L plates, learner or provisional licences are be allowed on the trails.
Best Tyres for the ABR festival
If you ride an Adventure bike or Trailie and are looking for some good tyre options, we’ve got a few suggestions for you below.
We have split these tyre choices into 3 categories:
- Adventure
- Light Trail
- Off-Road
In the image above you can see a pure road tyre on the left, a light trail tyre in the middle and an off-road tyre on the right. This visual hopefully makes it very clear the differences between these types of tyre. However we’ll explain what we mean by these categories below:
Adventure
These are road-focused tyres in Adventure-bike sizes. They don’t have tread blocks. They are fine to ride on light trails like the Bridgestone Trail if the conditions are dry and you’re confident in your abilities. They are the best pure-road option for those riding to the event, however they won’t be as good as a Light Trail tyre on the trails. So if you’re only doing the trails for a bit of fun but you want a better road tyre, these are the best options.
Light Trail
These tyres are the minimum we’d recommend if you’re going to be riding on the Bridgestone trail or TRF trail. They are good tyres on the road but have better off-road ability, due to their tread blocks or deeper tread grooves. They’re much better than the Off-Road tyres for all but muddy conditions and are decent on the road too.
Off-Road
These are proper off-road capable tyres that are road legal and will handle everything from gravel trails, to rocky climbs on the TET to boggy Welsh tracks. These will give you lots of purchase, grip and confidence off-road. However on the road they won’t feel as good as a Light Trail or Adventure tyre. That said, plenty of Adventure-bike-riders fit these and ride them on the road – you just have to get used to the slightly vague cornering on tarmac. If you are only going to ride the ABR trails but stick to the tarmac or light trails afterwards, these are probably overkill. They do look good though!
Tyre Suggestions by category
It’s important to note that not every tyre is available in every size combination for every type of bike.
However, with our suggestions below, we’ve picked some tyre choices that cover the majority of Adventure, Trail and Enduro bikes.
Adventure
Light Trail
Continental TKC70 + Rocks (Rear only)
The TKC70 is a decent light trail tyre available in front and rear sizes (and pictured as the front above) but if you want a bit more bite on the rear, you can opt for the TKC70 Rocks which is a rear fitment only (pictured above).
Off-Road
ABR FAQs
Which bikes are allowed on the Bridgestone Trail?
Enduro bikes are excluded from the Bridgestone Trail. ABR have classified an Enrup bike as a bike that comes out of the factory without pillion pegs fitted. However they have also produced a list of bikes that will also be allowed on the trail:
- CCM GP450
- CCM 404
- CCM MT230
- AJP PR 7
- Yamaha TTR (all models)
- Suzuki DR (all models)
- Honda XR (all models)
- Honda CRF-L series
- Honda CRF300 Rally (and 250 Rally)
- Kove 450
- Husqvarna 701 Enduro
- KTM 690 Enduro R
- Gas Gas 700
- Honda Monkey – All models
(All other road-legal bikes with off-road capable tyres will be allowed to ride on the TRF Trail.)
Do I have to have off-road tyres fitted?
If you are riding the more technical TRF trail then you have to have off-road capable tyres fitted.Â
However, while there are no requirements for off-road capable tyres on the Bridgestone trail, it is strongly advised by the organisers that you fit your bike with tyres that are off-road capable. Pure road tyres will struggle over the grassy terrain and if you have road tyres on your Adventure bike and it rains, you’ll probably spend more time picking your bike up than you will riding it.
Can I change my tyres at the ABR festival?
At past events there have been traders who will repair or replace tyres. However, capacity is very limited. ABR recommend off-road tyres for all off-road riding and they also recommend you arrive with your preferred off-road tyres already fitted.
