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Home | Product Reviews | Tire | Continental Vapor | ||||
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Submitted by
John Thompson
a Cross Country Rider
from Plymouth UK
Date Reviewed: 1/20/2008 6:53:49 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $50 |
| Purchased At: | online |
| Strengths: | Fast(ish) tyre. Predictable. Lasts well. Good for what it is. Continental make good tyres - you can't go far wrong. |
| Weaknesses: | Not the best grip in the wet. Too small for aggressive trail riding. Took them off the full susser in the hunt for more grip and bigger volume. |
| Similar Products Tried: | conti verticals, specialized resolution |
| Bike Setup: | works stumpy |
| Bottom Line: | Good tyre for mile munchers who dont want to buy new tyres every year. I use these on my hardtail for commuting instead of slicks, as it enables me to take off road shortcuts (and basically have a bit of fun in the process). Ideal for mixed conditions. This would be a great tyre for someone who predominantly rides fire trails or who is neither aggressive or technical. Not the lightest or grippiest because of the good amount of hardish compound tread but this means it doesn't wear out fast. The steel versions are excellent value budget tyres. I wouldn't buy the more expensive versions again because I don't think they are worth the extra cash. If I were buying an expensive tyre I wouldn't want a 'jack-of-all-trades' tyre like this one. |
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Submitted by
jv
a Cross Country Rider
from philippines
Date Reviewed: 10/10/2007 10:27:49 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | anywhere |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | newton bike shop |
| Strengths: | has a good mileage for the wear and tear, low rolling ressistance, the tire could be used for the rear and in front and thats one thing i like about it. |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: | kenda klaw, kharisma, maxxis larsen TT |
| Bike Setup: | full cross country |
| Bottom Line: | i use my bike a lot and i do go trail biking almost every week and i do not have any bad experiences about this tire excep for pedalling in lose rocks coz it could damage the tire a lot. i ride around 60+ km per ride and that would be back and fort from my place to the trail and back again to my place. |
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Submitted by
eric hawkins
a Cross Country Rider
from lawrenvceville, GA USA
Date Reviewed: 9/24/2007 5:43:54 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Chicopee |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $55 |
| Purchased At: | REI |
| Strengths: | Looks cool. |
| Weaknesses: | Very weak rubber |
| Similar Products Tried: | Hutchinson Python, Michelin Wildgripper |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized 2006 Stumpjumper with Mavic Crossmax wheels |
| Bottom Line: | Had Vapors on the front and rear. After 50 miles of riding the front tire sidewall ripped parallel to the rim. after another 30 miles of riding the rear tire ripped in the same manner. These were UST tires on Mavic Crossmax rims running about 40lbs air pressure. Not sure how you get a sidewall to rip. These will be the last Continentals I ever waste money on. Prior I had Hutchinson Python's with about 500 miles on them. |
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Submitted by
Adam Hunter
a Weekend Warrior
from Liverpool UK
Date Reviewed: 9/1/2007 12:23:18 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $14 |
| Purchased At: | Wiggle.co.uk |
| Strengths: | Grips, low rolling resistance, wears well, fairly cheap (£14 GBP) |
| Weaknesses: | Not a 2.1" tyre |
| Similar Products Tried: | Various Specialized tyres |
| Bottom Line: | I like this tyre, I use it on the rear with a Conti Vertical up front. Grips well and has never let me down. I found the wear rate to be alot better than specialized tyres and the Conti's have less rolling resistance. I'll be buying this tyre again... |
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Submitted by
David Bennett
a Cross Country Rider
from Highlands Ranch, Co, USA
Date Reviewed: 6/10/2007 8:52:36 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Mt. Falcon Park |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | Bicycle Pedal'r |
| Strengths: | None |
| Weaknesses: | every thing |
| Similar Products Tried: | just about anything you can think of |
| Bike Setup: | xc bike |
| Bottom Line: | dont buy them tread wears fast |
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Submitted by
pedal
from Christchurch, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: 4/22/2007 3:53:13 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | Rolls like a slick |
| Weaknesses: | Grips like a slick |
| Similar Products Tried: | Slicks |
| Bike Setup: | This tire is on the back of my DMR singlespeed with old bulletproof rim brake Mavic Crossmaxs |
| Bottom Line: | Got them free as a small race prize (donated by a bike manufacturer who presumably decided not to fit them to any new bike) and mounted them on the back of the singlespeed for a faster roll - replaced 2.35 tires at 25lbs mounted for comfort 1 Roll hell fast on the groomed hard flat trails where I mostly ride the SS 2 Grip is fine in these conditions and breakaway/slide is there but it is predictable (I like this) 3 Have taken them on a couple of trails with wet dirt, looser surfaces and grass - there is very little grip when the trail gets wet or on even slight up/downhills 4 I run them around 30lbs & actually find they soften the back end reasonably well - no flats yet with v lightwt tubes but mostly ridden on the well made trails - no rocks etc 5 Way undersized - mine measured at 51/46 - more like a small 2.0 or 1.9 not a 2.1 and visually looks small Bottom Line: If you mount these on the front please invite me along for the ride, I will enjoy my day. If you want a fast rear tire for a race or trails with good surface grip then this will work - because I think this is what Continental intended I'll give up some chillies. |
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Submitted by
Andy Lo
a Cross Country Rider
from Penang, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: 3/5/2007 6:28:21 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $10 |
| Purchased At: | KT Cycletron |
| Strengths: | Cheap. Very good price compared to other tires available. Quite light? |
| Weaknesses: | Wears off quick. Had 3 punctures in 6 months of usage. But once was because of nail and another pinch flat. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Maxxis wormdrive, Michelin wildgripper. |
| Bike Setup: | Tank Easton Elite 17" with Deore groupset, hydraulic disc with XT 8" rotor front, Shimano WH565 wheelset, Truvativ stem, bar and seatpost. |
| Bottom Line: | For the price I paid for it, I have nothing to complain about. I paid RM35, which I think is about US$10 now. Might be a bit soft when trying to grip on soft surfaces(wet grass etc.) I will get this again though on my next replacement. |
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Submitted by
Mike S
a Cross Country Rider
from Switzerland
Date Reviewed: 11/13/2006 12:47:53 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | local bike shop |
| Strengths: | perform well on hardpack and roll well at high pressures (so do lots of tyres!) |
| Weaknesses: | unpredictable and don't grip well (especially front end) on gravel surfaces. traction is better at around half recommended max pressure but watch your av. speed and times drop!! I had to stop and pump them up again :-( |
| Similar Products Tried: | Panaracer, Specialized |
| Bike Setup: | Cannondale M800. Full XT, hollowtech cranks, Manitou SX Ti, Cane Creek Aeroheat wheels, Raceface evolve seatpost, Control tech stem, Selle Italia signo seat |
| Bottom Line: | If you like a tyre with a lot of feel at the front end (who doesn't) then look elsewhere. Might be good if you only ride areas that are hard pack and have absolutely no loose cover. I'm trying to wear mine out ASAP. |
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Submitted by
Mike Bryant
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: 8/9/2006 6:45:37 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | My local woods |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | Wiggle |
| Strengths: | Very grippy on the rear. When on road these are fantastic, really gives me an edge on the on-road sections of my local track, compared to the other riders on mud tyres. "Enough" grip on the rear. |
| Weaknesses: | Not good on the front. Was wranging my bike around trees when the front tyre gave out, hit my face on the tree at 20mph, ouch! Before you buy visit www.conti-online.com. Continental offer a chart somewhere on their website that details which tyres should be used where. Incidentally, Vapors are NOT recommended for front use! Also I thought I bought a 2.1 tyre. it's closer to 1.9! |
| Similar Products Tried: | Halo Knobbler, Vuelta Gecko (rubbish!) |
| Bike Setup: | Shogun Curfew, Suntour XCR forks, Conti Vapor Rear, Halo Knobbler 2.2 front (SH*T loads of grip!). Nothing else changed. |
| Bottom Line: | Use them on the back, get something better for the front! Good value at £14 per tyre ($20). Should be rear specific. The fact conti say they are for front as well, makes me say 4 overall. |
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Submitted by
Ybiker
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: 7/6/2006 5:32:03 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | Bike Nashbar |
| Strengths: | Excellent traction. |
| Weaknesses: | Like most Continentals, pricey compared to IRC and WTB. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Mythos XC. |
| Bike Setup: | Y-bike with Cloud Nine rear shock, Judy DH front shock, Conti Explorer Protect front tire, Vapor Pro rear tire. |
| Bottom Line: | I fall more in love with this tire the more I ride. It climbs well and has excellent traction in sand. If I start to get bogged down in the local sand pit, I can pop up the front and spin my way out. |
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Submitted by
Ezra
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: 4/16/2006 9:35:39 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Came with bike |
| Strengths: | I didn't have more flats than normal. Fairly lightweight, seemed to roll pretty easy on flat stable terrain and long non-technical ascents. They did get better after I rode on them for a while. |
| Weaknesses: | Washes out all of a sudden goes from gripping in corners to sliding on elbows and knees with no warning at all. |
| Similar Products Tried: | WTB Mutano, Panaracer Fire XC, Intense |
| Bike Setup: | Blur, disc brakes |
| Bottom Line: | I didn't like them, I had traction trouble even on tacky days |
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Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: 2/20/2006 9:06:26 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Manly Dam |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | 30 |
| Strengths: | Tough sidewalls in the Protection version |
| Weaknesses: | Sketchy, breaks away unpredictably |
| Similar Products Tried: | More than I can remember, looking for the ultimate tyre! |
| Bike Setup: | On-one Inbred SS |
| Bottom Line: | These are the first tyres I ever been able to powerslide, meaning I accelerated out of a corner only to have the back end slide out left and then back to the right on dead flat ground! I'd love to say it's because I'm so powerful but... Climbing they're hopeless and on rock as previously mentioned they're just dangerous. |
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Submitted by
Peter St-Amour
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: 2/1/2006 9:46:35 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $38 |
| Strengths: | Reasonably light, quality |
| Weaknesses: | Are they called Vapor because the grip disappears? |
| Similar Products Tried: | Panaracer Dart, Fire, Trailblaster, IRC Mud Mad, Ritchey Z-Max |
| Bike Setup: | XC |
| Bottom Line: | Not a winter tyre, that much I know. I've mine on the front and on many occasions they've suddenly given up gripping when cornering. This happens particularly on softer ground. The lack of side knobs and rounded profile is probably the cause of this. Seem to have a softer compound than most older Continental tyes and they've got a good volume to them. However for anything soft under-wheel get a tyre with more prominent side knobs if grips your thing. |
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Submitted by
Joel Stover
a Cross Country Rider
from Mannheim, Germany
Date Reviewed: 11/15/2005 9:55:09 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Neustadt / Weinbiet |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | BikeMax |
| Strengths: | These tires have probably the toughest sidewall & tread-compound I've ever encountered, they also roll very fast on all surfaces. So far the tread has worn very little, surprising for such a grippy rubber. They grip very well on soft dirt & mud, but they excel on the rocks. These things claw up the local slickrock and granite. They also respond very well while carving corners, but the rear wheel will break loose at even the slightest hint of brake-pressure. |
| Weaknesses: | The only issue I've run into with these tires is that they seem to be a little larger than advertised, and the aforementioned sketchy rear tire. No biggie. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Ritchey Z-Max, Kenda Short-trackers, No-name knobbys. |
| Bike Setup: | '05 Horst-link 21" HM FSL on Ritchey rims, w/ 5" of coil-sprung travel f/r. |
| Bottom Line: | These tires absolutely devour rocks, and hold up like a champ to sharp sidewall hazards. They will not spin while climbing boulders, lizardstick to off-camber rocks and ledges, and exhibit enough control for high-speed singletrack. However, when run directional as indicated on the tires, the rear-end likes to get loose when braking at high-speeds on hard-pack dirt or singletrack. I suggest running both tires in the same direction. |
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Submitted by
Mark Hammond
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: 10/10/2005 2:53:47 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Barry Knows Best, Surrey Hills |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $41 |
| Purchased At: | Wiggle |
| Strengths: | Low rolling resistance, Good grip on most surfaces, Good climbing, descending and cornering, not one puncture yet after two years. |
| Weaknesses: | Mud. Particularly deep mud. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Conti explorer/escape, Panarcer fire XC's/Cinders, Michelin Comps. |
| Bike Setup: | Klein Attitude, very few original bits left from new. |
| Bottom Line: | I've used them for two years and they are more than a match for any of the tyres I've mentioned above. I've used them for general use and racing/enduro, from the Surrey hills to Afan Argoed in Wales. However, I've used them in a few english winters and have found that they are not great in mud, but still rideable. |
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Submitted by
CH
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: 10/5/2005 10:32:11 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Like them All |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $49 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Good gripper for me once I found the right tire pressure. |
| Weaknesses: | Took some breaking in. They were a little loose at first |
| Similar Products Tried: | Too many to list |
| Bike Setup: | Trance 2 - few modifications |
| Bottom Line: | It took me a couple of months to break these tires in, but now I love them. I think the key reason why the reviews are split is because of three things...tire pressure, body weight, and break in. When I first got the tires, I ran them with fairly low pressure. With this set up I had poor traction. I then added air little by little until I found a good pressure for me and my weight. About 45 lbs of pressure combined with my body weight (140 lbs)is now a great set-up. They always seem to find grip even when they shouldn't and I've never had a problem riding off camber with them. They are very fast rollers. I do several trail races each year and I have been very happy with these tires. Putting a couple hundred miles on the tires has seemed to help too. Just my opinion...but I like them and will probably buy another pair once these are worn down. |
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Submitted by
Markus Hain
a Cross Country Rider
from Pretoria
Date Reviewed: 10/4/2005 10:06:58 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | many |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Grant Cycles |
| Strengths: | Good for road use |
| Weaknesses: | I've had countless flats from pinches etc. Use Stans No Tubes conversion. Front feels loose and no grip. Bounces around on rocks, hard to keep a line. Also the rubber tears quickly when hitting rocks harder than necessary |
| Similar Products Tried: | Maxxis Larsen TT |
| Bike Setup: | XTC with XT and XTR, Manitou Black Platinum |
| Bottom Line: | Don't buy unless you are planning to ride on the raod |
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Submitted by
Dennis
a Cross Country Rider
from Holly, MI USA
Date Reviewed: 9/24/2005 8:42:09 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Holdridge Lakes |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | online |
| Strengths: | Grip very well, roll pretty well, easy to mount, seem to shed mud well,& look cool I use the Vapor Pro |
| Weaknesses: | I haven't found any yet, so far I am really happy with these tires |
| Similar Products Tried: | Specialized Fast Track Pro, Specialized Ground & Dirt Control, Tioga Farmer Johns, |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized Epic Comp Disk: Specialized bar ends, Eggbeaters, Conti Vapor Pro |
| Bottom Line: | I use these tires front and rear. I really like it as a rear tire and seem to always find traction. I ride a lot of single track - usually hard pack w/ some sand. |
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Submitted by
James Waddington
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: 9/14/2005 8:48:39 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | The Wall, Afan Forest, Wales |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $41 |
| Purchased At: | Wiggle |
| Strengths: | Fast tyre, rolls smoothly. |
| Weaknesses: | OK, there's a mystery about this tyre. Some riders find it grips everything, mud, rock, hardpack single track, sand. And some like me find it has no side grip, slides all over the place, and bounces. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Specialized Adrenaline 2.00, Michelin Comp S Light. |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized Rockhopper 2005, standard but for MTB saddle. |
| Bottom Line: | There is a lot of stuff about the GravityArc design, but there is very little edge grip, and if you push the knobs around with your finger they deflect just like any other. For some it's a great roller and a versatile gripper. For me it's scary - partly because I'm recovering from a cracked rib; the front wheel just went away from under me on a bit of hard singletrack I know well. I have now put an Adrenaline back on the front wheel and left the Vapor on the back. This is OK but it makes it a bike of two halves, the front calm and secure, the back, well, delightfully skittish would be a polite way of putting it. This is such a Jekyll and Hyde of a tyre that there must be a determining factor which needs to be addressed. Why so good for some and so bad for others? Is it rider weight? I'm 68 kilos. If not what? I think we need to know. |
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Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Paul
Date Reviewed: 8/16/2005 6:54:57 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $13 |
| Purchased At: | Nashbar |
| Strengths: | These tries are quick and they're fast. I ride about 30% on tar/gravel roads and the seem to wear really well. |
| Weaknesses: | Wear do you start. They don't climb; they don't grip hardly anything. The only way I can get them to grip at all is to drop the pressure until they’re just about flat. When you do run them inflated they’re so skittery (not a real word) you bounce everywhere and crash into everything. |
| Bottom Line: | These are terible trail tires, but they would make good street tires because they roll easy and wear well with no flats. |
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Submitted by
Johnny Rotten
a Weekend Warrior
from Williams Lake, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: 6/23/2005 10:00:09 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | Barking Spider Mountain Bike |
| Strengths: | I just did the Test of Metal in Squamish ..a 67 km mudfest...running the Vapors on the front and rear and I gotta tell ya, these things hook. I'm using Stan's Tubeless and had no problem sealing them up. The course gets rocky and fast in sections, and I bombed through them and past much racier riders with pinch flats that lined the trail. At 605 grams (on my scale) for a 2.1 they aren't the absolute lightest, but they aren't bad either, and do roll quite fast. For an all conditions tire, I can't say enough about them. My wife has run hers in the dry, and says they hook up really well, too. For dry weather racing I run my Explorer Supersonics, but for every day everything else, I'm going to stick with these. Good job, guys! |
| Similar Products Tried: | Conti Explorer, Vertical Pro, Kenda Kinetic...etc. |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro Expert, Minute 2, XT, XTR, Push'd Fox rear, Chris King everywhere, Hayes, yadda yadda yadda |
| Bottom Line: | These tires have just confirmed why I'm a Conti Junkie! |
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Submitted by
Frank
a Cross Country Rider
from San Looney Nabisco
Date Reviewed: 5/17/2005 8:54:14 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | Foothill Bikes |
| Strengths: | Nice fit on the rim. Rolls fairly fast. |
| Weaknesses: | One of the worst tires I've ever used. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Vertical Pros, Mythos, Sedona, Nevegal, Serax, Ritcheys |
| Bike Setup: | Blur with Marz., Shimano XT, |
| Bottom Line: | I really don't understand what people see in this tire. The profile looks like it was carved out a slick, very round. There are no knobs to lean on. What this does on the trail is: first, it slides in loose dirt where other tires don't, and second, the tire slides off of rocks when you hit them instead of sticking to the rock and taking the impack. You wind up bouncing through rock gardens and can't hold a line. Also, I don't know what compound they made this tire out of but it bounces so much that it's like having an over inflated basket ball for a wheel. And lowering pressure just makes it slower but it's still bouncy. Lord knows I've tried to like this tire since I've liked other Contis, and I paid a lot for them but they are worthless for dry hard pack riding. Anybody want some cheap? |
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Submitted by
Werner Gillmer
a Cross Country Rider
from Pretoria
Date Reviewed: 4/18/2005 3:09:08 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Groenkloof nature reserve in pretoria |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $33 |
| Purchased At: | Bruce Rynke cycles |