Submitted by
Ken
a Weekend Warrior
from Valencia, CA Date Reviewed: November 9, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Bluffs
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
light weight, low rolling resistance
Weaknesses:
poor grip, poor grip, poor grip
Similar Products Used:
WTB and other Bonty tires
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel
Bottom Line:
These tires should be renamed the "slip n sliders" because the traction is nothing short of an absolute joke. Simply put: these are not mountain biking tires. In fact, I'd say they're downright dangerous.
But that begs the question: why would a reputable bike manufacturer like Trek put such junky tires on an otherwise outstanding and class-leading bicycle?
At 485 grams, these tires allow Trek to keep the overall weight of their bikes at "marketable" levels. It's like when you read the fine print underneath the weight figure and see where it says "without pedals." That is, Trek wants you to go out and put your own tires on their bikes. Otherwise, what you're getting is basically no tires at all.
Secondly, the vast majority of people who aren't going to switch the tires out are the ones who probably aren't that serious about the sport of mountain biking anyway. These are the people who spend a majority of their riding on flat dirt roads or even paved bike paths. In which case, the Bontrager Jones XR (aka slip n sliders) are perfectly for either of those conditions.
I gave them two chilis because at they're better than slicks and they can be converted to tubeless without too much hassle.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Earthpig
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise Date Reviewed: August 3, 2009
Favorite Trail:
happy ones
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Light. Rolls fast. Seals well on tubeless rims. Works OK on pure hardpack.
Weaknesses:
Almost everything else.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Fast Trak LK S-works 2Bliss; Specialized The Captain Control 2Bliss
Bike Setup:
Front tire is mounted on a Racer-X; rear is on a Soul Cycles Hooligan singlespeed
Bottom Line:
Have been using the 26 x 2.25 front tire on my Racer-X for a few months, and the 26 x 2.2 back tire on a Soul Cycles Hooligan singlespeed. Let's just say that if you ride anything other than pure hardpack with VERY LITTLE loose or rocky conditions, you will likely end up hating these tires. They are very light, fast rolling and seal well on tubeless rims with sealant(running the front one on a Crossmax SL, and the other on a Stan's 355 ZTR rim.) Otherwise, I hate them. First, they were expensive - almost $50 a tire at the LBS. The front washes out easily and even at low pressures bounces around off rocks as bad as any tire I've owned. Drop the pressure too low (sub 30 psi) and the tire wobbles and squirms. The rear is better. It seems to grip decently well on my singlespeed, but you have to run it reverse of the stated rolling direction. The downside to the rear is that it is wearing faster than any tire I've ever owned. Looking forward to wearing out these tires so I can replace them with something better for all-condition riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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