The Kenda Nevegal isThe do it all aggressiveTire. WhetherTheTerrain is loose or hard packed,ThisTire performs.The Nevegal has consistently won awards in Mountain Bike Action Magazine. Kenda has released its new aggressive RSR compound.The RSR is Kenda’s “Race Sticky” slow rebound rubber compoundThat provides excellent grip as well as performance. Intended Use: All Mountain Bead: Wire Bead Max PSI: 50 Weight: 26 x 2.5”: 1307 +/- 65 grams
Strengths: Pros : Good Traction, Rugged, Versatile
Best Uses : Climbs, Downhill, Single Track
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I've had these tires for a several months now. They replaced the standard issue tires that came with my mountain bike. Wow, what a difference in control and steep climbing and descents in a variety of off-road terrains. From hard pack to loose dirt and rocks, this tire has got you covered.
I want to add that this is a Mountain Bike Tire, NOT a Road Tire. I give no credibility to any review that judges this tire for its performance (or lack of it) on the road. This is a knobby tire with no connected center tread, so simply put "It does what it's supposed to do", and does it extremely well I might add. So if you want to city/urban commute or keep up with your road biking friends on-road then change your tires for a road tire or get a road bike. Nobody would expect a racing slick tire to be used for mountain biking up steep off-road hills would they? Then what's the point of anyone's review commenting on how this tire may be slow on the roads. This is an awesome Mountain Bike tire. Get it and you will mountain bike with complete confidence!
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2013
Strengths: Probably the tire with the most grip out there
Just point it and it will go there
good cornering
Weaknesses: HEAVY
Honestly the tire with the worst rolling resistance I've ever tried
Bottom Line:
Great grippy tire, but if you want speed stay away. these came stock on my KHS XC204 and I tried em for a month, and i'm definitely switching them out for this season. If you don't mind the slow rolling. go ahead and use them.
Strengths: Look around and you can find this tire for a great price. Durable and works great as a front tire.
Weaknesses: Slow rolling
Bottom Line:
Have used this as my front tire for the last three years after trying several different brands. I ride flowing (dry) single track so it provides the right amount of traction needed up front. The only time I use this as a back tire is doing shuttle runs at ski resorts, other wise this tire is way to slow to be used front and back. If you pair it with the small block 8 or something similar it creates a a great combination of speed and traction.
replaced a set of specialized ground control that came on my niner emd9. These 2.25 x 29 promised better grip, based on design and reviews. But, they have been a dissapointment on dry harpack and leafy climbs. They slip alot even when I am paying close attention to the torque being applied. Maybe it's due to the knobs being squarish .......rather than sharp cornered. Pros........they can easily run lower pressure and have good cush. Just not enough for the dry conditions that I ride in. The worn down specialized ground control had better grip than these new tires. Sorry , Kenda.
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Submitted by
brucea
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2012
Strengths: Great Traction on Loose over Hard
Ramped Center Lugs offer Low Rolling Resistance
Puncture Resisant Sidewalls
Great Hold in Corners
Can be Run at Low Pressure
Good All Mountain Tire
Excellent Braking
Good Value
Weaknesses: Not Pretty
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a do everything tire for any and all trail conditions, the Kenda Nevegal Tomac is a great choice. I run the 2.35" Kenda Tomac DTC on both front and back. I have been consistently pleased with the traction on both hard pack and loose conditions. I was surprised that a tire with so much traction rolls so easily. I live in the Colorado Rockies near Buffalo Creek that includes trails for all levels off riders. I have found the Kenda Nevegals work equally well on rocky terrain and loose decomposed granite. These tires may be overkill if all you ever ride is nice firm hard pack trails. But if you need a value-priced tire that can get you through knarly terrain in a hurry, this tire is the best I have found.
Similar Products Used: WTB Velociraptor
Maxxis Minion DHR Super Tacky
Specialized Purgatory Ground Control
Bike Setup: 2012 26" Specialized Camber Comp
Rockshox Recon Front Fork with 120mm Travel
RockShox Ario Rear Shock with 120mm Rear Suspension Travel
Wheels: Mavic 321 with Shimano XT Hubs
Brakes: Shimano XT Ice Tech, 180mm Front, 160mm Rear
Drivetrain: Complete Shimano XT 9-speed
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Submitted by
Bogeyman
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2012
Strengths: Great off-road grip, corners very stable & very good traction on rocky or muddy terrain
Weaknesses: Rolls loud and heavy on pavement.
Bottom Line:
This tire saved me several times. I'm using a freeride setup and there are times when we go down on a steep winding terrain, I get sometimes caught up with my other buddies stopping along the way where I would try to change course to avoid crashing, my nevs worked like a charm. I had avoided a crash during a downhill trail and my rear caught up in a small canal...although it drifted, my front kept its ground during cornering...I almost went pale after that, but hey, I'm glad that nobody got hurt and still no scratches on me. I'm a weekend trail rider and newbie...Nevegals (John Tomac Ed) rocks!!!
Weaknesses: The sound they make while riding the road and feel is just wrong
Bottom Line:
These are a great tire picked up a pair really cheap and replaced my maxxis ardent best move I have ever made on my bike. these handle everything from rock gardens, wet roots to swimming in mud. where I live i can go from dry hard pack to mud up to my disks in seconds and these still grip. I am still yet to get a puncture with these tires, if only my rims were as hardy.
Strengths: Amazing grip, great looks (if you're into that!)
Weaknesses: not that big a deal to me, but somewhat heavy
Bottom Line:
I went with 2.35's, and when I got one of them mounted up, it was a bit wider than the 2.2 Bontrager XR1 it was replacing. So it looks like the sizing is pretty close to advertised.
I went with Stick-E front, and DTC rear. The Stick-E is cool, if you squeeze one of the knobs, you can feel that it's soft rubber and actually a bit tacky, and that once released it takes a moment to form back into shape.
The Stick-E seems to work, as I crossed plenty of (sometimes wet) roots at an angle, as well as crossing some offcamber sections with roots and sometimes mossy rock. No slip from the front. Only time in two hours that the front loss grip was when I hit a corner that was basically all sand, the tire slipped a few inches then caught.
The bike felt like a tank with these tires on it, I was amazed at how well I could climb. Loose, rocky hillclimbs? No problem. Throw in some roots as well? The Nevs laughed at them. This was my first time out on this trail, and as I was approaching a few of these climbs I thought no way would I make it. But as long as I used the right technique, the Nevs climbed up with basically no wheelspin. I can count on one hand the number of times I spun in 2 hours.
I've read in a lot of reviews about how these are slow rolling, but I didn't notice. Even if they are, for the type of riding I do, the terrific grip is much more important to me.
Anyway, I'm incredibly happy with them, they handled everything that trail had to throw at them with ease.
Also, as being someone who's just getting back into riding after a decade, I LOVE riding with these high volume tires! My last bike that I used to ride offroad had 1.95's on it, and these 2.35's perform SO much better, both traction wide and shock absorbtion wise. I was very impressed how the rear tire damped alot of impacts at roughly 35psi.
NOTE: I got them at 50% off as the "deal of the day" at a certain website, hence the 5 chiles for value. Being budget mindeed, I most likely would NOT have bought them at full price.
Been rocking Nevegal's for a few years now. I ride 2-3 times a week in the dry, hard packed Southern California landscape. Some rocky sections here and there. I go through 2 sets a year. front will last longer if you take it easy on the braking and slow down on the down hill sections, if not, they'll last the same as the rear.
Strengths: Very Grippy Tires. Comfortable ride when riding proper psi. Durable tire.
Weaknesses: VERY slow rolling and sounds like a tank on concrete.
Bottom Line:
I needed a bit more control in the area that I am in, so I decided to run Nevegals. Overall a good tire if you need a lot more control. However, if you want to maintain speed, these are not the tires for you. The people that say these are not slow rolling are just wrong. You will have to work a lot harder to keep up fast speeds. However, if you are looking for extremely grippy tires, these can't be beat. I sear I could corner on ice with these things. They absolutely will not slide. I rode them right after a rain yesterday and and the trail was pretty slick, and these things still cornered like I was on concrete.
Strengths: Very good traction and lower rolling resistance than expected
Weaknesses: Price - this is not a cheap tire and couldn't find the model and size I wanted on sale at the time of this writing
Bottom Line:
I'm not a pro, but your typical weekend warrior who gets a 2 - 3 rides in during week if lucky. Before buying this Nevegal 2.1 tubeless ready folding tire with John Tomac's name on it, I was happy as a clam riding a Maxxis Crossmark LUST 2.25 (without John Tomac's name on it) installed in the rear position. I run tubebless with Stan's and would still be riding the Crossmark, but it bubbled (read the Crossmark reviews about running Stan's). The Crossmark is a very good tire, but lacks confident traction - specially when in the wet.
Immediately after installation I notice a positive difference in traction even despite its smaller volume. This is where the Nevegal shines. What a huge confidence builder. I purposely bought a slightly smaller volume due to concerns about increased rolling resistance noted in the reviews below, but I don't feel it. In fact, the added traction enables me to run slightly more PSI, reducing the rolling resistance further. Installed as tubeless and running higher PSI, the tire is still smooth and not harsh in the rough stuff.
The bottom line is I prefer to run larger volume tires, but due to concerns about the rolling resistance I decided on a slightly smaller volume Nevegal and found it to be an amazing tire installed in the rear position!
Favorite Trail: Porcupine Rim (the whole enchilada), Moab, UT
Duration Product Used: Just a few rides so far - big improvement
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: Tires from Hutchison, Maxxis, and Panaracer in both clincher and tubeless configurations.
Bike Setup: 2011 Turner 5 Spot, Maxxis High Roller 2.35 LUST Casing in tubeless configuration up front, XT & XTR Components, Stan's Arch Rims laced to I-9 Hubs, Hope v2 Brakes, White Bros. Loop 150mm Fork 15mm axle, X-fusion HiLo Post. And the only thing I want to install is the new Fox 34 Float 160mm Fork.
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Submitted by
Rick
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2012
Strengths: Bites well in cornering and off camber. Breaks loose predictably. Good all around tire for So Cal hard pack and loose over hard
Weaknesses: Heavy and rolls slow
Bottom Line:
Good tire for the money.
Summer SoCal trails can get real sandy over hard these dig thru the slop without plowing and bite the hard underneath. the rear hooks up well for climbing
Strengths: Very very grippy and responsive for an all around tire.
Tread lasts alot longer than expected, even when doing street riding.
Never really flats. (unless they are too low obviously)
Weaknesses: Pretty loud noise when on concrete ( but they're meant for dirt so who cares)
Bottom Line:
Overall, these tires are probably the best all around tire for the price and perform as well as or better than it's more expensive competition. I've had these tires on my Giant Riegn and used them for climbing, moderate DH, and technical descents and they've held up extremely well. The only time these tires will wear slightly is on the pavement, but then again what MTB tire doesn't.
My bike came stock with just regular nevegals, and I never had a problem with them. So when time came for new all purpose tires, I went back to them, but the Tomac editions(stick e/dtc). I use them strictly for off road, pavement will rub out these bad boys quick, just like any other all around mtb tire. I had nothing but good experience with these tires out on the trails. I never think about em when riding that means they are doing their job. So when I got my 29er, it too got a set Nevs. My wife's bike got a set of Nevs. I saw many reviews complaining about weight and roll resistance, and I really have to wonder if these people remember what sport this is. Then again, I am one of the people that prefer my bike to be on the "heavier" side. Maybe if i race I would care, but I don't.
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Submitted by
Adam
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2012
Strengths: Lot's of grip, transfers well, works in a variety of conditions, dual tread compound, stops well
Weaknesses: doesn't roll very well, loud (street riding)
Bottom Line:
I bought one of these 2.35 to replace my continental mountain king 2.2 up front. What a difference! I've tried many different tires, none have given me the confidence in fast and slow corners like the nevegal did. My riding improved significantly because I wasn't worried about washing out the front end while leaning the bike over. I'm very impressed. I think my long search for the perfect front tire is over. Now it's time to find the perfect rear tire!
