Submitted by
Billy C
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2011
Strengths: Very Light , fast , low rolling Resistance on hard pack.
good strong side walls.
Weaknesses: will not hold a line in anything loose. little flotation.
outer treads sheered off on rear.( in a month )
Bottom Line:
I bought theses tires for a race and did really well.
I easily passed many riders on the hard pack and climbs.
This was surprising as I am 50 and a new rider.
I expected them to be squirrely in the corners and loose stuff and just slowed down. When just out riding I had the tires slip out for underneath me so quickly I was on the ground before I knew what happened. I switched to the 2.3 exiwolfs and I am fast up and down the hill.The nanos where
interesting but I will not use then where I ride again.
Similar Products Used: Pythons , Parana's,wolverines,exiwolfs,panaracers,etc
Bike Setup: 07&10 stumpjumpers
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Submitted by
emski
a Cross Country Rider
from La Crosse, WI USA
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2011
Strengths: Low rolling resistance, feedback in turns, supportive profile
Weaknesses: price
Bottom Line:
Purchased for racing/speed with just enough grip to feel safe. Installed tubeless. Felt as fast or even faster than Small Block eights. They are skinny for a 2.1 measurement. They have a flatter (less round) profile so when you lean in to a turn you feel more support from the tire with less lean angle. I've only run these on the front tire in mostly dry, hardpack conditions with some gravel, sand, etc. As other reviewers mentioned, they have an unusual feel when turning...must be the transition from 80% rubber on the (almost) continuous center strip to almost 80% air when contact moves away from the center. I found that once I got used to it, I could turn hard, exceed the tire's limits on loose surfaces yet still have enough grip and time to react with minimal loss of speed. I'm going to stick with these on the front until I see a reason not to.
Similar Products Used: Kenda SB8's, Kenda Nevegal, WTB velociraptor, WTB all-terrainasaurus, studded Hakkapelittas, Pythons, various slicks, etc.
Bike Setup: 2007 Marin Pine Mountain steel HT
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Submitted by
CAW
a Cross Country Rider
from Westchester NY USA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2011
Strengths: Works well both on roads to the trail and on the trail; good rolling resistance, decent grip when the off-road gets more serious. Corners well off-road and on. 2.1 size is good for folks riding a rigid fork who want a bit of poor person's shock absorption ;-) seems to do ok on technical trails.
Weaknesses: Not a great climbing tire if you rely on the tire to get the grip for you; ok if you know how to shift your weight to increase traction. Not a mudder so have to pick your lines well if the trail is wet...
Bottom Line:
Tires were cheap so I took a chance; I've been pleasantly surprised with them and not just b/c of the cost. They roll well on hardpack / road, corner pretty well (kind of remind me of old Psycho IIs from yesteryear but without the high ridge on the side tread), not the best tire for digging in on climbs but if you know how to get your weight onto the back wheel you can compensate for that pretty well. Trails where I ride are technical and get hairy, so these tires do get tested. It's a great tire if you spend some time riding to the trail, some time on paved bike paths, and some on the rooty trails; it's not a good muck tire which is a typical trade-off for a low rolling-resistance tire but can't have it all can you? :-) Don't be fooled by the non-knobby appearance, this tire can hold its own off-road but only if you know how to work the bike a bit (I ride a rigid fork and have to pick lines carefully; this probably is NOT a good tire for a FS basher-type...) A good tire if you're not swapping different ones for different days...
Similar Products Used: Specialized Roll-X (stock); Continental Top Touring 2000; Specialized Comp Pro, Psycho II (showing my age here)
Bike Setup: Specialized RockHopper, upgraded it to all Deore 9spd, rigid fork, clipless, Vuelta ZeroLite rims, Shimano hubs, some upgraded brake pads, SRAM chain (forget which one- works fine), Scott HotRod flat bar 144 grams
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Submitted by
Mister2992
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2011
Strengths: Low rolling resistance, long lasting. Great price.
Weaknesses: sidewalls a little thin, cannot rub anything or could ruin tire w/ high pressure. Braking performance adequate but not excellent- but still worth it.
Bottom Line:
Great tire. Excellent price. The rolling resitance is awesome at first. As tire wears, rolling resitance
is not as awesome, but still very very good. Excellent packed snow traction. Nice size. Great value.
Similar Products Used: maxxis holy rollers- cst caballeros
Bike Setup: stock dawes deadeye single speed 29er
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Submitted by
Richwon4
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Wayne, IN, Untites States
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2010
Strengths: Low Resistance on packed surface and hard tops. Seems to be light weight.
Weaknesses: Seems about a cross between a mountain bike tire and hybrid tire. If that is what they were going for fine.
Bottom Line:
I will live with them for now but tires will be my first upgrade. I probly won't ride them if it is wet out. Tires are not a game breaker for me when considering the purchase of my moto 29er. These tires really don't belong on a Mountain Bike.
Submitted by
NoVA_JB
a Weekend Warrior
from Fairfax, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2010
Strengths: Great traction and low price make these a winner.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I took a gamble with with these tires, I found them from Nashbar for $9.99 each and figured if I didn't like them no big loss.
I have to say they are fantastic, they've taken evey terain I've thrown at them, mud, rock gardens, wet and dry.
I've spent 4 time on other tires and would buy these again in a heartbeat.
Similar Products Used: Front: Tioga Yellow Kirin 26 x 2.3 Rear: 26 x 2.1 Blue Dragon
Bike Setup: 2006 GT I-Drive 5 3.0
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Submitted by
Roller
a Weekend Warrior
from Van Nuys, Calif. USA
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2010
Strengths: durable; good traction; cheap; high quality WTB product
Weaknesses: hard ride, small knobs fill up with mud quickly
Bottom Line:
These tires are really good for the weekend trail rider.
I kept tearing the sidewalls of other tires - including a Panaracer Fire Pro - and so I thought I'd try these. At $7 each, why not?
Well, I have been very plesantly surprised, and the only complaint I have is that they ride rather hard on my Raliegh hardtail.
But I'm getting used to it, and the way these stick through the corners is amazing.
The bike now handles much better on road and off, and the compound seems to be very durable as far as resisting cuts and so forth.
It's almost like riding on street tires as far as rolling resistance, but there is good confidence on the dirt trails, and I don't hesitate now to put the bike anywhere I might care to go offroad - except in mud.
Similar Products Used: stock Kenda tires; Panaracer
Bike Setup: 2001 Raliegh M50 with substancial upgrades
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Submitted by
mtbprophet17
a Racer
from New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2010
Strengths: Extremely Low Rolling Resistance, Great XC Race tire, similar to the Hutchinson Pythons that have become popular in the racing community.
Weaknesses: Not a lot of indication before it slides, Takes practice to ride the tire safely at high speed.
Bottom Line:
Very cheap Tire, as long as you are willing to put the time in to learn their limits, a great buy. Don't buy expecting to be able to ride them full out right off the bat, and they are not for downhill. At most they could be used for all-mountain riding, but even that may be pushing it.
Bike Setup: Ironhorse Warrior Race, set up to race
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Submitted by
bigpedaler
a Cross Country Rider
from NE Indiana
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2009
Strengths: Easy installation, light, roll fast, don't pack up with debris
Weaknesses: not a true 2.1, more like 1.95
Bottom Line:
The only better/faster tire I've ever ridden over hardpack/pavement is the Micro Knobby, and it can't handle dirt. This one can! It doesn't pack up with debris or snow (on my commute), and rolls faster than a few urban tires I've tried. They can slip if you're not careful in the damp/wet.
It's just not a true 2.1 as labeled; the 1.95's I replaced with the Nano's are the same width.
Similar Products Used: Weiwolf, Hutch Spider, Scorpion, IRC Mythos, Intense Micro Knobby, etc.
Bike Setup: Dakar XLT, Nixon, RaceFace, X.9, BB7
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Submitted by
Rinaldo Moon
a Weekend Warrior
from Chino Hills, CA
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2009
Strengths: Cheap
Rolls well on pavement
Good grip on fireroads and smooth singletrack
Weaknesses: Tread picks up pebbles and flings them at you.
Bottom Line:
Good tire for the price. I use them more on pavement than trails. The pebble flinging thing kinda pisses me off. This tire is perfect for the casual rider who occasionaly wants to go off road.
Bike Setup: 1993 Diamondback Sorrento converted to singlespeed.
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Submitted by
da bubba
a Weekend Warrior
from Valpo
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2009
Strengths: Good Grip on any dry surface.
Weaknesses: A little slow on pavement compared to the semi-slicks I used to run, hard to put on.
Bottom Line:
Rode through dirt and mud, over log bridges, and the tire held. I keep seeing them for cheaper prices, maybe I should stock up. I would definitely need a tire lever.
Submitted by
GoremanX
a Weekend Warrior
from Ile-Aux-Noix, QC
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2009
Strengths: Solid sidewall, super fast on hardpack and pavement, decent grip on most everything else, good volume for a 2.1" tire, easily converted to tubeless
Weaknesses: A bit on the expensive side
Bottom Line:
I use this on the rear wheel, with a WTB Weirwolf LT 2.55 Team FR on the front. The combination is absolutely perfect for my purpose, which involves a lot of pavement and a lot of trails. The Nano Raptor has an excellent middle tread for fast, effortless pedaling on pavement, and good knobs for gripping everything else. I can easily ride 50 miles on pavement, then veer off onto a rough mountain rail without missing a beat. Gravel and hardpack are no obstacle, whereas my old Continental Town & Country used to skitter all over the place on gravel roads.
Similar Products Used: WTB Weirwolf LT 2.55 Team FR, Continental Town & Country, Tioga Blue Dragon 2.3
Bike Setup: 2008 Kona Hoss, Bombshell Fat Daddy Wheelset, converted to tubeless with 20" BMX tubes and Stan's tire sealant
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Submitted by
kstatman
a Racer
from Longmont, CO USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2009
Strengths: Fast rolling, cornering, weight, strength, durability.
Weaknesses: mud and clay
Bottom Line:
I got a set of these at Sea Otter as I have always been intrigued by WTB's tire line and they suited my needs for the weekend of racing, fast dry conditions. After pre-riding the course and racing the pro short track I found them to be pretty awesome tires. They hooked up when they really needed to. Unfortunately they don't really grab in off camber grass corners as well as I would have liked.
Since then I have spent a number of weeks both training and racing on them and found they are a pretty amazing tire as long as things don't become a thick peanut butter like mud or wet clay. They grab in cornering and handle most conditions really well. I have been especially fond of the climbing traction they offer in loose over hard pack when both standing and sitting.
These tires are easily best in slightly moist and grippy soil conditions to dry fast hard pack and would easily suggest them as a great all around summer tire!
Similar Products Used: Hutchinson Python, Maxxis Crossmark UST
Bike Setup: Unbranded Carbon Hardtail, Sram X-9 drivetrain, Race Face Flat bars, No Tubes ZTR Olympic Rims on Sun Ringle Disc o Flea hubs, WTB shadow V saddle, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Rock Shox Reba Team
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Submitted by
John
a Racer
from Leadville,Colorado USA
I used these tires for the Leadville 100 MTB Race last week (Aug. 08). We had all conditions during this race and these tires stuck with me the whole way. No slide outs in dry, loose & sandy, gravel, hard pack dirt, tacky wet dirt, or mud. On pavement, they are fast with low rolling resistance.
I'm 5'9", 148lbs. and I ran the front tire at 38 PSI and the rear tire at 40 PSI. You can run them higher but I needed to compromise between rough rugged terrain and pavement. I tried higher and lower on the same course and I settled on the above. I completed the race in 9.5 hours. I used a 11-27 rear cassette. That was a mistake. I should have used a 11-34 and cut another 50 minutes.
I ride about 45% street and 55% trails (some technical). Trials are a mix of hardpack, soft dirt, loose gravel and sand. I weigh about 195lbs.
While looking for a fast trail t Read More »
I have these lying around and mysteriously i've never used them. i'm considering using it as a rear tyre on long, epic days with lots of climbing? paired with a Rampage 2.35 fron Read More »
