|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
Jonathan Coakley
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Carparts Track, Brooklyn | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Burke's Cycles | | Strengths: | Great climbers, even on technical tracks. Low rolling resistance. Good control on technical descents. Seem to resist punctures well (I have had one puncture that I should have seen coming) | | Weaknesses: | Gives you a bit of a fright when the tires get bounced off a good line by little stones and roots - mostly in the rear tire. Side lugs aren't very grunty so I don't have as much confidence on loose tight corners. You have to keep them at high pressure, so you don't get the softer, bouncy feel of a larger tire, ever. | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer, Tioga | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX 870 | | Bottom Line: | I'm pretty impressed with these tires for the price. As I get more and more used to them I feel I can push them more and trust them when the going gets tricky. They don't look like much, maybe that's why I don't quite trust them yet. My fast, technical cornering isn't as fast as with 2.1 Tioga DH's - but the difference in weight and rolling resistance means I can really move on the uphills and flats (lots of the former in New Zealand!). If you like to go fast in all situations, these tires will work for you, and even pull you out of some gnarly spots with grace. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
psycho-list
a Cross Country Rider
from mental hospital
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Everest (Camp 6) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | stock item | | Strengths: | lo roll resistance, ultra fast when the pressure is high on dirt and blacktop. Flat resistant (jack up the psi), cuts through packed dirt, and stoney terrain like a knife (so long as you keep your front tire straight, and raise your ass of the seat to combat occasional rear wheel sideway kicks. Have NEVER had a flat in 300mi of hard riding. The lugs are spaced a good distance apart and the compound is very strong, even though it appears soft. The treads will not break off. | | Weaknesses: | The tire is thin, and can look like it is not capable of much fpr an MTB tire. But think again, when you go riding past a whole bunch of riders that have experienced tire failure. I am using narrow eyeletted Vuelta rims that I believe suit the narrow profile of the tire. They greatly reduce the possibility of pinching. The narrow appearance of the tire is the only shortcoming. But it is an advantage. | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Velociraptors | | Bike Setup: | GF Genesis series (hardtail), stock tires. | | Bottom Line: | How many times do you want to change a flat tire? If the answer is NIL, then get yourself a set of these. Proper inflation and decent rims will have you riding for many miles. Excellent for high speeds. Can easily fetch speeds of over 45mph on blacktop (downhill). Narrow profile of tire will cut thru most terrain. Vague on sand, UNPHASED in mud, steady on tree roots, a rocket in the dry. Trails strewn with rocks may send the wheels sideways, but because the tire is thin, it will not get caught by the obstacle. The lugs are very hard and well spaced. Tire is very durable. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Humphreis
a Cross Country Rider
from Windsor,Ontario,Canada
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Little River | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Tri-Sports | | Strengths: | Very good in the mud and hooks up excellent in the dry the ruber is very!!!sticky and soft | | Weaknesses: | none for me | | Similar Products Used: | tiogas,hutchinson python | | Bike Setup: | Litespeed,Manitou Black,XTR,Fox Vanilla Race | | Bottom Line: | I ould try them out they last really long even when my little brother punked my bike and decedie to have a skidding contest with his friends | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
André Hartmann
a Cross Country Rider
from Lisbon, Portugal
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Sintra | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | I´ve used this tire both on front and rear wheels and it just suits my kind of riding. Very cheap (in my country), low roling resistance (both on tarmac or dirt), good enough grip when used on front (in dry conditions), excellent traction when used on rear (even in muddy situations, although it slips a bit sideways but I like it to do that). Hutchinson usually produces really soft rubber tires, which wear out very quickly (my Mosquito Gold lasted about 1 month) but the Chameleon just keeps on going. Only now, after a year riding, I'm thinking about changing it... for another Chameleon, of course. | | Weaknesses: | Well, if the conditions are wet, using this tire on front wheel is a bit suicidal... on rear it does slip a little bit but, then again, if you want a good all-round performer this tire is ideal. | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson Mosquito, Hutchinson Python, Geax Sedona 200, Ritchey Zed Race | | Bike Setup: | Easton Ultralite frame, 9.0sl, Manitou sx-r, blah, blah | | Bottom Line: | In a few words: it´s a tire for every XC rider who doesn't want to be changing tire sets day in day out. You can use it even on tarmac with good results. It has low roling resistance, enough grip, it's economical and it lasts quite a bit. It's perfect for a set like Chameleon (rear), Python (front), or Chamaleon (rear), any thing similar to a Tioga XC 1.95 (Michelin Hot or Intense 2.1).
I recommend it for anyone who mainly ride on dry conditons, or on harder terrains. Avoid using on lose ground, you could get quite a fright. On the whole, it's perfect for a troublefree weekend ride. try it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Glenn
a Weekend Warrior
from Wyoming
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything outside the city limits | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | On-line with Sun/Ringle Wheelset | | Strengths: | Light weight. Great climbers. Good all around tires. | | Weaknesses: | Flat tires. | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Primal Raptors. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher LX/XT. Sun/Ringle wheels. | | Bottom Line: | Great tire for the first 9 months. Blew two tires on one trail at Moab. Then recently blew two more on another ride. The wires in the casing are protruding into the tubes near as I can tell. They don't seem to last long, but they are light and fast when you aren't on the side of the trail changing tubes. Probably a great racing tire with short life span. Wouldn't suggest for anyone looking for any kind of long life span out of a tire, but fun while it lasted. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
lil man
a Cross Country Rider
from battleford saskatchewan canada
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | peegee man | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | spoke n pedal (came on bike) | | Strengths: | light weight
good in the hard pack
| | Weaknesses: | they wear out too fast my rear tire was almost bald after 900 km of riding
no side tread
loose grip on wet roots and don't grip well on the sand
the whole tire is realitavily thin so flats pose a problem | | Similar Products Used: | geax michelin wild gripper maxis mobsters maxis mafos | | Bike Setup: | x/c hardtail xt/lx drivetrain z3 long travle forks | | Bottom Line: | great racing tire if you mostly ride hard pact but the looser and sliperyer the groun gets they worse they get | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, CO
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Came with bike | | Weaknesses: | thin sidewalls | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Eureka | | Bottom Line: | I have blown out a couple tubes because of the thin sidewalls and pinching. Not sure if I could have prevented this with more tire pressure, but with high tire pressure these tires are all over the place in anything loose. I do think they climb ok though. I am going to get some IRC's this week...tired of changing tubes halfway through my ride. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hugo Santos
a Cross Country Rider
from Lisbon, Portugal
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | too many | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Weight (575 grs)
Traction in hardpack
Space between knobs | | Weaknesses: | Slipery on rocks when wet ? | | Similar Products Used: | Cheng-Shing, Tioga sycho | | Bike Setup: | Scott Navajo, full Deore, Bomber Z4 flylight | | Bottom Line: | These tires are a great deal, i bought them in Paris for USD 17 each, and they work very good, specially on hardpack terrains. The weight is also good for a wire bed tire and the traction was a nice surprise. The space between the knobs are great for loosing mud.
4 chillis cause i think the rubber is kinda soft and gonna wear out a bit fast | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mabmz
a Weekend Warrior
from Penang,Malaysia
Date Reviewed: October 12, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
too many to mention | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Initial impression of tyres would lead one to think that this tyre is not up to the job but you'd b surprised how good it is out on the trails! The smallish knobs(looked similar to Ritchey's WCS) are very deceiving & felt soft when pressed but actually hook up pretty well in all but the worst terrain ie singletrack with lots of tree roots after heavy downpour but which tyre does!? I used this tyre(rear) in combination with the Python series(front) with great success/results! I have the best of both worlds in this combination. The slightly wider width Python turns well & soaks up hits with aplomb & the Chameleon hooks up the terrain with precision! | | Weaknesses: |
Correct pressure setting brings out the best of this tyre. High p.s.i setting u go real fast on smooth xc terrain but at a cost of losing traction on wet tree roots/rocky terrain specially after a rain. | | Similar Products Used: |
Ritchey WCS/ Continental Nav Pro & Cross Country/ Panaracers XC Fire Pro/ WTBs Velociraptor/Enduroraptor/ Tioga Factory XC/ Specialized Dirt Control/Master Comp | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Atlanta F700/Fatty D70mm with lock-out | | Bottom Line: | I've used these tyres in front/rear combination before switching to Python front & Chameleon rear & I found the 1st combination 2 b light, good traction/turning but the latter combination to be much better/superior overall. This is not to say the 1st combination is not good just that I preferred the Python front & Chameleon rear combination. 4 star for the Chameleon & 5 for the Python. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SunnRider
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wash DC
Date Reviewed: October 11, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
light and fast on hardpack; fireroads | | Weaknesses: |
not good in mud or loose conditions | | Similar Products Used: |
Velociraptors, Tioga, Kenda, and generic brands | | Bike Setup: |
Sunn Total soft tail with Elastobsys fork | | Bottom Line: | Best on hardpack: 3 stars
Low knobbies doesn't bite well in the loose stuff: 2 stars | | Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$
