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Kenda Nevegal UST Tire

3.15/5 (34 Reviews)
Weight : 770 grams MSRP : $47.99


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Product Description

Tall knobs designed to penetrate and hold on loose terrain. Perfect for loose or wet conditions.


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Reviews 1 - 15 (34 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by rc95066 a Weekend Warrior from Austin

Date Reviewed: October 6, 2011

Strengths:    rolls faster that the set I replaces, with better traction and a solid feeling.

Weaknesses:    I have 26 x 2.35 fr and back. They are UST's but i am using a heavier duty tube instead of sealant. It seems heavier over-all but rides like it's light as a feather

Bottom Line:   
Texas is rough terrain for tires. I built these up and they are riding circles around the Maxxis setup a abandon. Affordable too

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Greenbelt

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $38.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   High Rollers LUST UST's, regular Nevegal's, Holy Rollers, and a few others. Texas Hill Country is tough on tires

Bike Setup:   2007 Santa Cruz Blur X9, crossmax disc, ruined bottom bracket that makes a lot of noise


Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Spanky_88007 a Weekend Warrior from Las Cruces, NM USA

Date Reviewed: February 11, 2011

Strengths:    Using this as my rear tire and it grabs pretty darn good on all the loose stuff in southern NM. The sidewall has been impervious to the sharp rocks so far, and I've run it with Stan's in it with no problem. It rolls pretty fast, faster than the Velociraptor did.

Weaknesses:    Durability. I've got less than a dozen rides on it, and the center knobs are pretty beat up - but then, I am a 230 pound guy riding over nasty rocks in the desert, so I don't expect tires to last TOO long, just wish this one was lasting a little longer.

Bottom Line:   
This tire has some pretty good traction, a beefy sidewall, and is fast rolling. While I like it, I think the bike mags are a little too in love with it. If you can afford to replace tires frequently, this is a great tire. I do wish Kenda would use a more durable rubber compound or reduce the price of this tire, because I don't really care to spend 40 bucks every couple of months on a tire. I could live with spending 25 bucks per tire, though.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Dona Anas

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   WTB Velociraptor(pleas please please WTB, make a UST version of this tire!)

Bike Setup:   Trek 6500


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by SF TKO a Cross Country Rider from Hollywood,FL.

Date Reviewed: January 6, 2011

Weaknesses:    ALERT !!! Do not purchase these tires if you intend on using any type of sealent.I have had 3 tires fail in the last 9 months. I contacted Kenda about the problem and they were cocky about their product and did nothing to try and help me out.

Bottom Line:   
Look elsewhere if you need to run a sealent. You are simply throwing your money away if you do so. Boooo to Kenda

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Snakebite Markham Park

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   Various

Bike Setup:   XC


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by dezertf150 a Cross Country Rider from Tucson, AZ

Date Reviewed: October 4, 2010

Strengths:    Great tire but only lasted one ride because I used Stan's sealant. Kenda won't stand behind the tire and you can run a not seald tire in the dezert and expect to ride for any period of time. I would have had 6 flats if it wasn't for Stan's in these tires but then two weeks later the tires came part.

Weaknesses:    Not sealable

Bottom Line:   
Junk tires and a company that won't stnad behind them.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Como

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $100.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   Geax, Tioga, Specialized

Bike Setup:   Doesn't really matter.


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by adobe a Cross Country Rider from New River, Arizona

Date Reviewed: September 17, 2010

Strengths:    
Nice tire if you don't need to put a sealant in it - but then again where would you ride then?


Weaknesses:    
Inside blisters and de-laminates after 20 or so rides when running them with tire sealant


Bottom Line:   

If you ride trails where you need tire sealant (IMHO its needed as much as air) then DO NOT BUY THESE!

Tires got some terrific mountain bike mag award and they can free with the new rims I purchased so it sounded like a win win. NOT

After about 20 rides my rear tire blistered out and was un-usable. Pulled it apart and it looked like it de-laminated on the inside letting air inbetween the two layers.

After another 20 rides it happen to the front tire.

Of course Kenda says dont run them with tire sealant - Sure I also wont put air in them.

Went to Panaracer FireXCPros and am running tire sealant with no problems so far.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Purchased At:   BlueskyCycling.com

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer FireXCPro UST

Bike Setup:   
2005 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp


Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by okiman a Cross Country Rider from Okinawa, Japan

Date Reviewed: August 28, 2010

Strengths:    Great tire for wet tracks. It is good for dry hard pack. The heavy side walls can take a lot of abuse.

Weaknesses:    Tire is a bit heavy.

Bottom Line:   
These tire have great grip and transitions from hard packed to wet on the DH to power out of turns it is great. Mud is not a problem with these tires. These are one of my favorite for fromt and back or can be used in the front with a slicker tire for DH.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Single tracks in Yomitan

Duration Product Used:   Tested or demo'ed only

Price Paid:    $43.00

Similar Products Used:   Going through all the Kenda's

Bike Setup:   Zaskar carbon


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:2
Submitted by lcirino a Cross Country Rider from BH MG Brasil

Date Reviewed: March 8, 2010

Strengths:    Fame, looks, grip when new.

Weaknesses:    Worse traction after half life span.

Bottom Line:   
Worked fine up to now, but last weekend on packed wet ground it felt like a speed tire (24lbs on it). Maybe the DTC or Stick E works better, but I'm going to Larsen TT or something else.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Mingu

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $80.00

Purchased At:   iBikes

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Advantage, Bontrager Jones

Bike Setup:   Trek Fuel EX 2008


Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:2
Submitted by Spartacus Rex a Weekend Warrior from Tampa, FL

Date Reviewed: January 25, 2010

Strengths:    Easy to mount

Weaknesses:    Heavy, Lots of rolling resistance, questionable traction

Bottom Line:   
I bought these because of how well the non UST Nevegals have worked out for me. I was running a 2.35" DTC with Stan's and was happy with how much traction the setup provided. Here in Florida Stan's dries out really quickly, plus I've burped the tire a couple of times during drops/jumps. I figured the UST version would provide the quality ride of the standard version without all of the hassles.

Boy was I wrong. Buyer beware, this is a totally different tire! On my very first ride I thought I was dragging a boat anchor. These beasts are ridiculously heavy (much more than the standard tire + tube). Once the trails got sandy I had to pedal out of the saddle just to maintain speed! At first I thought I had a brake rotor dragging or I was geared wrong.

I only have about 30 miles on them so they arent totally scrubbed in, but traction is pretty limited considering how well the regular Nevegal's bite. I spin out over any rooty climb. Maybe this will improve once they wear a little. Too bad I wont find out.

I ended up putting my worn out Nevegal DTC's back on the bike until I can afford another brand of tires.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Vortex @ Santos

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $35.00

Purchased At:   Jenson

Similar Products Used:   Std Nevegal, Karma, Panaracer Fire XC, Minions

Bike Setup:   6" AM bike


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Rex Luthor a Cross Country Rider from North Van

Date Reviewed: June 28, 2009

Strengths:    Fair weights and very beefy sidewalls (almost as thick as DH casings). Very easy install/inflation on UST rims.

Weaknesses:    Claimed weight is about 100g south of reality on both the 2.1 and 2.35.
DTC just plain sucks except does roll faster than Stick-E.


Bottom Line:   
I'm lost on UST for anything other than guys using them for DH (and getting rid of thick DH tube weights). For xc, I would think a light tire and tube is lighter. For North Shore use, the whole "lower pressure" thing is a complete myth. Sure, you can run lower pressure and you will not pinch flat, but you'll dent up your rims in a hurry.

It all depend on where you're riding. For me these suck. Anything other than sticky tread for 51 weeks out of 52 is no good where I live (wet and truly technical knarl).

These are decent all around tires and I would imagine would be a very good all rounder in dryer regions.

If Kenda eased up a bit on the sidewall thickness and made these in Stick-E to keep these around 1000g for the UST 2.35 then I might give them another go.

They can be had cheap, which definitely ups the value score.

DTC wears just as fast as Stick-E out back. I'll take the traction of Stick-E over (and the bit of added rolling resistance) over DTC for the PNW.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $30.00

Purchased At:   pinkbike

Similar Products Used:   Other tires, but specifically every other iteration of Nevegals.

Bike Setup:   Lighter 6x6 thru axles both ends...north shore xc. Rims are 819's.


Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by GlazedHam a Cross Country Rider from Texas Hill Country

Date Reviewed: February 25, 2009

Strengths:    Never-failing traction on Rock, Rock over dirt, loose dirt, loose dirt over Rock, etc. I never tried this tire for anything but dry Texas trails and it never let me down. I've run this thing over some very ungroomed trails and never worried about traction at all.

Majorly strong sidewalls and knobs that don't break off.


Weaknesses:    She ain't lite!

Bottom Line:   
Put this tire on the front of your bike and forget your wash-out worries ...if you ride in rocks and down steep descents.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Flat Rock Ranch

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $20.00

Purchased At:   Angle Fire,NM

Similar Products Used:   Probably 45-50 different types of tires.

Bike Setup:   5 inch AM bike. I run this up front on Mavic CrossMax ST/UST with Stans. I weight about 160-165 and run the pressure at 24psi. As with most tires, they work better with lower pressures, but I've tried 22-32psi. I've never run them with a tube.


Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by mojavehanna a Cross Country Rider from Las Vegas, NV. USA

Date Reviewed: January 27, 2009

Strengths:    Seals up instantly, phenomenal traction cornering and braking, stable, predictable, durable.

Weaknesses:    none so far

Bottom Line:   
I love this tire! I run a 2.3 on the front and a 2.1 rear with a Stans conversion kit and it is awesome for where I ride. I ride in loose, dry, rocky terrain that varies from hard packed sandy to sharp volcanic rock, to deep gravel washes. This tire works awesome. I like how they corner, the tire will begin to slide but it is predictable and controllable so you can "ride the slide". The rear hooks up great on steep technical climbs, the front brakes very well. The tire is the DTC compound and is lasting very well on the sharp rocks that I often ride on. Bottom line, If you ride in the desert these tires work great.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $60.00

Purchased At:   Las Vegas Cyclery

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer smoke/ dart WTB velocipaptors

Bike Setup:   GT LTS


Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by nrs2112 a Cross Country Rider from Oklahoma City, OK

Date Reviewed: October 19, 2008

Strengths:    Excellent sidewall construction, good rubber compound, fair weight

Weaknesses:    Extremely poor traction, extremely poor tread life, knobby height in center tread is just way too small to track

Bottom Line:   
Bottom line - HORRIBLE tire. I never thought I would get a tire that tracks as poorly as the Revolt or the Scorpion, but I found another. I live and ride in Oklahoma City which is all root and hard pack and this tire barely grabs on in the morning dew on the track. Quite simply, there is not enough knobby to bite into the track (ie: sand or loose pack turns and roots). Also, I just got back from New Mexico riding the Foothills Trails, Cedro Peak, and Otero Canyon which has a little rock throughout, and the trails are made of a loose pebble and hard pack combo. I skidded just few times on the very long steep descents out there and put in no more than 60 miles of riding and this tire appears as though it is a year old with maybe 2000 miles on it. It does not track and it does not last. What is the point of this tire??? I will NEVER buy this piece of crap again.

What really upsets me is the price all bike tire manufacturers charge us riders when car tires cost just a little more, sustain 3000 pounds of vehicle on pavement roads, and last 45,000 miles. Price per performance, we should be buying bike tires for 3-5 Bucks!!! $5 being for the better performing tires. Come on guys - give us riders a break and stop ripping us off with this junk you force us to choose from!!!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Almost Any Trail In New Mexico

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   pricepoint.com

Similar Products Used:   IRC Trail Bear, IRC Mythos O2, Bontrager Revolt, Panaracer Trailblaster, Continental Explorer, Hutchinson Scorpion. All perform terribly with a huge exception to the Trail Bear which is the BEST tire hands down but is not made in a UST version - thus I keep trying other UST tires that end up sucking...

Bike Setup:   2004 Giant NRS AIR on Mavic 819 UST Rims. I use the Trail Bear Tire for local rides Religiously for it has the best performance and tread life of any tire made, but it is not UST and thus is vulnerable to punctures when I go on cross country trips in the mountains in the middle of nowhere when I need to ensure no flats are incurred. Thus, I am searching for an XC/AM UST tire and just cannot find one with traction at a lighter weight!!!


Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Bingo a from Australia

Date Reviewed: June 3, 2008

Strengths:    Good grip in dry and good rolling resistance for this type of tyre. Volume excellent for a 2.1 and good wear rate in the regular rubber compound. Tough sidewalls and relatively inexpensive.

Weaknesses:    Grip significantly compromised in wet conditions. Kenda really needs to make a stick-E or DTC compound for the UST 2.1 version.

Bottom Line:   
Update to my earlier review. Wears well and rolls quite good for it's size and decent all-round grip in dry weather. The weakness is wet weather it really misses the stick-E rubber found on the regular tubed versions. In addition, the tread design and lack of space between the knobs makes it a little skittish in a straight line and does not provide enough lateral stability for a front tyre it is more suited to the rear. For dry conditions it is a really good mix of grip/wear/rolling resistance but in wet weather you have to be more careful it spins out quite easily on wet rock and roots if you don't hit them square. Not a premium or race tyre but a pretty solid all-rounder on the rear for everyday use that's not too expensive.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $30.00



Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:2
Submitted by Wytnyt a Cross Country Rider from Phoenix, AZ USA

Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008

Strengths:    Good traction. Decent wear until they were cut.

Weaknesses:    Tire cut through sidewall and part of tread on my third ride. Can not use liquid sealant in Kenda tires. this voids the warranty.

Bottom Line:   
How can you ride in the rocky desert without sealant? Tire warranty voided if you use liquid sealant such as Stan's. Buy Schwalbe or Maxxis.

I would give a higher rating, but the tire cut so easily on my third ride. Very disappointing. Plus, the whole thing about not using a liquid sealant. That is ridiculous. Then why go UST? You will have to install tubes.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   100

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   Ebay



Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Bingo a Cross Country Rider from Australia

Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008

Strengths:    Great volume, quite fast rolling for this type of tyre, tough construction, great grip all round when correct pressure used.

Weaknesses:    Tad heavy, doesn't like muddy slopes, lateral grip is very pressure sensitive

Bottom Line:   
Really solid tyre. Tough tyre does not cut or puncture (I don't use any sealant) and volume is excellent for stated 2.1 size to give a nice plush ride. Accelerates a little slower due to 770g weight but surprisingly rolls quite well once it is moving. Cornering grip is good in most conditions but lateral grip is pressure sensitive. I found the ramped knobs tended to break away and "smear" on steep climbs but I found that once you dropped the pressure sufficiently to engage the side knobs they bit hard and with no noticable loss in rolling speed (I run front 22psi and rear 26psi). You need to be run low pressures to get the best out of these tyres otherwise no point carrying around the extra weight of UST. I prefer these tyres over the regular versions run with Stans due to the tougher construction and better grip and comfort from being able to run lower pressures. If I was riding less rocky/rooty stuff I would consider the regular Nevegals with stans then again I would be probably running something faster like the Karma.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $30.00

Similar Products Used:   Crossmark, , Python, Fire XC Pro, High Roller, Speed King, Mountain King, Nobby Nic, Racing Ralph

Bike Setup:   2.1 UST Nevegal set-up on Epic with Mavic Crosstrail wheels



Reviews 1 - 15 (34 Reviews Total) | Next 15

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