These tires do not work for East Coast conditions. I bought them because they were cheap, light, and wide.
Well, two out of three isn't bad. They are not wide. Much narrower than the IRC TrailBear 2.25. Definitely not 2.3s.
I mounted them and went for a ride in the Fells. Immediately took them off, where they have been gathering dust ever since. They may work well in some areas, but here on the East Coast, these tires are dangerous!
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Submitted by
Tim Fondren
a Cross Country Rider
from Hammond, LA USA Date Reviewed: May 26, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Weight, value, durability, multi purpose tire
Weaknesses:
None at this time
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer smoke and dart, maxxis ignitor, continental traffic, various specialized brand tires
Bike Setup:
06 Ellsworth Epiphany, Dave Thomas wheelset, various xtr, various sram xo, brooks saddle (the one component I will never change)
Bottom Line:
I am very pleased with this tire. Two things I had to get straight though.
1. Mount the tires according to the directions. These tires are front and rear cpable, but the rear tread is reversed from the front. Look on the sidewall and mount them correctly. I mounted them incorrectly the first time I had them on the bike and thought it was a suckfest, but realized my mistake, reversed the rotation, and they are awesome as fronts and rears.
2. Inflation pressure is really key with these tires. If you over inflate them on loose stuff they will spin. If you go 28 or so on front, 25 on rear like earlier poster you will not be disappointed.
I use these in forests where i mostly ride in the southern US. They are light and nimble and very low rolling resistance, yet they hooked up on all climbs. Excellent excellent tire and stil on sale. Be sure to install them correctly though otherwise they will not work right.
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Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA Date Reviewed: April 5, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa
Strengths:
Weight, good roll resistance, shed mud great
Weaknesses:
For me...none
Similar Products Used:
WTB Velocipraptors, Hookworms
Bike Setup:
running front @ ~28 psi, rear @ 25 psi
Bottom Line:
On closeout @ jenson for 20 bucks apiece, had to try them. was hoping for a bit more volume (they're not quite 2.3's) but today they saw a little bit of everything - some loose brushy/moist trails, some road, rocks (rail road tracks) - very surprised how well the did there, and finally some mud/loose silty dirt. that's where they really shined, the shed mud great and just GRIP. I had no problems going uphill without spinning or the tires loading up, crossing wet logs wasn't a problem either.
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Submitted by
Robin Tankard
a Cross Country Rider
from Sheffield UK Date Reviewed: August 8, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Rushup edge
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Wiggle
Strengths:
Light for size, free rolling, hard wearing so far.
Weaknesses:
Bit sketchy on loose ground, not so puncture resistant.
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer XC Fire pro, Panaracer Cinder
Bike Setup:
Generic do it all hard tail with 130mm Forks, Hope discs and Mavic Enduro rims
Bottom Line:
For a large air volume tyre they roll well on most terrain but are not suited to really loose or heavy duty use - NOT an enduro / free ride tyre at all. Provide good comfort and stability on longer rides and seem to be fairly hard wearing so far (1 year and +1000 XC miles on). Seem best suited to damp soft conditions and I have given them a fair amount of abuse with no problems. Got a good deal on the pair, so value wise I cant complain.
$
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