Submitted by
Kevin
a Racer
from Winnipeg, MB Canada Date Reviewed: December 5, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Birch
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
FAST rolling, light weight
Weaknesses:
Thin Sidewall, can not be converted to tubeless very easily
Similar Products Used:
pythons, explorers
Bike Setup:
nrs, sid, xt, 717s
Bottom Line:
Great race tire, good side knobs for cornering. Lasts for a few years of racing (race only tire BTW).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick Moore
a Cross Country Rider
from Iron Mountain, MI Date Reviewed: November 23, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Fumee
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$41.00
Purchased At:
World Cycling Productions
Strengths:
Superlight, decent traction, corners better than I would have expected.
Weaknesses:
Thin sidewalls do allow Stan's to leak through. Proper maintenence is required. Short tread life.
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer, Specialized, Kenda, Bontrager
Bottom Line:
If super light weight is you goal, these are your tires. These tires hook up very well in spite of their diminutive footprint. The key for me was using Stan's, only one flat tire in 1,000 miles.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sam Barley
a Racer
from England Date Reviewed: June 13, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
SUPERLIGHT!!!!! This thing picks up speed like nothing else, really low rotating weight makes it damn fast!! Also very sticky compound and works extremely well with Stan's, with which they work first time no problem and inflate to what looks like a 2" which is reassuring.
Weaknesses:
None yet. They say on the package they have reduced protection but with Stan's I don't feel a thing anyway, so...
Similar Products Used:
Michelin, Bontrager...
Bike Setup:
Giant Anthem frame, Rebas, DT 240s/Stan's/Revolution, sram x9, XT crankset and Front mech, Selle Italia SLR XC Gel Flow...
Bottom Line:
Best tyres I have ever seen! Amazing grip, acceleration, compatibility and ease of use with stan's... Continental really take the piss out of Schwalbe Racing Ralphs with this!!! My mate with otherwise the same wheelset as me punctured and ripped his loads even though they are a good 100g heavier! Tread lasts longer too! What else can I say?! Simply the best!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will Curtis
a Racer
from San Rafael Date Reviewed: June 3, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Really light, DO WORK WITH STAN"S (ACTUALLY VERY EASILY), roll fast.
Weaknesses:
they tend to feel falt most of the time when they are not, and, obviously, have very low traction due to lack of tread.
Similar Products Used:
karma, python, etc.
Bike Setup:
Kona Kula Primo w/ SRAM XO/XTR set-up, fox fork, Magura Martas, stan's ZTR Olympic wheels
Bottom Line:
you get what you pay for: an EXTREMELY light, fast rolling tire w/ little rolling resistance, but with very low tread and downhill ability
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Overland Park, KS, USA Date Reviewed: February 15, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Clinton Lake
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Don't remember
Strengths:
Light weight, decent traction
Weaknesses:
NOT compatible with Stan's No Tubes, decent traction...
Similar Products Used:
Hutchy Mosquito Airlight
Bike Setup:
Trek 9.9, SID race carbon, 20 lbs.
Bottom Line:
I bought these because they would JUST tip the scales on my bike to under 20 lbs (over the Hutchison Mosquito tires I previously used). I run tubeless rims, so run Stan's No Tubes. Using the standard amount of Stan's, these things don't hold air very well. A dip in the bathtub shows thousands of tiny air bubbles leaking through the sidewalls. I guess that's the cost of super-thin sidewalls. You have to air them up every day if you don't use tubes. Granted, these tires are FAST. They accelerate great. Even climbing hills, I rarely lose traction. My biggest complaint is in the cornering department. On twisty trails, I consistently find myself losing ground to heavier tires with more bite. I switched back to the mosquito tires, and my lap times immediately dropped. I'll probably never switch back to them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a Racer
from Winnipeg, MB Canada Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006
Favorite Trail:
RedWing
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
30
Strengths:
Fast, low rolling resistance, decent overall traction and good cornering, very low weight
Weaknesses:
obviously prone to pinch flats
Similar Products Used:
maxxis flyweights, conti explorers, hutchinson pythons too many others to list
Bike Setup:
nrs, xt, skareb, carbon this + that
Bottom Line:
great race tires in most conditions - extreme wet or rock excluded. very fast acceleration and full side knobs make them a good turning tire. best race tire i have ever used.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wietse Willemse
a Racer
from Tilburg, Netherlands Date Reviewed: June 2, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Dorst
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Peerke´s Bike & Coffee
Strengths:
Very light, low rolling resistence and therefore very fast
Weaknesses:
Flats due to snake bites in rocky areas, wears fast
Similar Products Used:
Conti explorer protection
Bike Setup:
Custom scandium hardtail, Shimano XT, Hayes HFX-9 brakes, Mavic XC717 wheels, Skareb Super fork
Bottom Line:
For XC competition on fast courses theses tires are great. When you use them in rocky terrain they constantly flat due to snakebites and I weigh only 60kg and do not ride that aggressive. Using a thicker tube and more pressure in the tires does help, but makes riding too harsh and uncontrolable imho.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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