A beefy, burly, dry condition downhill/dual slalom tire that eats dirt and rocks for breakfast. Has a special slow rebound compound for maximum grip in even the worst situations.
Submitted by
Willie Wenzlau
a Downhiller
from B.I. Washington, US
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2005
Strengths: Really tong lasting treads if your a light rider and dont skid like a little dumbass....big knobs..
Weaknesses: Tire gets cracks in the rubber, the rubber is soft on the inside walls.
Bottom Line:
If you arent a heavy rider who doesnt SKID...then this will work out as a good all around tire for downhill/freeride/kinda DJing...and way they're good.
Bike Setup: Kona Scrap with MRP, mag 30, azonic stem....whatnot
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Herrin, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2004
Strengths: These tires do grip very well, and they are lightweight.
Weaknesses: I've rode with these tires for 3 and a half months. Within the first ride, I ripped off a couple of tread. Now at 3 and a half months, I've ripped off probably a dozen of the tread on the back, now I'm also ripping them off on the front. The sidewalls are very thin, ever since I've put them on my bike, I've had flats almost every ride. For what I paid for these tires, they weren't worth it.
Bottom Line:
These tires are horrible. I'm getting tired of replacing tubes every couple of weeks. Overly priced!
Strengths: Might be good for roadies??? They were so-so on smooth hardpack. The only strength is that Specialized realized how bad these sucked and did an awesome redesign for 2004.
Weaknesses: These tires can't grip at all. Horrible in any type of wet terrain. I tried all types of tire pressures to get these things to hook up, no luck. The sidewalls are weak so low pressure is bad. The tread doesn't clean well either, just keeps balling up.
Bottom Line:
DON'T BUY THE 2003 Rollers!!!!! Get the '04s instead. The '04s are the exact opposite. Give the '03s to some beginner who won't see mud or any loose dirt or use them on a campus bike. The '03 Roller Pros are the worse tire I have ever ridden, they made the BigHit feel unsteady in many technical lines. Once I got these tires off the bike lived up to its potential.
Similar Products Used: Panaracer Fire DH Pro, '04 Specialized Roller Pro, WTB Velociraptor, Maxxis Highrollers.
Bike Setup: '03 BigHit Expert, stock except pedals (Easton Cullys) and it now has '04 Roller Pros.
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Submitted by
Craig
a Cross Country Rider
from Durham, North Carolina
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2003
Strengths: They do grip well. But after the second ride, I had all ready tore off some of the tread.
Weaknesses: More like "Roller Slow." I can't that the sidewalls on a tire could be so thin. I've had flats every ride with an average of 60+ psi. The bead on the tire is pretty weak too. I folded one over and it blew off my front rim. Never had that happen before.
Bottom Line:
I have a friend that weighs 145 and is the king of smooth. He rides a hard tail with these things pumped up to 90 psi. He doesn't get flats. I come in at 195 and can have my graceful days, but on most drops or gaps I'm a little bullish. If you're like my friend, give'em a shot. But if you're like me and you want to have something more covering your back, look somewhere else.
Weaknesses: seriously lame sidewalls, they beyond suck, paper thin and allow pinch flats like it's st. patty's day
Bottom Line:
don't buys these, go with a serious tire like maxxis or intense and spend the extra money, you'll end up spending it on tubes if you get the specialized anyway.
Strengths: Great cornering once you get used to it. It feels a little crappy if you have too much pressure in it. Run w/ about 30 psi and it feels great. I think they look pretty cool too.
Weaknesses: Sidwall got a huge gash in it right away in my back tire. Kinda weak, but i'll take it cus I don't like super heavy tires
Bottom Line:
Good tire, but I think I'll have to go with the Tioga tires for this winter.
Excellent Tire. Absolutely the best I've ever ridden on. I'm rating the 2.3 version that I have on my Turner XCE. I wouldn't call this a downhill tire. More like a big trail tire.
Let me start by saying that I have never liked Specialized tires before. Through the years I rode many tires (too many) and always ended up back at Panaracer Fire XC pro 2.1. But I wanted a bigger tire for my new XCE. Through MTBR I narrowed it down to the Conti Vertical Pro. But my local bike shop didn't have them They had the big S Roller Pro.
Anyway, these tires stick even better than my Fire XC pros. For example, when hitting a rock on the side at speed, my Fire XC's would glance off. These tires just climb right over. And on the downhill, the big, soft lugs just bite in and grip like crazy.
I weigh 185 lbs and run then at a low 30 psi. I tried 30 with my XC pros, but they did not have the volume and pinch flatted. The Roller Pros have not hit the rims once. A friend of mine tried my bike yesterday on some rediculously steep trails, and he couldn't believe the difference from his tires - which were a 2.2 tire from the big S.
I believe the awesome traction is due a winning combo of the big lugs, the low durometer rubber, the large volume, and the ability to run at such low pressures.
Try a pair on your bike. I used to be a weight weenie, but after seeing what I can do with this much traction, I will never compromise again!
Similar Products Used: Panaracer Fire XC Pro (best 2.1 tire), Trailblasters (crap), Hutchunson Scorpions (not as good as the Fire XC Pros), Explorer pros (not good grip on steep climbs in the deeper stuff in dry CA), IRC mythos XC, and various other Specialized which I disliked.
Bike Setup: Turner XCE with all the trimmings.
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Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodland Park
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2003
Strengths: The tire is very good in all conditions.
Weaknesses: None yet, and it's been a long time
Bottom Line:
This is an awesome tire! I have used it in everything imaginable. It has never flatted or dumed me off. I have taken it off big drops with no problems. I have gone on hard stuff, lose stuff, even snow! It has worked great in all three. It seems to work better the worse the conditions get. I would reccomend it for anyone who needs a generaly large front tire. 5 flamin terds
