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Thanks for the feedback.
I'm going to give the XMs a go this weekend. I was going to return them and get the XLs instead, but they are out of stock with the shop I got them from.
andyp-
If I'd known you were going to try out XMs, I'd have given you mine to try. Only done a couple of races with them tubeless, and I didn't get on with them so well at the HH mudfest last year, so swapped them out for XGs for a more generalist tyre. I realise I am almost certainly blaming the tyres for my own shortcomings, but the tiny tread just didn't inspire confidence.
You're still welcome to try them if you haven't got round to installing yours.
lardboy
I've been running the Vittoria XLs in a variety of conditions this season. Now, I'm no expert at this game, but here's my thoughts:
On hard, grassy ground, they're excellent - amazing side grip on off-camber stuff and very little drag. No rumbling when used on road, due to the tread profile down the middle of the tyre.
When it gets muddy, they're disappointing, because they just clog up easily and slip & slide all over the place. Side grip goes and forward traction too. Hard work to clear mud from them, even on faster dry concrete road sections.