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Home | Product Reviews | Tire | Continental Explorer Pro | ||||
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Submitted by
Sebastien
a Cross Country Rider
from Metz, France
Date Reviewed: 5/19/2007 1:38:27 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Strengths: | Great cornering ability, can go tubeless, moderate weight, durable |
| Weaknesses: | Less comfortable than other tires, rolling resistance |
| Similar Products Tried: | Many from Maxxis, Michelin and Hutchinson |
| Bike Setup: | Viper Fugitif (Softail) |
| Bottom Line: | This review is for the Explorer Pro. I've used this tire in many different conditions. To make it short, this is simply the best front tire I've ever tried. It gives me confidence to ride aggressively in nearly any condition. Cornering is so secure with this tire ! As a bonus, this tires mounts easily tubeless (using "no-flats" conversion kit). Sadly, as a rear tire, it is not that exceptionnal : although traction is great, I find there's too much rolling resistance when it's dry, and does not shed enough mud when it's very muddy. Other point that can be a bit annoying, confort is so-so on this version, esp. compared to the Maxxis Crossmark. However, if I had to use a single rear tire all over the year, this would be this one without a doubt. Rating : 5 chilis front, 3 rear. |
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Submitted by
turtel
a Weekend Warrior
from penguin tasmania orstralia
Date Reviewed: 4/26/2007 4:58:42 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | mount montgomery |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | lite but allrite |
| Weaknesses: | wear quickly ish |
| Similar Products Tried: | michelin ritchey specialised kenda et al--ive got a migrain just thinking about it |
| Bike Setup: | stumpy pro etc |
| Bottom Line: | grippy in all conditions except rocky and bullwinkle conditions here in taz country. work very well in dry conditions eg SA. handle mud pretty good but struggle a little in rock/gravel. all up the dogs bollocks as long as there isn't too many baby heads. LITE BUT ORLRITE. |
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Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Indianapolis, IN
Date Reviewed: 4/23/2007 8:10:59 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | BCSP |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | BGI |
| Strengths: | durability, fair performance in tech sections, relatively fast. |
| Weaknesses: | terrible cornering and breaking performance. |
| Similar Products Tried: | IRC Mythos, Hutchinson Pythons, Kenda Karma, Maxxis Crossmark (currently running) |
| Bike Setup: | Curtlo Adv. Mountaineer, White Bros fork, X.9 stuff, King classic hubs, Mavic 517 rims, Race Face turbine cranks..... |
| Bottom Line: | I ran these tires for about a full year hoping I'd find some medium ground with them. I experimented quite a bit with different PSI's, but I could never find a setting where these tires would give a consistent performance. Overall, they perform OK in rocky and rooty sections and they aren't too bad while climbing. In all fairness, I never had a moment where they lost traction on a climb. However, all confidence is lost once you hit the twists and turns of the trail as these tires really want to squirm away from you once you start to lean the bike over. I'd look elsewhere for an all-around XC tire. Try the Crossmark. I've been very happy with them since switching over. |
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Submitted by
Deryck Todd
a Racer
from East Lonodon, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Date Reviewed: 3/10/2007 11:41:52 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Longhill |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $125 |
| Purchased At: | Cycle HQ |
| Strengths: | Great traction in all conditions. Corners really good aswell |
| Weaknesses: | Wear kinda fast if you ride abit on tar |
| Similar Products Tried: | Maxxis Flyweight, Hutchinson |
| Bike Setup: | Carbon Sliverback Michigan. Full XT, Manitou Black fork |
| Bottom Line: | Great tyres for all offroad terrain. Light weight and durable. |
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Submitted by
Mike Blitz
a Cross Country Rider
from WB, MI USA
Date Reviewed: 11/14/2006 6:27:12 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | PLRA, Highland, Maybury, Lakeshore |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Strengths: | Great traction in all conditions. Extremely durable. |
| Weaknesses: | None worth time to mention |
| Similar Products Tried: | Bont. Jones A/C |
| Bike Setup: | Stumpy Comp, upgrades - Chris King with DT Swiss fr, XT with 717 rear, King head, Thompson stem and post. Avid ultim rim brakes, XT crank, Bontrager racer X carbon bars. Stock - XTR rear, LX front, FX 80. |
| Bottom Line: | Had same tires on previous bike. Replaced stock tires with new Cont's when tread on OAM tires needed replacements. As you can see from above set up, I always upgrade when OAM needs to be replaced. |
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Submitted by
Mike Blitz
a Cross Country Rider
from WB, MI USA
Date Reviewed: 11/14/2006 6:27:01 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | PLRA, Highland, Maybury, Lakeshore |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Strengths: | Great traction in all conditions. Extremely durable. |
| Weaknesses: | None worth time to mention |
| Similar Products Tried: | Bont. Jones A/C |
| Bike Setup: | Stumpy Comp, upgrades - Chris King with DT Swiss fr, XT with 717 rear, King head, Thompson stem and post. Avid ultim rim brakes, XT crank, Bontrager racer X carbon bars. Stock - XTR rear, LX front, FX 80. |
| Bottom Line: | Had same tires on previous bike. Replaced stock tires with new Cont's when tread on OAM tires needed replacements. As you can see from above set up, I always upgrade when OAM needs to be replaced. |
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Submitted by
Joe
from Jacksonville Fl
Date Reviewed: 9/30/2006 3:33:38 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Tsali |
| Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only |
| Price Paid: | $17 |
| Purchased At: | ebay |
| Strengths: | wow |
| Weaknesses: | none so far |
| Similar Products Tried: | Maxxis Hi-Roller, Hutch. Spider, IRC Mythos, Bonti Jones |
| Bike Setup: | 98 DBR v-link |
| Bottom Line: | This really feels like tire nirvanna to me. Light, aggressive, quick. Everyone is sooooo enamored with the VerticalPro model, you can pick them up for a steal almost anywhere. Is not as lethargic as the Spider felt, as quick as the maxxis but much more ability to handle corners. |
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Submitted by
Daniel O' Brien
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: 8/6/2006 9:17:30 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Chatel bike park, France |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Wiggle |
| Strengths: | Low weight. Rolling resistance. |
| Weaknesses: | Shredded centre nobs after four rides. No grip on loose descents. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 |
| Bike Setup: | Cannondale Jekyll 600 |
| Bottom Line: | The centre nobs on these tyres are shredded after just four rides. They lock up on ANY loose/rocky desecents and this shreds the lugs. Don't buy these if you want to do any form of mildly aggressive downhill riding. I have contacted Continental to complain. |
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Submitted by
Nizar Kailani
a Cross Country Rider
from Arcadia, CA
Date Reviewed: 6/30/2006 2:53:54 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Claremont / Marshal |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $21 |
| Purchased At: | e-bay |
| Strengths: | Amazing traction, low resistance, It feels like it has no knobs yet it's glued to the trail on turns, amazing I do not think I will ever buy anything else |
| Weaknesses: | short life, high price |
| Similar Products Tried: | Panaracer Fire XC Pro, Maxxis Hansventure, WTB |
| Bike Setup: | Marin Eastpeak w/ XTR |
| Bottom Line: | If you can get a deal on a pair then they are the bes tire you can buy |
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Submitted by
Al Osorio
a Cross Country Rider
from Zurich, Switzerland
Date Reviewed: 6/6/2006 8:11:50 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Engadin |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $28 |
| Purchased At: | ONline through German retailer |
| Strengths: | Great value if you grab them with a discount. Perfect tourer for all conditions unless its a "Mud Fest". Low rolling resistance and very good weight. (Kevlar)Great all-a-rounder. |
| Weaknesses: | A little expensive if you don't get a % off the standard price. Start to flat out easier towards end of treadlife but so do most. The knobs are a little shallow for the real muddy stuff and you should not ride with high pressure because you lose a lot of traction the back tire especially. (but who is riding hard pressure these days) |
| Similar Products Tried: | Little Albert Schwalbe-Better for mud, but then you add noticeable rolling resistance with the Alberts. It's a "climate" choice between the Explorer and Albert. |
| Bike Setup: | XT/Marzochi/hardtail/XTR V-brakes |
| Bottom Line: | Just wanted to say something good about these tires that are a must buy when on sale for tourers looking for quick tires that can hold up to a beating, and not have knobs that stick out like tumors. |
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Submitted by
Mads Meldgaard
a Cross Country Rider
from Aarhus
Date Reviewed: 5/30/2006 12:52:16 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $30 |
| Purchased At: | Internet shop |
| Strengths: | Superb cornering in all conditions, 460 grams (Supersonic), predictable handling |
| Weaknesses: | Rolling resistance not equal to the best racing tires out there, which however comes for great traction in technical and/or wet conditions |
| Similar Products Tried: | Scwalbe Racing Ralph, Conti twister, Ritchey Speedmax, Ritchey Mud Max and several others |
| Bike Setup: | XC-Fully |
| Bottom Line: | My tire philosophy is that to ride fast you most know your front tire in all conditions. Better to use the same tire in all conditions and thereby getting a very good feling for the "washout-limit". The Explorer is an excellent front tire for all conditions. I only change to another front tire (Racing Ralph) for Marathon in dry weather. |
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Submitted by
Jo Dirt
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: 1/22/2006 10:11:44 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | most anything dirty |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | nice light weight decent all round grip on harder surfaces fast rolling 2.1 allows a little extra cushion |
| Weaknesses: | washes out big time going downhill fast not so good in loamy or soft soils prone to pinch flats |
| Similar Products Tried: | so, so many |
| Bike Setup: | 05 s-works epic w/f100rlt, built to race |
| Bottom Line: | These tires are a reasonable trade-off between absolute traction and ligh weight. Compared to my perennial fave, the panaracer fire xc pro, these simply do not offer the same grip as the panaracers. The conti's lose their cornering grip in any loose conditions and wash out badly. On the other hand, if you ride 90% of the time on hardpack or slickrock, these grip extremely well on such harder surfaces. Also, the explorers do shed mud reasonably well, with their simple, shallow and tapered tread block pattern -far better than the fire xc's do. Overall, a good tire for those looking for a little extra floatation or riders who typically find themselves on harder surfaces. A fair tread for racers looking for more grip than the average semi-slick offers as well. These tires occupy an odd niche: not in the superlight category like the maxxis flyweight or twister supersonic, and not in the all-mountian thrasher category, like the panaracers, making them a bit of an orphan. Sadly, they do disappoint in their ability to resist (or rather not resist) pinch flats as well. The casing is quite thin (keeping the weight down)and thus does very little to keep the rim from coming into hard contact with the tube. The required higher pressures one must run to keep pinch flats at bay compromises the tire's ability to conform to the soil as well, futher reducing their overall grip and cushioning. The fire xc is great in this respect, resisting pinch flats to an almost absurd degree, mushing themselves into any terrain to find traction -but the fire xc's weigh almost 70g more per tire. For their cobination of surprisingly light weight (515g), fast rolling, good mud clearing and fair grip, I'll give them a 4/5 all round. |
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Submitted by
Don
a Cross Country Rider
from TN
Date Reviewed: 12/27/2005 8:41:10 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Any fast flowing single track |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Purchased At: | Came with bike |
| Strengths: | Came with bike, corners well, lasts |
| Weaknesses: | Not great on baby heads or wet rocks/roots, sinks in sand |
| Similar Products Tried: | Cheng Shin, Specialized Enduro, Continental Vertical Pro |
| Bike Setup: | 03 Cannondale F800 SL Time Attack pedals, Vertical Pros (stock), 99 Jamis Explorer (Thompson post and stem, Fizik saddle, Time Attack pedals)Fox fork XT crank and BB, Pan Racers, etc, etc, 03 Specialized Hard Rock Pro (stock mostly) Time Attack pedals |
| Bottom Line: | These tires came on the F800 SL. The guy at the bike shop said the tires and rims were ok for light hard pack and tried to get me to upgrade. Since I’m so cheap I figured I give them a try and replace later. Well, two years later and some serious miles clocked on these, I’m not totally displeased. What’s that mean? I log mostly XC and single track with some rock garden rides and have used these switching out with the Continental VPs occasionally when I need a more aggressive tire. I do a lot of steep climbs and take berms at high speed and these have never failed. I would not recommend these for freeride/downhill or doing sick drops, these will get you into trouble (I had a few pinch flats at low pressure) or muddy/slimy rock gardens and root infested areas. These are a great all-around tire and for that I would recommend them whole-heartedly. 4 Chilis each. |
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Submitted by
Adam
a Racer
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: 11/13/2005 2:11:39 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Don Valley |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Purchased At: | 60 |
| Strengths: | This is a follow up review after 3 years of riding this tire and is for the Protection version, which means there is a bit of extra sidewall protection which does work, corner grip is really good, if it loses traction its progressive (not a surprise), rolls really fast considering how knobby this tire is, handles most riding conditions really well, is light (525 grams) has lasted a long time, most of the wear is down the middle. |
| Weaknesses: | Price but in this case you do get what you pay for. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Pythons, Fire XC 1.8, Maxxis Larsen TT 1.8, Tioga Red Phoenix 1.8, Bontrager Revolt Super X TR, Conti Vertical Tubeless, Michelin Sprint S... |
| Bike Setup: | Fuel 98, Conti Explorers front and back, XT, Look 4x4 pedals, Chris King Hubs and Headset. |
| Bottom Line: | This is an all condition tire and a really good racing tire. It can be considered a light tire if you run it with ultralight tubes, my bike weighs just under 25 lbs with this set up and could be lighter if I used lighter tires. You cannot go wrong with this tire, as long as you keep it inflated to around 40psi you shouldn't get any pinch flats. I have had maybe 2 pinch flats a year with this tire possibly due to a slow leak. |
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Submitted by
ZipMTB
a Cross Country Rider
from Minnesota
Date Reviewed: 9/22/2005 6:22:55 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $45 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | This is for the SuperSonic version. These tires are very light (460gr on my scale). Hold a turn like no other tire I've tried, cut though sand. |
| Weaknesses: | Very thin sidewalls, but then I expected this to get the weight down. Installing Stan's was simple but continues to leak throught eh sidewalls |
| Similar Products Tried: | Spec. Roll-X S-Works, Panaracer Fire XC, WTB Notos |
| Bike Setup: | Superlight, Hope Mono Mini, 517's with stans and lot's of other fun parts |
| Bottom Line: | These tires are truely the best tires I have ever had on my bike. There may be better tire than these out there, but I love these. Did the Chequamegon 40 mile last week which has some hard pack, lots of sand, rocky downhills and uphills, grass, mud, asphalt. Yep, a little of everything. These tires hendled everything wonderfully. They do seem to take a little to ramp up to speed, but once there thay go like stink. On hadrpack and grass/dry ground these tire stick and won't let go. I was able to pass many riders by cutting to the inside of the turn because they held so well and would not let go. On sand, the 2.1 casing does not really float but they gave me more confidence than I ever have. They cut through the sand and do not wander. Mud slows them down a bit more than other tires but they do not clog up too much and are better than the ROll-x. In the midwest I really can't think of a better tire. |
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Submitted by
Kyle
a Racer
from Ho-Ho-Kus NJ USA
Date Reviewed: 8/29/2005 8:51:04 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $41 |
| Purchased At: | Piermont Bike Shop |
| Strengths: | Very light for a 2" full knobby, decently thick casing, great wearing, phenomenal front tire! |
| Weaknesses: | center knobs are too weak/small to be a decent rear tire, under load they colapse and give up too easily. Conti's are typically quite pricey$$$ |
| Similar Products Tried: | where do i begin? |
| Bike Setup: | Marin XC HT sub 21lb. racer that's perpetually on a diet |
| Bottom Line: | I saw this tire on the rack at a local shop and thought that it would be a good front tire. Well, three years later i still havent found a better front performer than the Explorer Pro. This tire never gives up and has NEVER washed out on me. It's light and can take a beating through sharp rock gardens here in North Jersey! If i was a believer in F&R combo tires i would say this tire is missing some climbing prowess, but i dont so.... |
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Submitted by
Mike Jackson
a Cross Country Rider
from Cedar park, texas,usa
Date Reviewed: 7/27/2005 7:37:16 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Muleshoe |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | Bicycle Sports shop |
| Strengths: | Fast rolling ,good traction ,responsive to input from rider. |
| Weaknesses: | Tend to catch flats easily , hard to find a compromsing air preasure to dial in.48-56 |
| Similar Products Tried: | specialized dirt control,Specialed team contrl.roll x pro, hutchinson mosquito air light& python and others I can't remember. |
| Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar comp , Marzocchi eta pro ,fox float,Thomsom stem , risers , mavic 517 rear , Bontragar corvair front eastpon s.post ,xt rear d. lx ,fr de, 8 spd rear |
| Bottom Line: | These tire work good with damp codition ( the dirt is good $ tacky,in dry conditions these tires get slightly slick they like to drift at a fast pace or get sketchy in fast turns.These tires do climb well and flat easily and do run small. It's a good tire for slower riders or predictable trails I'm mixed about these tires . These tire can suprise you ,when they're on they're on and they can work |
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Submitted by
Luc
from Quebec City, Canada
Date Reviewed: 6/20/2005 2:04:22 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | eBay |
| Strengths: | Fast rolling, predictable, mid-soft compound |
| Weaknesses: | Size (would appreciate 2.00 or 1.95). Seems to get packed easily at very low speed in deep mud conditions... but cleans rapidly. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Conti Escape, Conti Navigator, Conti Twister Supersonic IRC Mythos, IRC Nothos, Ritchey, Maxxis Kraken, Maxxis Calibos |
| Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Blur XT-Disk, Rocky Mountain Oxygen Race XT |
| Bottom Line: | Great tire. I've recently tested the tire (front + rear) in muddy marathon competition, with high pressure (55 lbs) trying to get the lowest rolling resistence from it while still capitalizing on the mid-soft compound and curved shape carcass of tire. Bottom-line : it rocks ! Compound gave me very good grip in very technical parts of the race, while high pressure and shape of the tire gave me good speed in less technical parts. As rear tire : impressive. As front tire : very good, but I would try with maybe 45 lbs pressure for better cornering. |
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Submitted by
rocker1
a Cross Country Rider
from ventura, ca
Date Reviewed: 6/15/2005 9:24:22 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | all of the above |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | came w/bike |
| Strengths: | fast, light, relatively long wearing. |
| Weaknesses: | wash out city |
| Similar Products Tried: | panaracer xc, kenda nevegal&cortez, mythos |
| Bike Setup: | scalpel |
| Bottom Line: | not confidence inspiring. washes out with almost no warning and little chance of recovery. it's fast and was an ok rear tire but i switched the rear to a panaracer xc and can clear technical climbs that were very difficult with this tire. can't believe how much they want for them new. $40-50? there's much better tires out there. 1 flamer for value, 2 flamers overall cause they aren't the worst tires available. |
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Submitted by
Durango92
a Cross Country Rider
from Middletown CT
Date Reviewed: 6/6/2005 9:57:30 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Trail of Tears on Cape Cod |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Good traction for a fast-rolling tire. Long wearing. |
| Weaknesses: | Too many flats, washes out when used on the front. |
| Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Sugar |
| Bottom Line: | I've been running these tires for about 4 years (they will last that long), and they are well worn out. Time to think about replacing them and I've decided to try a different tire for these reasons. 1. A lot of thorn and pinch flats since day one. 2. When used on the front the front end tends to wash out. I used to think it was my bikes geometry but other people have complained about it with this tire as well. It's a pretty good tire for the rear wheel, but get the flat resistant variety, or go with Stan's No-Tube or a slime tube unless you enjoy changing flats. |
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Submitted by
Tom
a Racer
from usa
Date Reviewed: 5/16/2005 6:54:31 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Wissahickon |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | ebay |
| Strengths: | This is a follow up. See my other review below. |
| Weaknesses: | They suck |
| Bottom Line: | All I have to say is three flats on one ride. Very frustrating when you're trying to train for an upcoming race. These things are going in the trash. If you're more that 160' do not buy. |
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Submitted by
Tom
a Racer
from Philly
Date Reviewed: 5/3/2005 6:19:53 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Wissahickon |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | ebay |
| Strengths: | Fast roller, light, good cornering. |
| Weaknesses: | Weak sidewalls means pinch flats for aggressive and/or heavy riders. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Too many to list but I'm partial to Maxxis and Specialized |
| Bike Setup: | I intended to race these on my xc bike. Full suspension, rider weight 185, rear 35psi front 30psi, ride style fast and aggressive. |
| Bottom Line: | I am a stong b |