hi whats the difference does anybody know betweeen the two tyre types.

 im looking at a couple of different models but they both come in the control version and the s works version and are both the same price?

Control: thicker carcass, harder rubber, last longer, weigh more, grip less, puncture less.

S-Works, reverse all of the above.

Both are the same price.

the sauserwind.

getting peed of with changing my tyres so often to try and match the conditions and thought these looked like a good allrounder.

always seem to be changing between summer / winter intermediate tyres at the moment and cant be bothered anymore. surely be better with a good all rounder?

I'm not a fan of Sauserwinds at all, but then I don't like any Spesh tyres. SWs are alright on firm stuff, but they're small and not that light. They are cheap though.

The S-Works ones are lighter and grippier, which are important criteria to a lot of people. You're still looking at a 500g+ small volume tyre, so it's not exactly going to fall apart and get 20 punctures within a hundred feet.

Racing Ralphs are a much better alrounder, or a Nobby Nic on the front, look at Snakeskin if you live somewhere rocky, as people seem to find the sidewalls fragile, and buy from Germany where they're reasonably priced.

You forgot to add IMHO

Someone elses opinion, mind The Conti Cross Country is a lethal tyre on the front and Fire XC's are not as good as Spesh Roll X Race FACT so a pinch of salt is needed

"Benchmark race tyres like the Panaracer Fire XC 1.8, Continental Cross Country 1.5, Geax Barro Mud 1.7 and even the Schwalbe Nobby Nic 1.8 all felt slippery and sketchy compared to the astonishingly surefooted Sauserwind."

"The open tread never clogs and it rips through short sludgy/boggy sections without losing much momentum. It sticks better than expected on rocks and roots and blitzes any road sections you mix into your ride. The Control version adds a reinforced carcass to the menu for rock swiping survival."

They forgot to add 'IMHO' to that review

Of course Cross Countrys are lethal, they're a 1.5" tyre, they're also dreadful, the only thing  they have going for them is the fact they're narrow, the tread is shocking! Schwalbe 1.5" Black Sharks are far superior... IM (and many many others) O. I never understood why anyone likes Fire XCs, they're crap too! Roll Xs didn't last that long, which probably speaks volumes! Spesh are one of the few companies to introduce new tyres virtually every year and totally replace their range. Considering most tyre treads out there have been around for years if not decades it seems a bit damning!

I have a pair of Sauserwinds, which it was suggested were a winter tyre, but they're dire around here in the wet, much prefer the Mud X, which is lighter, bigger, easier to run tubeless and grips far better. Then in the dry Sauserwinds are heavy, narrow and not particularly grippy. There's my review!

Afraid they're on the girlfriends bike Jonny, she seems to get on with them, as they suit the road/trail mix she tends to do.

Small Blocks aren't good in the wet though.

 I've had no problems with the small blocks in the wet at either Glentress or Innerleithen.

Having said this I wouldn't really call these real mucky riding conditions.