Submitted by
Jake Sawyer
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene Date Reviewed: May 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Oakridge
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Paul's Bicycle Way of Life - W11th
Strengths:
Tire performs exceptionally well in all off-road conditions, especially good at shedding Oregon mud & crud.
Nokian/Gazza is actually a company with an environmental ethos: noncarcinogenic oils & still made in their home country w/ actual environmental laws. Not outsourced to India or Tiawan.
Weaknesses:
Very buzzy on the pavement - creates a harmonic that makes my disc rotors buzz & rub.
Bike Setup:
Trek Elite 9.8 1x9er - Reba Team reduced to 85mm, XTR discs w/ XT levers, and XTR hubs w/ DT 4.1 rims & Stan's NoTubes.
1995 GT Xizang SS - 2003 Sid Team reduced to 68mm travel, Mavic XM719 rims on XT & XTR hubs. Avid disc in front, Avid Ultimate V-brake in rear.
Bottom Line:
I've ridden on these for two years now, started w/ the 2.1s & moved on to the 2.3s. I continue to ride these tires simply because you don't have to think or worry about them, exactly what you want from a tire. They climb up most anything without issue, release mud quickly, and corner very predictably; be it hairpin swithchbacks or gravel forest service roads 40MPH decents. Like all Nokians, these tires excel at cornering, they simply do not wash out. The tires let you know when they begin to break loose and give plenty of opportunity to correct before you get yourself into real trouble. I have run these with Stan's since I started using them and have yet to have a flat on the trail due to them. I work in a shop, and have seen plenty of tires over the years, but I simply have had no desire to switch from my Nokians.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jake Sawyer
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene Date Reviewed: May 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Oakridge
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Paul's Bicycle Way of Life - W11th
Strengths:
Tire performs exceptionally well in all off-road conditions, especially good at shedding Oregon mud & crud.
Nokian/Gazza is actually a company with an environmental ethos: noncarcinogenic oils & still made in their home country w/ actual environmental laws. Not outsourced to India or Tiawan.
Weaknesses:
Very buzzy on the pavement - creates a harmonic that makes my disc rotors buzz & rub.
Bike Setup:
Trek Elite 9.8 1x9er - Reba Team reduced to 85mm, XTR discs w/ XT levers, and XTR hubs w/ DT 4.1 rims & Stan's NoTubes.
1995 GT Xizang SS - 2003 Sid Team reduced to 68mm travel, Mavic XM719 rims on XT & XTR hubs. Avid disc in front, Avid Ultimate V-brake in rear.
Bottom Line:
I've ridden on these for two years now, started w/ the 2.1s & moved on to the 2.3s. I continue to ride these tires simply because you don't have to think or worry about them, exactly what you want from a tire. They climb up most anything without issue, release mud quickly, and corner very predictably; be it hairpin swithchbacks or gravel forest service roads 40MPH decents. Like all Nokians, these tires excel at cornering, they simply do not wash out. The tires let you know when they begin to break loose and give plenty of opportunity to correct before you get yourself into real trouble. I have run these with Stan's since I started using them and have yet to have a flat on the trail due to them. I work in a shop, and have seen plenty of tires over the years, but I simply have had no desire to switch from my Nokians.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland, NZ Date Reviewed: February 12, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Woodhill & Redwoods
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
Great on sand, super grippy when I need it. Had them for a year with no flats (touch wood)
Weaknesses:
Feel knobbly ont he road and treadblocks are easily broken
Similar Products Used:
Tioga Red Pheonix
Bike Setup:
Kona Coiler Deelux 04 and Kona Coiler Primo 05
Bottom Line:
We do most of our riding in Sand and Clay and it does great on both surfaces. I would recommend these as great tires. I have just bought another set for my new bike that came with red phoenix's which were just utter crap in comparison.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jon
a Cross Country Rider
from moscow,idaho Date Reviewed: January 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:
any
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
local shop
Strengths:
super high quality very round nice bead good size, fits most bikes. good cornering on nice soft dirt, ok/good on gravel,likes snow and mud ,great climb/brake traction
Weaknesses:
scary on hardpack. really loud and slow on pavement ,EXPENSIVE
Similar Products Used:
irc mythos/trailbear,intense c4,minion/mobster,nevegal,wtb varios
Bike Setup:
hardtail fox hope xtr wide rims
Bottom Line:
just looking at these tires is pleasure, it better be for the price. riding them though.... Finland is cold muddy and snowy i bet cause thats where the nbx rocks .they are a good in between size, bigger than maxxis 2.35 but smaller than tioga 2.3. knobs are too widely spaced for long stretches of hardpack or pavement .ive had no flats in 11 months on these tires. but they are coming off when it drys out here to make room for some 2.25 intense sys 4s that roll much better on dry stuff and look just as cool
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, CAN Date Reviewed: December 2, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Good stop/go traction, cheap, fit my rear stays, perfect 'trail' tire.
Weaknesses:
heavy for xc, too light for FR, noisy and wear fast on the rear.
Similar Products Used:
soooooo many
Bike Setup:
Norco Torrent
Bottom Line:
I chose this tire cause it fit my stays and had some good refferals. It holds in the wet surprisingly well considering the harder compound. This is a perfect choice for agressive trail riders IMO. Heavy enough to survive but light enough to keep you rolling. They buzz like crazy and won't last the pavement.
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Submitted by
Joshua
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas Date Reviewed: November 18, 2005
Favorite Trail:
So many.
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Manual and Ollies
Strengths:
Good traction, good climbing, good cornering. Not great, but good.
Weaknesses:
I have only put 50 - 100 miles on it and I have lost many of the knobs on the side.
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Nevegal. Maxxis Hansventure.
Bike Setup:
Haro Extreme x2 with many a mod.
Bottom Line:
The tire would be a decent choice except that it is loosing knobs. I have only had it for about three weeks and I already have to replace it! The guys and Manual and Ollies are great though. I normally go with Kenda or Maxxis, but they didn't have any, so they let me try this tire and if I didn't like it they would replace it.
Sorry Nokian. I have to go back to Kenda. The Nevegal smokes your NBX.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eatmo Bacon
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR Date Reviewed: March 13, 2005
Great do-it-all agressive XC/light FR tire. Excels in a wide veriety of conditions including hardpack, loose dry, moist loamy, and mudy soil. great climbing and cornering traction. feels much more solid cornering on hardpack and asphalt than my contis and tiogas. Feels stable at higher speeds with pressure down to about 28psi (i weigh about 190lbs). They seem to roll fast for their size. They don't feel as solid and stable as my maxxis high roller 2.5s but they're also a heck of a lot lighter. Still plenty of tread left after 9 months of riding. These are some of the best tires i've ever ridden and i'll probably buy another pair when these wear out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: February 16, 2005
Smaller than my Hutchinson 2.1s!! When climbing will "Let go" under load on rock edges etc
Similar Products Used:
Hutchinson Spider + Alligator
Bike Setup:
Tomac Eli, Nixons, Hopes
Bottom Line:
More like a 2.0 than a 2.3, which makes the reported 650gm a bit less impressive. Have found that the rear will let go surprisingly easy on technical climbs - especially with steps and tree roots. Have had three pinch flats in less than a month - started at 32psi, but still flatted running 35psi+ (and I'm <140lbs). That's more than I've had in the previous two years. Could be bad luck - but it's not like I am used to bombing descents on 2-ply DH tires. Value based on NZ$70 each.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Downhiller
from Christchurch, NZ Date Reviewed: February 4, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Port Hills
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
I'm sure these are ok for Cross Country riding.
Weaknesses:
But they're terrible for freeriding! The walls are paper thin, and they are very prone to pinch flats. In fact, I've had two pinch flats in the last week, one at 30psi, and one at 35psi. Also, they like to go straight ahead even when you're turning! Not the best - despite all the good reviews.
Kona Coiler Dee-Lux '05 (which comes standard with these tires)
Bottom Line:
I think Kona did something really silly here. These tires came with a freeride bike that is designed to take big hits. Unfortunately, the tires blow out in even small hits. Two pinch flats in one week is really not acceptable. The jumps I was taking were only wee ones - they would never blow out any of my previous tires. However, I'm not going to give only one chili, because I reckon they'd be ok as cross country rubber. Really it's Kona's fault for putting them on a freeride bike. (That's the only thing wrong with the Coiler De-Lux though, everything else is brilliant).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pavel
a Weekend Warrior
from Rockville, MD, USA Date Reviewed: December 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Frederick Watershed
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
Airbomb
Strengths:
Very good traction, predictable in turns
Weaknesses:
Maybe slightly too heavy for XC
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer Dart/Smoke, Kenda Karma DTC
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blur
Bottom Line:
These tires have excellent traction on most surfaces that I ride on like hardpack, roots, rocks. Still hold well when wet although I haven't really used them in deep mud. They are 2.3, but in fact have a size of 2.1 and fit my Blur well. Obviously not the lightest tire for XC, but on the other hand they are very flat-proof and will allow you to do some freeriding too.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brown_Teeth
a Cross Country Rider
from Morro Bay CA, USA Date Reviewed: October 28, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Hooks up in a variety of condition even decent in the wet but not the clay slop. Can be run in a variety of pressures to suit contions w/o having pinch flat troubles, reletively light but casting is a bit small for a true 2.3
Weaknesses:
Soft rubber wears faster. I get 700 miles out of the rear and 1000 out of the front.
Similar Products Used:
Tiogas, WTB, Specialized
Bike Setup:
I have a few bikes
Bottom Line:
Great all around tire that rolls fast for a full on knobby. The stepped lugs make it grip great on off camber turns, once the center lugs wear down grip suffers but the soft compund really helps. I'm on my second set and they are my winter tires (wetter California conditions), once the sand turns dusty in the summer its back to the 2.4 mutanoraptors. Great tire give em a spin, I'm trying the 2.1 on the rear tire for wetter conditions now.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kristian
a Weekend Warrior
from Finland Date Reviewed: September 16, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Foxcomp Finland
Strengths:
A lot of grip on wet rocks and roots.
Weaknesses:
Soft Compound wears a bit faster...
Similar Products Used:
Continental Gravity
Bike Setup:
Planet-x Armadillo, Z1 Freeride
Bottom Line:
Excellent tyre for trail riding and freeriding. I have had Conti Gravitys now on my Santa Cruz Heckler for two weeks and I am trying to sell them to get the NBX tyres back.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steven Bowman
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore,MD,USA Date Reviewed: September 4, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Patapsco State Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Broadway Bicycles
Strengths:
Great traction in all types of soil, climbs and corners with confidence, sheds mud and handels deep sand pretty good.
Weaknesses:
Light sand or gravel over slick rock will slide.
Similar Products Used:
Conti-Vert-pro,Kenda Kinetics Sticky rubber
Bike Setup:
Jamis XLT full-sup Chris King ISO Laced to Mavic F519. Hayes/disc,Fox VanillaRL Fork and Vanilla RL coil/600lb spring,Thompson Stem & seatpost
Bottom Line:
I really like this tire they to roll fast and grip the soil either climbing or desending. Sidewalls are stong and handel 40psi with no problems and I weigh 200lbs. I have used these in Fruita,Co Sedona,AZ Moab,UT and all around the East and Mid-west. The tire is still pretty good,but after a year they are showing wear, center nobs are worn down and side nobs showing signs use, but not-bad. I'll order a new pair this week.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Roger
a Cross Country Rider
from pdx, or Date Reviewed: August 27, 2004
Worked great, no complaints until my rear tire started to 'balloon' out of shape. Got completly out of balance and then the knobbies started to fall off. I bought another, but this one had the same out of balance problem when brand new. Looks like a batch of tires were made wrong and got past the QA process. The casing was wearing off near the side knobs, which then made the cords start showing. Not good after only 200 miles! Sent them back to Nokian, no word if they are going to replace them. I'd be wary of using them again, for fear of catastrophic failure at about 40 mph.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR Date Reviewed: August 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Mt. St. Helens GPNF
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
universalcycles.com
Strengths:
Great traction in any condition.
Weaknesses:
Tread wear, but to be expected.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized S-Works Enduro 2.2, Nokian Gazzalodi Dual 2.3
Bike Setup:
'03 Enduro Pro
Bottom Line:
I used to pinch flat all over on my Specialized S-Works Enduro 2.2s, but since switching to the NBXs I have yet to pinchflat. These tires will grip anything and have some of the best side traction I have seen, really allowing you to lean into curves. I'll occasionally put the Gazz Dual on when it is super muddy but the NBXs actually shed mud better. These are the best tires I've used.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kris
a Cross Country Rider
from Wyoming, USA Date Reviewed: August 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
All-Pro Cyclery
Strengths:
Excellent traction in the dry Wyoming Terrain. Larger volume than previous tires I've run adds speed on rougher flats and downhills. No noticeable wait difference over previous tires.
Weaknesses:
Noisy and a little rough on smooth hard pack.
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1's, Michelins, Yeti's, IRC's, Specialized, Tioga's, etc... Most everything.
Bike Setup:
Dean Colonel Ti Hardtail, discs, Sid SL
Bottom Line:
I was a firm believer that for the NE Wyoming terrain Panaracer Fire XC Pro's were the way to go. They offered the best traction of anything I had tried until now. The Nokians step it up another notch. I'm not the kinda guy who just raves about every tire he tries either. I went through Three sets of Panaracer's in a period of two years because I was so convinced they were the best. I got the Nokian's for my FR Bike actually. I thought "2.3's that's big enough." These aren't freeride tires. They are just slightly larger than the fires, but the carcass is much more supple and I can run 5 psi lower with these than the fires without pinchflatting on my hardtail. Traction is awesome, they grab at any angle of lean, any off camber I've tried. They just don't slip out here. If your soil is hard pack with a sandy dusting of loose dirt on top, then get these.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Douglas
a
from California Date Reviewed: August 10, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Bottom Line:
This is a great tire from a great company.
Has anybody noticed how light these 2.3 tires are? Unfortunately I think they are light weight at the expense of slightly smaller size. I wish tire companies wouldn't do that. But no pinch flats and low pressure are always a good indicater that the company did their homework.
I need to get more miles on them to really test them out, but I recommend them to anyone looking for a quality tire for dry weather trail riding like Kalifornia.
I'll post how they compare with my Kenda Nevegals once I get some more seat time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
joe therider
a Cross Country Rider
from usa Date Reviewed: August 9, 2004
Favorite Trail:
dirt and rocks
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
really sticks to the trail, thick sidewalls allow for superlow pressure w/o pinchflats
Weaknesses:
wear quickly(but not as fast as i was expecting)
Similar Products Used:
all kinds, especially conti vert pros, had them for years
Bike Setup:
yes
Bottom Line:
i really like these tires, they are not that heavy at 650 grams and they really hook up nicely for me in all conditions, snow, mud, sand, rock, roots, ups, downs, flats, wet, or dry. Im currently running like 30 lbs front and rear, and have yet to pinchflat, they also dont seem to get too many thorns. they are soft rubber so any streetriding is not in youre best interest but they hook up really good for me, in all conditions .
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County, CA Date Reviewed: July 8, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Too many to name
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Airbomb.com
Strengths:
Excellent traction on medium and hardpack
Weaknesses:
None so far. Tread wear maybe, but not points lost because it is a softer compound which equals better traction.
Giant VT1 w/ these tires on Mavic x317 w/ XT disc hubs
Bottom Line:
These tires are excellent. Keep in mind I ride mostly in SoCal where it is dry w/ hard and medium pack. I have not ridden these tires in soft or muddy conditions. For the conditions I do ride them in they are awesome. 2.3 is the perfect size. I don't use Stan's but have not had a flat yet. Some weight and resistance penalty when climbing, but when I hit loose stuff on the climb, they always grab. Rarely does my wheel spinout. When descending, they instill confidence. I would recommend these tires for trailbike riders.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
nobody special
a Cross Country Rider
from colorado Date Reviewed: June 30, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
AEBike
Strengths:
Great trailbike tire. Perfect for dry, loose terrain. Not too heavy.
Weaknesses:
Not the greatest in wet, loamy, or muddy conditions. Wears pretty quickly.
Bike Setup:
2.3 non-UST with Stans.
Bottom Line:
Great if you ride in mostly dry conditions. Hooks up on everything. When converted to tubeless they work even better. They run a bit small for a 2.3, more like 2.2. They also wear pretty quickly, but they are sticky rubber so what do you expect.
Bottom line, in Colorado's dry conditions, its trail bike tire I've tried.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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