Cross Country Compound feature a 65 durometer which is slightly softer than traditional XC rubber, but hard enough that it still rolls fast. C3 is slight slower rebounding with excellent dampening characteristics which provide better traction for cornering and climbing. It also has less deflection through rocky sections which stay in contact with the ground under braking better than a standard compound. Size: 26 x 2.0". Kevlar. Blackwall.
Submitted by
airman
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto Date Reviewed: July 3, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Fast rolling
Weaknesses:
Very poor quality tire. Heavy for its size. Hard to mount because of tight tire bead
Similar Products Used:
Pythons, Ralphs, Twisters, Raven, Crow
Bike Setup:
Intense Spider
Bottom Line:
Fast rolling tire suited to dry hardpack only. Good for racing but a hand full in anything loose. These tires are really poor quality. I bought 2 and one had such a WOW in it I had to scrap it! That tire shouldn't even make it out of the factory. If you buy these, get them somewhere that you can return them because they're hit and miss on quality.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from St. Catharines , Canada Date Reviewed: September 20, 2007
Favorite Trail:
12 Mile Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Great in hardpack conditions, corners like the ads say "your on rails"
Weaknesses:
None so far... haven't used them long enough to decide if there is premature wear but after 300miles I'm still very happy.
Similar Products Used:
To many to list...
Bike Setup:
Specialized Epic Epert
Bottom Line:
If your using them for hardpack dry conditions by all means buy these puppies you won't be sorry. 4 Flamin' Chilis only because they are a tad heavy, a minor quip considering the many times this tire has saved my butt!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Peoria, IL Date Reviewed: March 30, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$38.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Great fast rolling tire for hard pack conditions. Great confidence inspiring traction with cornering and climbing in dry conditions.
Weaknesses:
Not good in loose conditions or mud. That's not what it is intended for anyway, so it's not necessarily a fault of the tire.
Similar Products Used:
Hutchinson Pythons
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS
Bottom Line:
This tire is a great for cross country use in dry conditions. It is as fast as Hutchinson Pythons but corners and climbs much better. The System 2 tires have larger, more aggressive side knobs than the pythons and this definetly helps them grab in the corners.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tony Senger
a Weekend Warrior
from New Berlin, WI, USA Date Reviewed: June 17, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Kettle Moraine South (all)
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
on-line store
Strengths:
smooooooth rolling on smooth/dry paths, wicked sticky on ruts and rocks (especially considering the small knobs), good float with 2.1's and Stan's No-Tubes
Weaknesses:
Bad, Bad, Bad in the wet and slop. They loose 1/2 their normal traction on wet obsticles and pack up faster and tighter than anything! Side walls are VERY pourous making Stans No-Tubes and pain in the *ss to install!
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Revolt Super-X, WTB Raptors, Maxxis ???
Bike Setup:
Tomac 78-Special, Avid Mechanical Discs, SRAM 9.0SL (full), etc.
Bottom Line:
For the money, I'm not all that happy. The side wall quality is durable and strong, but had terrible problems with sealing the No-Tubes. Yes, they are intended for tubes, but ALL of the other tires I've used were way better than this!
Traction in good conditions is darn good, and they do roll sweet... But dang-it if your ride doesn't turn into a psycho-mama when you hit any wet or muddy!
I don't think I'd buy these again...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a Racer
from Austin Date Reviewed: April 5, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
40
Strengths:
Fast rolling, easy Stan's conversion, relatively light, great for use intended.
Weaknesses:
Haven't found any yet.
Similar Products Used:
Pythons, Karmas, Wildgrippers
Bike Setup:
Truth, XTR, Stan's Wheels, Fox 100X
Bottom Line:
I tried these out for a couple of weeks on my Stan's wheelset. They inflated with no problem and held air very well (a big plus with Stan's). I raced them last weekend and won (expert). Even though the knobe are relatively small they hold well. When they break free in a turn the slide is very predictable and easy to control. I'll re-post after further testing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Deke
a Weekend Warrior
from Aurora CO Date Reviewed: October 20, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Bottom Line:
I'm having a similiar experience as Bob below. I bought a pair of tires 6 mos. ago. One developed a defect in the casing so I obtained an RA # and sent it back after being told a replacement would be sent right away. 3 wks. later - nothing. Called back....blah, blah we'll get one right to you. 3 wks later - nothing. Called 4th time..me: look, I'm getting the run-around....them: sorry, we're really out of that tire. Called 5th time, another 2 mos. later...yeah we're still out of that tire. I guess the problem is: there is no ATTEMPT at customer service, y'know, just ignore 'em & maybe they'll go away. Well after I get what I'm owed from them, I'll spend my tire budget elsewhere. Bob...did they EVER get a replacement to you? Now I've got $2300 burning a hole in my pocket because I finally saved up for the bike I wanted - Uzzi SLX - but after this crap I'm not spending ANY more of my hard earned money on Intense products. Later.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Trevor
a Racer
from Pleasant View, UT, USA Date Reviewed: October 7, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Mueller Park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Bingham Cyclery
Strengths:
Fast, good cornering.
Weaknesses:
Not very good in sandy conditions.
Similar Products Used:
Most spec tires, contis, maxxis TTs
Bike Setup:
Spec Epic, Crossmax SL, SRAM X.0, XTR Front Der, XTR Cassette, truvativ ti BB, FSA carbon cranks, Eggbeaters, FOX RLT fork, Thompson post, Spec s-works ti saddle, answer carbon bars,
Bottom Line:
Some of the fastest rolling tires I have used. I don't know why other people have had problems using stans. Next to Continental tires I think these are the easiest tires to use stan in. I can go a week without having to put more air in them. The only gripe I have with these tires is one tire has a very slight snake in it. I am real picky about stuff link that. Other than that these are my favorite tires to run.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from Henderson, NV Date Reviewed: July 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Supergo/Universal Cycles
Strengths:
Good traction
Weaknesses:
Too porous for use with Stan's; Very poor quality control; poor customer service
Similar Products Used:
Plenty
Bike Setup:
Superlight/XT
Bottom Line:
Ordered a System 2 from Supergo. Got a System 1. Sent it back, asked them to ship a System 2 PRONTO so I could use it in an upcoming race. As insurance, I ordered another System 2 from Universal Cycles, with overnight delivery. The Supergo tire showed up, the Universal Cycle tire didn't, even though I paid $19.00 for overnight delivery (they eventually credited me the shipping cost).
I mounted the first tire I got and filled it with Stan's sealant. The sidewalls and tread area were so full of holes it wouldn't hold more than 35psi without sealant oozing out everywhere. I raced on it and it worked well, but I wouldn't want to go on a long ride with it.
I mounted the second tire (from Universal Cycles)with a tube. 1/2 mile into my first ride with it, it was rubbing on my brake. The tire looked like it had a bad bead, and had about 3/4" of axial runout. Going around corners was scary. It finally blew off of my rim.
I called Intense, they said send back both of them. A week later, I got a package. One System 2, one System 4. I called Nick at Intense, who said they didn't have any more System 2's, so he sent a System 4 which is a big monster 745gram tire. I had no use for that. He told me he'd round up a System 2 and give me a call back later that day. That was 3 days ago...
The leaky tire worked pretty good, but not good enough to use with Stan's. The other one was just plain garbage. Back to Pythons for me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sam
a Racer
from Boulder, CO Date Reviewed: July 2, 2003
Favorite Trail:
porc rim
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$36.00
Purchased At:
Excel Sports
Strengths:
Great racing tire. Low rolling resistance and tracks incredibly well. Worked great in the mud at a recent Winter Park Race (circuit one). Saved my Behind after wet&muddy XTR Vbrakes just about ran me into a tree at mach 2.
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Ritchey ZED's, Conti Twister Pros, Intense cc 2.25's (see my review for these also)
Bike Setup:
SWorks M5 FSR
Bottom Line:
These tires are awesome! Buy them if you want to go fast in just about any condidition. I'll save these tires for racing though.
Read: Train on a heavier more durable tire and race with these puppies and you'll be double-happy family.
Intense: Thanks for saving my A!# from running into a tree!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Victor
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacramento, CA Date Reviewed: June 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Strengths:
See below
Weaknesses:
Poor durability. Only lasted ~175 miles.
Similar Products Used:
See below
Bike Setup:
See below
Bottom Line:
I have to downgrade my prior review of this tire. I was pretty enthusiastic about these when I first tried them but only about 175 miles later the rear tire is trashed. The tire is splitting lengthwise along the center of the tread, about 8 inches long. The threads are visible between the short knobs, the tire is bulging out along the split, and it's way out of round. This is unsafe. The tires did ride and grip well when new but I expected these to last much longer. I'm giving 1's to offset the 5's I gave in my prior review.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Thousands Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: June 18, 2003
Favorite Trail:
any technical single track
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
40
Strengths:
Good roll resistance; these tires seem to handle higher pressures than other tires I have owned; great grip on anything hard that is not loose; Good side wall support.
Weaknesses:
The worst tires I have ever used in anything soft; After ~ 50 miles there is noticable wear. Given that there is very little tread to begin with, this is not good. Not a good all around tire.
Similar Products Used:
Many many... Hutch Pythons, Conti Explorer & Verticle, Maxxis Mobster, WTB, Michelin Wild Gripper
Bike Setup:
Tracer, Marz Marathon S, Aeroheat wheels w/ King hubs, XTR
Bottom Line:
Not worth the money. Compared to Hutchinson Pythons (which are very similiar) the System 2 tires do not come close. The HP's grip better in all cases, have a slightly higher air volume, wear longer and are much lighter. In slick rock conditions without any sand, they grip great. But other thn on the road, where does this exist.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Victor
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacramento, CA Date Reviewed: May 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Auburn area, Bullard's Bar, South Yuba
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Universal Cycles mail order
Strengths:
Super fast rolling, light enough, great on most surfaces
Weaknesses:
A bit pricy at $40 per
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer Fire XC Pros, Continental Explorer Protection, Hutch Mosquito, Bontrager ST2
Bike Setup:
2002 Stumpjumper FSR with Marz Marathon fork
Bottom Line:
This tire hooks up on most surfaces. It does have a really large volume for a 2.0 tire. Here's what I think: Hardpack: excellent grip and low rolling resistance Soft conditions: decent grip Mud: not too good but this isn't a mud tire
I really like these tires, they're just a bit expensive and none of the retailers I tried stock them. They grip better than Conti Explorers and roll much faster. Hopefully I'll get lots of miles out of these. I'm going to do a Stan's Tubeless kit with these soon.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brent
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson Date Reviewed: February 12, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$37.00
Purchased At:
Excel Sports (mail-order)
Strengths:
Surprisingly grippy, fast rolling, and reasonably priced.
Weaknesses:
It'd be nice if they were a little lighter.
Similar Products Used:
Conti Explorer, Specialized control/masters, various WTBs, IRC Mythos
Bike Setup:
Specialized FSR Stumpjumper Comp w/ Mavic Crossmax, SRAM shifters/rear der., XT crank, Race Face rings, Egg Beaters, WTB Rocket V stealth saddle, Thompson Elite seatpost, Easton Monkeylite bar.
Bottom Line:
When I first saw these tires, I thought their round, closed-tread design gave them the appearance of more commuter tires rather than capable trail/race tires, but they received praise in both Mountain Bike magazine's Editors' Choice issue a couple of issues back, and also in Bicycling magazine (it figures that both mags would be consistent, considering their shared staff now). And since my Conti Exploreres were on their last threads, I decided to give the System 2s a try. I'm glad I did, because these tires are amazing. The sticky compound in these tires really does make a huge difference -- they handle steep, loose-gravel climbs and hardpack turns better than any aggressively lugged tires that I've used in the past. And better yet, these are the fastest-rolling tires I've ever used. I expected the soft compound to wear faster than conventional tires, but in the 2+ months I've had them on my bike, they don't seem to have incurred any more wear and tear than any other tire would. For a company that I've always thought of as catering predominately to downhillers, Intense sure got a cross-country winner with the System 2s.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cutch
a Cross Country Rider
from Socal Date Reviewed: January 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Porc Rim
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Super-Go
Strengths:
This tire has amazing grip, and rolls nice.
Weaknesses:
sometime wish it came in 2.1 version
Similar Products Used:
Larson TT
Bike Setup:
Ibis hardtail
Bottom Line:
Intense came up with three versions of this tire. The one I am using is the System 2 tire. The System 2 works in most conditions and rides excellent in Southern Cal. areas. I am running both front and back and the round profile shape and grip make it work great in loose hard pack conditions.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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