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Specialized
01 Ground Control
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Submitted by
Brian Elmer
a Cross Country Rider
from Lexington, KY, USA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | -Pretty light for a cheap tire
-They wear down slowly, and last forever | | Weaknesses: | -Quite unpredictable
-No warning when sliding...one second you're gripping, the next you're down.
-No grip in mud at all. | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin Front S & XL S combo | | Bike Setup: | Specialized HardRock Comp w/ Duke XC, Avid disc in front | | Bottom Line: | When I bought my bike, these came on it, and I thought they weren't too bad. I used them for over a year on the HardRock, then donated them to a newly acquired '84 Mongoose, and bought a Michelin Front S/XL S combo to replace them.
I couldn't tell much of a difference at first, they seemed to be about equal. Recently, however, I put the Ground Controls back on the Mongoose (had slicks on it before) and went for a ride, and they were awful. I've become spoiled by the Michelins, which are so much more confidence inspring.
On the trail, I was slipping everywhere with the Ground Controls. It was pretty muddy, and had wet leaves, but the Michelins were much better when I went back a few days later (when it was even more muddy!). This is partially a result of the Ground Controls' rounded shape, with non-agressive smaller side lugs.
The Michelins are also more forgiving and predictable, they'll let you know when they're letting go so you can quickly save it. The Ground Controls, on the other hand, just lay you right down.
Bottom line, they're not the worst tires, but I'd spend some more money and buy more agressive and wider tires. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ethan Cohen
a Weekend Warrior
from Boston USA
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | Various | | Strengths: | Good performance in mud and icy conditions (for a cheap tire). Get a Nokian if you like ice. Very stable. Flat cross section gives lots of traction. Not many tires like it. | | Weaknesses: | The brakes always nick the damn sidewalls on the rim, and the tire dies of sidewall failure. This has happened to at least 5 of these ground controls, especially the 26x2.1s. (Less a problem with 1.9s). | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin, Ritchie, Maxxis etc.....22 yrs. worth. | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale M290 all modded out. | | Bottom Line: | Good tire design if they could just fix the sidewall fatigue problem. Even the Team Armadillo GC design dies the same way.
Otherwise a great tire design. Good for bad conditions, but never lasts. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hardrock
a Weekend Warrior
from FL, USA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | UBC | | Strengths: | Decent all around tire. Puncture resistant and fairly light. | | Weaknesses: | Poor traction in loose/loamy soils. Not enough TPI and too narrow (1.95"). | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson, Continental. | | Bike Setup: | Stock Specialized 2003 Hardrock CroMo. | | Bottom Line: | These tires came with the bike and I really can't grip too much about their overall performance, but they do lack the aggressive knobbies and traction I need for the sand where I ride. I'll be upgrading to the Specialized "Team Control Pro" tires very soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke Bramley
a Downhiller
from England
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | big grip
deep teeth-long life
kevlar inner for puncture protection | | Weaknesses: | zips a bit on road, but only at quite high speed | | Similar Products Used: | none really. only had generic tyres beofre, couldnt be arsed spending extra money when £8 would wrap my wheels in rubber =D | | Bottom Line: | the first "proper" tyres i have actually ever got, and that was only due to living in an area with a hell of a lot of thorn hedges being cut all year round, i suffered a lot with punctures.
i couldnt ever really justify buying proper bike tyres before this when i could get a set of tyres for about £8 that did the job ok, but now ill never go back, these tyres are more predictable, reliable, hard wearing, puncture resistant YAY!! | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Juan Ayarza
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | nashbar | | Strengths: | Price, predictability, grip, lightweight | | Weaknesses: | none noted so far | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin wild gripper, older ground control, Ritchey z-max | | Bike Setup: | Klein Mantra | | Bottom Line: | I had really good luck with the first generation of ground controls and decided to stick with them. I've only had them a short time, but so far am very pleased with them. They are light, and grippy, but very predictable which I demand from a front tire. I have been in some sandy covered hard pack in and out of ruts and the tire hooks very well and doesn't wash out. I haven't noticed any extra noise on the road that some of the others have noted. At 12 bucks, it's definitely worth giving your own test too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Arsonist101
a
from UT,US
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Its a tire | | Weaknesses: | Not as wide as i like
lotta hum on road
sinks into sand | | Bottom Line: | It's a cheap tire, nothing special about it. Whole lotta humming goin on when on the road, sinks into sand and doesn't float on sand. Don't know how it performs in mud but am guessing not that well. My beads are already starting to break off with only about a 100 miles on the tires.
I am not getting these again | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Heather Walton
a Weekend Warrior
from Chico, CA
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Upper Bidwell Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | the S-Store | | Strengths: | These tires are fantastic! They do equally well in dirt, gravel, mud, pavement and very rocky roads. The only tertain I have no tried them on is snow. Also they have Flax Jacket punture protection. I have never had a flat once! | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | I have tried just about all the Specialized tires before settling in on these. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Specialized Enduro Sport with these tires of course! | | Bottom Line: | Best all around tires. Fast on concrete and buzz very little. Excellent traction on gravel and dirt roads. Even in really thick gravel they have never slipped out on me. Could be the perfect tire, and you can not beat that price! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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