Submitted by
biga6462
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2008
Strengths: Nice Grip On Climbs
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I was able to get these free because my stock Bontrager Jones had a defect in them. I have put about 1200 miles on these and have only had 3 flats. Others complain about sidewall blow out but I have no problems and the tread could probably last me a few hundred more miles. They are great on climbs and are a very fast tire overall. The only complaint is that I wish they had these in a 2.2 model.
Similar Products Used: Bontrager Jones and Connection Trail, Hutchinson Python, IRC Mythos
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel 70 Stock
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Submitted by
Filtersweep
a Racer
from Stavanger, Norway
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2007
Strengths: Good grip, nice compound- definitely an improvement in climbing. Excellent price (on sale)- wish I would have purchased more.
Weaknesses: Higher rolling resistance than other tires, softer compound will wear faster, feels slower on pavement.
Bottom Line:
These tires give a confident ride. They are probably better suited for roots and rocks-- if you want something fast on gravel, there are better options out there.
Submitted by
tom
a Cross Country Rider
from rhinebeck, ny, usa
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2006
Strengths: strong climbing, great hook up in all conditions, especially on wet rocks and roots where you need it the most. I don't think I sacrificed too much speed for the traction. I also loved the small ground contact with high volume in the tire.
Weaknesses: stupid things are fragile, as mentioned in other reviews. sidewalls ripped after one year, but I loved them so I just taped the tear, then two days ago the bead that hooks up with the rim just tore. ARgh! I was climbing a road at the end of a ride so no problems, but that also means I know it was the tire and not an obstacle on the trail. I ride in the low 30's psi (whatever feels right)
Bottom Line:
if you don't mind replacing them or dealing with torn tires on the trail then buy it, they climbed so well it was silly
Bike Setup: 1997 specialized stumpjumper recently rebuilt with xtr and fsa carbon cranks, soo sweet.
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Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Surrey, England
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2006
Strengths: Fantastic grip. Best tyres I've used to date uphill, downhill and in mud.
Weaknesses: FRAGILE....WAY TOOOOO FRAGILE!!!
Bottom Line:
These tyres were brilliant while they lasted. Sadly they didn't last!!!
Two splits in the rear tyre in last 4 rides. Today riding on road the tube exploded through the rear sidewall(running 40psi) Split so wide it could not be patched with duck tape as the previous one had and leaving me to hike home:-(( First time I've had this sort of problem with tyres and now have no confidence in this product. Have to replace the rear anyway but will be replacing the front as a blowout like the rear today would be very dangerous on the front. I have subsequently found at http://www.mtbreview.com that these tyres have a long history of splitting for no good reason. In a nutshell my experience is that these tyres are bloody dangerous and not fit for purpose. £30 down the drain
Bike Setup: I have used it both on a giant yukon and a specialized stumpjumper HT.
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Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Birmingham UK
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2004
Strengths: grips like nothing else, no flats (yet) and i still have thoes little rubber bits.
Weaknesses: a bit heavy, come up big.
Bottom Line:
they are the best all round tyre i have used for UK conditions, good in mud good on hardpac, not so good on road. One problem is that the 2.00 is actually bigger than the 2.25 irc Kujo
Submitted by
Don Juan
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque, NM
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2004
Strengths: Light and Cheap, Fast yet Grabby
Weaknesses: Sidewalls
Bottom Line:
These were the fastest, lightest (sub 19 OZ), tires that actually grabbed the dirt, loamy soil, sand, gravel AND provided traction when needed. Low rolling resistance. I ran the Rear backwards. I've raced them. BUT, after 400 miles, the sidewalls are trashed, each had a slit. I know this happens when you ride fast through lots of rock gardens, but I was hoping to wear the tread completely out before replacing....
Similar Products Used: Continental Escape (weak, many flats, otherwise perfect)
Bike Setup: Stumpjumper, Fox Float RLT 80, Avid SD 7, XT, Thompson.
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Submitted by
Vic
a Cross Country Rider
from Moscow, Russia
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2004
Strengths: Grip, slow wear, versatility, weight
Weaknesses: Sidewalls SEEM to be weak, but this can be because I've read so much scary things about them. Pricey.
Bottom Line:
Some say these tires do not last for long in terms of sidewalls? I just can make assumptions. 3 months possibly is not enough, though this stands for over 900 kms. They still look and work great, no significant signs of wear and these scary sidewalls problems mentioned. Yes, when I touch them, sidewalls feel fragile, but they last. I ride quite mixed terrains, these tires grip like hell on any kind of it, rolls pretty good and don't make much noise (unlike Continental Explorers). Let's see. No complaints for now.
Similar Products Used: Tioga Factory XC and Extreme (absolute crap), variety of Maxxis, Nokian, Kenda, Continental
Bike Setup: Currently unsatisfactory
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Submitted by
gary
a Cross Country Rider
from arkham, ma.
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2004
Strengths: very good all around traction, reasonable weight
Weaknesses: FRAGILE, MOST FRAGILE TIRE I'VE EVER RIDDEN, cost
Bottom Line:
well with these i thought i had found the perfect tire, they provided excellent traction in all conditions including winter riding. my first tire developed a bubble after just a few weeks of intermittent riding, treadwear was negligeable. my second tire i just found also has a sidewall bubble and will have to be discarded. $80.00 for the pair, not cheap for throw away tires! too bad cause i really liked these traction-wise actually better than anything else i had been using. would try them again if sidewall durability were improved.
Similar Products Used: mostly panaracer fire xc pro, different wtb raptors, hutchinson python
Bike Setup: santa cruz superlight, fox 100 rlc, mostly xtr with avid mecanical disc brakes, synchros rims
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Submitted by
roger
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2004
Strengths: ease of installation, tread pattern, grips like hell
Weaknesses: used to paying Panaracer prices, so a little steep, but woth every dime
Bottom Line:
There have been some complaints on the Blur about running 2.1 or bigger tires and glopping them with mud causing rubbing, etc... I decided to step down to a 2.0 b/c all I seem to get lately is mud. I have been loyal to the Fire XC for a while, but the XL-S is a superior tire. I am talking about the '04 xls. This tire mounts easily on my Rhyno lites and grips like contact cement. Gravel to rock dusty areas, red clay, mica dust, all the sh*t that slides out the bike is dealt with by this tire. Handles great. This tire will leave you feelin' satisfied.
Strengths: Durability and handling. I CANNOT understand the complaints on these tires. I have been using the same one (on the back) for 3 years!!! I ride hundreds of miles a year and race almost every weekend April-Oct. I have only flatted one time during a race and that was because I did a terrible thing to my rim barreling over rocks.
Submitted by
spangels aregreat
a Weekend Warrior
from Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2003
Strengths: Good deep tread, reasonably light, good mud grip (a bit gloopy though.
Weaknesses: Slightly difficult to inflate with Eclipse tubeless
Bottom Line:
Short term review but they have already proved to be better than my previous Contis. They corner better and generally have a better feel in the wet and wild conditions of Scotland.
They were a bit of bugger to inflate using the Eclipse system and I had to use a CO2 cannister to get them to go up. However, they sealed very quickly and do not lose much air (the contis took ages to seal properly and the latex knackered the sidewall after about a 3 months use).
I have been away from [U]all[/U] bike riding for nearly 3 years, and have just bought an [B]S-Works Epic 29er[/B], size [B]XL[/B] frame, after rediscovering my love for XC. In tho Read More »
