Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Rainier, OR
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2005
Strengths: When used in the right terrain, they corner very well for a front tire
Weaknesses: They are very terrain specific, I have only had good success with them in loose, dry conditions. Otherwise, like a lot of Michelin's, they are terrible in the wet
Bottom Line:
I found this tire (when coupled with the XLS in the rear) work great in very specific conditions. They worked best for me when I lived and worked up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. They were excellent on the dry, loose, dusty trails and also very good on the ground up granite. Other than that, they have never worked well anywhere else. Like other Michelin's I've owned, they are super slick on wet rocks. For Sierra Nevada riding, they would get a 5, but for anywhere else they get a 2 so I'll give them a 3 overall
Michelin tires are the worst, so is their customer service. I thought that I may have gotten a bad batch, but every Michelin tire I've ever used has been nothing but problems.
A training partner gave me the front and rear combo of this tire because he hated them. They are heavy, so I thought they'd make a good trained tire during winter. However, they flat easily and corner badly. Traction is OK, but the square cross-section make this tire suck badly.
Strengths: This is for the 2002 Front S 2.1": - very good grip in rough conditions - very good grip in wet conditions - wide threshold in dry and wet conditions - low rolling resistance - no flats in 18 month - good steering ability - easy to mount
Weaknesses: - heavy ~770gr., but safe - difficult steering in mud - looses ~5 tpi per day
Bottom Line:
Bike controlling improves little with a special front design tyre. Breaking is a little better with the XLS in front. For that, Michelin won't produce the Front S anymore. Case Closes.
PS: Mounting is easier than tube type tires and is done in less than three minutes w/o lever.
Submitted by
joel
a Cross Country Rider
from pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2003
Strengths: great cornering on wet trails and mud, no wash-out, most aggressive tread I've found for a tubless tire
Weaknesses: made in France and yeah, its hard to mount
Bottom Line:
So far this tire has performed really well. Casing is very durable and I've only had 1 flat on Michelins in the last 8 months.
There's some tricks to mounting tubless tires. Michelins are tougher than most. In response to the last posting, I was also concerned about supergo folding the tire and creasing the bead, but the tire's holding air well. Make sure you use a real soapy sponge on the rim before you mount the tire. Mount one bead first, then use a rag to cushion your palms when you roll the last part of the second bead over the rim. Tubeless are easy to inflate using high air volume at a gas station. Inflate to max pressure (usually 60 lbs) and leave them sit over night before you ride if you can, then deflate to your desired pressure.
These tires are great if you ride in mud and snow and the ability to run low pressure beats traditional tires and tubes hands down. If you need more traction, buy 'em!
Similar Products Used: hutchinson python, michelin xls
Bike Setup: giant nrs1, xt, hayes, mavic crossroc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
madboy
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2003
Weaknesses: Extreemly difficult to mount onto the rim. Near impossible to inflate. White crap compound on tire comes off all over the place when mounting.
Bottom Line:
Simply put, this tire is a poor design. I can't even comment on it's trail performance as I could never get it to inflate on the rim.
The tire was extreemly difficult to get onto the rim, and once it was on, it would constantly leak air. Using the exact same rim, Hutchinson Python & Scorpion tires mount a little earier. The Hutchinson tires easily inflate and lock into place, which is more than what I can say for the Wildgrippers.
Maybe it's because Supergo folded the tires, but whatever it is I can't recomend this tire to anyone, as it won't inflate, even after trying 2 different tires.
Similar Products Used: Hutchinson Pythons & Scorpions
Bike Setup: Mavic CrossMax XL 03 rims.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
bruno
a Cross Country Rider
from sunnyvale
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2003
Strengths: confort an cornering (the best)
Weaknesses: difficult to mount on the rim...the weigth 756g
Bottom Line:
with this tire you could ride with confidence in the single track and long fire trail downhill. This tire is front specific and he is simply the best. The only weakness is the weight.
Hello,
I have UST Mavic Crossmax XL wheels on a SC Blur. I'm a havy rider (over 200lbs). Currently I'm using Schwalbe Fast Fred UST 2.0 tires but I would like to try something mor Read More »
I asked this last year and appreciated the input. It's gift recieving time and I'm looking for new tires.
Stumpjumper FSR, 165 pounds, UST rims
Bear Creek, Mt Falcon, Green Read More »
Currently I'm running Conti vertical pros UST in the rear (2.3) more like a 2.2 and I havn't settle on a front tire yet:rolleyes: I as thinking about just going with the diesel for Read More »
