Saguaro, the new tire from Geax is perfect for varied terrain. Low rolling resistance thanks to the central uninterrupted knobs that enhance speed on compact ground.
Strengths: I love this tire. TNT 29 version - great amount of sidewall strength while remaining relatively light. Tread pattern is perfect for Colorado scree, rock, dirt, etc... Low rolling resistance and great traction make this a great tire.
Weaknesses: Haven't found one yet
Bottom Line:
Replaced my WTB Exiwolfs with this tire and saw an immediate increase in traction, speed, and handling. The TNT version was easy to put on my TLRs and I have had zero pressure issues for 2 years. I would be hard pressed to find a better tire. Wears evenly, good sidewall strength - a very stable and straightforward tire.
Strengths: Low rolling resistance. Reliable tread.
Weaknesses: A little pricey
Bottom Line:
Bought this as a rear tire as I was running Rampages and I felt pretty sluggish. I'm loving this tire in the rear, Rampage in the front. So far the rubber seems to be holding up well, even with some road miles to the trail. I haven't run one out front so I can't speak to washing out, etc. I'd recommend without hesitation if they were on sale...
Similar Products Used: Panaracer Fire XC, Bontrager default tires, and Continental Mountain Kings.
Bike Setup: 1x9 Gary Fisher Paragon. I run it Tubeless with Bontrager Rims (using Stans)
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Submitted by
gila monster
a Cross Country Rider
from Prescott, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2012
Strengths: Low rolling resistance. Hold air well and easy to mount tubeless. Amazingly durable in rocky terrain.
Weaknesses: Would like them to be a little lighter but that might compromise durability.
Bottom Line:
This review is for the folding version run tubeless.
I switched to these after realizing I would soon die from cornering fast on loose sand and gravel over hard pack with the Crossmarks I was running. The Saguaro's are pretty predictable and were a big improvement over my previous tires in that dept. Saguaros roll fast and last a long time. Traction is avg. mounted in fast direction. Haven't tried reverse yet.
I'm running the folding bead and they are WAY easy to mount tubeless on Stan's Arch wheels with only fingers. Wondering about people who say they are tough to mount. Maybe they are using using TNT's? I called Stan's to see what they thought about these on their rims and they said they were great and many of the guys there use them. The folding tires snap right on and have not leaked a bit. This is my second set and both were the same. I have really abused them on the uber sharp rocks and cactus of the BCT trail and other AZ desert areas without a single burp, flat, or sidewall cut.
Usually run 25-35 psi depending upon terrain. I am a 185 pound xc rider/racer.
I've only ridden them in mud once and they were not good but in AZ that isn't really an issue. They are excellent on hard pack.
Only 3 chilis for value because I'm a tight wad but considering how well they hold up they are a good deal.
Weaknesses: I live in dry, desert conditions. I used it on a rear (with tube) and rode mostly on road or pavement.
The rubber compound of this tire is completely non-sticky even to asphalt (on 40-45 p.s.i.); any small crack in the road throws the wheel aside. The side knobs are a joke, so be VERY careful when cornering even at slow speed. Every time you ride you feel that you cannot trust this tire. And you better not.
Bottom Line:
If you are an aggressive rider and like cornering on high speeds - this is NOT the tire for you. Try the Crossmark and you'll see the difference.
Submitted by
AcuNinja
a All Mountain Rider
from Front Range, CO
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2012
Strengths: Low Rolling resistance, good traction in rocky, technical areas. Good braking performance. Decent volume. Good treadwear.
Weaknesses: Poor hookup in softer conditions, side knobs fold way too easily. Not pliable at all--way too stiff compared to the Pythons, my old favorite tire. Very poor cornering grip.
Bottom Line:
I tore a Python sidewall, and needed some new rubber while on a bike trip. I saw these at a race, and decided to give them a go. I was disappointed, to say the least. The Pythons, at 2.0, had better cornering grip by far. This tire washed out so many times on a ride in CB, I was punch-drunk and embarrassed. And I wasn't even pushing that hard.
Looking at this tire, I was convinced beforehand it was going to be a winner based on its tread characteristics, but clearly I was wrong. I learned that TPI is as important as tread design, and rubber compound formulation is even more important than that. This tire folds way too easily.
Oh, and I learned never to get a tire again without reading MTBR reviews first. I wasted $120 on tires due to an impulse buy.
Similar Products Used: Hutchinson Pythons, Fire XC's, Weirwolfs, Mutanoraptors, Bontrager XDX.
Bike Setup: Maverick Durance, DUC32, Formula The One's , Stan's Olympic rims. Light, fast, and stiff.
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Submitted by
RobM
a Cross Country Rider
from SanAntonio
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2012
Strengths: Long Lasting Compound, Grip On Loose over Hard and Hardpack, Decent Mud Shedding
Weaknesses: Could be hard to change a tube in a hurry, but I like the snug/secure fit!
Bottom Line:
I have the wire beads, they are heavy. Folding version is 200g lighter. THIS TIRE ROCKS. I have 600 miles on them and knobs aren't getting torn off or worn down (like my conti xkings or my old mutano raptors which are both horrible for wear), the compound seems perfect, soft yet durable, far better than conti's "black chili" compound. They HOOK, straight up, and roll fast. Sloppy days I ride pavement.......these do it all well, pavement too.
Best tire I've ever run. I used to like the Wolverine.......now its the Saguaro! When I upgrade to light tubeless rims....I'm putting folding Saguaros on them.
Submitted by
naton
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2012
Strengths: -Excellent grip on a variety of surfaces
-Likes to be thrown into corners
-Nice low rolling resistance on the road/hardpack
-When it does let go around corners, it generally does so in a predictable manner
Weaknesses: -Packs up when it gets muddy
-A bit hard to install, but not impossible
-Side knobs aren't big enough to really grip in soft/muddy conditions, more likely to just gouge through the mud
Bottom Line:
Intro
This review is for the 2.2 Inch TNT version, I have the tyres installed for "speed" on the front and traction on the rear. I'm about 100kg, and use ~32PSI on the front and 35PSI on the rear. They've only flatted once, and that was a pinch flat on the rear when I was doing a downhill run at the You Yangs, but I tend to be pretty easy on my wheels, despite my weight! I've used these tyres for a while with tubes, and have just recently converted to tubeless with a Stans Kit. The rims I'm using these tyres on have a fairly narrow width (probably around 17mm? not exactly sure) and I think the 2.2" tyres were pushing the limits in terms of proper support for the tyres. So this will colour my review a bit.
Meaty Bit
I purchased these tyres after talking to the Geax Rep about the riding I do, which is basically general trail riding and a bit of XC race / dirt crits. He said the Saguaro was their best selling model, and the MTBR reviews / Geax website seemed to suggest a good all round tyre. Well, I was not disappointed! As other reviewers have stated, they don't shed mud very well, but I think that's the only major weakness.
The rear tyre handles rollovers and steep ascents quite well, I can't remember the last time my rear wheel slipped under power. They also love being levered into the corners which has improved my riding, and the predictable way they (eventually) give out when cornering hard has led me to start drifting around some of the corners on the local dirt crit track.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to go tubeless, because I'm the sort of guy that likes to tinker and a few reviews suggested it would be a big improvement. I converted with a Stan's kit, and inflated with a floor pump. Took a bit of work to plug all the leaks coming between the rim and the bead, but it's all good now.
I took the bike out to the dirt crit track so that I'd be testing it on something I was super familiar with, and noticed the difference straight away even when just rolling around the carpark. There was noticeably less tyre roll occurring as I rode in circles on the asphalt (I'm on narrow rims, remember). On the trail the small bump compliance was a lot better, the rolling resistance was lower. The handling going into corners was a lot nicer too, I reckon this was due to the reduced tyre roll, making the front end tracking much better.
So, buy this tyre if you just need a good general purpose tyre and don't plan on riding in the mud very often. If you're gonna go tubeless, the TNT version is the way to go, but otherwise I would just go with the folding version which has a more compliant casing. If you have narrower XC style rims, consider the 2.0" version to make sure the tyre is properly supported and doesn't roll around under cornering forces.
They're a bit expensive where I live, so 4 for value, and they only fall down when it's muddy, so 4 for overall rating.
Bike Setup: Orbea Oiz w/ Jetblack Race Rocket wheelset.
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Submitted by
tbaier
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore, MD
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2012
Strengths: Inexpensive. Nice volume for XC.
Bottom Line:
REI was letting these go for cheap last year. I didn't need a new tire, but I bought one just to try out. Put it on the front to replace a Weirwolf LT. Tread seems fine when its anything other than muddy. For being a steel clincher, I was very impressed with how supple it feels on the front of a rigid bike. Smaller than the Weirwolf, but it seems softer. I like it as an alternative to Nano (which are great).
Submitted by
MagicCarpet
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Queensland
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2012
Strengths: Folding 29x2.2 air up tubeless brilliantly. Good rolling and grip front and rear. Long lasting. Is not effected by amonia in sealant.
Weaknesses: I'm just not feeling the hate right now.
Bottom Line:
Definately try these out if you are in to single trails and fire trails that are dust on crust and loose over hard. I would definately recomend them. 4+4 chillis because nothing is perfect, but I would have gone 4 1/2 if I could.
Submitted by
mkav
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2011
Strengths: fast rolling and as someone else said, they hold air.
Weaknesses: I was told to go with the TNTs with tubes for I am an aggresive XC rider and even GEAX website says the TNTs work on tubed set-ups. Using tubes with this tire is a huge mistake. Changing flats is a nightmare, luckily found out before a race. The bead is very difficult to get over the rim (even broke a plastic tool). On technical climbing rock sections these tires spin out and these are horrible for hard fast cornering in on southern cali trails causing slide outs.
Bottom Line:
If you are running these tubeless maybe they're great. Good luck if you ever need to change this tire in a hurry. If you like diving into corners hard, I would rethink running this tire, it has made me feel very unstable when rolling hard. In southern CA rocky terrain I am not impressed. Had OE tires grab better on climbs.
Strengths: Very good in dry conditions, fast
Durable
Last long
Weaknesses: mud or anything wet
Bottom Line:
I bought these for my Epic 29er in the spring. They were fantastic all summer. They are tough, fast, climbed well over rocks/roots and corner very well at high speeds. In dry conditions, these are really solid tires that I highly recommend. However, in the mud and over wet rocks/roots, they are terrible. The bike slides all over the place and you can't get any traction climbing hills with rocks, roots and/or mud so you end up walking the bike too often.
Submitted by
dragster12
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2011
Strengths: Light
High volume
Weaknesses: Not much grip
Wears fast.
Bottom Line:
Pretty bad. Used as a rear tire and washed out on corners and on off camber climbing. Side knobs wear out funny and make little flaps that make traction even more unpredictable. Glad I got them somewhat free. 1 chili overall because they are probably the tires I have disliked the most. 1 chili for value as I gave the other one away.
Strengths: Low rolling resistance
Speed
Good cornering on dry conditions
Weaknesses: Weight ; 550 g is to big weight
Bottom Line:
Saguaro is a good tire . Its good on dry conditions , and its good on rocky sections . I dont recommend saguaro for extrem wet conditions . There i noticed some problems . In mud saguaro is not going well .
So this is quite fast tire , but not so fast like schwalbe rocket rons. Thats becouse they are not very light . And they are stronger that rocket rons - risk of puncturing is a lot of less ! i recommend 2.0 version for cross country (550 grams) 2,25 for All mountain .
Submitted by
PeloNZ
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2011
Strengths: Very fast rolling
Lightweight
Predictable
Weaknesses: Useless in mud
Poor in wet conditions
Bottom Line:
An excellent choice for fast trail riding or XC racing. Grips well in the dry, slides around a lot when wet. The tyres are designed to be bi-directional, flipping the tyre around gives noticeably more traction.
