The result is The Captain, with fast-rolling center knobs for exceptional transition and edge knobs to attack any trail. Now with 420D1 Control Casing that improves cut resistance.
Submitted by
wasso67
a Cross Country Rider
from Pueblo, CO Date Reviewed: August 20, 2009
Favorite Trail:
voodoo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Strengths:
Extremely predictable all conditions tire.
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
Nevegal, Bontrager XDX, Small block 8
Bike Setup:
Niner Jet 9
Bottom Line:
For me, the most important characteristic of a tire is the predictability. I want to know how far I can lean into a corner in dry, sandy, or muddy conditions. I want to know if I hit that wet rock at a particular angle that the tire will hold or slip. These tires are the bomb in that respect. Extremely predictable at slow and fast speeds. They shed mud well and deal with hard pack quite nicely. With the real sandy stuff they slip a bit but eventually get hold.
I didn't like this tire in 26 inch form but it really shines in 29 size. It does lose more air than most, but that isn't really a big deal (who doesn't pump up their tires before every ride anyway?) Bottom line is this a great all conditions tire that will not let you down. 5 Chiles for the overall but only 4 for value because all tires are overpriced.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard
a Cross Country Rider
from Alvord, Texas Date Reviewed: July 24, 2009
Favorite Trail:
My own ranch trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
Bicycles Inc.
Strengths:
Light weight and decent grip
Weaknesses:
Loses about 10 pounds of air a week.
Similar Products Used:
Other tires
Bike Setup:
'08 Specialized Stumpjumper 29 with a few mods.
Bottom Line:
I bought an '08 Specialized Stumpjumper 29 a month ago and the shop I bought it at tried to use the stock tires tubeless but they couldn't get them to seat so they put on CONTROL 29s with Stans in them. They seem to be very light and responsive but seemed to wash out in some sand sections. The biggie was last week when I hit a bent over metal fencepost hidden in 2 foot deep grass and an explosion of Stans signaled the demise of my front tire as I fell over still clipped to my pedals; okay so I'm new to clip-ons. There was a huge gash in the sidewall that rendered the tire worthless which is a surprise since the post wasn't very sharp. After reading about the sidewall weaknesses of these and other versions of this tire I think I will be shopping around when they wear out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fiendbear
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo County, CA Date Reviewed: July 10, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Fast-rolling, light, great grip, tracks well
Weaknesses:
Not Cheap.
Bike Setup:
XC hard tail
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 26.0 tire size:
The Captain Control is just a great all-around trail tire. It's fast-rolling, really bites in the corners, tracks well, and certainly inspires confidence. This is a put it on and forget about tire. At only 600 grams in the 2.0 size, it is still fast but corners like a much bigger tire.
I ride most conditions, including rock gardens and find the control version holds up very well. I know the s-works version has thin sidewalls, but I don't see how anyone could shred the control version.
The dual compound seems to work really well - harder center knobs roll well on hardpack while the softer side knobs grip well in the loose turns. Wear is excellent so far and I expect this to be a long-lasting tire. Also very predictable - they don't lose grip often, but are very controlled when they do.
If you want a fast-rolling trail tire that works well in all conditions, you can't go wrong with the Captain Control.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
friar_tuck
a Weekend Warrior
from Sierra Vista, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: May 27, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Brown Canyon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Came with Bike
Strengths:
Great Grip
Weaknesses:
Thin Sidewalls, dont hold up tubeless.
Bike Setup:
FSRxc Pro
Bottom Line:
I was losing 20 to 30 pounds a night and after several reseals I gave up. After 80+ miles on these tires they gave out with a soft touch against a rock. Ok so maybe not too soft, however I have a old 1994 GT with 8 year old tires on them that have taken a beating and are still going strong.Long story short I upgraded to Specialized Purgatory Armadillo Elite 2Bliss. will see how well these hold up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
azdrawdy
a Cross Country Rider
from N. Augusta, SC Date Reviewed: March 25, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Horn Creek
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Specialized.com
Strengths:
Grip, great rolling tire.
Weaknesses:
Oozes Stan's from sidewall.
Similar Products Used:
Numerous other UST tires over the past couple of years.
Bike Setup:
C-Dale Caffeine 29er 2, Lefty, not much at all stock. Stan's Flow rims (relevant to the review)
Bottom Line:
Tire has great grip in damp or dry conditions. I have mine set up on Stan's Flow rims, and a scoop of Stan's sealant. They stay on the rims, don't roll off, and grip like crazy. Really happy with them in general, with the exception of their ability to hold air.
The first couple of days with the tires I had to add air daily, but not during a ride. I was losing 15 to 20 psi each day. I hope that after a few rides the Stan's would seal things up. No such luck. I decided to find out where I was losing air, so I submerged rims and tires in water. Air was clearly leaking out of the sidewalls, and not at the rims or eyelets. This is not normal for a tire meant to be used without tubes! I understand needing to add air to non UST or non-2bliss type of tires, but you shouldn't continually lose air on tires meant to be run tubeless.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Don Despacio
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz Date Reviewed: March 23, 2009
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
came on new bike
Strengths:
Excellent traction. Good rolling resistance.
Weaknesses:
Thin sidewalls. I put sidewall tears in both front & rear with 2 days riding in AZ.
Bike Setup:
Sultan w/ tubeless setup on Flows.
Bottom Line:
Bad choice for rocky trails. Good choice for trails where sidewall damage is not an issue.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jack
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR, USA Date Reviewed: August 31, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Browns Camp Loop
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Mt. View Cycles (on
Strengths:
Climbing, descending, rocks, roots, corners in NW summer conditions.
Weaknesses:
They gum up in sloppy wet trail conditions and sticky mud, and a bit slick on steep climbs or descents in the clay.
Similar Products Used:
None.
Bike Setup:
Specialized Stumpjumper 29er Expert - stock.
Bottom Line:
Love the tires for summer riding, and they roll fine on the pavement. With fall and winter approaching, I'm looking for something that sheds the mud better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
team tortuga
a Cross Country Rider
from buchanan mi Date Reviewed: August 20, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Strengths:
sticks to the trail like a booger to the finger.
Weaknesses:
thin sidewalls
Similar Products Used:
you name it.
Bike Setup:
costum stumpy 29r
Bottom Line:
depends on the trail. rocks, no. wooded single track, absolutly! they will shred on anything even half-way jagged.
but i'm a sucker for a sticky tire, and these are the grippiest ive found.we run them on my wifes safire too. she loves em.
i'll be back when they toughen up the sidewall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Plats
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, Tx Date Reviewed: June 19, 2008
Favorite Trail:
RHR
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Fast, Smooth, Good Steering
Weaknesses:
Thin Sidewalls
Similar Products Used:
Fast Tracks, Armadillos, Continental Race Tires
Bike Setup:
Rockhopper 29er
Bottom Line:
The tires are supple, fast, lightweight, and sticky. Used the FastTracks that came with the bike for a couple of months, downgraded them to back-ups cause I wanted nobbier tires with a little better traction. Considered Nevegals for awhile, but reviews said they were sluggish. Glad I got the S-works, the traction is definitely improved over the FastTracks without any weight penalty or width increase (in fact they actually look more narrow). They kinda remind me of a new set of top of the line Z-rated sports car tires: they are sticky, fast, and well composed. Not sure how long they will run this nice (like the Z-rated tires), but they sure ride sweet for right now.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Washington DC Date Reviewed: March 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Richmond Xterra Trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
City Bikes
Strengths:
Great Rolling Resistance, sheds mud like a champ and plenty of corner traction
Weaknesses:
I am running them as tubeless 29ers and I think the sidewalls could be a bit stiffer
Similar Products Used:
26" Panaracer Fire XC and Cinder
Bike Setup:
Niner RIP 9
Bottom Line:
I do not like to change out my tires for diffrent conditions, and these seem to be a great tire for all condiditions
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MintSauce
a Cross Country Rider
from South Africa Date Reviewed: January 29, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Comfortably Numb, Whistler
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Bowman Cycles, Cape Town
Strengths:
Good rolling resistance, reasonable weight, all round performance
Weaknesses:
Haven't noticed any
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Nevegal 2.1, Kenda Blue Groove 2.1, Bontrager Jones XR 2.25, Hutchinson Python 2.1
Bike Setup:
Titus Motolite/DT 5.1d rims
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best all round tyre I've used. I ride mostly XC although I enjoy fast technical descents.
I have lost some ultimate cornering ability compared to the Kendas I was running before but it's really not much difference. They are very stable and predictable. I always feel like I know how much they have left before they let go.
One thing that really surprised me is the improvement in loose, off-camber sections. I always felt sketchy on the Kendas but these feel much more secure. A completely unscientific example, but on one long off-camber section I pulled a huge gap on a buddy running 2.35 Nevegals....we're usually pretty evenly matched.
Rolling resistance is definitely improved and I find traction on steep climbs to be at least as good as the Nevegals
Overall a great set of tyres and I'm verry happy with them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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