Submitted by
Snake Plissken
a Cross Country Rider
from OKC, OK, USA
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2011
Strengths: Excellent grip on solid rock and cement abutments. Tough over sharp rocks or rough pastures.
Weaknesses: The rear wears quickly on pavement (not really a weakness, just fyi).
Stickers and goatheads (probably normal?)
Bottom Line:
From the limestone & sandstone trails near Tulsa to the granite hills of SW Oklahoma, I have NEVER cut a sidewall or pinch-flatted these tires the past 8 or 9 years.
Warm months I use the old ones for urban riding in OKC until there is nothing left, hundreds and hundreds of all-purpose miles.
$26 wire bead, I get roughly 6 or 8 months use from each set. If I used them for off-road only, they would probably last a year or more.
Favorite Trail: LAKE TOM STEED - Great Plains SP, Mountain Park, OK www.ridesteed.com
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$26.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: :( Conti Speed King: cut the sidewall 2 miles in. (not really similar, but the LBS put them on and said that I would like them)
Bike Setup: Trek hardtail
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ZUUL99
a Weekend Warrior
from Scottsdale
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2011
Strengths: Great tire, the front and rear specific tire is no gimmick it works and it works well. The rear tire is a paddle tread. it has lots if traction and while climbing with a loose surface there is no slip. The front tire has a directional pattern and stays planted to the ground. with these tires you can really push your bike.
its quite thick this is great if you are an AZ rider, less flats from thorns
Weaknesses: When first installed they flung debris but that stopped once they got dirty. on concrete and asphalt they are kind of noisey but that is expected from and off road tire. There are some molding issues, some spots have injection spots these can be cut off and dont affect the tire
Bottom Line:
Great tire, a lot of bite kind of priecy but well worth it.
Strengths: Downhill, xc, hillclimbs, freestyle just anything you throw at it basically tough tire if your willing to punish them really
Weaknesses: Only on loose sand will the front tire loses stability actually
Bottom Line:
These can get you anywhere wherever you want to go period no really best thing you could get for a even for a picky guy The only tire you have to buy if your really tear it up on everytime you ride
Submitted by
kdihlong
a Weekend Warrior
from Tavares, FL USA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2010
Strengths: Sandy areas especially on turns, sandy hills going up or down.
Weaknesses: Not the best on asphalt but not a big issue.
Bottom Line:
This tire made the trail down the street from my house (Mt Dora) much more ridable. The trail is a great trail and fun to ride but its new- lots of sandy areas including turns and hills. The hills were tough to climb with the standard OEM issue Bontrager Jones or Connection. We often times had to walk. The sandy turns would send you into the woods. With Velociraptors you can ride must faster with confidence. Just bought my son a set. I highly recommend them and you can't beat the price at performancebike.com.
Submitted by
nickav21
a Cross Country Rider
from Bartlett, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2010
Strengths: Super cheap (I did the buy one get one free offer at Blue Sky), incredible traction in mud and really soft ground, durability
Weaknesses: Rolling resistance, bad cornering
Bottom Line:
Imagine driving a truck with hardcore mud tires down the interstate. Just purely unnecessary amounts of rolling resistance and traction. Until there's mud, then it's awesome! Same with these. On hard pack these are awful and don't even corner well (they WILL break loose if you push them in corners. I've proven this time after time....), but when there's mud, HOLY @#$% these are amazing!
5 chilis for value, because $25 for both tires is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP
3 chilis for overall because they can't corner and are terrible unless it's muddy
Similar Products Used: Bontrager stock tires, a few other tires by WTB
Bike Setup: Trek 3900 SS, Rock Shox Tora fork, a bunch of other stuff
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
rpalmer
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, UT
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2010
Strengths: Tread does not wear down quickly. Good grip on the uphills. Generally good control and traction. EXCELLENT on Slickrock trails.
Weaknesses: Maybe its my riding style, but I have had TONS of flats with these tires. Seems like almost every time I ride. I have tried one method after another to try and prevent flats but nothing works with these tires. Also, they don't do sharp corners very well without sliding, especially on loose surfaces. Mud is not good with these tires either.
Bottom Line:
Good tires for a beginner or non-aggressive rider. My aggressive style and the types of advanced trailes I ride are not very compatible with these tires. I'll be looking for something a little wider (I have 2.1s, 2.5s with kevlar would be better for me). I'll continue to use them until they wear out, although I'm afraid that will take another season of riding or two, and I ride about twice per week. These babies are tough!
Submitted by
GTscoob
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2010
Strengths: Really cheap, predictable, lightweight in folding bead, extremely easy to mount, strong sidewalls
Weaknesses: Very low overall grip, extremely slow rolling, front tire washes out when slightly leaned over
Bottom Line:
These are great tires if you're a complete mtb beginner, in that respect they're perfect for OEM tires. They grip pretty well if you keep the bike relatively upright but I still dont trust them in high speed turns. If you lean over too much the front tire will wash out 100% of the time and is impossible to save, in this regard the tire is extremely predictable. This is why I think they're a great tire for learning on, but once you develop your skills as a rider you will push the limits of your components and want to upgrade.
I like the rear tire for riding in really rough stuff and it was pretty easy to control when drifted. It was just hard to drift a tireset when the front end would wash out first. In car terms, my bike always felt like I was going to understeer in the turns and altering tire pressure f/r did not alleviate the problem.
I will never run a front Velociraptor again. I'll keep the back tire for really loose trails or muddy conditions. Another tip about the rear tire, run it in the cross country/dry direction year round, it is better in all conditions than the downhill/mud direction.
Similar Products Used: panaracer pro xc side wall busted
Bike Setup: 2002 Giant Rainier disc brakes 27 speed with my sweet velociraptors
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
IdahoInbred920
a Cross Country Rider
from Salmon, ID, USA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2010
Strengths: Cheap, tread pattern eats hills for breakfast, durable, long lasting, sexy
Weaknesses: This is an MTB tire, it will sound like the studded snow tires on my corolla, like a chainsaw. That said, what the hell are you doing with this thing on pavement anyway?
Bottom Line:
The ultimate tire for clawing your way up an insane grade you never thought you could conquer. This tire inspires huge amounts of confidence knowing it will grab any terrain save wet clay (and I can't think of a tire that can handle that stuff) and a price that is surprisingly reasonable considering the cost of most high quality gear.
Similar Products Used: Tons of WTB, Maxxis, Kenda, etc.
Bike Setup: 07 19" On One Inbred (Geared), Deore drivetrain with XTR rear derailleur, hayes nine brakes, Rockshox Tora 318, SunRims Blackeyes, Ritchey post & stem.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
LightningSlow
a Cross Country Rider
from Indianapolis, IN
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2010
Strengths: Monster Grip. Shed the mud like nobody's business. Dig in and keep things sane on the ever change muddy landscape.
Weaknesses: None that I know of yet.
Bottom Line:
I mounted my rear tire in reverse to get less rolling resistance and IT WORKED! still get nasty traction in any type of condition. I purchased the Comps for an amazing deal, $30 for the pair, and I love it. Buy these tires and rip the corners, no matter what clown grooved them before you.
I also run higher pressure ( I have to, I weigh 270) and I get great traction. Try different pressures, and see what works for ya.
Submitted by
rideskake
a Cross Country Rider
from Micigan, USA
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2009
Strengths: Lots of traction in all conditions. I've been riding on these tires year round in dry, muddy, even snowy conditions and have had no problems. Once you get the pressure in the front set to your style these tires will not let you down. I just bought a 2010 Trek Top Fuel and replaced the Bontraggers that came on it with V-Raptors after the first ride. Awesome tire!
Weaknesses: A little heavy but makes up for it in traction.
Bottom Line:
If you're looking for a great all-around tire at a good price than go with V-Raptors.
With all the hundreds of tire choices out there now days, I feel fortunate that I know what I like to ride on: WTB Velociraptor Front and Panaracer Dart up front and WTB Desert Rap Read More »
I have Trail Bear 2.25's front and rear on my bike now, and also have a Velociraptor 2.1 and a Kenda Claw 2.1 I could put on the rear.
Do you think the bike would feel much li Read More »
hello yall,
I would like to know a bit more of your experiences with this tire...are the knobs rather soft or are they hard and durable?...does anyone have the real world weight Read More »
i was looking to change the tires on my bike and was considering the velociraptors to replace the nevegals i have now.are the wtb velociraptor a good tire,i know they have been aro Read More »
