ZSG Ultima compound Panaracer's latest ZSG compound utilizes a mixture of polymers and silica to produce a tire with unrivalled grip in wet conditions. ZSG Ultima is also more durable than other soft condition tire compounds.
Optimum Knob Pattern By arranging the knob pattern closer to the centre of the tire, the TrailRaker provides maximum grip on even the most extreme of cambers yet will not clog up, even in the muddiest of conditions.
Pyramid knobs At 5.5mm in height the centre and middle knobs are designed to dig deep into muddy ground providing maximum traction and performance in wet conditions.
"Double Decker" knobs The structure of the central "Double Decker" knobs increases stiffness for improved acceleration and braking.
ASB Chafer Panaracer's unique ASB (Anti Snake Bite) chafer is manufactured using anti-rebound rubber to prevent the chance of pinch flats by over 40%.
Strengths: Absolutly amazing grip in the nasty stuff. As the trails get nastier the traction gets better. Its almost like riding on dry trails again...
Weaknesses: Only available in Europe?!?! none for us State side unless we order & have em shipped. C'mon Panaracer, Western Washington riders need these tires!
Wide spaced knobs dont give great large rock/root performance.
Bottom Line:
For winter riding in the Pacific Northwest these tires are tough to beat. I ride them on loamy forest floor trails with a few roots here & there. These are high speed singletrack downhills with closely spaced trees & tight corners. Usually we ride at night with lights in the rain. We normally ride as fast as we can while keeping traction...these tires remind me of the dry endless traction days of summer. I am more than happy with the purchase, amazing traction, so much so it's border line unbelievable.
Similar Products Used: Lots of tires from 1994 onward. This is the 1st mud tire I've tried.
Bike Setup: Kona Kikapu Deluxe built up.
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Submitted by
Gwaredd
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2009
Strengths: Pure mud grip, supreme rut/gulley tracking, good price
Weaknesses: Slighty loose feeling on fireroads, slight drag.
Bottom Line:
After reading some of the reviews, I was expecting these tyres to either grip like snot to a blanket or it would be like riding Bambi on an ice rink.
Well, I'm pleased to report that they do exactly what it says on the tin. They grip in mud. Out on the dry stuff (gravel fire roads) they do seem a bit fidgety, especially up front, but this is purely down to the large nobles. For general riding, they grip fine & didn't spit me off at the first corner like so many reviewers seemed to think they would. Frankly, if you're riding a mud tyre on gravel that hard, you deserve to come off.
Where these tyres really excel, is in the deep 4x4 ruts. Normal tyres have grip on the outer edges & these can grab the edge of the rut & pull you off (ooer!) Because the trailrakers don't have any, they just follow the line of the rut & if you do drift into the edges, you just roll off the edge of the smooth tyre & back onto your line.
If you ride plenty of wooded areas that get boggy this time of year that gets shared with 4x4's, get these. If you're a fire road queen, get something else.
Submitted by
warpcow
a Weekend Warrior
from Sweden
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2009
Strengths: Grip in mud, clears fast, reasonable grip on other trail surfaces too for a mub-specific tire, relatively light (576g on my scale).
Weaknesses: Lack of side knobs is scary at first, slow roller on hardpack/road, skinnier than most 2.1s (more like a 1.9 Nokian I had a few years ago).
Bottom Line:
I'd never tried a dedicated mud tire before, always choosing to stick with the proven all-rounders like Panaracer's Fire XC and various Conti tires. Unfortunately this meant I opted not to ride a lot of my local trails in winter.
On my 1st ride the Trailraker was scary on the road, it just won't corner on wet tarmac, but this is far outweighed by it's abilities on wet trails. I purposefully rode the muddiest trails I could find, the ones I used to avoid, and always came back with a big muddy grin on my face. It finds grip where you wouldn't think possible in the mud. True, the lack of side-knobs mean it does deflect a lot off rocks and roots but this only took a few minutes to get used to.
There may be better mud tires out there, but I haven't tried them yet. Based on this tires performance in the situations it was designed for though, it has to get 5 chilis. Not sure about durability yet but I ride quite a lot (100-200km per week) so lasting 'til Spring will make me happy.
Similar Products Used: Never used a dedicated mud tire before but various Conti, Panaracer, Nokian.
Bike Setup: Steel S-S hardtail, Manitou R7s, wheels.
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Submitted by
airman
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2009
Strengths: good mud clearing and exceptional traction in the wet
Weaknesses: when the trails start to dry up these tires roll very slow
Bottom Line:
When the going gets muddy these tires are great! I've used the Mud Pro and the Medusa but the Trail Rakers worked the best under really bad conditions. When conditions get drier these treads slow you down but they will get you through when most other tires would not. When the mud is really sticky they will get bogged down like any other tire... I'm not going to rate these tires based on dry trails or road because they aren't intended for that... 5 chilies for mud slinging!
Weaknesses: They just loose traction with no warning and you have no way of recovering. I have had these for about 8 months and used them about 10 times. Its been raining in the UK quite a bit and my other tyres were loosing traction, so I thought I would try these for the summer mud, big mistake. The front tyre complete lost in on a slippery single track, it took me ages to gain control of the bike again, then I slowed down to carry on and it slipped again, I completely lost in and whiped out. My other tyres were fine on this section a few days ago. Now I have a busted derailleur hanger and my chain is pretty dead after I converted it to SS to get home.
I was literally cacking myself for the rest of the ride, waiting for them to whipe out again, not fun.
The nobbles are just too big and have no stability. Any climbing out of the saddle has no traction and the rear feels like a flat as the nobbles move around.
Mud clearance is slow.
I admit that no tyre is good on roots, but cos of the spacing of the nobbles and there size, this tyres looses it very quickly. The same goes for anything off camber.
They are not too bad on loose fire trails, but then so are many other tyres.
This tyre could probably handle a flat section of mud, but then who actually rides through that for 100% of their ride.
It also clogged quickly in chalky mud.
Bottom Line:
dangerous and will cost you in spare parts when you whipe out,
they are also expensive from a shop, low score for that too,
Similar Products Used: in the 90s I used a Spike which was amazing
Specialised Resolution Pro
Bike Setup: Stumpjumper Comp FSR 2008
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Submitted by
shanedawg
a Weekend Warrior
from san jose, ca
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2008
Strengths: none
Weaknesses: What a terrible name!!! Who was the moron who came up with this kind of junk. Might as well call the sierra club and tell them that people who ride these mtn bikes are messing up the trails.
Bottom Line:
this company sucks. I talked to the owner at the sea otter about his naming choices for tires and how they might have a negative impact on the way that mtn bikers are viewed in trail access issues and he laughed in my face. What a jerk!
Similar Products Used: panaracer mud,schwalbe mud,conti mud..etc etc
Bike Setup: whyte 19 race, Magura Durin 100mm forks, xt wheel set08,xtr chainset,xtr front mech. sram x9 rear mech, sram x9 shifters,USE carbon bars,USE alloy stem,USE carbon post. Magura marta sl disc brakes, crank brothers twin Ti pedals, kmc 9sl chain.... knobby nic and racing ralph tyres for the summer.
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Submitted by
Mat
a Weekend Warrior
from Nottingham, UK
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2007
Strengths: Outstanding in mud and wet, damp conditions. Good on wet roots. Really dig in and do their job. Weight is pretty good too.
Weaknesses: No side grip when it dries out, not an all year tyre.
Bottom Line:
Like someone else said, these tyres are mud specific. You can't expect them to run all year round and cope with a range of different conditions. All I know is that when it starts to get wet late autumn in the UK and the mud builds up and the roots get slippery these tyres are peerless. I have ridden them all winter through forest singletrack and they have taken much of the risk out of wet roots and rocks. Additionally they have dug into loose wet earth brilliantly and have powered through mud with ease. I'm no mud guru and I can't differentiate between sloppy, gloopy, sticky etc, all I can confirm is that they made my riding safer and more secure just at the time of year when conditions are at their trickiest.
Having said that, now it's all dried out come spring I can't get them off quick enough but that's not a critisicm. They have done their job and they will be back on the bike next autumn.
Similar Products Used: WTB Motoraptor, Bontragers, Hutchinson Spider, Panaracer Fixe XC pro
Bike Setup: Giant Trance 4 running Rockshox Reba sl's, Mavic Crossride wheelset and Raceface finishing stuff
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Submitted by
Joe Mulligan
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester, U.K.
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2007
Strengths: O.K.Weight. Very good mud performance and mud shedding qualities.
Weaknesses: In certain mud this tyre gets clogged just like all the rest and doesn't shed it that well. Pretty useless in anything else but mud.
Bottom Line:
Not as good as I wanted. It is very good in soft mud but not so good in claggy mud. Biggest problem for me is the thing about mixed riding. I agree with Dean here, unless you ride in mud for the whole ride then you are going to find this tyre a real drag in every sence. I see that some riders find this tyre O.K. for wet stone and the like, maybe it needs careful pressure selection to get you there, but they don't work for me! Be careful with buying this tyre because it really is a mud specific, dedicated mud tyre only.
Submitted by
Dean Winstun
a Cross Country Rider
from U.K
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2007
Strengths: Great mud grip. Unclogs mud extremely well.
Weaknesses: This tyre drags more than any other tyre for its size that I have ever owned. It is pretty useless on dry hardpack or most conditions that are not extreme wet and muddy ones.
Bottom Line:
I like the idea of a thin fast tyre with good tread. Trouble is that other mud specific tyres....for example The Continental Survival Pro...are quite versatile and suitable for intermediate and dry riding too. These trailrakers are just too specific. I find that they drag so much on climbs and on flat ground if that ground isn't really soft. And the cornering isn't what I thought it was going to be either because there aren't enough knobs on the side of the tyre to lean the bike over confidently. This is too much of an extremely extreme tyre for me and I can't get enough out of it for comprehensive winter riding in the U.K. Expensive too!
Submitted by
Mel
a Weekend Warrior
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2007
Strengths: mounts perfectly on the rims with no wobbling; balanced weight distribution; high treads
Weaknesses: none observed although I have been using it for a year already
Bottom Line:
Best tyre I ever used by far. Never experienced at pinched flat despite tire pressure of 30 psi. Though rated as a wet condition tyre, it gives good traction on both wet and dry conditions, uphill, downhill,loose gravel, and river crossings. In the Philippines, this is an expensive tyres like the Kenda Nevegal but I still think the Trailraker is better. Haven't found anything better. I recommend you try it.
Similar Products Used: Nokian X-Trak, Michelin, Specialized, Continental, Geax
Bike Setup: Jamis XLT 2.0 frame, Marzo fork, Shimano XT group, Single track rim
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Submitted by
Hamish
a Weekend Warrior
from Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2006
Strengths: Good low weight, it doesn't drag too much on hardpack, exceptional in mud and very sloppy conditions both front and rear.
Weaknesses: Narrow, and absolutely useless on hardpack or dry rock. Basically this is a winter, bad very soft conditions tyre.
Bottom Line:
This is a very soft conditions tyre only and in that department it really shines. It is honestly quite poor on all other conditions compared with all-round tyres. Frankly, up here in Scotland where it is mostly wet, this tyre shines but on purpose built trails with rock and hardpack....especially in the dry or dryish conditions this tyre is wanting. Not particularly cheap either.
Strengths: Unbelievable grip in mud, shed mud very well. They are a dedicated mud tire and do the job WELL.
Weaknesses: A little slow on damp but firm ground, didn't do so well on wet sandy climbs. They are a dedicated mud tire, so be reasonable with your expectations on other conditions
Bottom Line:
I've been running the 2.1 in the front and 1.95 in the rear for mud rides and a mucky race. They are both narrower than you would imagine but it helps cut through the surface and dig in to the firm ground. I literally descended and hit 3" deep puddles with muddy ruts on a chewed up race course at full speed with no problem. Even cornering hard, I've experienced no washouts, wandering steering, etc. The compound is a little slick, so they won't pack up with mud (when I finished a race, they looked like I had hosed them off!) but they may be a little sketchy traversing wet roots (but they're not terrible).
These tires are seriously confidence-inspiring in mud, though be forewarned that they do not roll as fast on damp hardpack or anything where a more all-around tire would suffice. You may lose time on better ground with slightly higher rolling resistance, but being able to pick through deep mud sections with full traction has landed these tires as a permanent addition to my condition-specific tire stable.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Superlight, SRAM 9.0 2x9, Hayes El Camino f/Avid Arch Deluxe r, etc.
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Submitted by
Dean Marshall
a Cross Country Rider
from Fordingbridge,Hampshire,UK
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2006
Strengths: Extremely grippy in deep mud
Weaknesses: Absolutely useless in any other conditions
Bottom Line:
I am a pretty fit rider with a real quick bike but these tyres required at least 25% more effort to ride than any other tyre I have used. In fact they slowed me down so much that I went to the Doctor to see if I had a medical problem! But as soon as I changed them I was back to my usual form. They are amazingly grippy in very deep and sticky mud but in general given their performance and cost I could not recommend them to anyone.
Submitted by
Richard Green
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley, California, USA
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2006
Strengths: Grip in wet or sticky mud.
Weaknesses: Don't know yet
Bottom Line:
I have been getting wary of hitting mud or puddles fast as my front wheel would just slip all over the place. Not so with the Panaracer Trailraker; the front wheel just cuts through the mud. Back wheel slipping is much reduced too, so I can get through bad mud patches with ease. Some of these mud patches I have ridden through just recently have just sucked the bike down to a stop, so it has been a relief to be able to ride through them. They don't get clogged like the other tyres I have used, and they're good over harder, dryer ground and tarmac too. I will leave them on the bike as the weather gets dryer and see how I get on with them, but right now these are the best tyres I have fitted to this bike by far.
