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Submitted by
debusama
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane, Wa, USA
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Riverside state park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$19.00 | | Purchased At: | Price point | | Strengths: | Good cornering and traction in dry conditions, even loose gravel and moderate sand (no tire I’ve used does great in the sand) | | Weaknesses: | Somewhat slippery when wet. | | Similar Products Used: | Karma, Nevegal, Blue grove, Mythos, Serac, Motoraptors, Smoke/dart. | | Bike Setup: | short-travel FS | | Bottom Line: |
I run the 2.25” only in front with a Serac 2.1 in back. It isn’t huge, but the 2.25 is a significant increase in volume over a 2.1” tire. For the late summer dry/loose terrain, these tires are a huge improvement over any fast-rolling, sub-600g tire I’ve ever used. I’d swear I was using more of an all mountain type tire with the traction I was getting, but when I pedal or coast down a hill it’s obvious I’m using a much lighter/faster tire. Despite the fact that it has been mostly dry lately, I did have the opportunity to ride in a light rain a few days ago. Things really never got muddy, but the tire did fine with the moist dirt. When I hit a few rock gardens, however, I was surprised by how many times my front tire slid off the sides of rocks that I expected it to grip and roll over.
Although this tire is not great in wet conditions, I still think it’s a great tire. If you want a tire that does well in all conditions, it will cost you a few more dollars, a few hundred grams and a lot of rolling resistance.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
madtowner11
a Weekend Warrior
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Crested Butte | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | Perfect tire on your first or second ride | | Weaknesses: | After your first or second ride they look like they went through a cheese graiter | | Similar Products Used: | For the 1 or 2 rides before their unbelievably quick wear and tear starts to show, they handle very similarly to a Kenda Nevegal UST | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Sugar 2+ with the Mibro in the back on some sweet Mavic UST rims. | | Bottom Line: | I purchased these because they were cheap. I had ridden on the Nevegal UST for the past few seasons and they finally started to start looking a little bald. Nevegal UST's are a little pricey right now so I went with a cheap UST tire. Well, you get what you pay for. After 3 rides I lost a knobby and I'm probably just a sharp rock away from getting my first UST flat out on the trail. For the first few rides they were seriously a very awesome tire. Looking at them now, though, and noticing that once they wear so quickly the lose a little grip, I'll never buy another Mibro. I've gone through a few IRC Serac UST's in the front, but they didn't wear NEARLY as quickly as the Mibro in the back. I'd say only buy this tire if it's on sale for $10 and you only plan on riding it twice.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Kelowna, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Excellent grip and control in loose dry stuff. Lightweight all mountain capable tire, 2.1s are only 520 grams. | | Weaknesses: | none yet. possibly wear? | | Bike Setup: | Proflex 2000. | | Bottom Line: | I ride a cross country bike, but the trails here are more all mountain; most people here ride trail or all mountain bikes. I wanted to get the grip but keep it light, and these tires have exceeded my expectations at 520grams for 2.1 inch . I went from panaracer duster ii to this tire and the difference is night and day. The climbs result in better grip but its the descents that I notice the most difference. I can brake even in loose stuff without feeling like im going to lose control. I am riding with a lot more confidence. Instantly made me a better rider; and I really needed to get better. I got a set of mine for 34$. Can't go wrong. (I have only tried this tire in dry conditions). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Hythe, Kent, UK
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | ClimachX | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Came fitted on my Ro | | Strengths: | Low rolling resistance | | Weaknesses: | Almost no grip at all. Downhill the front tyre doesn't send the bike where you point it. Uphill (unless in desert conditions) the back tyre just spins hopelessly. They are not particularly light. Just pray you don't hit any wet grass! | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Velociraptor, WTB MotoRaptor, Panaracer Fire XC, Panaracer Trailraker (for when it gets really muddy!) | | Bike Setup: | Upgraded Rocky Mountain ESTX-30 - Talas forks, XT throughout with Mavic XC717 Rims. | | Bottom Line: | The only reason you should own these is if they came with your new bike. Only ride a bike fitted with them if you have a death wish! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
marioribeiro
a Weekend Warrior
from Lisboa, Portugal
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Sintra | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Avalanche - Lisboa | | Strengths: | Very fast rolling for a 2.25 tire. Lots of grip and confortable. | | Weaknesses: | I heard about durability of rear tire on hard pack, but I am waiting to see. Nothing else found. | | Similar Products Used: | Tioga Blue Dragon 2.1 | | Bike Setup: | Maverick Durance with Fox Float 140mm RL | | Bottom Line: | Great tire. I wasn`t very happy with Maxxis CrossMark 2.1 on my Maverick Durance with Fox 140mm Fork, so an All Mountain setup. Since I mounted last week the IRC Mibro 2.25 Tubless the handling changed dramaticaly. I was worried about rolling of 2.25 size, but they are fantastic rolling, lots of grip and confortable.
No I can take much more fun and advantage of my amazing Maverick Durance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dan_g
a Cross Country Rider
from SLC, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Good grip on dry, loose. Decent over rocks if run at lower pressure (as usual) | | Weaknesses: | Seems to be wearing out fast. Slippery over rocks if high pressure. | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Weirwolf | | Bike Setup: | Rocky mountain ETS-X | | Bottom Line: | Seems like a decent tire for the money. Rolls better than the Weirwolf while offering similar loose-terrain grip. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dontpanic
a Cross Country Rider
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Loch Raven | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Not sure. Didn't care much for them. | | Weaknesses: | Floaty feeling in tight turns on dry hardpack, Awful in wet conditions. | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda Nevegal, WTB Velociraptor | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC50 | | Bottom Line: | As a front tire, these didn't track real well. They seemed to float in tight turns on dry trails, and in the wet, they just plain slide out. Also hit a couple wet logs at angles, and the front end slid right out from under me.
As a rear tire, not much better, although it did do OK in the dry stuff. In the wet though, forget it. Zero traction. I looked down at one point to see a slick, brown, mud-ring instead of a tire. Not only no traction, but it must have weighed 20 pounds.
So I only got about 25 miles on these tires before I called it quits. I put a Kenda Nevegal Stick-e on the front, and a WTB Velociraptor on the back. This combo seems to work way better in the dry, but I haven't tried it in the wet yet. I have used the Velociraptor on my other bike in the mud, and it seemed to do well, so that's why I chose it. The Nevegal decision was based on reviews here, and just that you see it standard on so many mid to high end bikes.
Seems kind of weird to me that folks use the same tire front and back, even if you do reverse it. They are doing 2 totally different things. I know it's not easy, but I would like to see more tires made strictly for use on one wheel or the other. I'm no expert, just making an observation.
2 chilis because the tire is not horrible as a rear in the dry. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from NorCal
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Good grip on loose pack, rocks, and the occasional root. Tracks straight downhill. Lasted for a year's worth of riding including one trip to Downieville. | | Weaknesses: | The front tire sidewall took a hit that created a slow leak but the tire was already one year old. Replacing both tires after one year instead of just the rear tire. | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda, WTB, Panaracer | | Bike Setup: | S-Works Stumpjumper FSR, XTR, Crossmax SLR | | Bottom Line: | This is a great all around tire that works on the mix of terrain we have to ride in Northern Cal. Buying a replacement set. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fabrice Paquet
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacré-Coeur,Québec,Canada
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Fast, good grip on hardpack and dry
| | Weaknesses: | very poor grip on wet and mud | | Similar Products Used: | hutchinson phyton | | Bike Setup: | 2006 rocky mountaine fusion stock with upgrade fork. | | Bottom Line: | This tire are fast, low friction i recomended it for xc rider on dry trail you will love theme. Just be cereful in hight speed corners it may cause surprise some time. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Racer
from CO/Midwest/VA
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Random places | | Strengths: | Cheap, Light, Good Grip | | Weaknesses: | Quick wearing | | Similar Products Used: | Years and years of Mythos' | | Bike Setup: | Strange | | Bottom Line: | They run small for the stated size and wear relatively fast. But that's the only bad things I can say. When IRC stopped making Kevlar Mythos I had to start looking for a new favorite tire. The 2.25 Mibro weighs about as much as the old Mythos, and has better grip and more volume. For the 15-20 bucks you can find these for you CAN'T beat them. They don't get the only they don't get a 5 overall is because of the quick wear, but that contributes to the excellent grip. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
R
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Apex, Hall, Waterton, Mt. Falcon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$14.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Excellent grip in loose stuff and on climbs. Lightweight, fast rolling, fairly tough. | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | Mythos, Spiders, Karmas, Cinders. | | Bike Setup: | Seven Sola | | Bottom Line: | I have used the Mythos and the Mythos II off and on for years, but these Mibros are really nice. I picked up all three sizes on sale for $14 each... The 2.25 is up front and the 2.1 is on the rear of the Sola right now. Climbing is made easy, and holding a line is predictable. What more could one ask for? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Boise
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | rideable | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$18.00 | | Purchased At: | auction | | Strengths: | Light, cheap, reasonable wear. Excellent grip/resistance compromise when ridden in front on sand. Even on sand, I love that these warn me when they're reaching their cornering limit and allow me to correct no problem with just the slightest bit of washout. They are nice and fast in all the dry riding i've been doing, including through the deep sand. | | Weaknesses: | Took me a little while to get used to the round profile (which isn't the tire's fault, I'm using a 17mm rim).
Biggest weakness is in the hairpins with deep sand I think something with a more continuous center would track better. However if they had a continuous center I doubt they would be this predictable in other situations. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC mythos slicks for dirt and commuting on the SS, Nokian Gazzaloddi Dual 2.3's on my old FR (liked these but heavy and bad on hardpack), Panaracer Smoke-->my current rear tire for sand (like it but wish for higher volume), really didn't like the Fire XC. | | Bike Setup: | These are the 2.25" UST mibros, but I use them with tubes. I run them up front on my hardtail with a fairly narrow rim (Mavic xc317), this gives them a pretty round profile, and I run them at around 40 psi. | | Bottom Line: | A great tire to try if you think the tread matches your area/style.
These are actually really fast on pavement for a knobby. I find myself 2 gears from the top while riding to/from the trailhead on flat road and it feels easy. I wouldn't recommend them for rear tires because of their round knob profile, they are at home with a slightly higher PSI and would not get good enough contact on the rear for me. but for front tires I think I will stick with these (Might try the Rampage next but I bet these are faster rollers). I don't know why people have said these wear fast, perhaps its because mine are tubeless or because I only use them on the front: they seem to wear slower than average. I prefer something paddle-shaped on the rear because I go through loose sand, which explains why I am riding a Smoke. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Various central Victorian trails | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay! | | Strengths: | Light. Roll very well. Supple. Good climbing rip on the back. Square edge suits my riding and corners well. Predictable. Cheap. | | Weaknesses: | Not a chunky 2.1 by any means - small volume. Appear to be soft in the sidewalls - the price you pay for the light weight and suppleness. | | Similar Products Used: | Various Tioga, Maxxis, Panaracer, Michelin, Hutchinson, Syncros and other IRC XC tyres. | | Bike Setup: | Tomac Taos hardtail - 100mm Reba SL, X9, 28 hole Mavic 317 on DT hubs, truvative Stylo crank and BB, carbon post, easton bar / stem. XC bike, basically. | | Bottom Line: | I saw these on ebay and they were cheap, so I got 'em to try. Lots of mould whiskers - don't know if they are all like that. I've used other IRC rubber before (1.9 Notos) so knew they weren't going to be a Nevegal or Tioga sized 2.1. About the same size as the 2.1 High Rollers they replaced, or the 2.1 Fire XC. These have a very supple casing, appear to be a fairly soft rubber too - the tread pattern is not dissimilar to the Nevegal but have ramped centre tread. The front and rear are supposed to run opposite. I tried the rear both ways - the climbing knobs get torn a bit run in the "front" direction from braking, so I ran the rear in the recommended direction in the end. These pedal very nicely above mid speed - take little effort to keep them rolling. Like many full knobbies, they feel a little slower at low speed, but spin up quick on account of the light weight. I run mine as soft as I can - sidewall float / flex is evident at low pressures. They give a fairly compliant ride for a thinner tyre. Plenty of climbing traction in the loose, rocky and gravelly terrain I normally ride, and the square profile hooks up well in the corners without needing crazy lean angles to get the edging knobs over. I'd really like a 2.25 for the front, to add a bit more corner bite in the really loose stuff, but as they are the 2.1's aren't bad. Performance wise they are better in all respects than the 2.0 Spiders I ran a while back on the same bike, grip and corner as well as the High Rollers they just replaced, but roll better. These would suit a racer looking for a grippy but light and easy pedalling knobby, or trail riders not encountering huge rock gardens etc. Those who go huge or who are slammers best not apply, but they probably already know that anyway. IRC rubber isn't all that well appreciated IMO, but the ones I have used exceeded my expectations. Lost one hot chilli due to the low volume casing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a Cross Country Rider
from Mt. Hope, WV
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | all of them | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Came w/bike | | Strengths: | Super fast rolling! and well super fast rolling | | Weaknesses: | No grip in mud or any type of wet conditions. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC Trail Bear, Mythos | | Bike Setup: | ETSX 30 | | Bottom Line: | It is fast and great in DRY hardpack, but if you are looking for an all around tire I'd look somewhere else. I ride rocky, rooty & wet stuff and they just don't feel super solid. I really do enjoy them when the conditions are right. I really liked my Mythos & am concidering getting another pair or maybe the Nevegal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Torry
a Cross Country Rider
from Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Narly | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Sport Swap | | Strengths: | Light, easy rolling, good grip. | | Weaknesses: | Rear tire seems to be wearing quickly. | | Similar Products Used: | Maxxis Minion DH. | | Bike Setup: | 2006 Rocky Mountain Slayer 30, stock. | | Bottom Line: | Last month after tearing a sidewall on a thorn bush, I was looking forward to trying a different tire. I decided on the Mibro 2.35. Wow.. what a difference. The Mibro rolls MUCH faster than the Minion. I was surprised how the tire transformed the feel of the bike. Once I began to trust the Mibros a little, I couldn't help but push harder and harder through the turns. Two wheel drifts are now common and my average speed has increased considerably. The Mibros give warning as they start to let go unlike the Minions allowing me to corner like a scene from "Tokyo Drift". Just stick the front end and carve. Even when running wide in the turn and hitting the soft stuff I have yet to lose the front end. Traction on the climbs and under breaking have been excellent so far as well. I havn't ridden in wet conditions yet so I can't comment on that. These tires have seen some pretty rough stuff and so far so good. I don't think I'll be trying a different tire for a while... It doesn't surprise me that all the 2007 Slayer SXC are equiped with Mibros!
4 chilis on value only because the rear tire seems to be wearing on the quick side.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Benjamin
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary AB Canada
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | They're cheap if you have to buy them.. came stock on my bike. | | Weaknesses: | Where to start? They can't even grip concrete let alone dirt/sand/gravel. | | Similar Products Used: | Richey Speedmax (even those had better traction) | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Element 30 | | Bottom Line: | Horrible tire.. for 2.25 I'd expect decent performance. Eventually had to take the air pressure pretty low to get moderate grip on anything. Unimpressed to say the least. Can spin them out when accelerating on concrete. Lame. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JSatch
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | the one to the pool | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$19.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Fast, low rolling resistance, corners very well, high volume | | Weaknesses: | wears fast | | Similar Products Used: | lots | | Bike Setup: | Stumpy Pro FSR | | Bottom Line: | Very good tire that can be had for a song.
Nice tire in So Cal; hardpack, loose over hardpack, rocks. Don't know about wet/muddy conditions.
This tire is 'similar' to the highly regarded Kenda Nevegal (which is now my rear tire), except, the knobs are smaller and spaced further apart for a fast roll. The center knobs are very soft and stick, the outer a good size for cornering.
I run the tire at less than 30 psi and no problems yet. However, I don't jump.
As a rear (reverse direction from front, as recommended), it wears too fast and the soft, smallish knobs can spin out in the really loose dusty/sandy stuff we get here. The denser knobs of the Navegal (2.1) do a slightly better job. The larger Navegal would do even better, but I'm avoiding such slow rolling tractor tires. They're just no fun.
The 2.25 version has a nice high-volume feel, more so than the 2.1 Neve (seems more than just the small diff in volume).
I would recommend this as front specific, dry tire. Should last longer there too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eddie Jones
a Weekend Warrior
from Gardendale, AL
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Oak Mtn State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$39.00 | | Purchased At: | Online distributor | | Strengths: | Good volume, sticky compound | | Weaknesses: | none noted | | Similar Products Used: | Nevegal, High Roller and many other simialarly treaded tires | | Bike Setup: | Titus Motolite with all the good stuff | | Bottom Line: | These tires have the ramped center knobs and sticky outer lugs that allow them to roll fast and corner great. They are easy to put on and can work well at low pressures. I think that IRC and GEAX are two of the most under rated mountain bike tire manufacturers around. Give them a try. Be sure and get the 2.25 version. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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