Submitted by
pa mtnbkr
a Cross Country Rider
from harrisburg, Pa, USA
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2006
Strengths: Totally versatile tire as it works as a cushion if you run a ridgid fork. I did that from 1977 thru 2003 exclusively. By altering the Air pressure it works in all conditions and even on macadam. I still have two wcs versions in 2.35 from 1985 and use them regularly as front tires.
Weaknesses: If used as drive tire they do wear quickly, especially in the red grippy rubber.
Bottom Line:
Of course it does matter how hard you use any tire as to it's lifespan, but 20 years of service and still half life is hard to kick at.
Similar Products Used: Most tires from 1977 through now. Especially Specialized tires and WTB's
Bike Setup: 2001 Litespeed pisgah singlespeed with Skareb air/oil frt shock - only weighs 19 lbs. Use Specialzed 1.7 drive tires that are totally efficient. Right now a front Extreme master that is also a great drive tire. It handles off cambers and speed turning exceptionally well as well as straight lines and climbing.
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Submitted by
BadToad
a Weekend Warrior
from Lancashire England
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2005
Strengths: Light weight foldable aggresively knobbled tyre with very predictable handling. Highly resistant to pinch flats if inflated correctly. Ideal for those winter rides with excellent mud plugging ability and equally suitable on loose rocky or dusty surfaces. Works well as a front tyre when rotated in the opposite direction.
Weaknesses: Only criticism is it tends to clog up only in the worst muddy conditions and wears fast.
Bottom Line:
They are that good that I bought the entire remainding stock from the shop which equated to 7 tyres for £50 and previously bought 2 for £19. Hope I can get some more soon!!
Similar Products Used: Panaracer Fire XC, IRC Mythos, Tioga factory XC
Bike Setup: Marin Mount Vision 2004, Fox Talas RL 2005.
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Submitted by
vincenzo
a Cross Country Rider
from salerno italy
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2002
Strengths: Monster grip on the most difficult terrain(but never tested it in really muddy conditions)
Weaknesses: The WCS and SC(severe condition)types wear quickly due to the soft compound-the HD version lasts longer.The WCS was very costly,too-but i purchased the last piece in the shop,so i'll give it a 5 for the price-anyway other versions aren't expensive.
Bottom Line:
This tire hooks up on every kind of loose,rocky terrain-the climbing ability is amazing,it holds traction where other tyres spin hopelessly and you really can hear the knobs "bite" the ground-it's a very aggressive tread pattern,works great on loose gravel as well as trough tricky rocky sections.The braking perfomance is enormous,too:you can easily control the bike's speed on the trickiest descents and stop it where you want- anyway i think this is due to the HAYES,also.I definitely love this tyre,i believe it is a perfect match as a rear tyre on a fs bike and i'd strongly encourage RITCHEY to produce this tyre again,maybe in a 2.25/2.3 enduro-oriented version.
Similar Products Used: SPECIALIZED dirt control/dirt master comp,stock on the bike,almost useless-GEAX hook/warp(good)-KENDA bear claw(excellent for the price)
Submitted by
Martin
a Cross Country Rider
from Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2002
Strengths: Amazing Grip. Whether its no slip traction in climbs or no skid reliabilty under brakes or confidence inspiring railing on turns, this tyre just holds the ground. Low rolling restistance.
Weaknesses: Crap in mud. Holds the mud firmly in the treads and won't let go. Turns its self into a big fat wide slick and slides all over the place. The soft compound that makes this such a cool gripy tyre means that the treads wear down a bit too quickly (about 1200km on rough rocky terrain = 4-5 months)
Bottom Line:
A monster tyre. Fast, grippy, light, predictable, the best tyre I've had on the back of my bike. I was running it with an Alpha bite on the front but this setup let me down. The Alpha-Bite washes way too easily, reducing the advantages of the Omega.(I've got a Tioga Factory DH on the front now and it rocks). I'm not using the Omega-Bite at the moment because A)in Australian dollars its a very expensive tyre considering its short life expectancy B) I'm trying other tyres on the back to see if I can find something better. So far nothing. At the moment I'm running a velociraptor, which just doesn't come anywhere near the performance of the Omega -Bite. I ride on tracks with very loose rocky steep climbs and fast windy descents. The climate here is generally dry. If I lived in a wet area with soft soils that turned easily to mud maybe I wouldn't be so glowing about this tyre. An expensive tyre but worth every cent in terms of performance.
Similar Products Used: WTB veloc., Onza rip/rail, panaracers......
Bike Setup: GT bravado le with RS judy c and compl. XT-drivetrain, syncros-cockpit/rims
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Submitted by
Chef Shrieber
a Racer
from Hertelia, Israel
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001
Strengths: Sticks to the ground, quick as hell, the green kind looks exactly like a Michelin...
Weaknesses: Wears out veeeerrrrryyyy fast, not the strongest rubber in the world...
Bottom Line:
A great tire for the Ideal cross-country rider. Goes well on any track. If you like how the Michelin tire looks, but you’re not a racer, this one will do the trick. It's very recommended to put the rear tire backwards for best traction.
Strengths: This is the WCS by the way. number one, and most importantly, the grip at high air pressure. pump this guy up, and ride without worry. no pinch flats and no bouncing around. grip is the best out of any tire I have ridden so far. weighs very little, looks great, and rides even better. tread pattern is uncomparable!
Weaknesses: Very few, but like everything, there is a weakness. price is a biggy at most stores, try to find a mail order. also, i have had a few unusually puncture flats, but its safe to say that the metal pipe that was randomly stuck in the ground would have punctured any tire.
Similar Products Used: bontrager Jones, WTB velociraptors (worst tire on the market), WTB nanoraptors, Michilens, and numerous simi- slicks
Bike Setup: Trek 8000 frame with xtr front/back deralieurs, brakes, shifters/levers, mavic wheels, white brothers xc3 fork, and a ball saving seat! oh yeah, and atacs
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Submitted by
Merost
a Cross Country Rider
from Sierra Vista, AZ
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2000
Strengths: VERY noticable improvement in traction. I fell in love. I was first somewhat skepticle since they look like borderline slicks, but they hook up like fly paper. Very efficient (low rolling resistance) tire!
Weaknesses: Not the best in muddy/soupy conditions, but I live in AZ so who cares. They will wear out faster, but that is the tradeoff the the low rolling resistance and awesome traction.
Bottom Line:
Awesome tire if you want great traction and don't need your tires to last forever and don't live in very wet climate.
Submitted by
Ed Miles
a
from New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2000
Strengths: sticks to the ground like glue... traction.
Weaknesses: the wcs version wears quickly, but it's worth it to have this kind of grip. less effective when wet.
Bottom Line:
this tire totally changed the way i climb. it's a pleasure to do when you can trust that your rear wheel is not going to slip. the only time this happens is on wet or smooth large rocks. the tread is simply wicked.
Similar Products Used: ritchey megabite, tioga psycho
Bike Setup: 1993 bridgestone mb-1, 1999 marzocchi atom bomb, xt top mount shifters, xtr front/rear derailleurs
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Submitted by
CoolMAN
a Weekend Warrior
from Argentina
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2000
Strengths: Excellent Gray finishing. I bought them at $11 each, I guess i did a good deal.
Weaknesses: There should be a 2.1 or a 2' tire for the rear one.
Bottom Line:
This tire has undoubtely nothing to do in front of the original cheng shin tires that my byke comes with. The only little problem and the one that takes one start out, is that i feel a little inestable on wet pavement conditions.
Strengths: Easy to get on, Excellent acceleration and clean out
Weaknesses: Omega tends to wear fast
Bottom Line:
These tires rule!! Im on my second pair, the alpha front doesnt wear as fast as the omega! But these tire hook up in the most extreme conditions, except leaves is the only thing that tends to break loose on! I love em and will buy more! If you like fast without much effort buy these. PS buy the good ones, with carbon fiberand kevlar! they seem to work better.
Strengths: Light, look good, 1.9's are great for many New England race courses
Weaknesses: 1.9 a little narrow for long XC rides.
Bottom Line:
These tires are great for most New England XC race courses were I decide to not use slicks. 1.9 rolls fast and handles quiker than a fatter tire. But when it comes to long off season rides I do prefer to put on some bigger meat. I have had the 1.9's for 2 season of racing and they are still in great shape. I don't know what people are talking about when they say that there tires were gone after shorts periods of time. Maybe they should be riding on the pavement and skidding so much (just jumping to conclusions). I am giving the 1.9 4 flamming poops because the are a little harsh in really rocky rooty section on long rides.
