Submitted by
NZBJ1
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: February 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Klingon, Napier NZ
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Bike Shop
Strengths:
Rolls well, hooks up great on corners, zero puntures with them. they hold well & give good feel/control when drifting
Weaknesses:
Nothing to cry about
Similar Products Used:
To many to list
Bike Setup:
Cro-Mo Diamond Back Single Speed mid 1990's Vee braked. I run them at 35psi tubed (78kg rider)
Bottom Line:
I have found them to suit my S.S and riding style well, they hook up well on all surfaces when cornering hard. They roll fast and after 1 year of hard work they are hardly worn. Not to heavy & not to much side wall flex.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tmack
a Cross Country Rider
from ATL and SFO Date Reviewed: August 9, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Bull Mtn and Skeggs Point
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
race schwag
Strengths:
Very fast roller, feels like a road tire on hardpack. Floats over sand since its knobs are low (doesnt dig itself down). Dial the pressure in and it will win you races.
Weaknesses:
NOT a tire for loose over hardpack, the low knobs and light tread dont dig in so you slide on loose gravel. The sidewalls tend to wear fast, and threads cut easy from rocks.
Similar Products Used:
IRC Mythos, WTB Racing Raptor and VelociRaptor, various Kendas
Much faster than the Mythos, feel sturdier as well (less pinch flats too). Not as much traction, especially in the loose stuff, but floats over sand like no other tire Ive ridden. If you have too much pressure in these, they ride with no control, like riding on ice. Gotta tune in the pressure correctly and they corner fast. The sides seem to cut easy from rock hits. Very good for XC racing, not for general all-mtn riding (and labeled as such). 5 for value cause they can be had for cheap, 4 for overall since the sides could be made more durable and they could be lighter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Norfolk, NE Date Reviewed: June 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Maskenthine Lake
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Low Rolling Resistance, corners well.
Weaknesses:
Could be a little lighter
Similar Products Used:
Nevegals, Scorpions. Tons of others.
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS, Crossride wheels
Bottom Line:
Roll fast and corner well. Very sticky. More cornering confidence than the Scorpions, less weight than the Nevegals. Seems to brake well also. Haven't had them in mud yet.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will
a Racer
from Houghton, MI Date Reviewed: April 23, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Copper Harbor
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Ups, flats, downs, arounds. The soft rubber on the exception series really hooks up. The center tread will never wear out unless you skid everywhere.
Weaknesses:
Would be nice if they had a version that was a little tougher. Cornering knobs wear kinda fast if you do a lot of hard cornering.
Similar Products Used:
mmmm tires....too many to list
Bike Setup:
Possibly the world's largest steel downtube, and a Vanilla 130. All out xc otherwise.
Bottom Line:
This tire works really well on pavement, hardpack, and loose stuff. It is also better in mud than any non-dedicated mud tire I have ever ridden. A bit sketchy as a front tire on hard snow because of the wide center tread. For xc riding, there are few tires that roll faster, few tires that corner better (in any condition), and few tires that handle mud better. This is definitely the most versatile tire I've ever raced on.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise Date Reviewed: January 3, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$22.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
cornering and climbing bite
Weaknesses:
sidewalls, not a fast roller
Similar Products Used:
many
Bike Setup:
ibex trophy hardtail
Bottom Line:
bought this tire because the price was right and intended to use it with stans tubeless conversion problem is there were hundreds of micro leaks through the sidewall that would not seal I thought I would have no problem with this brand since I had no problem with their Minotaur tire....somewhat disappointing however I have found that trying to fing a compatable tire to work with stans no tubes is a challenge, this is certainly not Maxxis problem as this tire was not designed to be tubeless, IF you can find the right tire Stans is fantastic, Maxxis is a reccomended tire on the Stans internet site?.I am going back to my tried and true Hutchinson old style Python lites (not the N.G. type.)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scottnofriends
a Racer
from Sydney, Australia Date Reviewed: June 26, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Bike shop
Strengths:
Very fast, straight roller, good cornering on hard surfaces, climbs really well on dry, hard surfaces
Weaknesses:
Comedy of errors on loose or wet surfaces. Won't stop you down fast, rough descents (like train station stairs- be warned).
Similar Products Used:
Plenty of other tyres of various brands
Bike Setup:
Scott MC40
Bottom Line:
These tyres are really fast and directional, and crank in dry, hard conditions, but suck ass in wet or loose conditions (which is what the manufacturer says too). Great for and all-round tyre that will get you to work and still play hard
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Carl
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN USA Date Reviewed: February 1, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Ya Mama's Skid Marks
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
River Sports Outfitters
Strengths:
Fast roller. Good for hardpack.
Weaknesses:
Weak side knobs. Poor wet weather performance.
Similar Products Used:
High roller, ADvantage, conti vertical pro, richey zmax, panaracer fire
Bike Setup:
da bomb
Bottom Line:
This is a great tire for the racer in all of us. Great on hard pack and well worn trails. Also, good performance on asphalt and urban applications. I would actually recommend this tire for urban riding and/or racing. If you lower the psi to 30 you definitely get much better cornering performance, but these tires will slide out on hard corners and off camber trails. Crap on roots, good on rocks, crap on loose stuff.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Eden
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia Date Reviewed: December 22, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Kalamunda SHS
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
kalamunda cycles
Strengths:
Yet to find one. Will try on the back.
Weaknesses:
Slides all over the place cornering in our loose gravel conditions. Rubbish.
Similar Products Used:
Mimo. Tried Python, Roll X Pro, Panracer dart, enduros, bontragers, mobster, TT, Conti explorer.
Bike Setup:
SS GT outpost and KHS alite
Bottom Line:
Rubbish. The mimo is the bees and the ranchero does not work. lean it into a turn and you're gone. I took both tires out to test and nearly killed myself round the carpark on the ranchero. It is not a loose conditions tire. The mimo on the other hand out performed everything I've ever tried. The mimo cuts through loose stuff and corners on rails. I will be saving a fortune in brake pads now that I don't need to slow down in corners. Finally found the tire for WA.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from So.Cal Date Reviewed: September 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Epics
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
www.airbomb.com & www.aebike.com
Strengths:
Climbing and braking traction.
Weaknesses:
Tire wears quickly compared to standard 70a tires. Minor grip for the performance gain.
WTB Laserdisc Lite Wheelset with 15/17 Ritchey Spokes, 12mm Alloy Nipples, M960 XTR Cassette and Formula Pro Team Brakes.
Bottom Line:
I tried the eXCeption series Ranchero which uses the softer 62a rubber compound on the side knobs similar to Kenda's DTC (Dual Tread Compound).
I used these tires in So California trails.
Comparing these tires to my Ritchey Z.E.D. WCS Race 2.1's; The Ranchero's pedal slightly better and the braking is improved. The eXCeption 2.0 Ranchero's weigh 560 vs. Ritchey Z.E.D. WCS 535g. I think this is because of the Ranchero's center knob design and the Ritcheys have more aggressive tread pattern. The Ranchero's climb equal to my Z.E.D.s which is very good.
Hardpack trails the Ranchero's really excel but with a loose topcoat the Ritcheys have better corning traction. Both are very good on hardpack with a loose topcoat.
I checked the Ritchey section to leave review but they do not list the Z.E.D. WCS Race 2.1. MTB Action rated 30 tires and the Z.E.D.'s came in 3rd.
From all the tires I have tried for XC usage the Ranchero eXCeption and Z.E.D. WCS surprised me most. Once you dail in air pressure these tires rail So Cal trails. Both tires recommend higher psi ranges 45-65 but I run mine at 35 psi front and 40 psi rear. I weigh 180 lbs and never pinch flatted using Maxxis Ultralight tubes 125g. Try running at higher pressures and they roll great but corning or climbing is worthless.
To me these are 2 of the best So Cal XC tires out. I'm going to try the Kenda Nevegal 2.1 and Specialized Roll-X Pro next. Depending how they fare I just might opt for another pair of Ranchero eXCeptions or WCS Z.E.D.'s.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pross
a Cross Country Rider
from Kansas City Date Reviewed: September 11, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Beyond Bikes
Strengths:
Super Fast, Oversize Casing
Weaknesses:
Wet performance over roots, rocks, heavier than advertised
Similar Products Used:
Hutchinson Python Air lites, Python Light UST, Alligator Gold, Bontrager Revolt Super X, Panaracer Fire XC Pro, WTB Nanoraptor, Velociraptor
Bike Setup:
Two Wheels, Gears, FS XC
Bottom Line:
I used the 70 durometer w/ orange stripe, and used it tubeless as a rear tire although its not really UST. Faster, and larger casing than a Python Air lite or Lite UST, however the rubber compound is harder, more like a Bonti Revolt Super X. So it lasts longer but doesn't feel as cushy soft even though the casing is larger, and doesn't perform as well over wet roots and rocks. This is an excellent dry conditions XC/enduro race tire. Weight Weenies beware, its actually 650g, but the Python Air lite is actually 520g so you can't believe manufacturers' claimed weights. I'm giving it 4 flamin' turds just because it suffers in the wet. I'm sure the 62 rubber is better for wet conditions, but will wear much quicker.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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