Submitted by
ashley_photog
a Weekend Warrior
from Wales
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2009
Strengths: Hard Pack, Cheap
Weaknesses: Everything else
Bottom Line:
Even in 94 this tyre didn't live up to the Hype that was heaped on it, it was poor on loose stone, mud, road, peat earth, grass. it never cornered as well as was suggested, the tyre gave the feeling that it was going to give way any moment, and tracked terribly in anything loose. it only saving grace was it's ability on Hard packed dirt tracks' but even then there were other's who worked just as well, while performing better in other conditions too. it's use on the rear wheel was very limited, not to say it was any better on the front. Don't even use them if you got them free.
Similar Products Used: Onza Rail, WTB Velociraptor, Tioga DH, Panaracer Smoke, Maxxis High Roller
Bike Setup: Various
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
PedalDamnIt
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, Texas
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2008
Strengths: Rubber, grip, price
Weaknesses: None that I have encountered
Bottom Line:
I have had these tires on this bike since I bought it in 1996. I have done everything from XC racing on them to week end warrior trail (ST)riding to letting them sit in a bakingly hot garage for over three years....add air and go. They have never let me down and I have never ever once thought that a hiccup on the trail was due to the tire "giving way" or under-performing.
The do however suck on the pavement but like others have stated what knobby doesn't?
Bike Setup: deore, disc brakes, suspension fork, rigid frame
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
suicidebomber
a Downhiller
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2007
Strengths: Bigger than claimed 1.95. looks like a small DH tire, and it has Tomac's sig on it.
Weaknesses: Grip levels are strictly mediocre. Weak as hell.
Bottom Line:
My Krakens were already long in the tooth, so I decided to buy brand new tires. But my mother told me to get these Psychos stashed in the garage that my father bought for about a couple of years ago. Though I was insistent to get new tires (I saw a pair of Tioga Factory DHs,and was saving up to get them) she told me to use them. They went on my Xtc, then on my Chucker when I switched the frame...
There was no difference, the grip of the "new" Psychos were on a par with the Krakens, though there was some improvement on the rough stuff, these tires fall apart after a long rough ride. the cords are visible at the seams, and chunks were falling off. Pinch flats were common too. And since I was preparing myself for DH and FR duty, I managed to convince my mother for me to buy new tires and I got Gazzaloddis instead.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis Kraken 1.95, Nokian Gazzaloddi Jr.
Bike Setup: Started with an Xtc, now a Chucker 2.0, set up for DH/FR.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
nova rider
a Cross Country Rider
from farifax
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2006
Strengths: kevlar version is lite, good, but not great, overall tire.
Weaknesses: climbing isnt the best with the 1.9s.
Bottom Line:
these tires are what came stock on my bike when i got it in 1994, and i went thru a couple of pairs of them over the years. they work ok, not the best, especially when compared to some of the newer tire designs.. but a hall of shamer??? no way. its just a mid level tire that ok for most things but not really great at anything. i switched away from it as better tires came.
Similar Products Used: Hutchinson, Continental, kenda
Bike Setup: completely rigid, completely stock (except for the saddle) and completely old school classic cannondale from 1994.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2005
Strengths: Good volume casing, huge stiff side knobs for cinfident cornering, grippy compound.
Weaknesses: Centre knobs could be deeper. A tad heavy in the wire bead.
Bottom Line:
I've tried the original skinwall Psychos and the blackwall 2's. Both in wire bead. THey cornered well on gravelly hardpack, very consistent and predictable. Not the best climbing traction due to the shallow centre knobs. I preferred them as more of a front tyre due to the huge side knobs. Don't last all that long but provide decent grip, so that doesn't worry me too much. Casing is big for a 1.95, bigger than every Panaracer 2.1 I've ever seen. A good tyre for the front for all conditions, not the best on the back on the loose climbs.
Similar Products Used: Numerous Panaracer, Tioga, Maxxis tyres
Bike Setup: Balance AL450 hardtail with Mag 21 (stolen a few years back - BAH!)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Philip
a Cross Country Rider
from Maryland Heights, MO
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2004
Strengths: Exceptional bite in sloppy, muddy & wet conditions Aggresive look and unique canvas looking sidewalls Minimal rolling resistance for such an aggressive (arrowhead design) tread pattern
Weaknesses: "Anvil" shaped tire profile makes steep off-camber riding & deep turns on hardpack a nerveracking experience Not very suitable for use as front tire(see above)
Bottom Line:
I completely agree with "dontask" (2 reviews down)and feel that this tire is getting an undeserved bad rap. In my opinion you will be hard pressed to find a better REAR tire for messy condiotions in the Psycho II's price range. If you are looking for a tire that will claw you up a washed-out, rock strewn mudslide in the middle of a torrential downpour you've found it. On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for an all-around general purpose tire as there are far better models out there. I ride Kenda Kharma's for most trails on dry days but love to swap the Psycho II in at rear position and head out on rainy, miserable days for a little bit of boggin'. I have to give it dual 5's for the simple fact that it's dirt cheap and fills a niche (audacious traction in slop) very nicely. Buy one and try it as your rear rubber on a rainy day, you will be impressed.
The tires came with the bike. I only use it for riding in the city, and the Tiogas suck bigtime, zero control grip, but a lot of unwanted directional grip, due to the size and material.
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT - DON'T EVEN PUT 'EM ON YOUR BIKE IF YOU GET THEM FOR FREE - ANY NONAME CRAP WILL DO BETTER THAN THESE.
Similar Products Used: Panaracer, Ritchey, Performance.
Bike Setup: Felt800, Deore/XT mix
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
"don't ask" MooK
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver B.C., Canada
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2003
Strengths: Reasonable weight, great on climbs
Weaknesses: Misleading name.(Sounds like it was intended for more extreme use than it really is).
Bottom Line:
I wrote this review only because I agree with the small minority of reviewers here in that there seems to be some serious misunderstandings (about tires) in many, if not most, of the other reviews. Let me address some of these. Ignore the name and look at the tire! "1.95",medium size outer knobs with shallower ones in the middle." This is a XC tire! Not a DH or FR tire. "Square-ish profile." This pegs it as being more suitable as a rear tire since it give a larger contact area for more traction on climbs. Conversely, a more rounded profile is desirable on the front since it provides a more consistent contact area when cornering. This is more important with the front wheel because the rake of the fork (the distance that the fork projects the front axel "in front" of the head tube) causes more drastic changes in the angle of the front tire than occurs in the rear tire. 1- "sucks on tarmac" Really!? What knobby doesn't? Let me explain something to you. Rolling resistance and traction are basically the same thing. You can't get both great traction and low rolling resistance in the same tire. How many road bikes do you see on the Mountain? (Not many. And then only by True Psychos like I was back in the 70's when a mountain bike was any bike on the mountain.) Indentify your needs! If you are a true Psycho (not like the tire) and need more traction in the dirt get a wider tire or one with bigger and more widely spaced knobs. If you ride primarily on the road and want less rolling resistance try either the Ritchey Tom-slick (1.4") or the Conti Travel-Contact (1.75") both of which can be pumped up to 85 p.s.i. (higher tire pressure reduces the area of contact thus reducing the rolling resistance). 2-And speaking of tire pressure... Just because it says 65 p.s.i. on the tire doesn't mean this is the appropriate pressure for off-road riding. Try something in the 45-50 p.s.i. range. Increases in tire pressure Decrease traction! Dramatically in some cases. I suspect that inattention to tire pressure is behind claims that the Psycho has less traction than your buddy's semi-slick or the Wal-mart tire you bought in a pinch. Otherwise, your claims are very hard to believe. 3-This is all friendly advice (and useful too!). After all, air is free. There is no cheaper way to fine tune the performance of your bike than by using the appropriate tire pressure for your intended purpose. And buying the right tire for your purpose "the first time around" will save you plenty! 4- The Bottom Line-for six bucks ($-Canadian) how could you give the Psycho less than 5 chilis for value? As for performance, when used as a rear tire for XC and inflated at 45-50 p.s.i. the Psycho performs admirably and exels on climbs in all but the most severe conditions-exactly as I expected when I bought it. 4 chilis for performance but 5 chilis for being misunderstood!
Similar Products Used: Kenda Kinetics, Panaracer, Continental City-slicker and Travel-Contact, Ritchey Tom-slick
Bike Setup: Psycho II used as rear tire ONLY! Oh Yeah, Rocky Mountain Cro-Moly frame, rigid forks, Shimano XTR and XT, Mavic rims and crappy cantilever brakes (Old School to the Max!)
Strengths: good traction on dirt, in mud, on pavement. good climbing traction. Looks cool and even has Tomac's signature on them!! Awwwwwww.....
Weaknesses: Not the best in sand, but hey, what is? Sometimes serves an excuse for why really crappy mountain bike riders suck so bad. Easy target since they can't talk back.
Bottom Line:
I don't know which tire company paid those guys to submit the bad reviews, but I'm glad they did! They were great stories that made me laugh my ass off. I love fictional mountain bike stories! At least I hope they're not true because if they are, those guys are pathetic excuses for mountain bikers! If you suck at riding as much as you say you do with tioga psycho's, that you might as well give your bike to goodwill because guess what?!! Nothing's going to help you if you suck that bad!!!!! My advice to anyone who doesn't like these tires is to give up mountain biking, buy a ten speed, and put a basket on the front to carry your sissy ass little poodle in along with your purse. I only hope the guy who bought the wal-mart tire also bought the huffy to go with it since that's what he deserves to ride. My only other question is this - when did they start making high heeled spd shoes? I mean, that is what you guys wear right? I'm just hoping you're not allowed to drive cars seeing that you can't even control a bike with a good set of tires.
Similar Products Used: Ritchie megabite, megabite z-max, panaracer smokes
Bike Setup: Carbon fiber frame, rock shox, lots of other cool stuff so I fit in with the cool kids....I mean...wannabes who "can't" ride well with tioga tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
paul palmer
a Downhiller
from england
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2003
Strengths: Beefy tread, good in the mud and when pumped up to 65 psi good on the road.
Weaknesses: Weak side wall, can get oinch flats if the tyre psi is too low.
Bottom Line:
Great looking tyres, that can handle road or mud. By the way they are Pyscho 2's.
Submitted by
jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from taylor,mi,usa
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2002
Strengths: use them on hard pack good in sand
Weaknesses: to much rolling resistance
Bottom Line:
these tires came factory on my fisher in 95 and only just changed them because of dry rot they were not good for road riding because of the rolling resistance but out on the trail they climbed great never had any slipping prob.s going up hill and they were controlable down hill great at speed thru hardpack and light sand ok in mud it was a fair tire got alot of miles on them so i give them 4 pepers on value but 3 overall since they were on the slow side.
Similar Products Used: ritchey speed max-tioga kevlar psycho
Bike Setup: fisher-paragon rock shock lx xt
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
rickard
a Cross Country Rider
from sweden
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2001
Strengths: This product has 0% strenghts and that I'm 100% sure of!!!
Weaknesses: EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE AND MOORE! Extremly bad traction, especially in high hard clims and in wet conditions. Very heavy tires, mine around 700 g.I knof of tires that weights 30-40% less than this tire! It has very high rolling recistance on any surface on this earth!!The sides will rip open after just a couples of month and the rubber is like made of junk! The are the most undurable tire I ever tried, and I have tried many tires.This tire will make you a lot slower in any trail-any! They have ba dcornering and the are ugly. The resistance for puncturing is bad. ....and so on....
Bottom Line:
WORST PRODUCT EVER PRODUCED BY ANY COMPANY-EVER!!!!!!! If you like to ride i slower than 5 miles/hour and under hard and very dry condition,then they are ok. If yoy thinking of riding fast and in ANY condition, yoy will be dissapointed fully! These tires a worse than many nature-disasters, they can hurt you, maybe hurt you many times, and they will make you go much slower than with most other normal tires, and puncture every wek ore so is not a poss-its a fact! And after a couple of weeks ,the will, be worn out and destroyed!! THIS IS 100% ...TTT!!! There are many bad tires out there, but not many that almost everybody think is 100% bad on every aspect..but this tire is just that!!! Thosa that still ride this tires-either you are lucky and therefore healthy, ore you are not real riders that ride your bike in offroad conditions! After testing this tires long in real tuff conditions, I know, as much as many other, that this is not I tire-its crap! You will ride as good without any tire at all then riding with these tires, and tehn you will save much weight !
WORST PRODUCT OF ALL TIME FOR MTB-AWARD to this tire!
All you "psychos" out there, you are just that, if yoy have the tire with the same name as you will be branded if you do not remove the tires from you bike ! Period.
Not eaven the worst enemy should be so bad that he ore she shuld have to be owner of this product.
These tire are so 90's. Why are any of you guys still riding them. And you downhill dudes....YO! Wake Up! These were never downhill tires on their best day in 1993. If you're buying these tire because they're cheap, save your money unless you want to buy a neck brace to go along with them. There are a ton of inexpensive tires out there that un circles around these things. Go with the Panaracer Fire XC wire bead fo $14, it's a good all around tire. If your are Joe Downhill, get a real downhill tire. Take these off your bike right now and put them on the bike of someone you don't like.
Looks interesting. Has anyone had a chance to get their hands on these? I'd take some input on the 26" version.
I used to really like Tioga tires back in the ol' 26er days.
Los Read More »
Sweet!
[url=http://tiogausa.com/psycho-genius-29.html]TIOGA USA[/url]
I've got these on my FS 26'er and LOVE them! So glad there is a 29er option now. Read More »
Tioga is a new forum sponsor and they sent me a pair of tires to play with. I rode it a couple times and took some photos.
Weight was at 770 grams and the tire felt light for Read More »
Who's ran them and are they a good durable tire for Tubeless application??? Thinking 'bout pulling the trigger on a pair:
[url=http://www.tiogausa.com/psycho-genius-29.html]TIO Read More »
I am eyeing the Psycho Genius tires but whats the diff in
Tioga Psycho Genius Tire - 26 x 2.30, Folding for $38 and
Tioga Psycho Genius Tire 26x2.20 UST Folding for $49? Read More »
