Submitted by
Victor
a Cross Country Rider
from Coatesville, Pa
Date Reviewed: 1/4/2008 11:56:07 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$35 |
| Purchased At: |
Bean's Bikes (good shop) |
| Strengths: |
Grip, weight, price. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Kenda Nevegals |
| Bike Setup: |
Seven Verve, rigid, singlespeed |
| Bottom Line: |
I wanted something that wasn't too bulky, but still offered some traction. I ride typica PA singletrack--rocks, boulders, volkswagons. Add some tight turns and a network of roots, throw in some hills, and you have most of our trails described. The tires performed surprisingly well on the rocks--gripped well, haven't pinch flatted yet, and the rolling resistance isn't a hindrance. They climb very well, and corner excellent.
They are my current tire of choice. |
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Submitted by
Kevin Rants
a Cross Country Rider
from Montgomery, AL
Date Reviewed: 12/17/2007 3:27:29 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Kessels Run |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$32 |
| Purchased At: |
Pricepoint |
| Strengths: |
good construction, great all around design, tracks well in rooty/loose corners, decent rolling |
| Weaknesses: |
little low on volume, not bad but not as voluminous as a Geax Saguaro or WW 2.55 LT. Not the best in tacky mud. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Crossmark, Saguaro, WW 2.55LT, Racing Ralph |
| Bike Setup: |
Astrix Rook, Stans Flows, Hope hubs, XTR rear mech, Thomson bits, PG990 cassette, H-bar |
| Bottom Line: |
Great all around tire. I had no handling complaints running this up front in Alabama. Tread wear was good, tire fit tight on the Flow rims, sealed up easily for a tubeless conversion and was durable. Rolling resistance was higher than the Crossmark on pavement/hardpack sections but that was to be expected by the open tread design. Definitely will recommend this tire and purchase it again in the future. |
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Submitted by
Russell
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna, El Moro USA
Date Reviewed: 7/22/2007 6:39:50 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Laguna Hills |
| Duration Product Used: |
6 months |
| Price Paid: |
$35 |
| Purchased At: |
The PATH |
| Strengths: |
Light weight! I've weighed 3 different carcass. ALL surprising were within +/-1gms. They weight in at 575. |
| Weaknesses: |
None that I've experienced. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Small block 9 and Panaracer Rampage |
| Bike Setup: |
SIR9, Bontrager Race Lite, Ignitors, 26 tubes, Reba Race, 1x9, SRAM x9 shifter, Sram X 0 der. Comes in at 25.5 lbs. |
| Bottom Line: |
I'm very happy with these tires, good value for the $$$. Fast rolling and good traction. I also put in light weight 26" tubes with these tires and the rolling resistance was a dramatic improvement over the Rampages. The only other tire I would consider is the Kenda Karmas. |
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Submitted by
DirtRoadie
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango CO
Date Reviewed: 5/9/2007 9:30:43 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Kennebaec Pass or White Rim |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$30 |
| Purchased At: |
ebay |
| Strengths: |
Seems to do everthing well. |
| Weaknesses: |
Have not identified any yet |
| Bike Setup: |
Dos Niner |
| Bottom Line: |
These were the first 29er tires I tried and I think they will be hard to improve on, though I'm still looking. Even at retail they ar one of the less expensive folding 29er tires available. They are light (560-594g), have decent volume (48 mm casing on a 20 mm rim), seem to roll well (VERY well) and have provided Velcro-like climbing traction. They are lighter (by over 200g!) than Kenda Karma 2.2's but are are very close to the same size. They are a little lighter than the Kenda Small Block 8 2.1's but are noticeably fatter (48 v 46 mm). I'm in the mostly dry Southwest so I have not tested these in mud. I'm a road rider and mostly cross country "type" rider - little or no racing. I keep the bike on the ground, ride around obstacles, and want the wheels to ROLL to get me where I'm going. For me, (for now) the Ignitor is the standard to beat. |
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Submitted by
Charlie Meienberg
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: 5/9/2007 3:59:55 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Bluff Creek Ranch |
| Duration Product Used: |
6 months |
| Price Paid: |
$27 |
| Purchased At: |
Bike Tires Direct |
| Strengths: |
Grip, puncture protection, grip, look great, grip, wear well, and did I mention grip? |
| Weaknesses: |
Nada, zip, zilch. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Bontrager |
| Bike Setup: |
Cobia 29er, (on second frame) and upgrade everything else. |
| Bottom Line: |
This is a update to previous review. I've been riding these for a while now and I just love these tires. No flats at all and I've been running them around 28 to 30 pounds. I weigh 180 and ride over a lot of nasty roots and rocks. No pinch flats, even with using a normal tube. Since the first review I've had plenty of mud experience. They grip well even when packed with mud. They clear pretty well and I have to say even running at such a low pressure they roll really easily. I'm upgrading the review to 5 out of 5 chilis. These are simply great tires. |
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Submitted by
Raymo853
a Cross Country Rider
from State College, PA,, USA
Date Reviewed: 5/7/2007 4:59:06 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Pig Pile |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$30 |
| Purchased At: |
LBS: Mt Nittany Wheelworks |
| Strengths: |
• Traction
• Durable
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| Weaknesses: |
• A little heavy |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Bonti Jones, various WTB, Mythos |
| Bike Setup: |
IF 29er geared and Gary Fisher Rig |
| Bottom Line: |
My current favorite tire, however, I am looking for something better. Is a great tire for general riding, offers great traction, good strength versus flats & pinches and wears well. I desire somthing with lower rolling resistance and lower weight, but then again who doesn't. |
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Submitted by
Charlie M.
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: 3/7/2007 6:03:24 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Bluff Creek Ranch |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$32 |
| Purchased At: |
BikeTiresDirect.com |
| Strengths: |
Reasonably light, good puncture protection, decent traction, nice graphics. |
| Weaknesses: |
They seem a little hard (not much give) even when inflated to minimum 35 psi. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Bontrager |
| Bike Setup: |
Cobia with upgraded "just about everything". |
| Bottom Line: |
Frankly I bought these tires mostly because I liked the looks of them. But they turned out to be pretty good. My only minor complaint is that they don't have much give even at the low end of the inflation scale. I've ended up running these well below the minimum of 35psi just to get better traction on loose over hard pack. When I rode them on tacky trails they just flew. Felt like I was glues to the trail. Only minor mud experience so I can't really comment on how well they clear. |
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Submitted by
Anthony
from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Date Reviewed: 1/29/2007 11:33:34 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Panaracer Rampage, WTB Exiwolf |
| Bike Setup: |
Rigid Karate Monkey, Velocity Dyad/LX wheels |
| Bottom Line: |
A light, fast tire that worked well in the variety of mostly dry terrain found in the Yukon. I found it a little squirmy for me at 250+ lbs. I wanted something more rugged and fatter to soak up the bumps on a rigid bike. I'm more interested in a tire that can get me home from being 50 km deep into the bush, rather than carving fast single track. Also, compared to others it isn't much good on snow.
No huge complaints, but I found the Panaracer Rampage to be a much better tire for my needs. |
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Submitted by
GlowBoy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 5:24:19 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Lost in oregon |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$37 |
| Purchased At: |
WebCyclery |
| Strengths: |
Good cornering and braking grip in a variety of riding conditions. Good in the wet, good in loose and dry. Sheds mud decently. Rolls pretty well for a full knobby, maybe marginally better than the Klaw. |
| Weaknesses: |
Not very grippy as a rear tire, especially for singlespeeders. Volume doesn't match up to the new 2.3"+ Rampage, Nevegal, Resolution and WeirWolf LT. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Bontrager XR, Bontrager ACX, Kenda Karma 1.9, Kenda Klaw, Kenda Khan, Maxxis Ignitor, Panaracer Rampage, Schwalbe Black Jack 1.9, WTB ExiWolf, WTB Nanoraptor, and too many smaller 700c tires to count. |
| Bike Setup: |
- Surly Karate Monkey, currently 3sp hub commuter.
- Vulture custom 29" SS EBB hardtail.
- Lenz Sport Leviathan 29"x3" full suspension. |
| Bottom Line: |
This is still one of the best all-rounders out there in the 29" world, especially for a mid-volume tire. Until the Rampage came along it was my favorite front tire, with strong and predictable cornering in all conditions from loose gravel to outright mud. Not a great rear tire in my experience -- it broke loose far too easily in both mud and loose desert gravel over hardpack. Believe it or not the Kenda Klaw is a better choice of rear tire for both of those situations. Interestingly, it looks very much like the Conti Explorer/Vertical twins, and in almost every respect it performs very much like them. Very good tire.
Buy it if: you want great cornering in an all-purpose front tire, and you don't need the cush and volume of a 2.3"+ tire. Skip it if: you need more volume, or you're looking for a really grippy rear tire.
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Submitted by
Luke Wardle
a Cross Country Rider
from Norfolk, UK
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 11:28:13 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
The Silver Darling |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Purchased At: |
Speedgoat.com |
| Strengths: |
Light, good volume and reasonably fast rolling. |
| Weaknesses: |
Not a great mud tyre, tends to wander a bit in muddy conditions. Very slack fit on rims. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Bontrager ACX, XR, WTB Motoraptor |
| Bike Setup: |
Single speed rigid and geared hardtail. |
| Bottom Line: |
These are a very good tyre front or rear for trail riding. It has suprisingly good traction on wet roots and rock, they aren't particularly good in mud as they tend to pack up and become a bit vague in the steering department. The other problem with them, and commom to several 29er tyres is the very slack fit on rims (DT TK 7.1 and Mavic A719). It is a stuggle to mount them as the beads keep slipping off. Once mounted and inflated I've had no problems with blow offs. Durability seems good too. |
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