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Submitted by
lokiboy8
a Cross Country Rider
from Golden, CO
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Buffalo Creek | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Various E-tailers | | Strengths: | BIG volume, tenacious grip in corners, rolls fast, climbs like a laser beam | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't last forever -- sigh......
Needs a cooler namer more befitting it's burly nature | | Similar Products Used: | You name it -- various tires from Maxxis, Conti, Specialized, Panaracer, Bontrager, IRC -- I'm a tire junkie, okay? | | Bike Setup: | '08 Carbon Racer-X, Avid, King, Mavic 717Disc, XTR, RaceFace, Easton, etc. -- 25 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | Boy, the posts on this tire are all over the place, huh?
I will be nitpickingly specific, so you know EXactly from where I am coming from....
This is for the 2.35 DTC version.
This is a FRONT SPECIFIC tire -- while some may like it just fine on the rear, if YOU don't like it there, DON'T slam it for not working for you back there! Jeepersgeewillikers!
I ride in Colorado -- dry conditions 99% of the time -- lots of hard packed dirt, rocks, rocks and more rocks - esp. in Buff Creek where the surface is lots of decomposed granite -- aka loose over firm.
The Stick-e version runs COMPLETELY different, peoples!
I know - I tried one. It was slow, slow and SLOWER! Threw EVERYTHING off -- timing on turn entry, especially.
I am sure there is an application for this tire, but it ain't here, y'all.
Okay, now that I have all the caveats and ranting out of the way, here's the scoop:
My first experience with Kenda was the vaunted Nevegal.
I wanted a burlier front tire and after extensive research, I got a 2.1 DTC version.
Ahh, yes -- I used a rear specific tire for a front, you are thinking, no? This makes me a hypocrite, yes?
Au contraire, mon fraire!
LOTS of folks use Nevs as fronts, as rears(Me!) and for both.
Just as lots of folks use other manf. rears as fronts - -Maxxis comes to mind. We just don't slam them in a review for not working out in the wrong place on the bike, though.
The 2.1 Nev is a BIG volume tire and it was an epiphany, a revelation. It was THE best tire I had every used -- fr or rr! When it wore out, I got a 2.1 DTC Blue Groove to replace it.
Uh-Oh! WTF? They are different volumes! Noooooo! So, I bumped up to the 2.35 BG.
Weight penalty? Who cares. This tire is pure badness.
It's like having a big pulling guard in front clearing the way. Just amazing on the descent. No more getting deflected by the baby heads. This bad boy dictates to the trail instead of the other way around.
On the climb, this thing is astounding in that it goes EXactly where you point it -- no wandering at all. Quite delightful.
Pressure! I can't help but wonder if some of the previous reviewers are running this tire cranked WAYyyy up on the PSI.
I run a lunarlight tube and put 28-30 pounds in it. I check and re-talc the tube every 4 weeks or so. I go for YEARS w/o a pinch flat.
Cornering! Maybe I have an advantage in that the "X" puts me dead center in the cockpit -- I don't have to move around very much during cornering ops. Maybe others are putting too much weight on the front end? Just a postulate -- no judgements intended.
Durability: I get about 5-600 miles on the front. The trails are so abrasive here and this is about average. I have never torn a sidewall, but I gravitate towards, rolling swoopy singletrack. If you are riding the nasty stuff, you probably want a more robust sidewall, as per previous posts.
As an ex-ski racer, I love to carve. This tire, along with it's wonderful mate, the 2.1 Nevagal DTC(@40lbs psi) on the rear, allow me to arc like there is no tomorrow.
Awright, then. Good luck, God bless and Godspeed.
Happy Trails!
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hardtailVSsoftail
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Coastals | | Strengths: | Looks nice when clean, usually during patch jobs | | Weaknesses: | a patch per two or three hours of riding | | Similar Products Used: | they came with the bike, shopping for new skins | | Bike Setup: | giant xtc2 2008 model | | Bottom Line: | I thought I was just beating my Giant too hard since I have to patch my front BG tube everytime I go out, but then I started reading the rest of the reviews out there, and they just plane suck. The Nevegals I got on the back seem to be holding up with only one flat in the past 5 rides, but the front BG tube now has 5 patches in it from the past 4 runs. I do have to admit though, I've bever once bailed so far and had to blame it on the skins. South Vancouver island is a pretty wet place and they seem to do the trick so long as there aren't to many roots. They are easy to mount and make switchbacks pretty fun. As for grinding them on concrete, couldnt tell you the tires are always off the bike getting repaired when not in the woods. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
G-Man
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque, NM USA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Too Many To List | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Fat Tire Cycles | | Strengths: | This is a decent climbing tire, has a cool look, and has good cornering ability on hard pack trails. Contrary to other reviews, I have found the BG to have strong sidewalls. I burped a tire on a super steep rocky decent recently and thought the tire was a gonner for sure, but when I got to the bottom it was still intact. | | Weaknesses: | This is not a good tire for loose over hard trails. Super unpredictable in any turn, feels like it is going to wash out at any second. Throws you all over the trail. Also not a good tire for tight, technical decents because you don't feel like you can come off a drop into a turn without washing out. | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer, Conti's, Specialized | | Bike Setup: | 2008 Stumpjumper FSR, Fox F Series up front, Triad in the rear, Mavic Crossmax ST, Avid Juicy 5 SL disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | Most of our trails here in NM are singletrack with lots of rocks, roots, and loose dirt over hard pack. Very few trails are simply hard pack. This tire will do OK overall on a hardpack trail, but it is a jittery, sketchy tire on anything else. Not good for the type of riding we have here, and definitely not a good tire for the price. Luckily the owner of Fat Tire said he would take the BG's back if I didn't like them, and I am that's exactly what I am going to do. This is the first time I have tried Kenda's and it would be hard to give them a second chance. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Saratoga, CA
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Strong cornering traction, reasonable weight for 2.35 and decent rolling resistance. | | Weaknesses: | Tire appears out of round, weak wet traction and thin sidewalls - better with above your "normal" air pressure. also wears fast if run on pavement. | | Similar Products Used: | Nevegal 2.35, Panaracer Rampage and Nokian NBX 2.3 | | Bike Setup: | 06 Stumpjumper fsr 120 s-works, talas 140, hope monos, | | Bottom Line: | The Blue Groove is my rear tire on a DT 4.2d rim which has worked well. I run it w/ Stan's tubeless and have had no issues other than its not round. The cornering traction is great with predictable progression in dry conditions of all kinds in Nor Cal. However, not as stable when riding in wet conditions. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
uncaring_owl
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Straight line or in a hard lean these stick. | | Weaknesses: | Super sketchy on long gentle curves, you'll just go straight. | | Bottom Line: | If you can just find tight twisty singletrack and lean the bike well over you'll be fine, on fast swoopy stuff you'll be all over the place. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pyrobob
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Moab Cyclery | | Strengths: | Traction is fairly good. | | Weaknesses: | Price! | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Big Earl | | Bike Setup: | King Fisher 1 | | Bottom Line: | The tire is ok. I need one on the fly so I really didn't reasearch other tires or prices. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Austin
a Weekend Warrior
from Marin, CA, US
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Loma alta | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | my brother | | Strengths: | Awsome tires, really grippy, and despite from what some people say, these work great on the street. | | Weaknesses: | if your tire pressure is low, then you can fall really bad. i was just kinda pumping on like a foot high tabletop-and my front whell just got off the ground an inch, and my tire was low. when i landed, i bent up my rim(on the back) and broke my brake lever | | Similar Products Used: | Wtb velociraptor, kenda kharma, kenda kharisma, and kenda Nevegal | | Bike Setup: | crappy | | Bottom Line: | i absolutely love this tire. its perfect for any type of riding. get the 2.35's. the only reason i rated the value low is because theyre ussaully 80 bucks... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Hertfordshire UK
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | NONE | | Weaknesses: | This tyre could kill in UK conditions | | Similar Products Used: | Scott Cougar, Schwalbe Mountaineer II, Tioga | | Bike Setup: | '07 trance 3, 32 TALAS X, Juicy 7's | | Bottom Line: | Totally unsuitable tyre for UK conditions. I was scared to ride my Giant when it came with these as stock fitment. Front would suddenly slip away without warning and back would do same (Kenda Nevegal). Should be illegal in UK - they are that bad.
AVOID this rubbish at all costs - unless you want to headbutt a tree at 30pmh+
I regret giving 'em even 1 chili - it's an insult to chili's | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roy
a Downhiller
from Nashua
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | OEM on bike. | | Strengths: | Good traction, very lite, Easy to install onto wheel. | | Weaknesses: | Paper thin sidewalls. | | Bike Setup: | Giant faith custom | | Bottom Line: | Its not a bad tire, but I wouldn't trust Kenda's quality for any of rocky DH courses. My rear Kenda sidewalls are so thin that EVERYTIME I run any new england DH course, I'd pinch a tube. My Blue groove has been lucky cause its mounted to my front wheel. If it where on the rear, I'm sure it would pinch also. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesse
a
from East Bay
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Predictable, grippy front and rear, reasonably fast, easy to lean and transition in corners | | Weaknesses: | Easy to pinch flat. | | Similar Products Used: | Nevegals (blah), new Resolutions | | Bike Setup: | Heckler...tires are mounted on XM719 (19mm inside width) disc rims. | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the DTC 2.35 version, which I've been using front and rear for a little less than a month. I think these tires get a bad rap...when used for dry hardpack/loose conditions, they're awesome. Last week I took a 6-day road trip down to Socal, where I rode these tires in just about every condition that California has in this season. Hardpack, gravel and pebbles, big rocks, alpine dust and pine needles...the Blue Groove worked good if not great on everything.
The only kind of terrain where the Nevegal has an edge over the Blue Groove IMO is on really loose and dusty trails, like late summer Tahoe or Santa Cruz Mountains. Even there, it's a pretty slight difference, and for everything else I definitely prefer the Blue Groove. The BG is rounder in profile and therefore easier to lean, and is less squirmy over rocks at low speeds. The heavy shoulder knobs give it great cornering traction in all dry conditions, though where it really shines is on hardpack and rock. As a rear tire it rolls fast enough for me and is almost impossible to break loose in an off-camber turn. I'm not real picky about rear tires though...I put the BG on my back wheel mainly because they were 30 bucks at REI, and some may find it too slow for trail use. In terms of handling, it's very predictable and acts like a beefed-up version of the Specialized Resolution.
As to weaknesses...the BG unfortunately has a few. It's remarkably easy to pinch flat, so even though the tread pattern and rubber compound are great on rocks, you have to be careful and run higher pressures than should be necessary sometimes. Bummer. The low, flat knobs are lousy on anything wet or slippery, so this is definitely a summer-only tire. Also, both my Blue Grooves have a noticeable wobble when mounted up, making it look like my wheels are way out of true. This doesn't hurt performance any, but it's irritating...if I'd paid the $50 MSRP, I'd be pretty miffed about the wobble, but for $30 I'll let it slide.
All in all, I really like the Blue Grooves, although if I was going to pay full sticker I'd probably look at something else first. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam
a Weekend Warrior
from Rothesay
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Bike Works | | Strengths: | The tire has a crap load of traction on roots, rocks, etc. Easy to take on/off. | | Weaknesses: | Rough concrete (like sidewalks) or pavement is just like taking a belt sander to the tread. | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda Nevegals, Kenda Kinetics | | Bike Setup: | 06 Bigfoot, only brakes and frame are stock. | | Bottom Line: | If you're hardcore on downhill or trails it's a great tire because they rarely lose grip on rocks, roots, etc. Al though, if you plan on doing a lot of street riding then don't plan on having these tires for much longer than a month. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bud
a Weekend Warrior
from the woods
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | they look really cool sitting still. easy to take on and off to change flats. | | Weaknesses: | they wash super easy. folding bead can be an issue for certian riders. | | Bottom Line: | this review is for the 2.35 stickys. liked them on my hardtail at first, then these tires sent me to the er to have my face put back together. they washed out a few times on hardpacked trails before i was able to accept that i wasted my hard earned money. sticky compaired to what??? avoid them if you don't want to spend your $$$ on stitches instead of better tires. also avoid pavement because the tred wipes clean from this tire in a handfull of rides. (yeah i know what they're meant for and they suck at that too) STAY AWAY or suffer the wrath of the blue groove. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Juanzelli
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Great tire for the front wheel. | | Weaknesses: | Lites are purely racing tires and don't work well in loose sand. Not such a great tire for the rear. Myself and several friends have found the Blue Groove/Nevegal combination to work best. | | Similar Products Used: | I was a die-hard Panaracer FireXC fan for a couple of years until trying the BG/Nev combination. | | Bike Setup: | Tomac 98 Special | | Bottom Line: | First, I tried the "lite" version which is a low-profile knobby and very lightweight (~450g) on front and rear. Now, I ride the Stick-E version on the front only to get a little more traction on loose dirt but with a little more weight. Put a Nevegal Stick-E on the back and you'll have an excellent combination for all-around riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cookie Low C
a Downhiller
from Pemberton, B.C.
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tenquil | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | The Bike Co., Pemberton & Whistler B.C., www.bikecowhistler.com | | Strengths: | Looks Good. Really, the only thing I like about this tire is that it looks like it should be a good tire. I think with the right corrections the tread shape is good. May be awesome in some parts of Ontario, Ohio and maybe Orlando. | | Weaknesses: | The main weakness is it's terrible sidewall. Absolute garbage. | | Similar Products Used: | Over my near 20yrs mtb'ing that list got very long. | | Bike Setup: | I've ridden these on our shop's rental fleets which consist of Giants and Norcos. I ride Maxxis High Roller OS DH 2.5 rear and Minion OS DH 2.7 front. Sometimes full Minion combo in the super tacky. It's the beer out here. | | Bottom Line: | Listen...I'm writing this to try to warn all consumers to BEWARE OF THIS DANGEROUSLY POOR TIRE. They come spec'd on bikes like the Giant Faith, Glory, Norco A-line, Atomic... great bikes that you would ride in extreme terrain, the problem is the tires aren't up to the task. To take advantage of it's tread it needs to be run too soft. Conversely to avoid flatting it has to be run too hard to get traction.
I've flatted EVERY time I've ridden this and the Nevegal. (you'd think I'd learn eh? in my defense I was riding these bikes "out of the box" to truly test them) Once on the North Shore I got a double-double pinch. 4 holes at once. I had an accident where my front wheel washed out and my foot went in the spokes and broke 2 toes...at the top of C.B.C. yet! I had a gnarsty crash on the sickest spot on Rock City in Whistler that I'd like to blame on these tires. Our last heli-drop was brought to a halt after the first 100 feet to fix a flatted Blue Groove with a shredded sidewall.
I feel bad for every customer I sold a bike too sporting these imposters. I truly appologize.
If you got stuck with these bear scats dump 'em now! You'll save yourself a world of inconvenience. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
henry stafferton
a Downhiller
from toronto ontario canada
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | auto bomb | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | cycle path | | Strengths: | good on corners havent hade one flat fast on the trackes great tire | | Weaknesses: | wears quick slow on flat | | Similar Products Used: | highn roller nevagel | | Bike Setup: | two blue grooves | | Bottom Line: | get the tire for no higher than 50$ | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brendt
a Downhiller
from Phoenix AZ
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$36.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycles | | Strengths: | Super thick side walls, Thats it | | Weaknesses: | Terrible grip
Heavy
Wears Fast | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer FireFR, Panaracer FireDH, Maxxis Minion DH | | Bike Setup: | Transtion Dirtbag/888 | | Bottom Line: | This is for the 2.5 Blue Groove DH casing.... Absolutely the WORST tire I have ever ridden. I tried to give it a resonable chance for 3 months. I rode it in dry dirt, it washed out. I rode it in dry rocky desert conditions, it washed out. I rode it in wet muddy conditions, it was nearly suicidal.
I finally had enough this past weekend on day 1 of a 2 day weekend at Sunrise Ski Resort here in AZ. The trails started out dry in the morning, the tire still was not really hooking up. Not very confidence inspiring while riding some super steep, rocky terrain at break neck speeds. By the afternoon, it was pouring rain and this tire turned the trails into one big suicidal slip and slide. Absolutely ZERO traction. I gave up, pulled the Blue Groove off the front and the Nevegal (The second worst tire ever) off the back and threw them in the trash. Put my backup Panaracer 2.4 FR's (Single Ply sidewalls) on for the day and was wondering all day long why I ever switched. It was like my bike had magically been put on velcro. My confidence came back over the course of the day and the speeds increased with it.
Kenda will NEVER get another dime of my money, absolutely the worst tires... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Irvine, California, USA
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Jax Bicycles | | Strengths: | It carves turns like a dream | | Weaknesses: | none that i have noticed | | Similar Products Used: | Ritchey Z.E.D race | | Bottom Line: | It is an overall great tire. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gman
a Weekend Warrior
from Boise
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | Climbs OK | | Weaknesses: | Cornering in anything loose, picks up sand and throws it up A LOT, cakes w/ mud very quickly and doesn't clear well | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Mt. Baldy, Geax Sedona, Maxxis Mobster, WTB Mutano Raptor 2.4, Specialized Enduro | | Bike Setup: | K2 Evo 3.0 w/ Marzocchi MX Comp ETA up front | | Bottom Line: | I hate this tire. It climbs OK, but that's it. On the downhill in anything loose it lacks any kind of predictability. The cornering ability of this tire is horrible. It will wash on you without warning. At least my Mutano Raptors (not the best in the loose stuff either) have a very predictable feel to them and you can tell when you are on the edge.
I also HATE how this thing picks up little pebbles of sand and peppers you with them on the downhill. I thought this would go away after a break-in period, but it doesn't.
They cake with mud very quickly and don't clear very well either.
Easily the worst tire I've ever ridden. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Too Many to Name | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$37.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Co. | | Strengths: | Corner well, predictable, don't wash out. | | Weaknesses: | Wear faster than a lot of other tires you'll find. Slow rollers. Flings rocks at you and your frame. | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson Spiders (Horrible), Panaracer Fire XC Pros, Kenda Nevgal (rear only), Continental Explorers, I can't remember teh rest. | | Bike Setup: | Loaded | | Bottom Line: | These are some of the better tires I've ever owned when it comes to hard-pack, loose descents. They are very predictable and they rarely wash out on me. On the rare occasion that they have washed out on fast fire-road descents (for you OC guys, think Harding, Maple Springs, etc) they've almost always hooked back up before I went yard sale all over the trail.
The only problem I have with these is the same problem I have with the Nevgals: they wear EXTREMELY fast. I do a lot of long (40+ mile) rides over varying terrain so I expect tires to wear however, the Stick-E compound probably wears 25% to 30% faster than most other tires out there. It also likely contributes to the many rocks I've had hurled at my shins, knees, chest, face and frame.
Bottom line: they're expensive and they have their issues but they work well as a front specific tire only (I would NEVER run these things on the rear).
Two torched terds for value because they are expensive and they do wear out quickly and four terds for overall rating because - simply put - they work. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Bartlett
a Cross Country Rider
from North Yorkshire, UK
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Very sticky on rock,hard pack. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive. Hard to find. Washes out in mud - with no warning | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer Fire xc, Panaracer Mud Pro,Kenda Nevegal. | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Blur,Gary Fisher Sugar 1. | | Bottom Line: | As with all tyre reviews this is terrain specfic and this review is for the DTC 2.1.
I ride the North York Moors which are a mixture of rocks, moorland,sandy, hardpack and this time of year mud. I have used panaracer fire xc as an all round tyre for 4 years with no complaints.I read good reviews of BG (front) and the Nevegal (rear) and decided to try them. They are fantastic in dry conditions and have improved my climbing on rocks both dry and wet. In wet muddy conditions the BG has suddenly washed out with no warning (and for no reason!)on 3 occasions. I have the scars to prove it and have lost confidence in this tyre. After todays scare the Panaracer is going back on the front and I will try that with the Nevegal as a rear. I read a review on the singletrack site by a rider from New Zeland where these are known as "Kenda (Kinder) surprises" and now I know what he means. Only use in the dry - in wet muddy conditions they will wash out when you least expect it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
El Dragon
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Calistoga bike shop | | Strengths: | Light and stable. Turning through switch-backs, flying around off camber turns, high speed fire road or single track was a sinch. | | Weaknesses: | The name "Blue Groove" | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson's, IRC's, Pannaracers. | | Bike Setup: | Seven/single speed, w/ stans no tube's on mavic tubeless, Chris King hubs, (28)13 guage spoke's. | | Bottom Line: | This tire corners great and is stable at speed and the big air volume feels great. Stoping was predictable in any condition even when two tire sliding at time's during a race (Sea Otter classic). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cool Breeze
a Weekend Warrior
from RSM CA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Strengths: | Weight | | Weaknesses: | Washout | | Similar Products Used: | WTB, Kenda, Geax, etc. | | Bike Setup: | Intense | | Bottom Line: | Watch out on trails with loose terra over hard pack. Just not as stable then Nevegals. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eddie
a Downhiller
from Coto De Caza
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Bullit | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Company | | Strengths: | Price I would say | | Weaknesses: | Washes out bad, I would not recommend this tire to anyone!! | | Similar Products Used: | Maxxis Minion | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz VP Free, 888RC | | Bottom Line: | This is the worst tire I have ever used, I road it on San Juan Trail and in Mammoth, once the changed the tire it felt like a whole now bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a
from Modesto
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Nanoraptor 2.1 | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Bullit: trail bike set-up for a Clydesdale | | Bottom Line: | THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2.0 DUAL TREAD COMPOUND VERSION...I've been looking for a lite-weight XC tire for the flat, dry, smooth hard pack I ride. I've already put a couple hundred miles on them via a few all-day epic rides and an 8 hour solo race (running them front and rear...not sure if they recommend it as a rear tire). Here's what I think so far:
1) They are lite (claimed 480 grams).
2) They pedal well with low rolling resistance.
3) They have enough traction for hard pack, but will float quickly if it gets slightly loose at speed.
4) They seem to be wearing "kinda fast" around the center where the "harder" rubber is supposed to be.
5) They provide plenty of traction on climbs.
6) I don't push them too hard on tighter turns at speed. They have a good edge with "softer" rubber, but you gotta remember this is a 2.0 XC tire.
Overall, I like them for their intended purpose (dry hard pack). I'm gonna stick with them and maybe experiment with a Kenda Short Tracker 1.95 on the rear. Minus 1 flamin' chili on "value" and "overall" rating for the high retail price and what seems to be semi-quick wear on the "harder" rubber center tread. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray Dolor
a
from 'Dago, CA, USA., Planet Earth
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | $30 | | Strengths: | an excellent FRONT tire....the best front tire I've tried,and I've tried way more tires than your average rider. | | Weaknesses: | stick-e rubber does wear fast. i tend to avoid rides that have pavement sections because of the feeling that any tiny movement of the bars is grinding that x-pensive tread away onto the street. As a rear tire.. I would'nt even try
this tire on the back wheel | | Similar Products Used: | most other tires. it's embarrasing how many. My garage reeks of kevlar beading. | | Bike Setup: | 04 joker w/ lightweight trail setup...........6/6 front/rear travel. | | Bottom Line: | I like a front tire with some float, but not so much that it feels like
i really have to push it in front of me. The BG in 2.5 feels like that, but the 2.35 is just right. The Stick-e compound grips well enuf that my rear wheel consistently breaks free a bit before the front, which is how i like to ride. As a FRONT tire, this is the best one I have yet to ride. The knob pattern has that directional tread that makes it great up front too. I dont like this tread pattern on a rear tire.
And yes, it wears fast, but not so fast that i can't cough up the dough for another. Besides, they do go on sale....... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ramon
a Weekend Warrior
from laguna beach
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Sticky rubber. Awesome traction on rocks and hardpack. | | Weaknesses: | low knobs = bad traction on loose, loose over hard pack trails. Absolutely no braking traction on steep loose terrain. | | Similar Products Used: | Maxxis High Roller 2.5 & 2.7 Super Tacky, Kenda Nevegal, Conti Vert Pro, Maxxis Minions, Maxxis Larsen TT, and a lot moore | | Bike Setup: | Turner 6Pack/RFX, DHX Air, 36 RC2, Crossmax XLs, Hope Mono M4/6Ti.... | | Bottom Line: | I would recommend these tires on hard pack and rocky terrain. Grips awesome and rolls very well. Just don't use it in loose conditions. I highly recommend the high rollers for loose applications. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kirk
a Weekend Warrior
from thousand oaks, CA USA
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | cornering grip | | Weaknesses: | prone to pinch flat, wash out | | Bike Setup: | haro escape | | Bottom Line: | a good tire if your bike comes with them, but don't buy this on your own. Put the nevegal on front as well as the back. more rolling resistance, but also more traction!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Frykman
a Weekend Warrior
from Bozeman
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | yeah right | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | on line | | Strengths: | This is for the 2.5. Cant recomend these tires very much. put it on the back and it died within 2 months. see below | | Weaknesses: | compared to other tires ive used, these were disapointing, especially compared to the nevegal. they loose traction easily, wear extremely fast, and i just recently ripped a nobby off the tire. its less than 2 months old. | | Similar Products Used: | Nevegal!!! weirwolf, motoraptor, mutanoraptor, Fire xc, pythons | | Bike Setup: | 5spot, single trac rims, air suspension | | Bottom Line: | Not very impressive compared to sister tire Nevegal. admitidly i am hard on stuff but wasn't very nasty to this tire before it failed. Im getting another nevgal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Laura
a Cross Country Rider
from San Antonio, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Flat Rock Ranch, Comfort, TX | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Action Bikes | | Strengths: |
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