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dealing with similar question and always err towards the side of traction/grip at this point. like you're thinking, @sweaman22 tire roll on faster jump trails is always in the back of my mind. here's a photo of a huck to flat and fake whoops section for fun - 26/24 EXO tires with my 70-pound son and 12psi front, 13psi rear. higher pressures had "it feels sketchy" responses on the trails. i guess it just shows kids will be putting down the forces just like adults will...even in crocs or running shoes 🤨

Riders' goals matter, this is where racing and daily riding for nine-to-fivers diverge. Enduro and DH racers want the fastest speed going down, recreational riders are looking for the best compromise to reduce suffering on the way up. The people I ride with only care about speed when climbing . For descending we want confidence and predictability. Confidence = speed for us. The tire that is fastest descending changes 150 times a year based on the specific trail and the amount of moisture (or complete lack thereof). My ideal tires for a weekday lunch ride on Galbraith flowy stuff are...

I typically use the climb switch once per ride. I like to turn it on halfway up the climb when I remember I have it and might as well use it. I tend to turn it off halfway down the descent when I’m puzzling over why my suspension isn’t working. I suspect I am not in the minority.

I clean my shoes because I don't like sticking my feet into something that smells like a bog. I also wash my knee pads and gloves for the same reason. But to each their own. I've also noticed that for flat pedal shoes, soaping & scrubbing the soles once or twice a year helps revitalize the rubber a bit. It's not going to fix the pin craters, but they do feel grippier to me after all the embedded sand is scrubbed clean.

Living in the PNW my shoes would get caked in mud. The main problem was just that they would get really stiff. I just let them dry out, then use a stiff brush to get the mud off the fabric and laces, and they would be good to go. Since they were generally already soaked through, sometimes I did just hit them with the hose to get most of the mud off. They would still need the brush though. I used to keep a garden sprayer in my car to spray off my bike, and often used it to clean...

Spray with hose, quick brush off, onto the boot dryer. Embrace the patina.

The etiquette piece might be my single biggest grievance from the ebike crowd. I'm a big guy and climbing is not my strength, so I have PLENTY of experience with being passed on the uptrails by both regular and ebike riders. The ebike riders are exponentially worse at saying excuse me, on your left, or simply making some noise to let you know they're behind you. I've even seen groups of ebike riders talking and laughing about how fast they're cruising past other riders at the top of the climb. These aren't new riders. At the end of the day...