Submitted by
al
a Cross Country Rider
from waterbury ct
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2005
Strengths: I ride a complete ridged bike.The 2.25 blade tires are bigger than most 2.4 tires out there.Great in the mud or loose terain Good on hard pack but not terific.There a tall large air volume tire,Wich works great with a ridged fork.I get better traction with these than with my hot s 2.1 tires.
Weaknesses: pavement
Bottom Line:
Terrific all around tire if your looking for a big xc specific tire.
Strengths: fat and TALL which soaks up bumps pretty well. If you had a full rigid bike this tire would be great. I've never seen another tire so tall. grips well on the moist dirt trails here in washington. sheds mud okay. looks cool on bike ;) ran a 2.4 highroller in front and 2.25 blade in rear and I swear the blade looks bigger. now have blade in front and rear.
Weaknesses: I've been riding this pair for about a year and I really like 'em for the most part. the thin "blade" nubs do flex however when cornering on hard pack dirt and cement and feels a bit squirrelly. in my experience mud tends to pack up in the tread in prolonged muddy conditions with no dry in between.
Bottom Line:
no tire is the end all for all conditions. can't recommend it for hard pack but its good for wet dirt/mud trails.
Submitted by
edouble
a Cross Country Rider
from LI,ny
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2005
Strengths: all conditions performance, shock absorption.
Weaknesses: none that ive found. except rolling resistance.
Bottom Line:
i rode these tires in snow (case mountain in ct),mud (wissahickon in philly)and sand (local LI trails)and the performance was outstanding in all conditions. they roll slow compared to the verts and enduro's but i dont care. they feel like ive got about an inch of travel which makes technical trails easier and i can ride longer. the guy bellow me needs to stick to "downhill" tires, for xc these are excellent.
Similar Products Used: conti verts, spec enduro pro's
Bike Setup: voodoo bizango,xt ,z2bam,sram,stylo etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Graham
a Downhiller
from Christchurch, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2004
Strengths: Good Puncture Resistance. Reasonably Light Weight for Size. Very big volume - bigger than some 2.5's.
Weaknesses: Very good in soft conditions but not much good in anything else. Sidewalls too weak. High profile means tyre rolls on rim. Narrow knobs flex under hard braking and cornering. The above mean that the tyre washes out too much and leads to imprecise handling. Poor mud shedding and grip. I have changed to Nokian Gazzaloddi's which have totally transformed the bike handling.
Bottom Line:
They were good in soft conditions but noticeably poor handling in most other conditions - largely due to the high profile and flexing of the narrow knobs.
Similar Products Used: Maxiss High Roller - Good. Maxiss Mobster - Fair. Nokian Gazaloddi - the best!
Bike Setup: 2002 K2 Disco Monkey, upgraded with Maniotou Sherman Firefly 20mm thru axle, Mavis F519 Rims, 8inch hayes discs.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Zizzle
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashville
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2004
Strengths: Great all-around front tire. Seems to grip well in all conditions and corners very well.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
Being a light-weight rider I go through tires fairly slowly, especially front tires. Even considering that, these have held up magnificently--the tread wears down, but NONE of the corner knobs have torn off even after two plus years of use. And they are still excellent in the corners! I wish they made these in a 2.1, or 2.15.
Similar Products Used: Panaracer, Michelin, Specialized.
Bike Setup: This tire has been up front of my steel hardtail, and my recently deceased Uzzi SL.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Deaon Smiley
a Downhiller
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2004
Strengths: Light Grippy, Very Grippy Gigantric Huge Very Tall Rolls over logs, large rocks, etc like they don't exist Ability to run at low pressure, 18 psi is perfect Rolls very well on dirt and loose stuff Large diameter tracks better
Weaknesses: You should never run the tire in the HARD direction. Always run it with SOFT. The HARD direction only gives you about 5% better rolling efficiency and doesn't corner. In fact the tire tread on the side will pull the tire out of a turn if rolling in HARD mode.
SOFT mode is the opposite in corners. You can feel the tire pull hard into the turn and it won't let go.
It's hard to find a deal like what I got. I got black too
Bottom Line:
Large do everything tire that rolls very smooth
Should cost more, but I'm not comlplaining.
It's the largest tire you can get for most bikes.
Please don't buy any. I want to buy myself some more to last me a few years.
Submitted by
Murray
a Cross Country Rider
from Mannington WV
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2004
Strengths: Big, very big, roll nicely, light for the size
Weaknesses: too big for the back
Bottom Line:
big.
Nice and cushy, would be great on a rigid fork.
I'm riding a lot of rock/mud here, and like the way they react in these conditions. The knobs are quite small, but the design means they let go predicatbly (on rocks), so you can get a nice progressive slide going depending on your angle of attack. Bigger knobs tend to hang, then let go with a bang, which can be a bit hairy.
I like the fact that they give you plenty of cush, yet are ok for road work as well. There are probably some conditions where they suck, (they seemed a bit sketchy on wet grass), but for what I'm riding now they are great, and value.
Submitted by
Wyatt Waro
a Weekend Warrior
from Kailua, Hawaii
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2004
Strengths: Big burly tire -lots of volume. Rolls over everything! Sheds mud very well for it's huge size. Nice cornering ability and traction. Very light for it's size!
Weaknesses: Thin sidewalls, but remember this is not a downhill casing. Higher pressure required. Rubber is a little hard and slips on wet roots. Cannot lean as much as w/ some other tires it's size. Not as wide as you'd expect from a tire this tall. Cannot fit on the back of a lot of bikes -not really a weakness though. Just use a different tire for the rear.
Bottom Line:
Do you ride slick muddy, rocky, rootsy downhill/freeride? Than this is the tire for you! This tire cuts right through the gooeist mud. Hence, the name "BLADE" is well deserved! This tire has MEAN traction yet it sheds all the mud right off! Just mount the tire in the soft direction and you're ready to go. No need to use those narrow tires to cut through the mud. Afterall, whatcha gonna do when you hit a big root or rock? This tire fills in the void for all those looking for a big volume tire that can go downhill in wet sloppy, gooey, rocky, rootsy conditions. An excellent EXTREME tire! The Blade is not too expensive either so it's truly a great value!
Bike Setup: Trek Bruiser w/ Fox 125R, RF Prodigy DH cranks, Avid 8 & 7 discs, Alex Rims. GEAX Blade 225 front and IRC Kujo 2.25 rear tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Glow Boy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2003
Strengths: Fantastic cornering and braking in loose dry conditions, grips well in mud, enormous volume, good roller
Weaknesses: so big it may cause clearance problems - especially in mud, DOES pack up in mud, not the lightest
Bottom Line:
This tire is awesome in - amazingly - both loose dry condtions and in mud. Despite the lack of side knobs protruding sideways from the casing I have yet to find its cornering limit in loose conditions. Packs up in mud but still seems to grip well. Rolls quite well for such a meaty mother (and MUCH better than the Survival, despite "that" German magazine showing slightly less RR for the Survival). Absolutely gi-normous volume: slightly larger than a Tioga 2.3 DH, and substantially larger than a Mutanoraptor 2.4. I'm running mine at 20 psi in front and have yet to PF after a number of rides including some tough terrain. Can cause clearance problems for V-brakes, though: my fork has plenty of clearance, but the top of the tire comes within about 5-6mm of my brake cable. When it packs up with mud, it starts to grab small pebbles and PLING them off the brake cable periodically. A little disconcerting. BTW, I have the wire version because that's what the only store in town (Bob's) that carries it happened to have in stock. I have tried it in the front only - won't fit in back even though a Tioga 2.3 DH will just squeeze in.
Similar Products Used: Hutch Alligator, Conti Survival and Twister (both in ProTection form), Tioga DH 2.3, MutanoRaptor 2.4
Bike Setup: Early 90s KHS OXII frame, built up as rigid singlespeed w/ mix of old and new parts
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
bahwaaant
a Cross Country Rider
from ME
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2003
Strengths: incredible traction, lightweight for the size, very soft feeling tire for a hardtail, Quality well made tire, decent sidewall thickness, low rolling resistance
Weaknesses: maybe that they're hard to find...not every shop carries GE@X tires
Bottom Line:
These are the best tires I have ever EVER used in nearly 10 years of riding. They roll very fast, have decent weight, are huge!!! which lends to the incredible traction you get, and i have never gotten a pinchflat with these. You can run them at a lower pressure than those gay azz 1.5 slicks that the XC weenies use, so your azz doesn't fall asleep at the wheel from getting pounded. In all seriousness I reccommend this tire...you won't be dissappointed with it. Just make sure you get the 2.25 the thinner 2.0 ones are much skinnier so you lose your ability to run low pressure.
Similar Products Used: panaracer megablaster, various michelin, IRC
Bike Setup: Harley fatboy, lotsa chrome, straight pipes, holley double pumper carb, 2 LARGE NOS tanks!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
david nunez
a Cross Country Rider
from bloomfield new jersey
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2003
Strengths: great tire, big tire adds to suspension, great in muddy conditions, fast roller, ok in regular conditions not bad at all, but what suprized me is that its excellent in snowy conditions i mean i went on a winter ride with some friends some really good riders and they had zero traction in the snow every one thought i had studded snow tires on because i had so much traction, not just in the uphill neither downhill too, at one point i was going so fast i felt like i was skiing and i dusted my friends they were buggin...don't forget these tire for there size 2.5 they are very light...
Weaknesses: a little thin in the sidewalls but thats why they are so light, just make sure you inflate them properly and you should be ok i only caught a pinch flat once but i was really hauling down a very rocky fire road, other than that an excellent product
Bottom Line:
excellent tire for wet to moist conditions, ok for regular stuff no complaints, i would get this tire if you ride at all in wet conditions, its better to be prepared than not, nothing worst than riding in wet conditions with a tire that rides good in regular conditions but rides like crap in crappy conditions, you know mudd gunking up tires, zero traction, very slippery on wet rocks and roots very dangerous, these geax tire are excellent in these conditions and even better in the snow, and still good in the regular stuff and cheap compared to other tires...i like them...
Similar Products Used: tioga 2.0 tires with fat 66 loved them but heavy and too sticky on the road, the geax are
Bike Setup: cannondale baby!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
G.
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2002
Strengths: I've used one of these on my front for a little over 2 years and I just love it. I usually ride in the "soft" rotation and it is very confidence inspiring.
Weaknesses: Not enough size choices. I would like to see a 2.15.
Similar Products Used: crappy hutchinsons that came on my bike
Bike Setup: Mongoose ProG2, Shimano Deore cranks, Alex D19 rims, Geax Sturdy rear
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Harrisonburg
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2002
Strengths: Huge for its size!! Light for a 2.25. Traction is great, sheds mud!!! Can run at low PSI.
Weaknesses: 700 grams, but 2.25. Some people say color
Bottom Line:
Awesome traction, almost too good, great in mud, sheds well. Great confidence builder. I made my lightweight hang with my buddies FS. Great all around tire. Light for a HUGE 2.25 tire at 700 grams. It climbs and climbs. If i wanted to shed some more pounds would keep front and get a different rear. Perhaps the Trailblasters. Green really stands out, this could be good or bad.
Similar Products Used: Bontrager and Michelins comps
Bike Setup: Schwinn Factory Homegrown Xt/xtr components with a Psylo SL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Haulenbeek
a Racer
from Westford Vermont USA
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2001
Strengths: Good in mud
Weaknesses: Flimsy side walls and knobs fold easy
Bottom Line:
This tire has it strengts and lots of weaknesis. It is very good sand snow and mud (thick and slopy if it is just a thin lair they are no good)tire, the tall thin knobs dig in well in deep soft terain butif you go on to hard pack the knobs will fold and in turns and loose grip. If you are a snow rider and don't want to spend $200 on a pair of studs this is the tire for you it is good in sand to and if you are doing a redicuasly wet XC race use it It is very light for it's size so it is a good XC tire but it to flimsy for DH the side walls couln't withstand the abuse. I don't use mine often but they are good to have around for when the weather just sucks! If you do snow riding They are realy good. I have to give them a low raiting because they are only usefull in exteme conditions.
