Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2007
Strengths: Excellent climbing, braking and cornering on hardpack. Fast rolling. A high volume tyre - it absorbs bumps well. Quite light too. Handles tarmac well. Sheds mud OK.
Weaknesses: I found it difficult to mount the tyre without it wobbling slightly. Not very durable - after 3 rides and about 180km there is noticable chuncks missing from the knobs. 2 knobs have nearly came off completely. Could have been caused by rocky, steep downhill sections, a little disappointing.
Bottom Line:
I bought a pair for AU$35 from one of my local bike shops as they were just trying to get rid of them. They're a good tyre, I'm glad I bought them. I switched to a specialised roll-x 2.1 in the rear as the 2.25 sedona was a little too big. They're a fantastic for hardpack or hardpack with a thin layer of loose stuff. If you're riding in really loose, muddy or very rocky terrain these aren't the way to go.
I'VE USED THESE ON & OFF FOR YEARS...THIS PAIR ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE THE LAST OF A KIND...YES THERE NEW...FOUND AT NASHBAR 3yrs AGO, BOUGHT 2 SETS, GOOD MOVE!
MOUNTED THEM UP, STOOD BACK,....THEY ARE BY FAR THE UGLIEST, FATEST,TIRE ON THE PLANET! THAT SO CALLED TEAL IS AN EYE CATCHER...BEEN GETTING SOME LOOKS, AND SOME "WHERE CAN I BUY UM?...
I CHANGE TIRE-WHEELSETS AROUND THE CONDITION AND STYLE OF THE RIDE!...SO I'am SURE TO GET A FEW GOOD YEARS OUT OF THEM.......
SO IF YOUR IN THE VEGAS AREA AND YOU SEE AN ALL BLACK LEADER BIKE WITH BIG FAT UGLY GREEN TIRES...YOU'LL BE WITNESS TO THE ENDING OF AN ERA!!!!!
Strengths: Great on hardpack and semi loose dry terrain, suprisingly great cornering on pavement. 1.8's good in mud, being so skinny they don't allow mud to accumulate on bike. (almost any 1.8 will do that)
Weaknesses: Not so good on loose rough stuff.
Bottom Line:
I started using this tire in 1996 for XC racing, works great on most places in Texas. Very fast and great traction in turns. Not so good for loose stuff. I put used race tires on my messenger bike front wheel and found they corner like mad on the pavement. I've been using them off and on for 9-10 years.
Strengths: large volume, light, good in sandy or dry hardpack so. california conditions, doesn't pinch flat
Bottom Line:
help bring back this tire. it IS available in the US-- bikemine.com is the distributor and has 80 pairs of the 225. if two or three of us email beyondbikes.com asking for this tire, they have promised to start stocking it again.
for trailriding, this is one of the best front tires on the market if you ride in dry parts of the west.
Similar Products Used: irc mythos, kenda (various), weirwolf, conti vert pros, etc.
Bike Setup: 4 inch front/rear
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Submitted by
J
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, Idaho
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2004
Strengths: This is the best tire going for offroad snowmobile trail riding. I used it for the Iditabike race in 2000 and continue to use it for snow riding. I have about 3 pairs. It's great in sand too and surprisingly on Moab slickrock. I think this is the best tire ever made- certainly for the rear. Too bad they aren't making them anymore.
Weaknesses: The green sidewall version are just hideous to look at.
Bottom Line:
My favorite tire of all time on the rear. Ties for first with Panaracer Dart for front. It's a TRUE 2.24. Looks bigger than some so-called 2.4s. I'd even use it on my dedicated XC bike (Litespeed Ocoee FS) but if won't fit the chainstays. I would buy any remaining stock if I could find any (in black).
Similar Products Used: Panaracer,(smoke,dart,fireXC,that legendary mud tire I can't think of right now) WTB (various), Kenda, Geax blade, specializeds.
Bike Setup: Kona Hot, rigid fork for winter riding. Giant VT for desert and XC.
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Submitted by
bigdrunk
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2004
Strengths: Huge volume, fairly light, excellent grip in dry. Pretty decent all around.
Weaknesses: Rolls a tad slow in hardpack, but no big deal. Blue/Green sidewall
Bottom Line:
These are great tires. Too bad they dont make them anymore. The huge volume soaks up the bumps. You can lean these into a turn with all the confidence in the world. I just finished riding these on Slickrock and Porqupine Rim and they did great. I will be bummed when they wear out
Submitted by
Dave Genung
a Cross Country Rider
from Glendale, AZ
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003
Strengths: Size/volume, lightweight in proportion to size, low rolling resistance, durability, predictability in a variety of terrains/conditions, added suspension qualities, excellent control at higher speeds.
Weaknesses: Not the best (nor the worst) cornering tire at low speed or in tight single track.
Bottom Line:
I have used these tires for the past five years and absolutely love them. I believe there is no "One Tire" for all conditions, but for me - this is one tire that works reasonably well in all and exceptionally well in many. For their size and tread design they are very lightweight, fast, controlable at speed, and supply predictable traction over a variety of terrain. Yes, they may present clearance problems with some frames. Yes, the sidewalls are thin - but riding in the desert southwest is always a very rocky proposition and after having gone through many sets of these tires (front & rear) over five years I have yet to have had a sidewall failure. I have tried many different tires in 13 years of riding and have found some that excelled in very specific conditions and faltered in others. This particular tire seems to do all jobs well enough for me - I'll be sad the day they stop manufacturing this tread design. The "roundness" problem that others have written about previously is due to the tire's large size and supple sidewall and the problem can be corrected by careful inflation and seating of the kevlar bead in the rim. I typically will inflate the tire to roughly 15 psi and go around the rim and make sure the bead is seated properly.
Bike Setup: Titus Ti FCR hardtail (yeah, I know - how "retro" can I get?),XTR, Race Face, Dave's Wheels built on TNT Ti hubs, TNT Ti seatpost, Titus Ti bar, 'Zokes A-Bomb
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Submitted by
Jacko P
a Weekend Warrior
from Newberg,Or USA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2003
Strengths: grippy compound,HUGE volume,light for size,very durable
Weaknesses: may not fit your bike
Bottom Line:
I have used this tire as a rear tire for over a year for all my riding,which includes;commuting on the road to and from work,urban assault,single track and black diamond XC. I have not had one pinch or puncture using standard tubes and anywhere from 20 to 40psi,and I'm no lightweight @ 245lbs. Go GEAX !!
Similar Products Used: velociraptors,michelin lite S,motoraptors
Bike Setup: JAMIS EUREKA ,Ring god,Flat Pedals baby
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Submitted by
Duane
a Weekend Warrior
from Temecula, CA
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003
Strengths: cushy, awesome traction on hard pack, absorbs shock well, has'nt flatted on me in >2yrs, great braking, very responsive
Weaknesses: HUUUUUUGE; can't jump them over anything because they hit the front brake assembly
Bottom Line:
This tire is just great for about everything I ride (no mud, little if any wet conditions) in SoCal. The immense size soaks up rocks, bumps, you name it. Going downhill on the part of the 24-hr track that parallels the road made it seem like nothing could stop it, surprised me. Works in tight situations that require fast response because of the shorter tread design and the knobbie design itself. The look of them might throw ya off at first, but try 'em and see. Mine usually were at 40psi. If you ride in hardpack / rocky areas, these babies will make you a happy camper, even downhill through 3 inches of sand at superman near Santa Rosa plat. Just make damn sure they have enough clearance from your brakes.
Strengths: High air volume, and a very tall tire altogether. They were also rather cheap.
Weaknesses: I did not have the best of luck with these things. The sidewalls are entirely too thin. I have not ridden mine more than 10 times on trails and I already have a tear in the sidewall of the rear tire. I have also had countless flats with these things. Their treads are also rather shallow, so if you have one on the rear wheel, be prepared to slip down everything.
Bottom Line:
If it wasn't for the weak sidewalls these tires would have been great. But the constant pinch flats (at 35psi), and now the gaping hole in sidewall make me think otherwise. They were rather cheap, and I guess they would be good for very light cross country riding. If you're going to be doing anything slightly technical, I would definitely not recommend these.
Strengths: Big, light (for their size), good traction, easy to mount, knobs don't tear off, not too expensive.
Weaknesses: Geax tires always seem to wobble.
Bottom Line:
These tires are nice because you can run relatively low air pressure since they are so big. I don't know of any other tires that are this big for the weight.
I don't know why Geax can't make a round tire, but it probably doesn't affect the performance, just kind of annoying.
They wear well, not losing chunks like a lot of tires. If you wan't something that hooks up even better and lasts longer, try the Geax Sturdy. They are great, but are considerably heavier than the Sedonas.
Submitted by
Franz
a Weekend Warrior
from San Luis Obispo
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2002
Strengths: light for it's size. A monsterous amount of contact. Very supple casing. Grips well
Weaknesses: Casing is so supple it's like trying to mount a noodle. Grip is very dependent on tire pressure. It is huge. Can't be used as a rear tire due to it's size.
Bottom Line:
This tire is giant size. It barely clears the brake arch of my Z2. A toothpick barely fits between the arch and the tire. It's so big that it will slack your geometery which can be nice especially if you have a twitchy racer. It makes a "2.3" Vertical Pro look like a 1.9. Thank god it doesn't pick up rocks like the vertical pro. The grip is excellent as long as you don't over inflate. At the right pressure it is very sticky and reasonably fast. It's not great when going over slippery objects perpendicular to the trail. But on hard pack the tire is so huge that you can just lean it over and you'll never get to the edge. It's wearing well and is as light as a Kevlar ZED. If you like large tires, give it a try. I'm having a lot of fun with it.
Similar Products Used: mythos, alpha bite, omega bite, ZED, vertical pro
Bike Setup: Full suspension Z2, Fox rx, Shimano, Raceface, etc
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2002
Strengths: It was very easy to put on the bike. I couldn't believe how wide these mamas are! First impression when riding them is that they are a little more sensitive than the Bontrager Jones AC tires I was running before. Handling is superb, I mean instant response and wonderful grip on pavement and hard pack and gravel. It is a very quick tire.
Weaknesses: Sidewalls seemed a little thin, but I haven't had a problem with them yet. They don't look that great. My first impression was that they just looked like a rubber doughnut with little U shaped knobs haphazardly placed. Actually. They are stratigically placed and the tire performed well beyond my expectations.
Bottom Line:
Very very cool tire at a good price. They were recommended to me by a 20 year+ rider who had them on his bike. He certainly wasn't wrong about this tire being great and I certainly don't dispute that. Money well spent here. Five flamin' chilis all around for this great tire.
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna Niguel, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001
Bottom Line:
This tire rolls with ease over the bumps and corners well. My riding partners always comment on the size of it. It looks like a donut and rides sweet. Use this tire in dry condidtions because the mud likes to cake up on it.
Submitted by
Sean Tobin
a Cross Country Rider
from Mission Viejo, Ca.
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001
Strengths: Large profile. Very plush. Big boost in downhill speed and confidence. Lightweight for size.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
Terrific performance. Works great on hardpack,rocky, and tight technical sections. Downhills excellent. Allows faster descents with more confidence. Really sucks up the bumps. No problems climbing. Corners as well as the Panaracer 2.1.
