Exceptional in soft and muddy conditions. Very predictable on trails with both hard and soft patches. Large section for maximum puncture resistance. 26 x 1.85" Tubeless 790g
Submitted by
Jared Georgi
a Weekend Warrior
from Auburn, NY, USA Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$48.00
Purchased At:
Geneva Bicycle Center
Strengths:
*great traction and control in wet and muddy trail conditions. *can run lower tire pressure
Weaknesses:
A bit higher rolling resistance. The only other thing that I noticed is not really a weakness, since it is made for soft, muddy and wet conditions, however use caution on packed surfaces when cornering.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
2003 Giant Rainier with a few upgrades.
Bottom Line:
This tire performs exceptionally well in wet, and muddy conditions. The tread design gives bite to the soft surface, but feels like it keeps you afloat, and in control. I purchased this tire on the advice of my bike tech for use on trails in Upstate NY, during the spring.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a
from Williston, VT Date Reviewed: October 31, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Slices through mud, wet leaves & wet roots.
Weaknesses:
Sketchy on hard-pack.
Similar Products Used:
I've tried lots of tires. My UST quiver includes Hutch Scorps & Pythons, Conti Verts & Explorer, Mich XLS
Bottom Line:
I love UST but tire choices continue to be limited. I've been getting by using my old Hutch Gators for the slop, but they need to be retired and I wanted to replace them with a UST tire. The Hutch Scorp & Mich XLS are advertised as mud tires but neither did real well in the rear. Rain up here in Vermont has approached biblical proportions lately and things have been slick, slick, slick. I outfitted my bike with a UST 2.0 Scorp up front and the Blade in the rear.
Conditions were extremely varied and ranged from 2-4" deep mud puddles (mostly water as opposed to thick mud) to some hard packed areas on sun exposed faces. But most everywhere the trail was covered with a thick layer of wet pine needles and leaves with a thing coating of mud underneath. Needless to say things were real slippery.
The Blade did great cutting through the wet top layer and through the mud pits. My past favorite mud tire was the Hutch Gator and the Blade surpased the Gator through this stuff. Felt like I had a big paddle back there. It handled wet roots well, but maybe not quite as good as the gator. On the rare dry hardpack things got a little sketchy which is to be expected from a 185 with tall blade-like lugs, but not terrible. Wet large rocks was the only place where the tire consistently lost traction, but I'm not sure any other tire would have done better given how damp things were.
All in all the Blade is a great mud tire and a good tire for general loose conditions. It wouldn't be my choice for when things dry out, which isn't until late June up here, but it will serve me well for the late fall, early spring and maybe some winter days before the snow gets deep.
The only place I could find this tire was at Cambria for $39. I can usually get my UST tires cheaper than that so I only give it 3 chilis for value. I'll give it 5 chilis for performance. But keep in mind that this is a niche tire. It's a 5 for mud & loose wet conditions, but would be a 2 for hardpack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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