If you’re twisted enough to compete in trials, or you’re one of those people who commute all winter while normal folks retreat to the comfort of their heated Subaru™, then you need a pair of El Gatos. Featuring a wide 2.25 square profile, high grip rubber compound and near-indestructible SPR System sidewalls. Everything but a coupon for free psychiatric evaluation. Click on the image to the left for an enlarged photo showing tread detail and related product specifications.
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Summerland B C Canada Date Reviewed: September 25, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Lotsa rubber. Paddle middle for going up and down and double row side knobs for smooth and progressive sidehill action. Surprisingly low rolling resistance. Comfy ride at 40 psi. Wears as well as anything else.
Weaknesses:
Supposedly weak sidewall, but it's already almost 900g and probably 700 of that in the tread! Haven't blown one yet, but...picks up lots of weeds in the closely spaced side knobs. Isn't trendy. Feels goofy, but works, on pavement.
SC Heckler, original type, marz MX pro eta 105 [yes!] , XTR V brakes, and whatever else was proven, light[ish] and reliable.
Bottom Line:
This tire has lots of flexible rubber on the ground so the slide and hookup thing is really smooth. With skill you can crawl up amazing things, but brute force is not so rewarded, as the knobs keel over, especially if you are a heavy rider [I'm 165] . At higher speeds and agressive loads, it's just another, and a bit too heavy, tire. But it reliably gets me to the finesse bits where it shines. It's an almost historical design that is still in production, so there must be a reason. I went through a period of knob shedding and sidewall blowing - grrr$$$- which stopped when I got on these, so I guess by comparison to some its an economy tire, especially on a per pound basis! I gave it five chilis for still entertaining me after two seasons.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Summerland B C Canada Date Reviewed: September 25, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Lotsa rubber. Paddle middle for going up and down and double row side knobs for smooth and progressive sidehill action. Surprisingly low rolling resistance. Comfy ride at 40 psi. Wears as well as anything else.
Weaknesses:
Supposedly weak sidewall, but it's already almost 900g and probably 700 of that in the tread! Haven't blown one yet, but...picks up lots of weeds in the closely spaced side knobs. Isn't trendy. Feels goofy, but works, on pavement.
SC Heckler, original type, marz MX pro eta 105 [yes!] , XTR V brakes, and whatever else was proven, light[ish] and reliable.
Bottom Line:
This tire has lots of flexible rubber on the ground so the slide and hookup thing is really smooth. With skill you can crawl up amazing things, but brute force is not so rewarded, as the knobs keel over, especially if you are a heavy rider [I'm 165] . At higher speeds and agressive loads, it's just another, and a bit too heavy, tire. But it reliably gets me to the finesse bits where it shines. It's an almost historical design that is still in production, so there must be a reason. I went through a period of knob shedding and sidewall blowing - grrr$$$- which stopped when I got on these, so I guess by comparison to some its an economy tire, especially on a per pound basis! I gave it five chilis for still entertaining me after two seasons.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adam
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton, Alberta Date Reviewed: August 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Cambodia Trail
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$22.00
Purchased At:
MEC
Strengths:
Grip, Grip, Grip. Rim dent resistance
Weaknesses:
Weight I guess
Similar Products Used:
WTB velociraptor, IRC mythos
Bike Setup:
Fisher hardtail w/ Z1 freeride, lx/xt/sram drivetrain, hayes hydro discs
Bottom Line:
I bought this tire because I was tired of flat spotting rims when the tire (velociraptor) was at proper pressure. Since it was a trials tire I didn't think it would fare too well on trails but I was very wrong. I have had zero pinch flats with it and no more rim denting. It grips fantastic on loose and muddy stuff. It is by far the best loose terrain climbing tire i have used. Great price too. After a few years of riding however, I am starting to develop some sidewall abrasions/soon to be cuts, but thats kind of expected. 4 chilis for overall due to the weight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard
a
from Sedona, AZ Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
came with bike - don't know cast
Strengths:
Grippy and very secure in wide variety of ROCKY terrain (not much soil here). I abuse them almost daily on hard xc DH w/really sharp rocks (ALL trails here are rocky rocky rocky - sandstone, basalt, limestone) and a number of trailside cacti, w/ no punctures yet. I've been riding for about a year after 7 year lay-off, I'm kinda sloppy and way too fast, so I POUND!
Weaknesses:
none that I can tell. WAY better than my last tires!
Bike Setup:
Good 'ol Cannondale F700 (95) w/ Thudbuster, Shimano fixins...
Bottom Line:
Most of my friends are much more experienced than I, and though I may not have the grace (or a full suspension ride like they), I keep up on climbs and downhill w/o slipping around. I just don't slide. Everyone wants my tires!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, ALberta Date Reviewed: December 14, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anything technical
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
MEC
Strengths:
Decent size good tread pattern for rear wheel great traction in loose and slippy stuff including mud, ice and snow.
Weaknesses:
Wear fast (duh, you don't get grip without wear...) A bit heavy at 800+g, but not bad on the back.
FSR XC, B4 disks, El Gato on the back (mounted "backwards" so the scoops can grip), still looking for the right front tire.
Bottom Line:
My friends and I find this tire works great on the back for winter trail/technical riding including snow, mud, wet roots, and not bad when a bit icy. I can get up very sketchy climbs on barely packed snow, sidehills seem ok, and braking is pretty good too. The 2.25" size is just the right fit on my bike (Rokko 2.4 was rubbing on the rear stays, but it has great rear grip too).
Get one and put it on the back wheel if you want a soft, grippy tire for anything loose or slippery. This tire Climbs!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SGT. ROCK
a Racer
from Edmonton, AB Date Reviewed: July 9, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$22.00
Purchased At:
MEC
Strengths:
Cheap for a big Kevlar tire (thanks, MEC)
Weaknesses:
Heavy for a non-reinforced casing tire
Similar Products Used:
Many
Bike Setup:
2002 Norco Launch
Bottom Line:
IRC makes good tires - other manufacturers may beat them with one model or another, but overall their product line is great. I use the Mythos XC as my XC race tires, and they rock. The El Gato is basically a beefed up Mythos XC rear - taller knobs, wider casing, flatter profile for a bigger contact patch. The tread profile is virtually identical - centre paddles alternating with directional knobs. The Gato simply adds a third directional knob where the Mythos has a gap.
I wanted a freeride tire that was tough, but performed like an XC tire in climbing, cornering and braking. The Gato is it. I'll run it with a DH tube to prevent pinch flats on the drops. Paired with a Kujo 2.35 DH on the front, I should have a great trail setup.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert
a Weekend Warrior
from Mt. Seymour Date Reviewed: May 17, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
MEC
Strengths:
Good traction for climbing on loose gravel, mud, over roots, etc. Adjustability of inflation.
Weaknesses:
Wears just a little fast, but for the rubber compound it lasts long enough
Similar Products Used:
Superheats, Maxis Highrollers, IRC
Bike Setup:
Cove Stiffee with 5" Bombers
Bottom Line:
Pretty good rear tire. After it's warn a bit, put it on the front of a XC bike and let a little air out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Beeco
a Weekend Warrior
from Bradford, England Date Reviewed: February 11, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Any where wit rocks
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Aire Valley Cycles
Strengths:
It grips like hot glue!!!! It is light for a 2.25. I can't see how anyone can puncture one. They're f***ing awsome. I will never use anything else
Weaknesses:
????????
Similar Products Used:
Tioga 2.1-worst tire ever
Bike Setup:
DDG shooter, Hope xc on mavic D521, Coda 901 on mavic x517. Panaracer 2.1 up front, trusty EL GATO on't back.
Bottom Line:
These tires won't slip.I'm runnig about 25-30 psi.When i do a gap and land right on the edge it never slips unlike tiogas.They cushion everything so it feels like you've landed it mint even if you haven't.I payed £30. This tire is great for trials.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a
from Tempe, AZ Date Reviewed: October 27, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Urban trials
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Good soft rubber compound really grips up on concrete Fairly wide, reasonably strong sidewalls
Weaknesses:
Could be wider.. but then it would be heavier Sidewalls could be stiffer, but again, then it would be heavier
Similar Products Used:
IRC Kujo
Bike Setup:
Zebdi stock trials
Bottom Line:
I ride urban trials quite a bit. I have 6 years of XC experience and not quite 1 year of trials. I'm not fantastic at it, as I haven't learned to lurch yet, but I do a lot of stuff that tests this tire- hopping up steps, 3-4' dropoffs, and occasionally leaping down staircases and such to break the slow-speed monotony. This tire holds up well for me. I run about 30 PSI and I weigh 180#, and I've only pinch flatted once despite missed j-hops up ledges and staircases. I decided to try this one to shed the weight of the Kujo I used to use. The Kujo's sidewalls are much thicker and stronger, so you have to run higher PSI with this one, but the softer sidewalls mean you get good wraparound and good traction even with higher PSI. The soft rubber really grips noticeably better on concrete and steel too. I've gone for 3-foot j-hops that I didn't get the back tire up high enough for, so the tire contacted the edge just behind the bashguard, and the tire help its grip well enough to allow me to hop the rest of the way up. I'm really fond of this tire.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chris
a Downhiller
from scotland Date Reviewed: September 4, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
corners well, pretty tough, good resistance to punctures
Weaknesses:
not grippy enough
Similar Products Used:
tioga 2.1/2.3
Bike Setup:
sintesi
Bottom Line:
good strong tyre at a reasonably good price
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Racer
from Mtn View, CA Date Reviewed: July 10, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Looks cool Grippy
Weaknesses:
too small very poor pinch resistance
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer Fire DH 2.3" Tioga DH 2.3"
Bike Setup:
stock trials
Bottom Line:
I bought this tire hoping it would be as good as all the hype said it was, and all I can say is I sure wasted my money! I used to run 15-20 PSI on my Tioga DH's without every pinching, and now with these crappy El Gato's I even pinch at 35 PSI...what kinda of sh*tty tires are these anyway? I took a look at them more carefully...they have the same weak, thin, and floppy casing as IRC's XC tires, they're not even close to 2.25" in width, and they still weight 850g! Sorry IRC, but you really blew it this time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Krado
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: January 31, 2001
Favorite Trail:
eh?
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Yuppies!!
Strengths:
Being a trials tyre, it rocks when I'm trying to scramble up a steep rocky slope. Dosen't eat sand or mud, important when going really, really... fffffaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssstttttttttt!!!
I used to have semi-slicks on my bike, but then I decided to go down instead of up and bought this tyre with a Kujo DH in front.
Performance is great, I found myself cornering harder than ever before and the tyre hooks up great!!
I tried bombing Tasek with this tyre, and it rocked! I descended faster and more confident that I wouldn't slip sideways out of the track. That happened once when I was still on semi-slicks.
Weaknesses:
Hard to mount it on rim. Pinch-flat resistance. I blew one when I landed sharply on a ledge when doing some basic trial stuff. Other than that, nothing else.
Similar Products Used:
Tioga Dh tyres Maxxis Calibos/Kraken combo
Bike Setup:
Stock DB Vectra Comp se save 4 a few parts
Bottom Line:
A really cool tyre for trials!
Aggressive free-riders take note! This tyre can do more than just Trials! The tyre grabs soil like diamond-studded wheels and your can go faster and lean harder!
not for XC use, it's heavy!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig
a Weekend Warrior
from kelowna, b.c., canada Date Reviewed: December 27, 2000
Favorite Trail:
anything scary
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
a friends house
Strengths:
man these tires are da shaznat!!! man in the summer spring and fall i love them!!!
These tires are wicked in everything but snow... i took my bike out the other day, my friend and i went out to slide around in the snow... he runs irc also(backwoods) man in the snow he was just wastin me!!! my tires plugged with snow like a whOrre workin all night... they blew n#ts soo bad i was gonna take em off and burn them!!! But then you have to remember, yes they are a trials tire, yes they do work AWESOME on dry, anything summer...so i decided to keep em.. and i also read, another review on these tires saying you get better traction if you reverse the direction... i am gonna do that tonite cuz were goin snowin tommorrow!!! happy trails!!!
This tire has been a great confidence builder. I got it for NUTT'N, which is sweet. I use this tyre in the back, and I run it fairly low to take up some of the shock of a hardtail. I do mostly urban riding so the landings ain't exactly soft. But this tire has made it much more bearable. The only problem is there isn't quite enough flat protection, but I got it for free so it still gets 5 peruvian hot peppers for value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA Date Reviewed: October 18, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
Good grip Looks cool
Weaknesses:
Hardly any pinch-flat protection Not wide and tall enough Heavy for it's lack of PF resistance & relatively small size
Similar Products Used:
Tioga DH 2.3's
Bike Setup:
Rhyno Lite rims, WS DH spokes
Bottom Line:
Rather disappointing. Only flat protection is a very thin small strip of stuff by the bead, that's it. I'd recommend Tioga DH 2.3's...much better flat resistance and more air volume.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Azza
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney Date Reviewed: September 24, 2000
Favorite Trail:
RNP
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
excellent grip pinch flat resistance
Weaknesses:
weak sidewalls price
Similar Products Used:
tioga 2.1,2.3 DH
Bike Setup:
atx 870
Bottom Line:
Ive had these tires for about 3 months and they had far better grip than my tiogas did. however, they are pretty much ruined because the sidewalls have two tears in them. They are for trials and they excel at, but not good really for bush assualt weaponary
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Don
a
from San Diego Date Reviewed: August 21, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Weaknesses:
Heavy
Similar Products Used:
IRC Mythos WTB Velicoraptor Hutchinson Alligator
Bike Setup:
C'Dale SuperV with Lefty IRC Kujo DH front, ElGato rear
Bottom Line:
Great traction, pinch flat resistant. Overall a great tire. I was running the Velicoraptor with some success, just hated getting flats (at 45 psi).
I run the ElGato at 45 psi, I weigh 200+ lbs., no flats.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a
from Toronto,Canada Date Reviewed: August 12, 2000
Favorite Trail:
city
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Ultimate grip in wet or dry conditions. Spreads out nice @ wide when run at a low psi.Best trials tire made to date. You get even more grip when you reverse the tire in the rear.
Weaknesses:
weight (but who cares). My only complaint is that they only make these in 2.25
Similar Products Used:
Irc DH Kujo's, Geax Sedona's
Bike Setup:
14" Santa Cruz w/Race Face North Shore crank, 22t ring w/Gravity Check Bashguard (thick & grippy), King hubs (the only way),Easton flatboy pedals, Sun Mammoth rims, Magura HS 33 w/Monty Milk Pads & steel braided lines, Marzochhi atom 80's, Race Face headset,bb, Sram attack rear shifter w/ Shimano ultegra derailleur (no front shifter),12-21 rear cassette, IRC EL GATO's, Easton DH scandium bars.
Bottom Line:
Irc el Gato Chris King hubs Race Face North Shore crank Gravity Check Bashguards Magura HS33 brakes Sun Mammoth or Ryno lite rims THESE R THE S*@T w/o these why ride
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cory
a Weekend Warrior
from gffd Date Reviewed: November 22, 1999
Favorite Trail:
hfgddfg
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Bottom Line:
exellent trials tire
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cohiba (the kamikaze dude)
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: October 26, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Bromont, Que. Canada
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Super Grip in all conditions, Excellent tread wear, Excellent flat resistance
Overall one great tyre. It is really grippy, no matter what the conditions are. Although it is a trials tyre, I like to use it for downhilling simply because you can run it at a low pressure, get heaps of traction and not worry about flats too much. The wear on the tread is also excellent. About the only gripe I have is the heavy weight, but that's the price you pay for durability and pinch flat resistance. A shame they don't make IRC missiles anymore, cos' they were excellent tyres.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nat
a Downhiller
from Hampshire Date Reviewed: September 17, 1999
Favorite Trail:
In Japan
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Excellent grip on Concrete! Never get snake bites, where the rubber is so thick with anti pinch walls.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
many
Bike Setup:
Black Chute, Fatty R, full XT, D521's, Trials setup
Bottom Line:
Its a Trials tire not a downhill tyre! Everybodey has been testing it doing downhill! Its a brilliant trials tire in wet and dry. Go to the IRC website to find out about IRC downhill tires because this one's built for trials!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Johnson
a Downhiller
from Mission B.C. Date Reviewed: August 23, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Bear Mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
The Irc el gato is a good looking tire and is good in the wet
Weaknesses:
Once the ground dries up you will realize how much this tire sucks my first ride on it in the dry i was coming through a hard corner to see how the tire was and ended up spinning right around backwards and falling off
Similar Products Used:
Irc kujo dh tioga factory 2.3 dh
Bike Setup:
97 trek with double crown rst
Bottom Line:
dont buy it buy a kujo tioga or intense
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Downhiller
from Boston Date Reviewed: July 13, 1999
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Paddle Tread
Weaknesses:
Wear out too quick
Similar Products Used:
All
Bike Setup:
Homegrown
Bottom Line:
They SUCK!!! I used 3 pairs in the course of a year!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Libor
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: June 21, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Nice look Grips are ok...
Weaknesses:
puncture many times
Bottom Line:
overall a great trials tires cause of its looks!!!hahahaha the grip is not very good........ i juz like they way it look on my bike!!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Glasheen
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Barbara, CA Date Reviewed: May 16, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Romero Canyon, SB, CA
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
grips tenaciously, then slides predictably. Grips going uphill like nothing save the 2.1 Velocoraptor but descends and corners much better (minmal pinch flats and cornering is vastly better). EXCELLENT DH tire.
Weaknesses:
weight, but I weigh 210lbs so I'm willing to put up with it for the benies
Similar Products Used:
Velociraptor, Team Control, Smokes, Serfas, Missles, Psycho's (weak)
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz, Heckler w/XTR, Race Face, Avid, King/Mavic 217's, Z1 Bam Bomber, Fox Vanilla R
Bottom Line:
Do everything tire, weight is penalty on climbs but more than made up for on descents and fast corners. Eats up everything, brakes very well, stable, sticks to the singletrack and fast fireroad descents like glue on steroids. Works very well with a missile up front for pure downhilling, and with a Team Control for XC. The Team control allows for the perfect twowheel sliding down ultra fast fireroads in dusty/rocky conditions. In tacky earth, watch out, these will not slide a bit. I didn't even know they were for trials, I do know I love them.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Benjamin
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: May 8, 1999
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Grippy, able to run with a low tire pressure, trials tire, wears out superbly fast
Weaknesses:
Weight
Similar Products Used:
WTB Velociraptor IRC Kujo DH IRC Mythos XC IRC Mythos XC Slick Panaracer Fire XC Pro Panaracer Fire DH Pro
Bottom Line:
This tire may be pinch-flat resistant but occasionally I get a few punctures, after using them for a while I also found that it wears out quite fast, so I tried the Panaracer XCs and DHs and they turned out to be great for my trials riding!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
#%#$^#$%^$&^
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: April 30, 1999
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Dirt master some WTB
Bike Setup:
RH A1 FS Manitou Spyder
Bottom Line:
This is shit!!!!it puncture my tube when i did a bunnyhop!!!its not the pressure problem... i had made everything nice b4 taking it out!!! buy panracer Fire XC pro!!!its a 2.1 and good for Trials too!!! give the ElGato one chilis because it look hungry!! hahahahahaha
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doctor Theo
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: April 23, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Pulau Ubin???
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Super duper grippy!!!! Lasts really long too! I've had it for about 7 months now and the studs are still there! I think the tire can last me at least 5 more months of everyday riding before it goes bald.
Weaknesses:
Watch the weight!!!!! I nearly killed my legs on this one! I had switched from a relatively light irc mythos 1.95 tyre to this heavy Godzillie and burned up me legs pretty fast
Similar Products Used:
irc mythos xc
Bike Setup:
KHS FXT Sport, RST 461DH, Coda risers, XT Vees, stock Power Tools levers, Specialized body geom seat (kiss those sore butts goodbye!!!), Bontrager stem, stock Shockworks rear shock and some other stuff on my bike which I can't remember....
Bottom Line:
Its a good tyre...as for the weight, think of it this way, once your legs are used to heavy tyres, you should be quite powderful when you switch to lighter ones. 4 stars for good grip and durability! Last star omitted for da big bang weight!!!!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
johno
a Weekend Warrior
from perth Western Australia Date Reviewed: March 27, 1999
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
@#*%ing awesome grip
Weaknesses:
bloody heavy
Similar Products Used:
veloceraptor
Bike Setup:
atx-860 manitou spyder
Bottom Line:
excellent tires for trial will grip to anything limestone gives best results
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James Eastham
a downhiller
from Victoria, Australia Date Reviewed: February 5, 1999
Bottom Line:
The El Gato's are the best trials tire ever produced. They grip like glue coated tires and you can run the tire as low as 20 psi without getting any pinch flats. Make sure you buy a tube the supports the 2.25 size. For ultimate pinch flat resistance buy a Panaracer or Huchinson super tube. Overall a great tire for trials and general stuffing round, but cripes the god damn weight.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron Carpenter
a
from Cleveland Date Reviewed: September 30, 1998
Bottom Line:
I've been running the El Gatos front and rear on my stock trials bike for 6 months, and so far they're the best tires I've tried. Very grippy, and the generous side knobs perform well when you're hanging on the edge of something. I run about 30lbs of air in both, and had only had one flat so far, even though I ride mostly on concrete. The weight is about 850 grams, which is a little on the heavy side, but that doesn't bother me much. Overall, a very good tire. I'll give it 5 chilis.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a downhiller
from N.Vancouver BC Canada Date Reviewed: September 8, 1998
Bottom Line:
This is the best tire on the market period ! If you have to cry about the weight, maby you should hit the gym .I ride on the North Shore where most fear to tread and this tire is unstoppable. Wether it's pissing rain or as dry as the desert you are going to love this tire. I run it as low as 20psi and have not had a flat yet. If you want the setup it's Kujo up front and El Gato run in reverse on the rear. GO HARD!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alain Yong
a weekend warrior
from Ont, Canada Date Reviewed: July 27, 1998
Bottom Line:
These tires are amazing! First off, i'm into trials riding and specifically bought these tires because i heard they were made for trials.On thing, they are very stable tires. The design of gives you good stability on the rear wheel.Second, these tires grip like anything. I rode up a hill with no problems which other tires had a tendency to slip.Another thing i like about this tire is it's braking ability. I can perform gaps with greater confidence knowing that when i land on the rear wheel, it's gonna grip and i won't loop over.My only problem with these tires is the supposed anti snake bite protection thing. My brother had a snakebite on the first day and i had a snake bite on the second day. I think you have to buy larger diamater tubes to compensate for the greater volume of the tire.But anyway, it's still a great tire for trials use.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ogie
a downhiller
from Kamloops,BC,Canada Date Reviewed: July 3, 1998
Bottom Line:
Love the holding power this tire's got. She cut's across rut's like they were smooth. The sidewall lugs are great for riding over those washed out sections. The only complaint i have is about the sidewall. After just one wack she started to fray. It was a hard wack and i don't know if any tire could have survived it but i was alittle choked after that.I was lucky enough to get a replacement because of the bike store i got it from but that was just a fluke. The replacement is holding up great. Great for downhill, too heavy for XC. I ride it around 40psi, anything above that and she doesn't grip as good, and i have only got one pinch flat. I think it might have been underinflated. Overall she's a 4/5 just because i still worry about the sidewall blowing out if i hit it hard. Love the traction in has though.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kay Chin
a
from Singapore Date Reviewed: June 4, 1998
Bottom Line:
Trashers take note! This Tire will GRIPPPP whatever the weather Yes! Its BIGGG, it looks fabulous and its relatively cheap. But...... its F!@#$%&*?G Heavy- more than 900 grams! Its supposed to be a trials tire but still works great for X- Country or just hanging around . 5 Chillis for its Grip and cush!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Desmond Lee
a
from Vancouver, Canada Date Reviewed: February 24, 1998
Bottom Line:
I am a trials rider, I got these tires for around three weeks. They are really not bad and they grips really well ( I haven't had a pinch flat). There is no need to let go some air to get more grip. IRC calls them the trials tires and I believe Libor Karas uses it too. (well, he has to use it) I recommand these tires for trials riders, but I am not sure how well it performs for DH and XC compare to speciallized DH and XC tires.
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Submitted by
Stan Seki
a weekend warrior
from California Date Reviewed: January 10, 1998
Bottom Line:
This bike really made me understand what suspension really is. My bike is equipped with Jr. T fork, Fox Vanilla RX and mixture of XT/XTR/Race Face components. The handling, you just aim at where you want to go and the bike will take care the rest. Sure it's heavy - my bike tips in at 34 lbs. - but it's not for XC anyway. You should be able to ride around your local trail with mild climbing, because I can. If it's get too hard, simply get off the bike and push it! I wouldn't say it is inexpensive but compare to other frames, Super 8 is a very good deal, I think. Certainly I wasn't disappointed, this bike really exceeds my expectation. Also people at Santa Cruz should get 5 stars. They are really helpful when you have questions.
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