Submitted by
Nate R
a Cross Country Rider
from Clarence
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2006
Strengths: Super fast, awsome cornering,Great climber in hardpack,very predictable slider,suspension like casings absorb all kinds of impacts with minimal pinch flats,wear like iron.
Weaknesses: They are a semi slick and arent great climbers when it gets slopy and they can be down right deadly on whet roots.
Bottom Line:
It would be great if this tire was still made.I have put these tires through more off road hell than satan himself and they never fail to impress me.There are definitely times when these tires will make you fear for your life. All around these are the best tires I have ever owned and I cant wait until the trails dry out enough to put them on.They are so very fast and supple with great cornering. They are awsome in just about any terrain other than sand,loam and wet rooty. They are good in moderate wet and muddy conditions but they realy shine in tacky hardpack.You can carry so much more speed with these tires than full knobbys that it allows you to clean and clear more terrain with less energy.These things also stay very clean and pick up nothing off the trail.They can be run at a wide range of pressures from 42 to 28 depending on conditions and have great pinch flat protection.They are very predictable and can be pushed farther than you think and when they do let go they still slide very controlably often with no ill effects. They are an absolute blast to ride so if you see a pair and love crazy fast buy them.
Submitted by
Grant
a Cross Country Rider
from Kirksville MO. USA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2006
Strengths: Long life! Used for two years on cement, gravel, rocks, ice,snow, and running from pimps when I won't pay up cause imthemeatstick!
Weaknesses: Will undoubtably put you on your butt, there is a learning curve for semi's
Bottom Line:
FAST!! These have been my main just go out and ride tires for two years now. I ride them in mud, ice, snow and cross town to see my...girl. Not really a race-lite tire but you don't ride racing tires everyday. You ride good tires that don't pinch and pack mudd. These are just great buy with confidence!
Similar Products Used: lots of IRC's before I got addicted to semi's
Bike Setup: 00 Supercaliber, spinergy, lite durable stuff.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
george E
a Cross Country Rider
from NYC
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Strengths: fast, side knobs dig and hold, file tread has adequate traction for hard pack
Weaknesses: none...but you must get Kevlar bead...wire is too heavy.
Bottom Line:
This tire has been my little secret with my riding buddies for over a year. Its just the ticket for my local riding areas. I ride in hardpack with mild elevation changes, basically fast trails. The rolling resistance with these tires is unreal. I ride with them at about 30-35 psi and they hook up 99% of the time. When I need to corner hard (to pass a huffing friend) I lay it on edge and dig it in (much like skiing, where my athletic background is the strongest.) These tires are not for mud or wet conditions that are loose. You will be on your behind if you arent careful. Bottom line: These tires have made me a better rider with more finesse. I wouldnt swap them out for any other SS. And yes, I will be a repeat buyer.
Submitted by
Serf
a Weekend Warrior
from Dana Point, CA
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2004
Strengths: All. Great Tire.
Weaknesses: None!!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
6'2 250 - Not to sure what alot of these postings are about. Purchased these for the Rosarito Ensenada bike ride (didn't want to run my mythos). After the fun I put back on my front Myth. and feel in love with the combination. It has all the speed and grip I need. Have ridden big bear up!!! and down no problem. Aliso woods hundreds of time. Cleaned everything from Mathis to Rocket, yes ROCKET with this set up. Downhill is not squirelly or scary. If you want a to go to a Semi Slick, buy it. If you can find them????. I am know riding in VA. Wet rooty stuff and have only spun out and had to unclip twice. Ideal tire for anyone. Read no further.
Bike Setup: DBR x2 - Z1, lx, xt - Basic rig that hasn't missed a beat.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacramento, CA, US
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2004
Strengths: low rolling resistance=speed! agressive knobs on sides=cornering traction.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
These tires let you go fast and they offer great traction when cornering. If you need traction when not cornering (i.e.,riding in mud, slick rock, etc.), then don't be stupid, that's not what these are for. I use these as my "fair weather" tires and Hutchinson Mosquitos for the messy stuff.
Similar Products Used: never tried semi-slicks before.
Bike Setup: Jamis Durango SX, Ritchey Pro V3 pedals
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Carlos
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2004
Strengths: Appear to be well made. Designed for a specific use -- going fast.
Weaknesses: Specially important to inflate at least 40 psi -- makes for a bumpy ride. Cannot rotate front and back -- limits useful mileage.
Bottom Line:
I don't race, just like to go fast for the heck of it, hence my purchase of these tires. I must say, I did not like the rough ride of 40 psi 1.9 tires but am afraid that is non-negotiable. Also, not being able to rotate tire fron-to-back is a minus. On the plus side, these are well made tires and am sure they will give lowest rolling resistance possible. My personal preference is to stay with a good set 2.1s and 30 psi.
Similar Products Used: Geax Hubi 2.0, Specialized Mt. Baldy 2.1
Bike Setup: 2002 Intense Tracer w/ Fox F100X and Fox Float.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Ed
a Cross Country Rider
from Newtown,PA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2003
Strengths: Low rolling resistance; fast; decent traction for a semi-slick.
Weaknesses: None that I've found yet.
Bottom Line:
I've used the Jones' for years and have always been impressed with their performance. I've set my hardtail up for paved/gravel park road usage when the singletrack is too wet. I bought the Revolts a few months ago thinking they would increase my speed and still have enough tread for an occasional singletrack poach when needed. I have been impressed with their ability on singletrack; as long as you have good technique you can maintain decent traction. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to try to climb a super-steep rock-laden trail with them, but on most intermediate or less trails these things will work fine.
Similar Products Used: Numerous full knobs - this is my first slick/semi-slick (unless you count the tire I use on my trainer).
Bike Setup: Klein Attitude with Bontrager Revolts, etc.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Tulsa, OK, USA
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2003
Strengths: Light weight, fast and smooth rolling
Weaknesses: Problems with second set blowing off the rim
Bottom Line:
Light weight and low rolling resistance. They offer more traction than I expected from a semi-slick tread design.
I've ridden almost 3000 miles on these tires (2 sets) with no problems, until now that is. I recently mounted a new set and the rear blew off the rim while inflating, and once while riding. The one that blew off the rim while riding was on flat and soft terrain. Some of the hills I ride on are close 40 mph, not a place I won't blow a tire off the rim. The tire blew completely off the rim, instant and total deflation. The tube rapped around the cassette locking up the rear wheel. After close inspection of the tire I noticed that sections of the bead were missing some of the rubber that forms the bead and locks the tire to the rim, not good. I've been riding for over 10 years and have never had this kind of problem. I've switched to Hutchinson, and have not had any more problems. If you're planning to buy these tires or are cuurrently using them you may want to inspect the bead for damage.
Similar Products Used: Michelin, Kenda, Specialized, Hutchinson
Bike Setup: Cannondale Super V 700SX, XT components, Mavic 317
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
joSeph
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2003
Strengths: these tires are wicked on city bike paths and pavements. pretty smooth ride, and doesn't puncture against curbs.
Weaknesses: it is NOT meant for a MTB, especially not an XC one!!!. No traction on wet and sandy conditions. Sprained my wrist cornering on a gravel trail cos these buggers slipped out.
Bottom Line:
Leave these tires to your sisters and grannies. Lest you use your mtb for the sole purpose of commuting. Which in my opinion, is a waste of $$$. Invest in some tubeless tires. Michelin Rocks! and thats the bottom line!
Submitted by
Leonid Loiterstein
a Cross Country Rider
from St.Petersburg, Russia
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2003
Bottom Line:
I just bought two front tires (don't ask) and weighted them. Susprise! One tire is 560gr, another one is 600gr.
Honestly, I was aware that all people lie once in a while, :) I just wanted to let other buyers know that these tires could be light or not light depending on your luck. To me, the weight was one of the reasons of getting them -- go figure. :((
So I you are buying these at your local bike store, I'd recommend to please ask the seller to weigh a couple of tires before you decide.
Since this is not really a review, I'll pick the rating values just not to tell on the overall produce rating (4.31 jr something).
Just in case, the tags on both the tire boxes are 100% identical:
Revolt SS 49/53 front black 127 tpi kevlar bead 530 grams
Submitted by
Chris Collins
a Weekend Warrior
from Ft. Lee, Virginia, USA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2003
Strengths: Extremely Fast Tire, Light weight, Look nice
Weaknesses: A little squirrley in sand and mud.
Bottom Line:
I just purchased these tires(Front and Rear) and was a little worried at first about the traction I was going to get. No worries, hit the trail after a day of rain and they hooked up very well. The only mud I had trouble with was the clay kind and some loose sand. But man on the hard packed stuff I flew like Speedy Gonzales and left my buddy behind most of the time with his knobby tires. They are great on pavement to for a ride with the wife and kids. Recommend these tires to any weekend warrior like me or even better. Not made for mud racers or down hiller.
This bike sometimes doubles as my commuter and these tires (at 60 psi) literally cut 5 (or more!) minutes off a 30 min ride. On the trail (50 psi) they are SCARY fast; but I am not sure if they are just that fast or that they are so squirrelly at speed that you get scared. Seriously, these tires stick to most terrain and have the potential of improving technical speed and DH section speed; however, these tires will not act like your old low tech knobbies. Over dry roots these tires act like knobbies on wet roots. And on wet roots… look out… its like riding on ice. Nevertheless, I have to agree with the Bont marketing dudes in that if you learn how to ride on these tires, you will go fast. There is a learning curve on these tires. If you do not know how they will respond, these tires will put you on your “sit-upon!” But learn the ways of the SS and you can corner on rails and bomb on the DH. Bottom line: Increased speed and the wider grin associated with aforto mentioned boost in speed makes up for the occasional lateral slide on a root. (going to try 45 psi and see if that helps the root thing)
Buy two pair. If you ride on the road, the itty-bitty little knobs will wear in 50 miles. I am not sure though if these li’l itty-bitty knobs matter on the trail. Most likely not.
PS. Misjumped a curb an completely buckled the lip on a (brand new!) mavic 317, yet the tube did not snakebite. Have to attribute this to some black majik in the Revolt tire.
Submitted by
Ed Ochoa
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami, Fla
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2003
Strengths: No flats at all, and i have had these tires for 2 years now good cornering, You should buy these tires if your riding at least 80% of the time in road or regular hard pact sand trails.
Weaknesses: not too good on loose dirt. if your just a trail rider, don't even think about purchasing these tires, you'll wind up on your ass.
Bottom Line:
Real good tires, a little expensive, but you pay for what you get. Like i said before, these tires are meant for someone that rides on road or hard pact sand, they are not meant to be taken off road to a trail, way too slippery.
I LOVE the rear tire. I don't like the front... too sketch. The REAR tire offers excellent traction and unbelievable pinch flat resistance. I have heard the rim hit rock many times and have bent a 517, but no pinches (I weigh 170). In fact, it's been so good, I won't take it off and try something new because maybe it has some magic pixie dust in it and I'll let it out and it will become just a regular sucky semi-slick... who knows? I bought this tire just before I moved to AL from SoCal (don't ask) and it is not (in my opinion) a good tire for those "loose sand over hardpack" SoCal type trails. So use them in their element and you will like it.
Strengths: Light, decent traction on climbs, sorry cannot think of anything else
Weaknesses: Soft, way too soft, get punctured easily. Absolutely no traction on mud or wet conditions, "nada"... to be more precise I should say when cornering. These tires acumulate mud like crazy..
Bottom Line:
5 minutes after I installed these tires I rode as usual to my favorite trail, I GOT a flat from a small piece of glass.. it ripped the slime tube too ...call it bad luck but this never happen with my Velociraptors. The rider from Phoenix, Az is right Stay away from these tires if you ride on wet soil.. I rode today under a mild drizzle and got stuck with mud up the wazzoo . I'm going back to my worn out Velociraptors. $20 + Slime tube thrown away..
