Submitted by
Arkonbey
a Cross Country Rider
from Underhill, VT Date Reviewed: August 17, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Maycomber Ridge or The Flo
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
hooks up nice on leaned turns
Weaknesses:
center knobbies a bit high for road sections over 25mph. Feels just a bit squirrelly.
Similar Products Used:
Last front: Specialized Resolution Pro
Bike Setup:
04 Marin Eldridge Grade steel hardtail. Marzocchi MX on front (with BB7). XT/LX/Deore drivetrain.
Bottom Line:
I got this tire because it was on sale because I was desperate and damn was I surprised! First ride was not a good test as it was on wet rocks and what tire performs well there?
As soon as things dried out, this tire sure did shine. On the semi-hard pack of VT singletrack it hooked up like it was on rails. Being used to my worn out front, I found myself overcorrecting as this tire just locked into the turns. It washes out a bit in tighter, sandy turns, but lets you know pretty quickly before it does.
On, the rockier, mixed stuff, it was very forgiving hooking up whenever it came back to earth.
I haven't had a tire I had this much confidence in since the old Team Control. I went back to buy two more for the future, but they were sold out. I'll check and see if my LBS has any hanging around; this is a tire worth buying for msrp
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
TurboSN95
a Weekend Warrior
from Wallingford, CT, USA Date Reviewed: December 19, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Tyler Mill
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$12.00
Purchased At:
greenfishsports.com
Strengths:
Great traction, look cool (treads), made my bike climb, turn and stop much better.
Weaknesses:
heavy... and kind of hard to put the tire on!
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Roll-X, Specialized Fast Trak, Ritchey Speedmax, Geax Barro Mountain
Bike Setup:
'02 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR xc M4
Bottom Line:
If you are looking to improve your climbing, turning and stopping with wet/damp weather. Get these. I loved them.... I tried these through ruts, rocks, roots, lots of leaves during the fall weather, and my confidence increased tremendously. They do have some weight, which you will notice at slow speed, but once you get going you will love them.
Would I buy them again? Probably not. I'd like to find a tire that has grip like these but don't weight this much. I would consider buying these as a "fall/winter" set though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
HG
a
from Mass Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
universalcycles.com
Strengths:
Cornering grip, no squirm on rocks, cushy
Weaknesses:
Pricey. Maybe not the greatest rear.
Similar Products Used:
Barracuda 2.1, High Roller, Enduro
Bike Setup:
Heckler, shocks, pegs...made for sweet jumps
Bottom Line:
Love this tire. Hutchinson advertises it as a dry-condition tire, where it does just fine...but where it really stands out is in wet weather. The Barracuda just digs right into wet loamy soil, and it will usually keep from slipping on roots and logs (which can be real killers on the East Coast). The cornering tread is very stable and sticks like glue when leaned into turns. It also handles surprisingly good on hardpack and pavement. The one thing to know about this tire is that the big gap between the center and side knobs means you have to commit when cornering, like on skis...you're either on the center or the shoulder, no middle ground. But if you commit and hold your line on the edge knobs, the tire won't let you down. This is a tire for folks who lean their bike like crazy while cornering-you know who you are. It's about the same size as the Enduro 2.3 I was running before, but with fatter knobs. Bigger than a 2.3 High Roller but with a very similar profile...if you like the High Roller and Minion, you'll probably like this tire as well.
Shortcomings are surprisingly few. I ran a 2.1 Barracuda as a rear tire for a while and didn't like it too much...felt slow and not as grippy as I'd expected. I haven't tried the bigger soft compound ones out back yet, but I think they might feel similar. Other than that, it's pricey and hard to find. I personally wouldn't run this tire on terrain that was mostly hardpack or rock, for those conditions I prefer something that's a little rounder with an intermediate tread pattern. But for wet/slick/soft terrain, this tire rocks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ian
a Cross Country Rider
from Round Pond, Maine, USA Date Reviewed: October 17, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$47.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bike
Strengths:
Rolls easy, good traction as long as you're over the center knobs.
Weaknesses:
Transition from grip to (side)slip is in a heartbeat.
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Blue Groove 2.35 with Stick E, WTB Mutano Raptor 2.3
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Heckler '07, Pike 454 U-turn Air
Bottom Line:
I wore out my Kenda Blue Grooves and bought the Barracudas because a review said "they don't pack up". The Barracudas are only marginally better in that respect. They roll easier and have great traction as long as you're over the center knobs. Once you're off center the tire seems to leap to the side. On loose grapefruit sized rocks you're playing roulette. It's not so bad as long as you lower your expectations appropriately. That first ride was a killer. The really annoying thing is the packaging recommends these for lose rocks! Mud is a similar experience. Without any transition knobs when you try to cheat your way on the side of a ridge the slip is instantaneous. I'm still riding them but I won't be investing in another pair.
Almost forgot. I'm using Stans no-tubes with no problems so far. I've run from 23 to 40 PSI. 40PSI is way to much for these 23 is a little low but they the sure feel much better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a
from Bozeman, MT Date Reviewed: July 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Came stock
Strengths:
Works great in a straight line.
Weaknesses:
I had lots of pinch flats with this tire. Also, the front seems to wash out a lot in high speed turns.
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Nevegal, Hutchinson Python
Bike Setup:
'07 Giant Reign X1. The Barracudas came stock.
Bottom Line:
When I first got my bike with these tires on it I was impressed with their performance. They seemed to grip much better than the Hutchinson Pythons I had on my previous bike.
Over time, however, I've learned that neither tire is actually that great. I'd had a lot of pinch flats with the rear Barracuda. The sidewalls on this tire are very soft. Traction-wise, it worked great in the rear. I replaced the rear with a wire-bead Nevegal 2.5 and I haven't had any problems with pinches since.
Now I'm shopping for a new tire in the front. The Barracuda doesn't give you any warning when it's about to let loose in the corners. I think the relatively square profile provides decent traction, but a very harsh transition from 'in control' to 'out of control'.
For reference, I ride in the Rockies (Bozeman, MT) on lots of roots and rocks.
Bottom line: If you're lighter in weight and you keep it inflated more than you think you ought to, the Barracuda works great as a rear tire. Try to find a different front, though. It grips OK, but give you no warning or easy transition when it loses grip.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a
from SoCal Date Reviewed: September 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
The next one
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat
Strengths:
Great front tire with excellent cornering grip
Weaknesses:
Center line wears very quickly as a rear tire, cost
Similar Products Used:
WTB, Kenda, etc.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Heckler with Maverick DUC32, SRAM drivetrain
Bottom Line:
The Barracuda grips very well. The front tire, in particular, really hangs on in high speed turns, better than any other tire I've tried. My only complaint is how fast the rear tire wore out, but these things are pretty soft, which explains their great grip. I replaced the rear tire with a WTB Weirwolf 2.3 and the combination works well for the dry, technical, loose over hardpack and rocky conditions around here. While the Weirwolf wears better, it doesn't have quite the cornering grip the Barracuda did, but when I'm at the limit, I'd rather have the rear break loose before the front anyway.
Bottom line: a great tire for all mountain riding, but wears fast and it ain't cheap.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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