Submitted by
Gaz Edmunds
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, DC Date Reviewed: May 18, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Lightweight, gives excellent traction - the DNA compound is top notch.
Weaknesses:
None yet, although as one pointed out, the 2.1 feels more like a 2.0...
Similar Products Used:
Kenda, Maxxis, blah blah...
Bike Setup:
Kona Unit 29 SS with On One carbon fork...
Bottom Line:
Excellent tires, period. I've tried more tires than I care to remember on my Turner 26" and fell in love with the Moto Raptor there, so was no surprise to see WTB hit one out of the park with this flavour. Also, to the nimrod who blew his tire up, ALL WTB tires are NON-TUBELESS compatible, and it says so on the packaging. Which is probably why the guy at Sea Otter looked at you like you were a circus freak!!! ;)
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Submitted by
martini
a Cross Country Rider
from Viroqua WI Date Reviewed: December 30, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
bike wholesaler
Strengths:
Good traction in many conditions. Durability of the sidewall.
Weaknesses:
Narrower than the 2.1 designation would suggest.
Similar Products Used:
IRC Mythos, IRC Notos, WTB Nano, Conti Vapor
Bike Setup:
SS, rigid or CX-1, disc.
Bottom Line:
This is a good tire. One that I found performed well in most conditions. Its only limitation that I found was hardpack where the knobs would hum and slow the tire down. For me, it worked well in both climbing and twisty trails. I ran the tire with normal everydays tubes and didn't have a single problem with them. The sidewall held up well.
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Submitted by
kustomz
a
from Kansas City, MO. USA Date Reviewed: December 30, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Bikeman
Strengths:
Tire is very rugged and has taken quite a bit of abuse with sidewall scrub in the rock gardens. Great traction on most climbs.
Weaknesses:
A little too much rolling resistance on smooth hardpack. The rubber compound may be slightly too hard for great wet rock and root traction.
Bike Setup:
Run tubeless on Ritchey 700 Rock Pro rims with Stan's strips and sealer.
Bottom Line:
This is a wire bead tire that is very rugged and works great tubeless. Could be slightly softer, but then it would not last as long. So far, great tire for the money.
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Submitted by
Padre
a Racer
from Costa Mesa, CA Date Reviewed: December 30, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
$30 @ The Path Bike Shop
Strengths:
Great traction. Good performance in wet/mud. Good front or rear. Good cornering capability. Strong sidewall.
Weaknesses:
Wears more quickly than the Nano, but that is normal on a tire with a more aggressive tread. Less volume than the Nano.
Similar Products Used:
Nano
Bike Setup:
Rigid 29er SS.
Bottom Line:
Used as a front tire for 9 months. Never had a worry about it. Now that it's a bit wet/muddy, it's a great rear. Great traction.
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Submitted by
Klain Garriga
a Weekend Warrior
from Gulfport, MS Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Bethel Trails. MS
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
This is a great all alound tire, I ride it on the roar and at the local trails. My local trails are infested with exposed roots and slipping is minimal. I had Kujos on my last kike and slipping was a common thing. These tires hookup and hold strong.
Weaknesses:
Given the current tire selection for 29ers there cant be alot of weaknesses. I would like to see a wider tire, but the Motos do seem to wear fast on the blacktop.
Similar Products Used:
TyranoRaptors, VelociRaptors, Kujos
Bike Setup:
Fisher Supercal with lots of "ELS" Expensive Lightweight Sh** on it.
Bottom Line:
For the 29r rider this is a great tire, when used as designed, WITH A TUBE!!. The "no tube" gismo probably works great with TUBELESS tires. So go out and get some tubes, they are cheaper than both the "no tube" thing and the hospital.
Great tire, I'm ranting
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City Date Reviewed: June 4, 2004
THE KEVLAR BEADS BREAK!!!!! Stay away from the kevlar bead unless you want to end up in the emergency room!
Similar Products Used:
Nanoraptor 29", Kenda Klaw 29"
Bike Setup:
full rigid steel single speed 29'er.
Bottom Line:
I bought 4 tires for my new 29'er single speed last year. 2 Moto Raptors and 2 Nano raptors all kevlar bead. ALL THE KEVLAR BEADS BROKE!!! I was running the tires at 35 psi using Stan's new 29'er rim strips and one bead snapped, causing the tire to explode as I was inflating it, thus launching the wheel at me and bruising my ankle (no sh*t!), another exploded as I was riding down the road, another exploded while I was helping a buddy adjust his seatpost, and the last exploded while the bike was hanging up in my garage. Talk about wasting a sh*tload of Stan's! Luckily, my LBS accidentally ordered me 2 of the wire beaded Moto Raptor 29" and they worked great, except I ripped out the sidewall in one of them on the first ride. I'm still running the last wire bead Moto on my front and it's damn near bald, so I give it my blessing. I had my LBS replace all the exploded Moto's and Nano's with the Kenda Klaw 29" kevlar bead and they are working great with the Stan's. The Klaw is a bit heavier, but the tread rocks and they seem to be bullet proof. I'm gonna run the Klaw's from now on, or until others start making 29" tires.
Interesting note: While at Sea Otter this spring, I stopped by the WTB booth and talked to the guy about my WTB kevlar beaded tires exploding. He looked at me like I was a circus freak and promptly ignored me for a customer that had pleasant questions. I then stumbled across the Kenda booth and the guy there told me he was running the Klaw on his 29'er with Stan's and it rocked. He said they'd stand behind their product, and sure enough, he was right.
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