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Submitted by
FishMan
a Cross Country Rider
from Champaign, IL
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything in Sedona, AZ | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | low rolling resistance, solid cornering | | Weaknesses: | obviously, they are intended for XC racing, and only work well for that | | Similar Products Used: | Continental semi slicks, Mythos, and other tires ad infinatum | | Bike Setup: | Salsa, XTR, King hubs/headset | | Bottom Line: | First of all, seems like many other reviewers were using these tires out of context. If you want to commute, get full slicks with the nice round profile (I like my town and country). If you're in the mud, get something narrow and knobbie. If you're just riding, get something more agressives.
Now, if you're racing and the trail isn't a swamp or really rocky and loose, these tires are excelent. They corner very well for a semi slick, almost as well as my Tioga Factory DH/WTB Weirwolf tires, and infact, better on leaf covered trails. And of course they roll faster. But really, being able to carry speed through the corners is how races are won here in the midwest, and these tires do it pretty well. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin Martin
a Cross Country Rider
from Onatrio, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | Mountain Equipmenat Co-op ($26 CDN) | | Strengths: | This tire is fast! light! and strong! | | Weaknesses: | This tire may be too sexy for your bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Continental Town & Country, Panaracher Smoke & Dart Classic etc. | | Bottom Line: | I commute every morning on a teck that takes me through pavement, gravel, and dirt, and let me tell you, these tires do it all. I have been looking for the perfect tires for commuting but can be for hard-core XC as well and when I found the SS and SK my search was over. These tires are great in the gravel, road and dirt, and they are increadibly fast, almost as fast as some other semi-slicks I have tried. I use these tires for XC races and well, hell, I use them for almost everything, except mud. They are not meant for thick mud. Other than that, they are impressivly durable, quite light, look good (<- they have a red side wall)and they are affordable (if you buy them at MEC). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Limerick, Ireland
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Galtee mountains - Muskry lake trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$24.00 | | Purchased At: | evanscycles.com | | Strengths: | Super fast, light | | Weaknesses: | Mud | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000, Duke XC fork | | Bottom Line: | Really fast on hardpack, dry dirt, on the road. Over wet logs or uphill on mud you get wheelspin. They corner better than expected once you lean enough for the side lugs to bite. No need to change tyres for commuting. Pump 'em up to 50 psi and you'll fly.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
karl emmerich
a Racer
from sterling hts mi usa
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | fast signletrack | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shop | | Strengths: | fast and light | | Weaknesses: | better on the road than the trail | | Similar Products Used: | specialized mt baldy | | Bike Setup: | FSR, Manitou, Race Face, Rolf | | Bottom Line: | Get tire for fire roads and road riding. It seemed to me that the ss was not a great handling tire. I had one too many wash outs with this tire compared to other slicks. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug
a Cross Country Rider
from Tacoma, WA USA
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Stuff at Victor Falls | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Fast! Light weight. Seem to be pinch-flat resistant. | | Weaknesses: | They need to be inflated to a pretty high pressure to roll on the smooth (fast) part of the tire. Maybe not the most durable tire in the world. | | Similar Products Used: | Ritchey Speed Max (just replaced the Mach's with them) Tioga Psycho, Panaracer Fire XC | | Bike Setup: | GT Ricochet with 99 long travel Judy XC, 00 LX hubs and brakes, 00 XT cranks, derailers, shifters, brake levers. Easton EA50 riser bar and seatpost. Sun Rhyno Lite rims (the best rims avialable for heavier guys and folks that ride hard). | | Bottom Line: | I ran these tires for 2 years as my city tires. I rode them off road on real singletrack once, and they seemed to work ok- not nearly as well as Fire XC's though. I wouldn't reccomend them for serious off-road riding unless you want to be very careful, or are a racer. They rule for tearing around in the city since they are fast and I never got a pinch flat with them (even though I am 200 lbs and hit curbs regularly). Today I seem to have blown a hole in the sidewall resulting in a flat and a long walk home :( The hole appeared after only a 2 foot drop so the tires must have been worn out. The tread was still in pretty good shape though. I think I got them pretty cheap and would have got them again if my LBS still carried them. I had to get Ritchey Speedmax K's. I hope they work as well as the Mach SS's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Karl
a
from Canada, Ontario
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Very fast on dry land, very low resistance, good braking, very strong, no flats so far. Very fast on Pavement. They grip well on hard pack, use these for dry weather. | | Weaknesses: | Very bad on wet weather. Do not use on Gravel whatever you do. Intend to wear out faster then usual tires. Semi-slicks are not for wet weather anyways. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper Comp (98) | | Bottom Line: | These are awesome for dry land. If you are going in a XC race, and the weather is dry, use these. These are super fast, light weight and grip well uphill and downhill. But be VERY careful on gravel. My front tire slipped doing a very very small turn and almost wiped out. These are good tires. I wasn't dissapointed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
B H
a Weekend Warrior
from Indiana
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | Low rolling resistance, seems to wear pretty well | | Weaknesses: | Front is super sketch on corners. Do NOT make a hard turn on wet pavement with these things! | | Bike Setup: | XT/LX Z2 BAM, XTR/517 wheels | | Bottom Line: | Okay these are pretty lightweight and offer low rolling resistance. However, a word to the wise, DO NOT TURN HARD ON WET PAVEMENT OR YOU WILL WIPEOUT! It never fails me that when I forget this and take a turn too fast on a rainy day I totally wash out and end up with road rash all along the side of my body. I've wiped out about 4 times this way and luckily never been seriously injured but have the scars to prove it. I think that running the SS on the rear and a knobby for better cornering traction on the front would be a better combo than two SS's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SailorU
a
from Edmonton
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | For riding on pavement, I hate rolling resistance, and the SS are very good on the rear. Since I am a hotdog rider, I found the SS on trails with exposed roots and loose dirt to slip alot. Maybe it is just me. Where I found these tires to work really well is in the snow covered streets. Whether hard packed snow, slush, loose snow, even dirty ice, the SS on the rear grips really well. Snow in Edmonton lasts for about 4-5 months and I have found that the SS works better than knobbies sush as Specialized team controls, Tioga hound dwags, and Ritchy team force on the rear in the snow. The knobbies bit into the snow and break traction when pedaling hard through the snow but the SS tread is like a file and just pushes aside the loose snow and grips the hard stuff. I guess the contact patch is continuous so traction does not break.
anyway, these are really good rear snow tires for the streets. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat Mc Nulty
a Cross Country Rider
from Glen Ellyn, IL USA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Waterfall Glen, Darien, IL | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Low rolling resistance. | | Weaknesses: | Quick tread wear. Skittish on Northern Illinois hardpack. Almost no control in front when muddy. | | Similar Products Used: | Maxxi worm drive | | Bike Setup: | Trek 930 SHX with Judy XC with Clydesdale category rider (riding weight about 210). | | Bottom Line: | Great if going straight. Scary on moderate to tight turns. Poor control during muddy season. Used Mach SK on rear. Really preferred Panaracer Fire XC....... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SGT ROCK
a Racer
from Drumheller, AB
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Price
Low rolling resistance
Corner well | | Weaknesses: | Weak sidewalls | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager SS | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX 890 | | Bottom Line: | Ran this tire with a Mach SK in the rear. This tire corners much better than you'd expect, although it's sketchy on off camber stuff and hard braking. Durability wasn't there - this tire showed the same sidewall abrasions that did in the SK (see review). I have a pair of Bontrager SS's that I've been riding occasionally for two years, even used them for the '99 Leadville 100, and they still look like new, so it ain't my riding. Can't recommend this tire at all. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Dea
a Racer
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Milstream | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | they roll super fast. corner well. brake well. they're a realy good dependable tread for a semi slick | | Weaknesses: | mud | | Similar Products Used: | michelin sprints | | Bike Setup: | 99 Specialized M2-Pro with all race-face components. mach ss on the front and michelin sprint on the rear | | Bottom Line: | you have to be a good agile rider to use slicks. you can't push them into corners you can't hammer furriously and you can't open them up on downhills. but if you keep that in mind and watch the way you weight yourself on the bike when your riding you shouldn't have any problems. with that in mind these tires are super fast corner realy good and brake good too. I use it on the front and it lacks hardcore on fast loose windy descents. still that's not what it's meant for. the price is realy fair too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Granada Hills
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | VERY fast and durable | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Similar Products Used: | Velococraptors (Cr@p tire!!!) | | Bike Setup: | Ti HT | | Bottom Line: | Excellent tire for hardpack. I have about 700 miles on this tire (front only) with just a little wear.
I use this tire for all around riding. Everything from high speed street use to maniac single track downhill stuff. Almost all hard pack though.
People that say they have problems with this tire "washing out" obviosly don't know how to ride! Yes, a big knobby will help if you don't have good bike handling skills.... but if you know HOW to ride use the tire that will bring out the best!
JohnG
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Ithaca, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Fast!
| | Weaknesses: | Loose dirt and mud. | | Similar Products Used: | no other semi-slicks yet. | | Bike Setup: | Gt Aggressor. LX. | | Bottom Line: | These tires are really fast. They hook up well after a light rain when the hard pack is 'sticky'. Pinch flat resistant! I am going to buy another pair of these for my '00 Klein. Get a more aggressive tread for any loose dirt or wet conditions because these babies pack up real fast. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Massachusetts
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Rolls good,lite. | | Weaknesses: | Don't use these in mud or loose stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | Velociraptors, hutchenson pro | | Bike Setup: | Nuke Proof Stealth with lx and xt, sun rhino lite with wtb hubs, z-5 flylite 00'. | | Bottom Line: | If you ride on hard packed surfaces these tires will do fine. Don't try these in mud, they're horrible. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin
a Racer
from Aurora, CO
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Fast
They have an alligator type look
Light
Front and Rear specific | | Weaknesses: | Don't ride these off road
They need to be pumped up to ~55psi | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized, Bontrager, Michelen, etc | | Bike Setup: | Which bike? | | Bottom Line: | I loved these tires on the road, they definitely made me go faster. I have had two horrible crashes because of the stupid front tire. That tire refuses to hook up in loose stuff when you need to turn tight. Not to mention they are too narrow for hooking up. I am still scabbed up 4 months after my last crash with these ***holes. I get them cheap but it is not worth taking them offroad | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Lorenz
a Cross-Country Rider
from all over the world
Date Reviewed: December 11, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Seoul, Korea's many | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
It is great front and back on the street (ugh), mud, sand, dirt and rock. | | Weaknesses: |
Steep loose hard pack climbs. | | Similar Products Used: |
Bontrager. | | Bike Setup: |
Hardtail Ti w/Rock Shox w/ England cartidges. | | Bottom Line: | I've completed several long tours which included thousands of km on the street pulling a trailer mix with every kind of trail riding and racing there is. I did have a problem with the lugs peeling off exposing tread, but the guys at Panaracer sent me new ones (an inconvience, but since getting the newer ones, I have not had this problem.) These tires are great. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jaromir
a Racer
from Prague, Czech Republic
Date Reviewed: November 13, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
great | | Weaknesses: |
mud | | Similar Products Used: |
many | | Bike Setup: |
Mongoose IBOC XT'99 with Marzocchi Bomber Z3 light '99 | | Bottom Line: | great, great, great!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fervor
a Cross-Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: November 4, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Wathen in Horestooth Park | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Fast on pavement and hardpack. Versatile, and corner well in the dirt. | | Weaknesses: |
Durability and construction. | | Similar Products Used: |
These are the only semi-slicks I've used. | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Fervor hardtail, xt components with Bomber Z2. | | Bottom Line: | I have raced and ridden on these tires and I feel that they handle great and work in many conditions better than I thought they would. I have had the same problems as some others though that the side lugs would just fall off and leave the threads exposed. The other problem I have had is that the ASB strip came unglued and would hit my brake pads. Overall, these are great handling tires but Panracer needs to get their quality up to the same level as the european imports. 3 flamers because they are still a good value for a good handling semi-slick. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike T.
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: November 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
All of them | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Durability, speed. | | Weaknesses: |
None yet. | | Similar Products Used: |
Too many tires to remember | | Bike Setup: |
Seven Sola, Rond-Magura fork, Magura Louise disc brakes, SRAM shifting system. | | Bottom Line: | I've had these tires on all season and they are superb. I use them for all round riding - lots of my rides have trail, track, paved and dirt/gravel roads all on the same ride and they are the perfect tire for this - fast on the asphalt and great in the dirt. Sure I don't get perfect traction in extreme situation - uphill on wet dirt - but I don't expect to. They are great for 99% of my riding.They corner well in the dirt and they are fast on the roads - two extremes.I have not experienced the problems that others around here have mentioned and I've probably got a couple of thousand miles on them.They show no wear whatsoever. Get a pair and fit them front and rear. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Josh
a Weekend Warrior
from ny
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
cornering | | Weaknesses: |
tires knobs breaks away into pieces, showing fibres within after a few rides off-road | | Bike Setup: |
on front rigid fork | | Bottom Line: | A tire should definitely more than 3 months, without knobs coming off and internal fibres showing, which makes it unreliable in performance and safety | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
speed
a Racer
from ny
Date Reviewed: September 24, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Bottom Line: | you have to be experienced to ride slicks...
ride these tires in hardpack ONLY..race on em and u will win like me. super high quality. will not wash out in front. I ran the fron in the rear and a knobby tire 2.1 up front,,,what a wild combo!! run em normally if u like to win races..put em away when it rains and when out o bounds riding | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida
Date Reviewed: September 21, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Weaknesses: |
Not sure why others are raving. After 2 mths, the side strip peels off, inner fibres starts to show. In the 3rd mth, the knobs tears apart. | | Bottom Line: | Don't believe everything on the product description. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Flyin Al
a Cross-Country Rider
from Austin, Tx
Date Reviewed: September 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Toys-R-Us in Austin | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Work well if you setup your bike the right way. The best compromise between a fat knobby and these fancy slick tires that cose $30 | | Weaknesses: |
1.9 width. Would prefer 2.1 or 2.2 | | Similar Products Used: |
All Panaracer products, Tioga, Velociraptor, GEAX, Specialized | | Bike Setup: |
K2 3000 and Trek 6500 | | Bottom Line: | The secret with the Mach SS is NOT to put it on the front rim.
Put the SS on the rear and give it a good dose of tire pressure. It will corner better as a rear tire with a ton of pressure.
Put the Mach SK in the front and I bet you will find that this tire combo will amaze you.
I tried the tire on the front originally and it was useless in the loose stuff, the wet, and would not brake as well as a full knob.
After putting the SS on the rear with like 50PSI and a SK on the front, the bike(s) are like night and day.They seem to last longer than some of the fat knobby tires I have tried! Have not worn out a pair yet?Hook 'em up backwards and you get a 5-chili rated tire combo.
Hook 'em up as most people do, and you get a 2-chili rated tire combo.DO NOT RUN SS in pairs. Run the SS (rear) and the SK (front) for the best results. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kristo
a Weekend Warrior
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: September 14, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Waals Brabant | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
? nothing special | | Weaknesses: |
Too soft
Slips away in corners! | | Similar Products Used: |
Michelin Wildgripper Comp s and Sprints (these are superb!), Vredestein(bad), IRC (heavy),Tioga (too soft in corners),Ritchey Z-Max (very comfy,too heavy, very strong, to slow, cheap! best price-quality) | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Super V | | Bottom Line: | Simply tooooo soft in the corners, slips away.
Michelin Wildgripers are the best, very light, hard, fast, much grip (the Sprints also!) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross-Country Rider
from CAnon City, Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Monarch Crest | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Low rolling resistence, very pinch flat resistent. | | Weaknesses: |
TERRIBLE in loose rocky surfaces. In these conditions make sure yor insurance is paid up and your helmet is tight. | | Similar Products Used: |
Conti Dual Fighters | | Bike Setup: |
GT Ricochet Rockshox Jett (nice bike, not so nice fork). | | Bottom Line: | For hard packed grippy conditions this is a fairly fast tire. I like the Contis better in these conditions but they are close. The anti-snakebite sidewalls, however, are incredible. I was recently riding on a loose gravely trail and was not getting good traction so I let a lot of air out. I went too far on the back tire so I was going to pump it up some. I had left my pump at the car. I had probably 20 pounds of air in the rear tire and 17 miles of roots and rocks to go. I gave myself about no chance in hell of making it without a pinch flat. To my surprise I finished flatless. Because of that I think for loose conditions I'll try the Fire XCs. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mr_rangr
a Cross-Country Rider
from Pasadena, CA
Date Reviewed: July 30, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
El Prieto | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Grip and roll great on hardpack | | Weaknesses: |
Wash out in sand. | | Similar Products Used: |
Full knobbies | | Bike Setup: |
Airborne Lucky Strike w/Manitou SX. | | Bottom Line: | I ride this bike most, which means commuting to work, and all but the roughest of MTBing. The tires grip surprisingly well on most surfaces, but sand is a real problem for them. But, hey, they're semi-slicks. That's to be expected. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MikeD
a Racer
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: July 4, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Milstream | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
super fast, corner well, light and awesome at preventing flats, and they ever brake well considering they're a semi slick. | | Weaknesses: |
not many,
braking in muddy greasy conditions, slippery mossy wet trails. but then nothing works well in those conditions | | Similar Products Used: |
Irc mythos slicks, Michelin wildgripper sprints, raptors, and specialized dirt master and control team, panaracer Fire XC Pros | | Bike Setup: |
99 Specialized M2-Pro with Panaracer Mach ss on the front and Michelin Wildgripper Sprint on the rear, race face low rise riser bar, with a syncros stem and race face lp crankset. | | Bottom Line: | this tire is the best thing you could do to your bike for hardpack riding or racing it grips super well and cornres awesome, and the wilgripper on the rear is a great compliment to the front, I would recomend those tires to any racer or speed demond. Another great tire is the Panaracer Fire XC Pro which I run on loose days or wet and on technical rides. Living in Calgary I have almost all different kinds of riding within half and hour of my house and these four tires are the only ones I run and the only ones I ever will run. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from Missouri
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
On the street | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Fantastic lightweight tire for streets, double track trails, etc. | | Weaknesses: |
None for what it is designed for. | | Similar Products Used: |
Performance slicks. | | Bike Setup: |
Commuter and street MTB: GT Talera highly modified. | | Bottom Line: | Great tire for what it is designed for; lightweight, long-lasting and accelerates real quickly. No problems for over a year. Would not run these on my Trek 8900 or any other bike used for off-road riding, but for commuting and street riding these tires really rock. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from houston, tx
Date Reviewed: May 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
city park. austin, tx | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
affordable (wire bead), fastest FEELING tires out there, CARVABILITY! LONG lasting, fresh breathe for hours! | | Weaknesses: |
they grab the mud too! a bit flighty on dusty, off-camber hard-pack. that rubbery aftertaste! | | Similar Products Used: |
veloci-GARBAGE, dual-fighters, standard-issue crap. | | Bike Setup: |
schwinn homegrown dualie, judy SL w/ upgrades, full xt, misc. lightweight, pricey shit. | | Bottom Line: | here's the deal. after stepping up to a somewhat stiffer judy SL (had an indy paperweight!), i began DUMPING my front end in the soft bayou soil along my fave houston trail. i wanted to shed some weight off of my ride, and a racer pal suggested i try these tires. SS in the front and an SK bringing up the rear. he told me they would make the bike FEEL lighter, STEER quicker, and overall be an AFFORDABLE form of instant-gratification through frivilous expendature. that's the JUICE! if you are new to the sport and find yourself striken with the upgrade jones, these tired will be the BEST 50 bucks you'll EVER spend. they do wonders for your skills, encouraging you to SLAM your steed into turns faster than ever. they are more LEAN-ANGLE in a box! the aggro style may be intimidating to less experienced riders, but once you take that plunge and shove the front end down in there like a DEMON, consider your game ELEVATED! smaller riders like myself need all the corner speed we can get to keep up with our fast, strong partners, and these donuts will help the cause. i do find them a wee bit sketchy on the rocky hardpack in the austin area, but whenever i feel the front getting loose, i just throw the thing in harder to let those sides knobs work their magic. they DO tend to destroy the trail on long, wet climbs, and it's best to hose them off after a muddy ride. if your riding is done in the woods on thick, loamy soil, then these bad boys are the ONLY name in tires! being the first one out on the local trail the day after a rainstorm has me in EXTASY as i cut up the packed down soil endlessly. EXTRA BONUS: virtually NO WEAR after 1 year of HAEVY riding (3 times weekly).do yourself a favor: walk, run, or ride into your shop get these tires. sometimes, new riders must go BUY some skills in the form of suspension and all kinds of shit. the MACH line is the most bang for the BUCK! you'll be laughing MANIACLY for months on end. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian C
a Cross-Country Rider
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: May 18, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
- Low rolling resistance, very speedy on and off-road
- Grippy side knobs
- Wears well (i.e. long lasting--after 6 months, there hardly any noticeable wear at all) | | Weaknesses: |
- Your off-road turning/leaning technique will most likely have to change to use these
- Forget riding in mud, it's a semi-slick for crying out loud. | | Similar Products Used: |
This is my first semi-slick | | Bike Setup: |
Schwinn Moab Aluminum frame, '98 Bomber Z2 fork, with a set of Dave's speed dreams wheels | | Bottom Line: | I enjoyed this tire on the front as my first exposure to a semi-slick. It was scary fast at first, but great fun once I got used to it. I also had to really adjust my leaning and turning technique to compensate for the lack of center knobs. I had to learn to really lay the bike over and lean very aggressively into turns to get the side knobs to bite and hold. Once I got used to this, though, they worked wonderfully, and my riding technique is probably better now because of it.I also had the SK on the rear, but didn't care for it as much. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MikeD
a Cross-Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
milstream | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
these thngs are so smooth and super fast tires. I recomend them to anyone they are a great tire. they corner well and they still brake, which is more than I can say about my double fighters. They are a great tire. I only run 2 mach ss because I've heard the mach sk sucks, so go with the two mach ss and run them in the smae direction it works better. | | Weaknesses: |
Haven't realy found many other than they do do shit in buddy stuff and extremely technical trails I'd run a knobby on the front but other than that they work great. | | Similar Products Used: |
Continental double fighters, specialized dirt baldy's. | | Bike Setup: |
98 Rocky Mountain Hammer Race, with 98' Z-2 Bam. | | Bottom Line: | these are the best semi slick tires I've tried yet, sure they might not be the fastest on the flats butt hey offer the best grip and they corner better than any of the other slicks I've tried. Good tires I'd recomend just running 2 mach ss tires running in the same direction and you'll be fine for almost any kind of conditions. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a racer
from Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: February 5, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I rode these one time - before I even got to the trail head, knobs were flying off everywhere - ever wonder why everyone is discounting them? It's because the suck! Try the Onza Butch's or The Bontrager Revolts if you want your rubber to last. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a racer
from San Jose
Date Reviewed: November 29, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These are the first semi-slicks I've ever used and they are great! They definitely made the bike faster. I use them primarily for racing and have won on them. They roll way smoother than the Velociraptors I normally run and corner almost as well as long as you get that bike leaned over (as you should with full tread tires also). They also climb and brake amazingly well. Also less expensive than most of the competition -- can't beat that! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stuart
a racer
from Christchurch, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: September 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Not the fastest semi slick out there, but good traction and one of the best value. Not so hot in mud. Works well on the back, not so well on the front (but still better than most). ASB must be working 'cos I've yet to pinch flat it yet (tho I've only had 2 pinch flats ever). I'd reccomend it for a first time semi slick user. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Manuel
a racer
from Ambridge, PENNSYLVANIA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I cannot believe these tires. Mach SS fr and rr just increased my speed severely . I wish I would have bought these tires earlier this summer. I compared the Bontragers, Michelins and Geax reverts. This was by far the best upgrade on my bike. I will take them off when it gets really muddy. But for now I'll be in front of YOU!!!!!!!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jared Sokalofsky
a racer
from Canada
Date Reviewed: August 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I only have a mach ss but I love it I run it on the back and it was the most noticeable bike upgrade I've bought since Clipless pedals. I am a racer and it is the most perfect thing that I have bought this year. Its fast very cushy and comfortable and it totally rips its is so fast. I had it on the front but I think the IRC Mythos was better suited for the front, but the Mach ss is way better then my mythos, conti, and raptor for racing. And even for trail riding it is sitll a wicked choice for any fast riders. It brakes and corners very well and it tracks very well while seated on climbs. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
853
a racer
from Maple Ridge B.C.
Date Reviewed: July 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
this tire is great on the rear but on the front it is horrible.
it is a very fast tire and I credit most of my podium finishes to it.
Its good in the corners on the rear and again, very fast, hooks up fine in dirt and acctually worked great in some mud. If your a racer and want a tire for hardpack and you know how to push tires go with this on the rear. it works great with any knobby on the front i like running a Mythos or a Fire XC pro up front. Its also pretty good with a Specialized Team Control. Go with Kevlar too for the extra weight savings because a light wheel is faster. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a cross-country rider
from Marin, CA
Date Reviewed: June 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The SS on the front breaks loose on dirt and loose rock in a totally unpredictable way. Unfortunately, they also last a long time. The SK on both front and back, on the other hand,is a great tire. It unfortunately is not durable, (the knobs break off) but it is light, rides on the pavement easily, and has not bad traction for climbing. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a cross-country rider
from DC area
Date Reviewed: June 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Panaracer Mach SS and SKThese tires have done a great job in a few different conditions. From hard packed dirt to loose gravel these tires have done wonderful job. Looking at the tread pattern you can tell they are not designed for muddy conditions. For these tires the icing on the cake has to be that i own the wire beaded version and they ride as nicely as many of the Kevlar tires i've ridden in the past. My overall rating is a five given the price to performance ratio | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat
a downhiller
from Walnut Creek Calif.
Date Reviewed: May 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The mach ss is a really good tire. It handles very good in corners and has pretty good speed but not quit as fast as the michline sprint and it packs up abit in mud. Over all it is a good early season tire but i would not use it once the ground starts to loosen up. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Willy
a weekend warrior
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: May 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Absolutley love them. I use them mostily on gravel and hardpack dirt trails. I've lost some traction (on hills), but the speed is well worth it. I even use them on paved trails a little. They are much better than knobbies for the type of riding I do. 5 peppers from me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Winston
a cross-country rider
from Pennsylvania
Date Reviewed: March 31, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The SS and it's partner the SK kick ass! Just finished a bike tour
of New Zealand and these tires thoroughly amazed me. They work
better than any semi-slick has a right to. Quick. Holds their own
on most any surface (except on really loose stuff) as long as you
keep your stroke smooth. In 1200 miles around NZ on singletrack,
gravel roads, and tarseal, had not one complaint. These tires
work as advertised... absolutely amazing | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gearboy (Brad)
a cross-country rider
from Hammond la
Date Reviewed: March 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well panaracer has done it again. A great new tire and probably my favorite of the semi slick tire field of treads. The Mach SS tires have the best traction out of the semi slicks I have tried. I have tried (Continental Double fighters,Specialized Dirt Baldies,Wildgripper sprints, and ritchey speedmax). The side knobs grab when turning at higher speeds and give me a little more confidance than the above mentioned tires. The obvious advantage to these tires are low rolling resistance and that equals speed. They also are all black and very stealthy looking. I hate gumwall or colored sidewalls on mountain bike tires. They look good only for about one ride. Solid black tires are the way to go for sure. Get them if you like going fast and have good bike handling skills. Price is excellent for quality to boot.Give them a five. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carl
a racer
from Lusby, MD
Date Reviewed: February 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Have been riding the SS on the front and rear for a couple months now and in both hard-dry and soft-muddy conditions. Allowing for the increased side-slip that a semislick front will give you in the muck, it tracks very well. As a rear tire I have no complaints either...looking at the crap I was climbing on when I had to step off I'd have to say that knobbies wouldn't have gotten me any further up the hill either.On the road and on dry stuff they are fantastic. Full five peppers. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kelvin
a cross-country rider
from P.Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: February 18, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I think this is one of the better front slick tires out there. Low rolling resistance coming from the middle of the tire and superior knobby grip coming from the sides. Works on all terrain but best on hardpack. Haven't tried in on the back yet but I think it'll be more terrain specific if it is placed at the rear.
Guess panaracer has created another winner.
See my review about the Sks | | Overall Rating: |
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