Submitted by
ECRider
a Cross Country Rider
from North Jersey, New Jersey
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2011
Strengths: Good on wet trails
Weaknesses: Material separating knobs is weak and splits often on trails.
Bottom Line:
I went through two of these tires with both experiencing the same tear. In between the knobs the plastic split open. while they maintain a strong side wall they overlooked the obvious strength needed in the strength of the knobs and plastic in between them.
Submitted by
mcandy
a Weekend Warrior
from Portsmouth NH
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2011
Strengths: easy to set up tubeless, light
Weaknesses: used <5 times and nobs falling off, torn sidewall.
Bottom Line:
I have been Mtn biking 23 years. I ride alot. I have never in all these years had a tire fall apart so quickly. They seem to ride well and were easy to set up...but come on. I have used 19.99$ velociraptors, smoke/dart etc and never had this issue.
Submitted by
maheoway
a Weekend Warrior
from Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2011
Strengths: Easy tubeless setup, great traction all conditions, rolls fast
Weaknesses: Expensive, wear very fast
Bottom Line:
Loved the tire when new, rear was gone in 300 miles, front in 500. When worn, no grip, had no idea where the front tire was going to go, rear spun out everywhere, when the knobs lost their edge. Too soft in all the limestone rocks and rubble in central TX, can't afford that much money every couple of months.
Weaknesses: Heavier than advertised. Not good on slipper/wet.
Bottom Line:
Had higher hopes for these tires. Running the 2.35 up front and the 2.25 out back. Have about 10 rides on them and though they roll fast, and are solid in loose conditions, I'm not happy with them on wet/slippery. Guess my expectations are high for what is advertiesed as an all conditions tire. I've had the front tire wash out on me in a few rides more than my Rampage ever did. The rear hasn't been great on roots. They don't clear mud. My local trails are wet and rooty, so maybe I'm asking too much of these tires. When the dirt's good, I have no complaints, but most tires preform well on tacky dirt. Instead of a tire that does a little bit of everything well, I notice where it comes up short in a variety of conditions. I'm going to rate the tire at 4 chilis because the sidewalls seem nice, it sets up tubeless easy, and it rolls well. May just not be the right tire for my conditions. Value, I'll go a bit lower due to expense, heavier than advertised, and I don't consider it the ideal all conditions tire.
Submitted by
acesEPIC
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfield, CA USA
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2011
Strengths: Grip! Pretty fast on road too when pumped up to about 45#.
A good blend of apparent sidewall durability & light weight! These things will run tubeless very well. Sidewalls snap in tight to the UST bead on Mavics
Weaknesses: the 29 x 2.2" size were smaller in volume than the 29 x 2.0" Specialized SWorks Captains
a little hum when ridden on road - I know these are dirt tyres
these tyres are expensive at $80 MSRP, even at the discounted price I found, they were still spendy, hence the reason for the 4 Chili's
hard to find in dealerships around the Bay Area, I had to order them online...
Bottom Line:
I bought these 2.2" wide tyres to replace 2.0" Captains. I wanted the greater volume of the 2.2" width for the rougher dry season. But when I received them, they did stretch to a 2.2" width, but were not as tall in volume as the 2" Captains???
Anyway, these tyres roll great in loose over hard. They climb fire road quickly & provide very confidence inspiring grip when leaned over hard at speed.
These tyres remind me of a slightly tougher Captain. They provide superb grip for very steep technical loose rock climbing. The Nobby Nics have handled rock garden abuse without a problem & I can tell they will run great as tubeless tyres.
For an XC to Aggressive XC tyre they great, but maybe a bit overkill. We all know the 29" wheel allows for a less aggressive tread, yet still providing confidence inspiring grip. My next tyres will probably be more like Specialized Fast Trak LK Control's, since they're lighter in weight & would probably roll faster. Or maybe Racing Ralph's...
Similar Products Used: Specialized SWorks Captains 29 x 2.0"
Bike Setup: Titus Fireline 29er, XTR, Eriksen post, CroSSMax 29er wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Lucky_Skunk
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2011
Strengths: Light and fast for a full knob, T/L ready
Weaknesses: Pricey Indeed, Hard to find in stock.
Bottom Line:
I decided to ordered the Schalbe nobby nics (29 x 2.25) to replace the 2.2 Mt. Kings I had been using over the last year.
Well, I took them out for the first time last week, and I have got to say I ws thoroughly impressed with them. They are like Mt. Kings on steroids or meth. Seriously, even though the tires are full knobs like the Mt. Kings, the ride was astonishingly smooth on the trails, as well as fast. In fact, compared to what I was accustomed to with the Conti's, it felt like I was riding on slicks.
If I did have one complaint, it would also be the price. Although I got them at a discount, it was still as expensive as most higher end MTB tires. Also, the durability has yet to been seen.
Hver, if they DO last reasonably as long as most tires, I would buy them again, even at the retail price. (Though I may cringe when hitting the "purchase" button.)
Submitted by
rojogonzo
a Weekend Warrior
from Tulsa
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011
Strengths: Great grip in various conditions, rolls fast for nobiness, great volume, looks
Weaknesses: had it slide a little when leaning on granite once, but it was brand new then, haven't noticed since.
Bottom Line:
A good gripping tire with lots of cush that rolls well.
We'll see how it lasts.
Measured wider than my Ardent 2.4 at casing.
Would like to try it tubeless at some point as it's designed for but currently roll with it on a Gordo tubed.
Similar Products Used: Racing Ralph, Ardent 2.4, Bontrager Jones
Bike Setup: Set up on a Gordo rim with tube, measured out wider than the Ardent 2.4
I have the 2.35 version
Single Speed Blackbuck set up rigid, Nobby Nic on front, have the Ardent 2.4 on back now but plan to change to a 2.4 Ralph back there or similar.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
knottshore
a Cross Country Rider
from East Coast
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2011
Strengths: Grippy, light for a full nobby tire
Weaknesses: $$$$$
Bottom Line:
I have a bunch of tires over the past year and this is by far the best balance of traction, weight, and rolling I have found for an XC/Trail tire- I ran one in the rear for a bit which was fine but more than I needed. I pair it with a Racing Ralph out back on one bike and an Icon on the other, it makes an outstanding front tire for wet/somewhat loose conditions, lots of confidence with little of the weight or slow feel most tires that offer this much grip do.
If you can stomach the cost this tire is great as an XC/Trail front tire- maybe a rear if you need the grip...
Strengths: rolls well for a nobby; holds corners; very good braking traction
Weaknesses: none really- it does what it was designed to do. it is pricey, but i got mine on sale.
Bottom Line:
this tire has been pretty good so far. it's great in medium soil conditions; good in loose stuff- broke it loose once cornering hard in powdery dry soil; i feel a little bit of squirm from the big nobs on rock and bulletproof hard-pack. i think it does what it was designed to do- it's a nobby tire. not a perfect all-around tire, but it's good in most conditions that i've put it through. FYI- i have the Snakeskin version- it seems pretty tough, not too heavy, and seals up like a champ with Stan's.