Submitted by
brand
a Racer
from SLC, Utah Date Reviewed: November 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
anything
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Strengths:
crazy light (for a 2.3), corners like mad, good feel
Weaknesses:
lots of flats, traction
Bike Setup:
hardtail AM
Bottom Line:
First impression for these tires was less than stellar. Had ~50psi in them and they felt way sketch in the corners. Then dropped pressure to 32psi and I still can't get over how well they corner. (dry, sand, hardpack, mud) They ride exactly how I want tires to: roll super fast and corner extremely well. Only downside is I've given up and (for the moment) am running thornproof tubes (super heavy) because I'd get like one flat per week for the first month I was running them.
I give them 5 for value ($20 a piece is hard to argue with)
I give them 4 overall because of the flat issue. But I'm definitely going to stick with them
these are a great racing tire and work exactly as advertised.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
rhynolite
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose, CA, Usa Date Reviewed: February 20, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Soquel Demo, Moab
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with a bike
Strengths:
FAST tires, good grip in corners, good feeling of traction
Weaknesses:
Do not inspire confidence on the first ride. These tires almost always drift a bit, but then find their traction. Braking distance increases.
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Blue Grove, WTB Weirwolf
Bike Setup:
Blur LT, AM build. I use it for XC races :)
Bottom Line:
I use these tires for XC races and training. These tires have great bite on the usual Norcal terrain. At first, they don't inspire confidence, because they tend to drift. However, the drift is very easily controlled, and can be stopped/prevented by weight transfer.
These accelerate really well, and hold speed very well. Compared to Kenda Nevegal/Blue Grove combo, they don't brake that well. Combine that with the fast acceleration, and you will find yourself calculating the brake lines beforehand.... and abandoning them, because the tires hold so well in corners.
I would recommend this tire for XC racer, or for fitness rider. These are not AM tires, like Nevegals. In particular, I would not recommend this tire for riding in sharp rocks (too thin sidewall), or in loose rocks (will bounce).
I did not pay for my pair, but these tires seem to be expensive, compared for example to WTB.
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Submitted by
ering
a Weekend Warrior
from sactown Date Reviewed: January 31, 2009
Favorite Trail:
annadel area
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
mailorder
Strengths:
Followup review: Front 2.2 is great, esp. with stans. The front has a distinctive outer edge in the 2.2 that rails and decent XC tread. Light. Decent in loam, hardpack, rock, and even rock gardens, and YES -light mud.
Weaknesses:
Rear 2.0 not worth much. In fact works OK with stans, but I keep losing it off the bead. The tread breaks away evenly and predicatably, but just subpar.
Similar Products Used:
Spesh, WTB, Firecrack.
Bike Setup:
6x6
Bottom Line:
4 chilis for the front, similar to WTB race tires. 1 chili for the rear. I have ridden this tire extensively since it came out on all kinds of conditions. The front rocks and the rear doesn't compare to any good tire on the market.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
traildigger15
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellingham, WA Date Reviewed: January 23, 2009
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
fast, light, puncture resistant, great cornering
Weaknesses:
when used correctly, none
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Kozmik lite II
Bike Setup:
Flightline comp, hell bent flat bars, 110mm stem, Kozmik lite in rear
Bottom Line:
This is a great tire, if used correctly. this is a dry/hardpack XC tire. it will not perform in mud or loose ground. this tire is great if you need an uber fast tire to slap on raceday, and fly. the aggressive shoulder knobs give a great sense of control even when leaning on extreme angles, but the semi-slick center is fast rolling. it also has extra reenforcement under the wear area to protect against thorns and glass. i am even running this tire (2.3) on a 2.0 rim, but it does make changing a little harder. i would recommend this tire to an XC enthusiast for front wheel use.
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Submitted by
Paul G
a Cross Country Rider
from Scotland Date Reviewed: August 19, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Pentland hills
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Light and fast
Weaknesses:
Not good in the wet or on loose ground.
Similar Products Used:
various spesh, conti vetr pros
Bike Setup:
2008 Cannondale Rush Carbon 4 with Revelation U-turns, XT drive train and XT brakes
Bottom Line:
I got these tyres on my new Cannondale rush. They are light and fast on dry hardpack. Anything other than bone dry trails and these tyres start to spin when climbing, drift on corners and they don't provide great braking confidense on steep decents. If you ride mostly dry flat trails then these tyres will be good for you. I swapped these tyres out after 2 rides as they don't suit the type of riding i do or the weather conditions of the UK.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rasmus Cleemann
a Cross Country Rider
from Denmark Date Reviewed: May 16, 2008
One of the worst performing tires I have ever tried, sketch out i corners, slip on uphill, weak sidewall, don´t trail well
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
robert hardie
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Date Reviewed: March 31, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Jurrasic
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
rolling resistance, weight
Weaknesses:
Weak sidewalls and a lot of punctures, cornering
Bike Setup:
Gaint XTC 2 2007
Bottom Line:
Good tires for firetrails and smooth singletrack. Not recommended for singletrack where the are sharp protruding rocks, roots or small tree stumps.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Reed
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID, USA Date Reviewed: March 19, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Lower hulls/Bob's
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Jone's Bicycle, Long Beach CA
Strengths:
Good lightweight tire, low rolling resistance.
Bike Setup:
07 Trance 2
Bottom Line:
I rode this tire pretty hard last summer (3X per week for about 4 months). It held up pretty good, I am going to change it out pretty soon though. As long as I'm using slime I pretty much don't have to worry about it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Toby Caster
a Weekend Warrior
from Ellsworth AFB SD Date Reviewed: October 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Storm Mtn
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came on bike
Strengths:
Great traction and braking Low rolling resistance Fast
Weaknesses:
Sidewalls.
Similar Products Used:
Spec. Roll X
Bike Setup:
'07 Trance 2 with Ergon grips and a new Spec. Captain rear tire
Bottom Line:
I really liked this tire at first but the side walls don't stand a chance in the rocky stuff I ride in. I could see someone using this tire for racing but it just doesn't stand up to long term abuse. I give it three chilis because I'm sure this is a good tire when you use it like its made for.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jarrad
a Cross Country Rider
from North Western NSW AUSTRALIA Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Light Weight!!, traction under brakes & acceleration
Weaknesses:
Corner traction can be sketchy... I found I was running higher pressures than I would have liked in order to achieve desired rolling reistance and response, which I assume is cause for lack of cornering grip and climbing ability.
Much too thin in the sidewalls, IMO - I rode these tyres predominantly on hardpack & loose over hardpack.
Bike Setup:
07 Trance 2
Bottom Line:
These tyres were fitted as original equipment on my 07 Trance 2 in 2.00"
Insanely light tyre, great acceleration due to lowered unprung weight; one for the weight weenies.
I didn't find this tyre durable enough in the sidewalls for XC use.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a
from Tahoe City, CA Date Reviewed: June 29, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Yes
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
OEM@BikeNut SanFran
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Don't climb well, 5 flats in 30 rides, soft on corners
Bike Setup:
Giant Reighn 1
Bottom Line:
Get better tires if you want a good all mountain ride. I've ridden these tires for six weeks and they have big gashes and holes in them. I ride steep and rocky terrain. Spent too much time changing tube to be happy with them
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
wellen mercado
a Racer
from edinburg,texas usa Date Reviewed: January 2, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
fast rolling,grippy,easy to install specially with stans tubeless conversion,predictable when cornering,quieter in the pavement.
Weaknesses:
expensive
Similar Products Used:
python,conti supersonic
Bike Setup:
giant nrs carbon 06
Bottom Line:
as long as it used for the intended purpose it doesnt disapoint;try it and you will be a convert.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Dawson
a Racer
from Peterborough, ON, CAN Date Reviewed: September 3, 2006
Favorite Trail:
My next ride
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Impala Bicycles
Strengths:
Very fast rolling, good climbing grip on rear, light weight, good handling.
Weaknesses:
Wet? But buy wet tires for riding in the wet.............duh.
Bottom line.........tires work very well for what they are intended for. Hardpack dry, dry loose, dry rocks/roots. I run the tubed versions with Stan's and no innertubes on UST CrossMax's. Don't expect these tires to live for more than 4 months with this setup as it stretches the bead and tire gets worn out and is unreliable. I've ridden the Pythons for many years and love them, I'd say as of right now I like these tires better. They roll faster, are lighter, and carve a little more. They will slide around but can be controlled which is what I like in a tire. Buy them if you like the Pythons, they are a suitable evolution of a great tire. I give them 5 out of 5 cause in my opinion if a product comes up short at all I wont ever use it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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