Kenda John Tomac Signature Series Small Block Eight Tire. John Tomac is often referred to as the "greatest mountain biker that ever lived" by many cycling magazines and by his race colleagues and competitors. From 1985 until 2000 John competed in numerous
Strengths: Excellent grip on hard pack, low rolling resistance.
Weaknesses: Terrible in mud and even worse in sand
Bottom Line:
I can't comment on weight since I have nothing to compare this too. They came with my bike, so not sure on the value thing. But for what they do they do well! Still I'd imagine you could pick up a better tire for the price point.
That said, 99% of the single track near me is hard pack and these tires allow you to corner as if on rails. They do just as well laid into a corner as they do standing upright going down the trail. You can lay it over pretty far before breaking loose. Fast rolling and quiet. Even on asphalt.
Other than dry and hard dirt...they are no good. They don't shed mud at all. Rather they hang on to it and what you end up with is essentially a racing slick. So as you ride further in muddy conditions they just get worse. If your careful you'll be fine riding this way unless it's the soft sloppy mud, then you'll be all over the place. As for sand they act like they have a mind of their own. You have a plan for making it through a sandy area, they have other plans.
Climbing is just fine. Like I say if it's dry and packed you'll fly uphill. Careful on technical stuff both up, down and flat, the rear tends to spin out on roots especially wet roots. From what I can tell they do fine on rocks.
All things considered they are a good tire. I could see buying these tires again once they wear out. But I'm gonna look for something a little more suited to all around conditions first. If I find nothing I'll pick up a pair of these again.
Strengths: Great tire for XC or every day trail (dirt) use... enough nub to get a grip in wet/muddy spots, but not so much that you have to fight the tire if you have pavement transitions here and there.
Weaknesses: It's a great tire, but kind of expensive for what it is... the price point should probably be closer to 40 dollars.
Bottom Line:
Great tire for everyday use, but at a steep price. It has plenty of grab in wet grass, mud, loose gravel or other things you might encounter on your commute, but not so much that it will fight you too hard on pavement. It seems (so far) to not be wearing out too fast either.
Strengths: Large casing gives great balance, good tread profile for cornering and wall rides, rolls very fast and quiet, smooth predictable grip from the sticky outer treads. Excellent rear tire for racing, or blazing the streets or dirt jumps.
Weaknesses: rough loose terrain or loose rocks is too much for these little treads. not for dh riding or tech rock decents. Wet conditions capable but not great, specially sketchy in the wet roots. Using it for a front tire in those conditions is dangerous but you can get away with it in rear with nevgal up front.
Bottom Line:
These are very versatile tires that grip in tons of different conditions. I originally purchased one for a rear tire on a slopestyle bike. After seeing the increase in speed and how good it is for dirt jumping I purchased another couple. Sometimes I put them on my all mountain bike and do xc. They have been tested in every condition from sand to snow. When the snow is hardpack/ice these are surprisingly good tires. In the dirt the can do it all but you have to know their limits. Can't hang the bike sideways thru rocks or anything but they soo light just jump over them. Durability was good considering the massive beatdown I put on them and still have alot of life left. Even when most the middle tread is gone now you have a semi slick rocket tire. Of corse they great in hardpack dirt and jump parks etc. The fact that soo many xc riders using them confirms how fast they are. The roadies get nervous when they see me pull up with the small blocks on. Then go blast some dirt jumps because the low profile tread gives you the ultimate boost of the lip.
Similar Products Used: Tabletops, holy rollers, high roller, minion, nevgal, k rads, h factor
Bike Setup: I used the small blocks on slopestyle setups and all mountain. Seen them used on hardtails recently and even 20" peeps like them.
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Submitted by
siberian1967
a Weekend Warrior
from Marin, CA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2011
Strengths: Insanely low rolling resistance. Seriously, this thing is fast. It feels like a rocket, particularly compared to the Panaracer FirePros I was previously running.
Did I mention how fast these are? I hope so, because they are FAST.
Weaknesses: Traction is 'ok' in loose rock and sand. They tossed me once pretty hard when they just jumped out from under me with no recovery time.
When things get packed and wet they are ok
When things are wet and loose its like ice skating.
These are not mud tires, this is to be expected, but also understand that running these in loose pack will probably toss you.
Bottom Line:
I am keeping my SB8 on the rear and searching for a more robust front-end. Possibly a Nevegal or something from Maxxis. I need more traction and I climb a lot so it can't 3x my effort.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon / XTR / Mavic. Running these with Stans NoTubes, works great, sealed pretty easily. No leaks! No Flats! No Warranty! Its a $35 tire, we don't need no stinkin warranty!
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Submitted by
Mkiv94tt
a Weekend Warrior
from Pembroke Pines, FL
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2011
Strengths: Great in Dry conditions.
Weaknesses: Stay away from riding on the road with this tire. Very unsafe sidewall.
Bottom Line:
Very unsafe tire. I road the trails and was on my way to the car riding on the road and had the tire slip right off of the rim. Had tubeless set up... Now I come to find out reading these reviews that others have had similar problems running them as a front tire. I will absolutely not run this tire in the front any longer. I like it in the rear.
Submitted by
darkmatter
a Weekend Warrior
from CB Iowa
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2011
Strengths: Low rolling resistance, lite so they spin up fast, the tire is a pretty decent climber.
Weaknesses: This tire pushes out WAY to easily when run on the front. It gets wonky at pressures below 28 psi. Tubeless with stans works but it's a bad combo.
Bottom Line:
This is a great climbing fast rear tire that requires about 30 PSI to run right. If you run it on the front your cornering ability goes to pot and you wash out far to easily. I think it is dangerous. I think that the acceptable Pressure range on this thing is like 28 to 33 PSI. at pressures above 33 you lose traction below the tire folds over when cornering with any speed. Honestly I like the tire but it is way over rated here.
Similar Products Used: Loads of different tires but only WTBs with low profile soft knobs.
Bike Setup: Salsa Ti El mariachi Reba 80mm . . . Parts
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Submitted by
SGP495
a Cross Country Rider
from Moscow, Russia
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2011
Strengths: Fast
Weaknesses: Doesn't grip that well
Handling on turns
Bottom Line:
I had MAXXIS MOOBSTERS that came stock on my bike.
I got kendas.
I put two kendas, the bike wasn't that much faster...I noticed a little difference.
I switched the front back to the MOOBSTER - The handling on turns improved at least by 35% and I found that the bike goes faster. Maybe it's the weight difference. I feel better with another tire on the front. The kendas feel like lightweights.
Submitted by
iloj
a Weekend Warrior
from MIll Creek, WA
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2011
Strengths: Great tire for dry / hard pack conditions. I'm using this as my 'summer' dry season tire here in the Pacific Northwest. Put 'em on July 4th and keep 'em on till it starts raining again in October. These tires are WAY faster than my 'winter' WTB MotoRaptors. Much less rolling resistance, quicker acceleration, rolls over rocks, roots, log stacks with ease. Plenty of traction when it's dry and hard. I'm running these at a higher pressure than I do on my winter tires, right now about 45 psi. Might even go up another 5 - 10 psi. Feels like a whole new bike with these tires on. I first rode these on several demo bikes - there's a reason that bike mfgr's put these on their demo bikes - makes any ol' dog fast - even helps climbing !
Weaknesses: Haven't been in mud with them yet, but I hear that is their weakness.
Bottom Line:
Great tire for dry / hard pack - highly recommend these as a 'summer' / dry season tire.
Submitted by
Bruce Blizard
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond VA USA
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2011
Strengths: Rolls fast, with right pressure and fork setting, this tire is cushy. Grips roots and damp rock just fine, good for hard pack, dusty, dirty conditions.
Weaknesses: Not for mud, I guess. But I don't ride in the mud.
Bottom Line:
Having tried many different tires this was the missing ingredient to my perfect bike.
Favorite Trail: North Bank, Belle Isle, Buttermilk, Forest Hill Park
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$39.00
Purchased At: Performance
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Submitted by
John Arce
a Weekend Warrior
from Billings, Mt
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2011
Strengths: Surprisingly grippy conisdering the small knobs. Rolls VERY well, and quiet. I ride from my house to some nearby trailheads, and this is excellent for crossover. Works great on hardpack, slick rock, and mild mud, wet sand.
Weaknesses: It has a little trouble climbing technical roots and rocks if you don't hit them straight on, but actually did better than the Slant 6. Doesn't Shed the mud too well, but get going fast and it flings off fine.
Bottom Line:
I like this tire, especially wit the deal I got on them, I bought 2 to have an extra one in the garage. I was climbing a hill after a rainstorm, in wet sand and a little mud. I was cranking hard in the saddle on this climb, and was waiting for spin out to occur, and it never did, I was impressed. It has a little trouble on the tech climbs like I said above, but as a backtire I can usually just pull it up and cruise along. All in all I would recommend this on the back, and a WTB Bronson in the front for a good all around tire set. I have used this on single track, slick rock, very technical sections, some mild downhill, and have been happy with it's performance as a jack of all trades. I have been experimenting to find a good combination for long back country rides with a little of everything, and I think I found it. PS- I don't give out 5 chillis easily.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis High roller, Slant 6, WTB Bronson
Bike Setup: Titus El Guapo, heavy trail setup. Fox suspension
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Submitted by
JacksonCampbell
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2011
Strengths: -Great grip (rain, dirt, pavement)
-Hold air pressure well, no flats.
-Smooth ride
-Light
-Good cornering
-Fast rolling tire
Weaknesses: -Bad grip in mud, but that's not what I bought it for. IT'S NOT A MUD TIRE, PEOPLE.
Bottom Line:
This is a great tire for the price. It came with my Cannondale, so I don't really know what to compare it to. For a while, I thought my bike was geared for total acceleration, because I'm also in gear 3 and 6, but it turns out that's it's all the tire. This thing just rolls really quickly. It loves to roll. It's a rolly polly olly tire. Yeah, weird stuff aside, this is an amazing tire for anything but mud. I on't know why other reviewers are downgrading this tire because of the lack of mud traction. I mean, just look at the tire: the tire knobs aren't big like those of a dirtbike.... But yeah, wet or dry pavement, dirt, this'll get you there.
Bike Setup: Cannondale Trail SL3
-Avid Code R 203/85mm brakes
-Easton Haven Carbon 20mm riser bar
-Easton Haven Carbon seatpost
-Easton Haven 31.8mm stem
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Submitted by
Muerte
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2011
Strengths: Very fast rolling tire, corners fast, amazing grip, light, looks great.
Weaknesses: Not as grippy in mud but still good enough to get you in and out.
Bottom Line:
I had my local bike store install these before I even left the shop. I did some research and these are the tires I thought would match my ride paterns. I have about 2 miles on paved path before I hit the trails and this tire is so fast that you think its a slick. Then you hit the trails and this tire shows you what it was built for. This tire is changing the way I approach trails. I have full control and when the tire slides out, you can control the slide. I feel sorry for the other companies out there trying to copy this one of a kind super tire. I picked up a set of Kenda Nevegals for later on...Im expecting perfection.
Bike Setup: 2011 TREK 4500D. All shimano components.
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Submitted by
dj_mip
a Downhiller
from Bournemouth, Dorset, UK
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2011
Strengths: Amazing tires roll fast, small blocks and dual compound gives reliable grip on all surfaces, Really light but tough and long lasting
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I have been running these tires (dtc 2.35 front, 2.1 rear) with a stan's tubeless conversion kit and had no problems at all. Slightly more rolling resistance than high rollers but not much in it. I have not had anything pierce the tire not a single thorn or anything which is amazing as tire is so light and thin its because the tire is made of 3 compounds, 120 for walls 60 for centre knobs and 50 for outer knobs for grip in corners. These tires are best in loose dirt but they are great in all conditions i even used them in snow and ice earlier this year. The best tires i have ever used and so light
Submitted by
malsta1
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2011
Strengths: Grip, sidewalls, easy rolling.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I run these tyres tubeless with Stans No Tubes and I am very happy with their performance.
They have worn well. I have not had a flat. Very good grip for my riding.
This is an excellent tyre and I will purchase another set soon.
