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Home | Product Reviews | 29er Tire | WTB Nano Raptor 29er | ||||
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Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Chadds Ford, PA
Date Reviewed: 1/13/2008 10:05:18 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | White Clay Creek |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $1 |
| Purchased At: | came with bike |
| Strengths: | Fast |
| Weaknesses: | Weak Traction Harsh Horrible in Wet Not that light |
| Similar Products Tried: | SB8, Dry X, a lot |
| Bike Setup: | Haro Mary SS |
| Bottom Line: | These tires are okay for pavement. On the trail they have little to no traction or volume. They are even worse then small block eights when the trail is wet. I don't think this tire is very good at all. Save your money. |
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Submitted by
d
a Racer
from ny
Date Reviewed: 10/20/2007 4:57:57 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | none really... looks cool |
| Weaknesses: | for the street |
| Similar Products Tried: | all 29er tires |
| Bike Setup: | niner and fisher |
| Bottom Line: | total garbage ... thank god they were the first ... honestly ... okay for the front on dry only ... rear is total crap ... kenda small blocks and bontrager dry x are so much better ... kenda is just as fast ... i compare the nanos to crows ... similar traction ... both crapolla. =) |
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Submitted by
Tobias
a Cross Country Rider
from tijeras,nm
Date Reviewed: 8/9/2007 3:15:40 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | stock on On One Inbred 29er |
| Strengths: | Fast, durable, tracks well |
| Weaknesses: | skinny, low volume, small knobs |
| Similar Products Tried: | exiwolf, rampage |
| Bike Setup: | On One inbred 29er, rigid singlespeed |
| Bottom Line: | This tire came stock on the rear of my bike and at first I thought it would be too low volume and not enough traction, but... it turned out to impress me with its fast predictable handeling, relativly good grip in the loose rocky trails I ride, and great durability and pinch resistance at high enough tire preasures. I just switched to the rampage and noticed a dramatic reduction in rolling speed. Overall a great tire for southwest trail riding. |
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Submitted by
Bruce Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Des Moines
Date Reviewed: 3/4/2007 8:53:41 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Speedgoat.com |
| Strengths: | This is the starting point for all 29"er tires. It is a must own tire for those in the midwest who ride/race on our clay packed singletrack. In fact, I think it is the favorite tire in Iowa for mountain bikers - be it 26" or 29". I own the folding bead version and consider them my "go to" tire. They work very well on the pavement on the way to the trail as well. |
| Weaknesses: | Claimed weight is much lighter than actual weight. My two tires weigh 606 and 666 grams respectively. I'd love to get my hands on a sub 600 gram pair. Wink, wink... |
| Similar Products Tried: | As for racing and buff singletrack riding - Kenda Small Block 8's, Crows, Karma 1.9's, ACX's, XR 1.8's, XR 2.25's, Exiwolfs, Notos. |
| Bike Setup: | Mounted on American Classic wheels on my Sugar 293. |
| Bottom Line: | I've raced them in mud, in dry, in rain and have ridden these tires in the rocky terrain of the Black Hills and have ridden them on trails all over Iowa on a Dos, a Karate Monkey and a Sugar 293. Great tire that has never failed me. Again - it is the first "go to" tire that I reach for when choosing. Plenty of tire choices out there and not all tires are perfect for everything, but these are gold standard in my book. Volume/weight/price added together make these well worth the investment and performance. Highest rating in both categories as far as I am concerned. |
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Submitted by
slim pickens
a Cross Country Rider
from washington dc
Date Reviewed: 12/21/2006 12:27:30 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | GW Forest |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Strengths: | FAST rolling, reasonably tough, fair volume, short stiff knobs for good traction on rock, wood, pavement, dirt. |
| Weaknesses: | packs mud, bad traction in loose stuff - especially pea gravel |
| Similar Products Tried: | exiwolf, motoraptor, acx, klaw, nevegal |
| Bike Setup: | hardtail |
| Bottom Line: | Great race tire, very smooth rolling, perfect for rides with long pavement sections or off camber rocks. The short knobs won't fold, but they pack mud and aren't deep enough for loose conditions. |
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Submitted by
Stefan Griebel
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO, 80303
Date Reviewed: 12/21/2006 12:16:17 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | The Colorado Trail |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | everywhere |
| Strengths: | *Fast*. Awesome in dry conditions. Great in wet conditions if it is not muddy. Surprisingly great traction on wet and dry rocks. Also surprisingly large volume for such a fast tire. |
| Weaknesses: | Terrible in sticky mud. Sidewalls not as durable as Exiwolves |
| Similar Products Tried: | Exiwolves, Motoraptors, Kenda Klaw XT's, Conti Vapor Pro. Bontrager Jones ACX |
| Bike Setup: | Mooto-X YBB with a Maverick SC-32 |
| Bottom Line: | These have become my all-time favorite 29er tires. I used to just put them on for races and TT's but after riding with a buddy who could still clean all the gnarliest technical lines with these tires, I started riding them all the time too. I have always felt the 26" version was too slick and did terrible on roots and loose dirt. However, the 29" version is completely different. It's fatter, and the tiny knobs on the sides seem slightly bigger. The 2.1" width adds a bit of volume for pinch flat protection, and these tires corner better than the Exiwolves or the Motoraptors. IMO, for XC riding and racing these tires are at the top of the pile. |
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Prescott, AZ
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 7:01:42 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $38 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Fast, tough. |
| Weaknesses: | Not so good cornering ability. |
| Similar Products Tried: | n/a |
| Bike Setup: | Rigid SS monkey. |
| Bottom Line: | An excellent tire for what they are. Not a good choice for aggressive or technical riding, but a great choice for mixed terrain or gravel/fire roading. They do very well on pavement for their size. |
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Submitted by
GlowBoy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 5:03:38 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Lost in oregon |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | Bike Gallery (lbs) |
| Strengths: | Very fast rolling on hardpack. Awesome grip in deep sand. |
| Weaknesses: | Scary lack of grip in loose over hardpack. Worst wet conditions tire I've ever ridden. |
| 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: | Well, whaddaya know, another tire from WTB that sucks in wet northwest conditions. Actually, to those who know 29" history this was THE tire that made it all possible. So kudos to these guys for backing 29" for so long, but they still don't understand the wet conditions that predominate around here. This was the only tire I've ever tried that fully packed up with mud in a single wheel revolution -- and this was wet Forest Park mud that isn't very sticky and rarely packs up on tires. I also found it ridiculously sketchy on loose gravel over hardpack. At Grey Butte (high desert conditions) I found it tricky to ascend without spinning, and just plain scary to descend when the underlying surface was hardpacked. I traded bikes with a buddy and he found the same to be true. In the patches of deep, loose sand it rocked. I hold my opinion fiercely, but I recognize that am very much in the minority. Most people who ride in dry conditions rave about this tire. It rolls very fast, and some people think it grips great in the dry. Buy it if: you ride in dry conditions and want a fast rolling tire that has more grip than a semislick -- and you're not me. Skip it if: you ride in wet conditions, or you are me. |
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