Kenda Karma DTC XC Tire

3.64/5

(22 Reviews)

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MSRP : $112.99

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Product Description

When you mount this tire and rocket around race courses, it feels like you're receiving a reward for past good deeds. And to continue with the My Name is Earl comparison, it should be said that the tires have a large air volume for a soft ride. Kevlar beads help keep the weight respectably low.The DTC (Dual Tread Compound) tires lay down a harder, longer-wearing L3R Pro rubber in the middle of the tread while utilizing Kenda's soft Stick-E compound on the shoulders for better gription. L3R Pro is a low rolling resistance compound (L is for Low, R for Resistance) mixed with some grippy motorcycle tread compound. Using a fluid-based sealant product in any Kenda tire will void the warranty. 450g Application: XCGround: Hardpack

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Submitted by Mikecito a Weekend Warrior

Date Reviewed: February 17, 2013

Strengths:    Lightish, rolls well on hardpack/asphalt and has good volume

Weaknesses:    grip in wet conditions

Bottom Line:

First things first. I'm a clyde riding in the PNW so grip in muddy/wet root conditions is critical for me. I bought a Karma for a new back tire (2.35 Nevegal in front) on the recommendation of a LBS employee without doing any research. I've paid for my impulse buy with lousy rear traction in our wet conditions. I'll try it again in our upcoming 2 month dry season, but after getting pitched off the bike again yesterday from a wet root, I'm done with the Karma for now. YMMV

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Similar Products Used: Conti X Kings

Bike Setup: Trance

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Submitted by jon a Cross Country Rider

Date Reviewed: May 28, 2012

Strengths:    light, fast rolling.

Weaknesses:    slippery on lose soil.

Bottom Line:

I got these tires with my new Mondraker and from the moment I looked at them I knew I should have change them. Where I go riding it is very sandy and lose, I was corning into a berm and the bike just spat me out and damage the rear mech. so be warned don't use these tires on the lose stuff!!!

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Submitted by D-DUB a Weekend Warrior from North Cackalacky

Date Reviewed: September 17, 2010

Strengths:    Light & fast - low rolling resistance, good in dry conditions

Weaknesses:    Took a while to seal up with Stans, sketchy in wet (more than most), cornering hook-up "roll" takes getting use to

Bottom Line:

Very fast/light tires for dry summer conditions - not so much in wet conditions but do shed mud better than Nevegals. The corning "roll" before the side lugs hook-up feels skecthy at first, then you get used to it and they do hook-up well. Did fine in sandy over hardpack, but not so well in deeper sand. Seem sturdy in rocks & roots. The rear tire has rolled and lost pressure a couple times. Good race tire. No regrets for the $!

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Favorite Trail:   Warior Creek, N Wilkesboro NC

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $38.00

Purchased At:   Jenson USA

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer Fire XC, Nevegals

Bike Setup:   Giant Trance X,Stock Fox Float fork & RP2 Float shock, American Terrain wheelset, running 2.2 tires tubeless w/Stans (not recommended/warranted by Kenda)

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Submitted by pata1710 a Weekend Warrior from Zagreb, Croatia

Date Reviewed: August 25, 2010

Strengths:    Low rolling resistance, good all-round grip, light and very fast tire.

Weaknesses:    Noisy, not so good on loose stuff.

Bottom Line:

For that price, nothing I drove could beat it, great on the tarmac, packed surface or wet surface, ok on the loose stuff.
Great on the acceleration and curves and very light (400 grams) braking on the wet very reassuring. Very noisy, but so many strengths I just ignore it.

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Favorite Trail:   Maksimir

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $25.00

Purchased At:   marko-projekt

Similar Products Used:   CST ATB (crusader), Bontrager LT3, some OEM tires.

Bike Setup:   Fuji Nevada 2.0 2009.

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Submitted by Superpilot a Cross Country Rider from Raleigh, NC, USA

Date Reviewed: July 15, 2010

Strengths:    Sticky, Great Grip, Fast Rolling.

Weaknesses:    ?, not supposed to be used with Stan's.

Bottom Line:

These are sticky when dry. Don't really know about durability since I used them for only about 2 months. Where my typical Panaracers would wash out on pine needles and such, these tires just stuck. You had to trust the sidewall knobs, it would slide just a touch then keep gripping with no problems. Couldn't believe how well they gripped on loose over hardpack, just kept leaning into turns. Loved these tires for their speed and confidence. 2.0 size with a Kenda Small Block 8 on the rear. This was XC riding, the tires are light, so if you are doing much more than XC, they may not hold up.

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Favorite Trail:   Syllamo Trails, MT. View, AR

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   Performance

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer Fire XC, Specialized Fast Trak, Bontrager Jones, Continental Race Kings, Kenda SB8.

Bike Setup:   Mongoose Canaan Team, Stan's No-tubes. 2.0 size with a Kenda Small Block 8 on the rear.

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Submitted by cornt1989 a Cross Country Rider from Cleveland OH

Date Reviewed: October 10, 2009

Strengths:    Fast! Great grip. Light.

Weaknesses:    Slippery when wet

Bottom Line:

This tire is great of anything cross-country or all mountain when your riding dry. When you riding wet there are two sides to the story. The tires shed dirt and debris like water, nothing sticks to them and builds up. This is great and helps maintain grip, but cornering in them just does not happen. Maybe I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt, but with a 2.5X29 on the front, I think there shoud be plenty of traction for me to not have to think twice about where I'm going. Overall I still love this tires and don't plan on getting rid of them anytime soon because they are wearing down very little for how much I'm riding.

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Favorite Trail:   Asbury Woods Erie

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Bike Setup:   KHS Tucson 29er

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Submitted by ajriding a Racer from stone mtn , ga

Date Reviewed: August 23, 2009

Strengths:    Perfect South Eastern tire. grips in all conditions and is very light. Good mud tire also. You can install this tire and be ready for anything conditions throw at you.

Weaknesses:    I would like to see a few knobs between the outer knobs and the 2nd outer row - maybe move some around.

Bottom Line:

Riders in the SE seem to love this tire. May not be the best for super dry hard-pack conditions, but works very well for softer soil and loose rocks etc.

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Duration Product Used: More than 3 years

Similar Products Used: everything

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Submitted by debusama a Cross Country Rider from Spokane, Wa

Date Reviewed: March 29, 2009

Strengths:    Light, fast-rolling, decent traction

Weaknesses:    low volume, wearing quickly

Bottom Line:

I’ve had these for about a month (the 2.0 version). My first impression was that they are narrower than I expected, and the sidewall looked awfully thin. I first started using them while there was still a considerable amount of snow around, and my first couple of rides didn’t go well. These simply aren’t the right tires for snow and they aren’t meant to be, so I won’t hold it against them. Since the majority of the snow has melted, I have loved them. The trails I’ve been riding are mostly firm, moist soil with some rocky and muddy patches. I’ve read reviews that said they are prone to sidewall rips and don’t corner well in other than dry conditions. I intended to use my old tires in the sloppy early spring conditions, but they are so fast-rolling and light compared to the WTB Motoraptors that came with my bike, that it’s for me hard to bring myself to take them off and save them for my upcoming races (which is why I bought them).

There have been many times when I’ve been leaning hard into a turn, seen a patch of mud or jagged rocks poking up through the soil ahead of me, and mentally prepared myself for a slip & fall, or a ripped side-wall, but it hasn’t happened yet. Cornering and climbing has been as good as one can expect from such a light, fast tire. I’m very impressed with how they have preformed in the moist conditions in which I have been using them, and I’m really looking forward to using them on dry hard-pack, which is where they are really supposed to shine. The only criticism I have is that although they still have plenty of tread, they look a little more worn that I would expect from a tire with only about a month and 200-250 miles of use. I doubt I’ll be riding on them for more than one season if I continue to use them for my everyday trail rides. I’ve been running them at 35 PSI with Kenda super-light tubes (no flats yet).

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Favorite Trail:   Riverside state park

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Nevgal, blue grove, IRC Mythos, WTB Motoraptors

Bike Setup:   Jamis Dakar XC, 717 rims, xt hubs, shadown derailleur, XT cassette.

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Submitted by Patrick a Cross Country Rider from Manila

Date Reviewed: February 10, 2009

Strengths: good traction, light to pedal, good on climbs

Bottom Line:

these are only good for the rear

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Favorite Trail:   La Mesa Park

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   michellins country trail, specialized enduro, kenda nevegals

Bike Setup:   08 heckler srams kings atomlab syncros foxes

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Submitted by jaseh a Cross Country Rider from Singleton, NSW, Australia

Date Reviewed: January 10, 2009

Strengths:    Light weight, fast rolling tyre

Weaknesses:    Cornering grip, sidewall strength

Bottom Line:

Had the STD wire bead version of these on my old monocog and thought they were pretty good. This model I thought would be better with the better technology in them. How wrong was I!!! Ripped the side wall on a rock while riding on a dirt road, not even a 4wd track, had more punctures in the last 3 months than I have had in the last 2 years using the Michelins. As a tyre that you would put on for race day only on hardpack these would be awesome with there low weight and how well they roll in a straight line but for everyday use I wouldn't recommend them. I might try using just one on the rear with a nevegal on the front as they was out really bad at any sign of loose soil on the front.

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Favorite Trail:   Awaba

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Similar Products Used:   Michelin XC dry2, XC/AT, Maxxis Advantage, Crossmark

Bike Setup:   Jamis XCR Expert. XT group plus wheels. Easton EA50 bars stem and post

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Submitted by Don Duende a Cross Country Rider from Eastern Sierra

Date Reviewed: October 27, 2007

Strengths:    Light and fast. SWS (sidewall protection) is good to have on the local trails because of all the sharp rocks.

Weaknesses:    Gives up a little in traction mounted on the rear and high speed cornering on the front, especially over loose, sandy corners. SWS adds an ounce to each tire.

Bottom Line:

I love running these tires on the rear. Good grip and the 2.0 is 100gms lighter than the Nevegal. I was less thrilled with them on the front, although I could definitely appreciate the lower rotating mass. Running them front and back lets me sprint uphill! If you race on rocky trails where you can't afford sidewall damage, running them front and back is a great lightweight race combination. I don't race, but I love going fast and I prefer more tire up front in the corners and for secure steering. Because of their lightweight, low profile knobs, thiner casing, I only expect to get one season out of them.

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Favorite Trail:   Galena Creek Park

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $22.00

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer Smoke 2.1, Kenda Nevegal 1.95

Bike Setup:   Intense 5.5, Mavic 717 rims, Chris King hubs, Stans No Tubes

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Submitted by Michael Garcia a Cross Country Rider from Bacolod Philippines

Date Reviewed: October 25, 2007

Strengths:    Very Low low rolling resistance.. Light.. Has a very good traction

Weaknesses:    slippery on wet conditions especially on roots and muddy trails.

Bottom Line:

These tires are the best that i have ever owned i had used so many times and each time i ride it, it makes me feel so much of a better rider. It is good on climbs and for me has a good traction if you put your weight on the lags. Bottom line is buy these tires if you really want a superb tire for xc races

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Favorite Trail:   tubes tae

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $10.00

Purchased At:   Standard bike shop

Similar Products Used:   specialized adrenaline, fast trak

Bike Setup:   Gt i drive 3.0, deore group set

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Submitted by Keith Q a Cross Country Rider from Cary, NC

Date Reviewed: June 13, 2007

Strengths:    Light weight, low rolling resistance

Weaknesses:    Poor cornering traction, poor grip when climbing, pinholes in sidewall

Bottom Line:

Kenda Karmas were a major disappointment to me. Based on the reviews I've read, I was expecting a lightweight, fast tire with good cornering grip - what I got was a lightweight, fast tire that absolutely sucks for traction on anything other than true hardpack. Add even a hint of loose surface and traction is non-existant. I ran the 26 x 2.1" on both front and rear for two rides, then had to remove them due to the unpredictable traction. I did set my fastest training lap times on these tires, even though I fell down due to front end washout and had to ride through corners like I was on ice - they're really fast when pointed straight.

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Favorite Trail:   Lake Crabtree

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $28.00

Purchased At:   Jenson

Bike Setup:   2005 Giant Trance frame, custom build

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Submitted by BigPoppaBear a Weekend Warrior from Abbeville, LA

Date Reviewed: October 20, 2006

Strengths:    Light, low rolling resistance, grip well on climbs, hold ANY line through a corner

Weaknesses:    Rubber on inner surface exposed wire core

Bottom Line:

Imperfections in the rubber on the inner side of the tire eventually exposed the wire core. After 4 months, enough wire was exposed to wear holes all the way around the tubes (about a dozen per tube). I suppose running these tires tubeless would be the way to go.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Purchased At:   Sage Cycles (came on Monocog)

Similar Products Used:   IRC Notos, WTB Primal Raptor, WTB Velociraptor, IRC Mudmad

Bike Setup:   Redline Monocog (rigid), Mavic rims laced to Shimano Deore hubs

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Submitted by Karl a Weekend Warrior from Cheboygan, Michigan, USA

Date Reviewed: July 2, 2006

Strengths:    very sticky tire, it is great for any kind of riding, especially urban and cross country.

Weaknesses:    loses some tread when wet.

Bottom Line:

A good, budget tire for anyone who rides the hell out of their bikes.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   bike shop with redline monocog

Similar Products Used:   other kenda tires

Bike Setup:   Redline Monocog

Reviews 1 - 15 (22 Reviews Total)

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Kenda Karma DTC XC Tire

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