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Average Rating
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4.09/5
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# of Reviews
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47
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MSRP
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$ 40.00
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Weight
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More Products from Kenda
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Description:World's lightest semi-slick at 395 grams
Semi-slick tread for low rolling resistance and real speed
L3R, lightweight rubber compound
Size: 26 x 1.95
Kevlar
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Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Quezon City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Maarat, Sierra Madre, Montalban | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$36.00 | | Purchased At: | Extreme Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Fast & light. Fast climber. Low rolling resistance. | | Weaknesses: | Potential rear washout during fast turns due to shallow thread design. | | Similar Products Used: | Nearest would be Kenda Small block eight. | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC hybrid. Rockshox Reba. XT grouppo. | | Bottom Line: | Faster and lighter than the small block eights. Confidence building while climbing. Huge probability of a washout while doing fast downhills, especially with 50psi plus air pressure. You can leave others behind on the climbs, just be careful on the descents. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Will
a Cross Country Rider
from Hollywood, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Light weight, low rolling resistance | | Weaknesses: | Flats. Poor traction in sand, mud, etc., but that is not what this tire is supposed to be good at. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC Slick Mythos XC | | Bottom Line: | Fast and light. But since mounting this as my rear tire, I have had at least half a dozen flats -- all on the rear tire. I am lightweight and do not ride aggressively, I do not get flats very often. I won't buy them again. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Shanahan
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | aska loop - Blue Ridge, GA | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$36.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Very light and VERY fast and fast and light. And fast. Tough for lightweight tires. Fast, too. | | Weaknesses: | No lateral traction, makes me mess my bike shorts. Wear quickly. Climb fast, but any mistake in body position results in severs traction loss. | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson Mosquito, Panaracer Fire XC | | Bike Setup: | Giant Ranier, XT drive, lots of upgrades | | Bottom Line: | I purchased these on advlce of the guy at the LBS. I asked for suggestions to lighten my ride. He had a bit of an odd twilnkle in his eye when he handed me these. Now I know why.
I switched out hubs, rims and tires at the same time and it felt like I had added a 3hp engine on the downhills. Holy crap these things are FAST! On my very first ride I crossed a small wet patch in the trail - maybe 3 feet across - we're talking flat, straight trail - and the bike side-sips a couple inches. Mind you, it feels like a foot to me because I've only ridden Panaracers and the like, and they won't slip in 3" of bacon grease.
I was determined to give these tires a full audition. In the past year I have ridden them many times on trails in GA, NC and AL. In all of these locations one can expect a little moisture on the trails at some point. On the bright side, I feel these tires are tougher than one mjght expect from an ultra-light tire. I took them on some pretty rough trails in Montesano (Huntsville, AL), and while I did manage to fold the tire half way around the side of the rim on one patch of rocks, I never punctured the tire or got an irreparable flat. In the long run, however, I have mostly abandoned these tires after 1 year because I simply cannot muster any confidence while using them. Any speed gains I got in climbing and downhills were probably negated by me slowing down excessively in the turns. Any time I saw loose dirt or sand in a turn, or, heaven forbid, a wet patch I would slow it down and still and hold my breath. On a easy or moderate, wide trails (most of DuPont Forest trails in NC) they would be great, but for typical XC conditions here in the SE they don't work for me. YMMV.Still, I give them four chiles because they are tough and they are exactly what they claim to be. Did I mention they are fast? | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$34.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Extremely light (395 grams). Low rolling resistance. FAST, FAST, FAST!! | | Weaknesses: | Rear tire tends to stray on gravel. I sort of expected this, however. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC Mythos XC Slicks | | Bike Setup: | Stock Trek 3500 MTB w/Kenda Kozmik Lite semi-slicks. Slime
tubes. | | Bottom Line: | So far, so good. Have had no issues with pinch flats -
keep mine at 80 psi. I've been riding on this pair of for about 1 1/2 months. I do all of my riding on streets or rails-to-trails. The amount of speed you pick up switching from a MTBtire to this semi-slick is amazing! I highly recommend them, especially at the price I paid - $34.00/including S&H! I'd give them 5 Flamin' Chilis but I want to ride a few more miles before I make a final determination. Currently I have 75-100 miles on them. Previously I had the IRC Mythos XC Slicks which produced quite a bit of vibration (and yes, I did have the direction correct). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | McCauly Conservation | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$24.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Light, Very Fast | | Weaknesses: | Side nnobs could use more bite | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin jett, sprints, Irc mythos slick, WTB racing raptors | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC1-xtr,crossmax disc,time,thomson | | Bottom Line: | I have 1500 miles on these in 2 years with only 3 flats (2 this year). They are just starting to tear the side knobs off. On hard packed they fly and you lose a little in breaking but climb exellent. They do tend to be a bit lose in cornering(could use a more agresive side knob) but overall an exellent tire for the money. I have just purchased a second set on ebay for next year. I would just like to ad that these are for hard packed terrain and not for mud. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | www.jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | super light, low rolling resistance, decent side knob bite | | Weaknesses: | Scary. Scary going up, scary going down, scary in the corners | | Similar Products Used: | Intense Wedge 1.85 | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer-X, custom 1400-gram wheelset | | Bottom Line: | These things should come with a warning label. No one who rides off-road should even consider it as a front tire. I did a test ride today using this on the rear and a Michelin Comp S Light on the front, riding my favorite hardpack (this time of year) trail.
It's got about as much traction as my 1.85 Intense Wedge tires did in the straights, but while the huge side knobs made the Wedge and effective mud tire (at 100 grams heavier), the Kozmik definitely isn't. That having been said, this thing is amazingly fast on hardpack. Which is good, because it slips really quickly under low-speed, high torque (read: technical) riding. You need to carry a lot more speed into short, steep, loose hills. And stay seated.
I have no objective measurement of whether I was faster than when I ran a Hutchinson Python Air Light rear and Intense System 2 front, but I definitely spent a lot more time concentrating on my line and laying off the rear brake to prevent skidding out the tire.
I'm 185 lbs. with Camelback and ran it at 40 psi with a 125-gram Continental tube with no problems on some harsh, high-speed chatter bumps. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chas
a Weekend Warrior
from Tampa FL
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$14.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Speed and smoothness. | | Weaknesses: | Loses it on wet pavement. | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer Fire XC Pro, WTB Racing Raptor. | | Bike Setup: | Giant Rincon - Rock Shox Judy. All other components stock. | | Bottom Line: | Needed a semi-slick after my primary riding became more pavement than dirt :^( Tried Racing Raptors but they flatted an average of once every two weeks. Moved to Kenda Kozmic Lites recently. Great tire. Fast and smooth riding. But don't try any sharp fast turns on wet pavement. They lose grip and you end up sliding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas
a Racer
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | the one i havn't ridden yet | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$28.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Show | | Strengths: | Light! Fast! Light! Fast! Cheap! Fast! Did I say it was light? | | Weaknesses: | Wears a little fast...Not great traction, but good considering the design | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Super X | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 xt/517, flat bar | | Bottom Line: | These tires rip for racing. The acceleration quotient is wicked. They hold well untill it gets really slick. They can't really be pushed through really rocky sections, but most race courses are boringly easy anyway. Good for Racing!
Tip: Put on your old, inferior, heavy tires for training. Put these back on week of race, bike will feel mysterioulsy fast again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Duncan
a Weekend Warrior
from Cambridge
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Coed y Brenin / Flume Ride, Tahoe | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$28.00 | | Purchased At: | JT CYCLES | | Strengths: | Very light, unbeleivably fast, the first time I used them I could not believe the acceleration or top end speed that could be achieved.Use them when ever I think I can get away with it. | | Weaknesses: | SLIDEEEEEEE.. makes for some interesting cornering, they tend to slide if pushed on most surfaces (except clean, fast hard pack surfaces or tarmac, a little slow to turn in sometimes. Ride in the wet at your peril!! | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer ss & sk | | Bike Setup: | Super light, fox etc etc | | Bottom Line: | If you can handle the odd heart stopping slide these are the fasted tyres you'll find | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
stuff-junkie
a Racer
from Burlington, Vermont
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | technical madhouse- northcountry vermont | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | can't remember | | Strengths: | wicked fast! light has h*** (am i allowed to say stuff like that?) i felt a huge difference the first time I rode them | | Weaknesses: | wear a little fast, i recomend only using them for races or other rides that require something extra, unless your loaded | | Similar Products Used: | nothing even close to this light | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 98, mostly XTR | | Bottom Line: | These are a great tires for fire roads and hardpack, just don't try to make them do anything else.
If you're looking for a super light and fast tire, then this is the one for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Timur
a Weekend Warrior
from Almaty, Kazakhstan
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$23.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA | | Strengths: | Light, rolls fast, easy to fit, good grip on fire-road | | Weaknesses: | Those small knobs wear out fast - I lost every 2nd in 4 months. | | Similar Products Used: | Conti Town&Country (long-lasting tires) | | Bike Setup: | Klein Attitude Race 2000 - light and fast | | Bottom Line: | Not a real slick, but stiil a rocket! And you can shave some weight when lose half knobs. Needs high air pressure. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg, VA
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | durable and "Oh WOW!!" light | | Weaknesses: | not a lot of grip in the loose stuff and on rocks, and a couple of pinch flat- but that is the price you pay when you step up to semi-slicks | | Bottom Line: | Hey, you wanna shave some weight? I lost about a pound with these tires and I definitely felt a difference on hardpack and on the street. I don't race but I love to ride fast and these tires are the ticket to my adrenaline rush. They aren't great in loose dirt or on rocks but that is not what they are designed for anyway. When you use 'em on hardpack they SHINE. You will feel your bike want to spurt out from beneath you. They do pretty darn well on the street, too, but wear quickly if you log a buncha miles on the asphalt.
If you need a speed fix, you gotta try these. If you mostly ride slower, more technical terrain then you should probably look elsewhere. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Loi
a Cross Country Rider
from West Covina, CA
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | El Prieto, Hacienda Hills | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$23.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Light weight. Fast rolling. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC Velociraptor, Michelin Wildgripper Comp S, Bontrager Jones, Panaracer Pyros | | Bike Setup: | GT XCR1000, SID SL, WTB Motem Disc Wheels, Syncros, XT/XTR, 858 Pedals, and Avid Mechanical Disc Brakes | | Bottom Line: | I got my Michelin Wildgripper on front and Kozmik Lite on the rear. I have managed to climb hardpack, loose rocks, and slick mud without much difficulty. There were some slippage on the slick mud, but the mud sheds right off the Kenda. The tires are slick so don't expect it to climb like others, but for all around cross-country these are awesome. The sidewall seems stronger than my michelin. I have torn two sidewalls of my Michelin Wildgripper Comp S tires. It is narrow, so going through technical rocky sections a little scary, but it handles it decently. Going through corners hard are sketchy, but so are my Michelin. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Racer
from Christchurch (New Zealand)
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light,fast rolling,easy to fit | | Weaknesses: | dont last very long (but what do you expect from a 395 gram racing tire) | | Similar Products Used: | most other racing semi slicks | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 ,Carbon Easton parts,FSA carbon cranks,etc....20.8pounds | | Bottom Line: | I have been using these tires for around a year now, and have being using them both F&R with no problems.The rear tire only lasts around 200kms of racing, but the front is always fine for at least twice that.Some caution is reqiued when using this tire f&r as the front will all ways let go early , but most racers should be able to feel the limit before going over it, and the advantage of a faster open area section will always make up for this.This tire is defintely for racing only and is wasted any were other than a hard pack race circuit. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randy
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Still Lookin | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$22.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheel Goods Stratford Ontario | | Strengths: | Fast | | Weaknesses: | Only for hardpack..... Do not ride this tire in rocky or rough trails. It will self destruct! | | Similar Products Used: | Panaracer Dart,Smoke,Fire Cross Country Pro.Tioga X-Country
Kenda Kwick | | Bike Setup: | 1991 Gary Fischer Montare | | Bottom Line: | Fast Tire but for racing only.
Only had these for Two weeks and they are trashed.
I bought them for a race and figured I would ride them leading up to the race to get a good feel for them.
Can't complain about how fast the are as I came in second in the race.....But thats the end of both tires.
20% of the side knobs missing on the rear and 5% on the front.Between 40-50% of the rest of them are partially torn off.
To be fair I realize that these are a racing tire. On the other hand they shedded so quick that Ross at Wheel Goods had no problem replacing the with another set of tires. Going to give the Maxxis Worm Drive a try.
1 Flaming Chili for value because they Self Destruct
4 For Overall because they are fast if used for for dry condition racing and the do stick good for a Semi slick | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dude
a
from baltimore
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | fast accerleration, light weight | | Weaknesses: | pinch flats, poor traction, | | Bike Setup: | rocky race fs | | Bottom Line: | 3 races. 3 flats. 2 pinch flats the first at 35psi the second at 45 psi, the third flat was a thorn. the lateral knobbies are 20% worn off. the tire is fast and will get you to the front of the line quickly but it won't keep you there. it feels squirrely at low pressure and too bouncy at high pressure. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pat smith
a Cross Country Rider
from albany ny
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | extremely fast in all conditions | | Weaknesses: | steep out of the saddle climbs | | Similar Products Used: | specialized sl s works | | Bike Setup: | stumpjumper | | Bottom Line: | i have used this tire in the rear only because of its narrow width. it has seen hardpack,deep sand,mud,rocks etc.it absolutely accelerates like like a rocket.for 25 dollars at pricepoint it's the bargain of the century.By the way ,it goes on easily with plastic tire levers.Those guys who posted negative reviews must have no fingers. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC USA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Right Loop @ Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$27.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | Extremely light (I lost about 2 lbs off my bike with these new tires over my old steel-beed). Wow, can you say FAST!? These tires fly, very very low rolling resistance, and they rule on any type of hardpack (like Tsali, Newlight...). Also, these tires are LIGHTER than advertised! (probably the only product on the market that's lighter than advertised). Advertised at 395 grams, mine weighed in at 380 and 385g!!! | | Weaknesses: | The sidewall may be a little weak (it blew out when riding in Tsali, but I think the use of inappropriate tools (screwdriver) to install the tires may have played a role in this.) These tires are extremely hard to put on the wheels; I've broken three tire levers trying to get these tires on! | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Velociraptor, WTB Enduro Raptor (steel-beed) | | Bike Setup: | Litespeed Toccoa, FSA Carbon Pro Cranks, Mars C Fork, XT shifter/levers, XTR brakes, XTR front hub/lx rear, XT rear/lx front derailleur | | Bottom Line: | When properly used (ie, used on hardpack, not technical downhill), these tires rule! Acceleration is awesome, and I get surprisingly good traction and cornering everywhere I take them (I was quite impressed after my first ride with them). Another strong point, because these tires are so streamline and light, they can also easily be used on the road, as they have very little rolling resistance. Although I first considered sending the tires back after I first received them (and I was stunned with the lack of tread on the tires), I ended up keeping them, and I'm sure glad I did. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frank Berkhout
a Racer
from Meppel (Holland)
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | havelte | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | local bike store | | Strengths: | Very fast!
Very grippy
less then 395 grams (376 front/ 387 rear) | | Weaknesses: | Difficult to get on wheels (cross ride's)
Starts to drift a litle in mud
This tire is not made for the John Doe type of rider | | Similar Products Used: | 96 specialized MT Baldy TEAM. And lots of others, but that are knobblies | | Bike Setup: | zaskar, judy race,XT LX | | Bottom Line: | Well I'm from Holland. And as you all know over here it rains a lot and the country is flat (yeah right). We actually have hills over here. Come and ride! I will let you sweat! I race on those tires. Even in the rain, but then you have to drift through wet corners. But they are really nice and fast. I'm one of about 10 riders who uses them in Holland. The Kenda brand is only known here for its cheaper tires! But BEWARE this tire is NOT for every rider | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Johannessen
a Cross Country Rider
from Jessheim, Norway
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Rolls fast. Very very fast...
| | Weaknesses: | Limited traction | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager revolt SS, Hutchinson python, WTB nanoraptor | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher sugar 1 | | Bottom Line: | You need a high air pressure in these to avoid pinch flats. The tire is incredible fast, thats why I've been using them in my last 3 races. But what I gain during climbs and rolling, I lose to my competititors when the terraing gets tough. This is due to low traction in all conditions. Mud, sand, rocks you name it.
This is not a tire for everyone, but if it suits your needs it will not be a disapointing buy.
PS: Very very fast... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Toad
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Louis, MO USA
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Castlewood blue ribbon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$21.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson usa | | Strengths: | AWSOME on DRY HARDPACK ONLY. There are a few rocky down hills on trails that I ride and when start my descent I start my prayers. Tread held up pretty well considering light weight. | | Weaknesses: | horrible on anything other than pavement on hardpack.
I can bead any tire with my hands exept these. I broke a plastic tire lever trying to beac them the first time. It took me an hour to bead them the 1st time. I noticed somebody else thought they were easy to change though. | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson python air light, panaracer firepro xc, wtb velociraptor | | Bike Setup: | old trek 930, mostly xc, manitou mars 1
| | Bottom Line: | At 395 grams great tire for overall dry riding, however very light casing I ripped a gash in side wall and ruined tire after three mos. I would go with Hutchinson air light pythons, a few grams more but lots more traction | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
plutocrat
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | Light weight
Low rolling resistance
Smooth and quite ride
Great on pavement or dry hardpack. | | Weaknesses: | Extremely poor traction on wet earth, wet leaves, or muddy conditions. Very dangerous!
Rear tire spins easily in gravel. | | Similar Products Used: | Maxxis Minotaur 380 | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Hardrock FS | | Bottom Line: | I do not consider this to be a true mountain bike tire. It is basically an urban tire masquerading as a mtn. bike tire. Despite Kenda's claims that this tire offers reasonable traction in wet conditions - I quote from their testimonial ad, "Even when I got caught in a rainstorm, I found them to be manageable on the greasy trail", I found that this tire performed miserably in these conditions. The rear end would routinely swing out and slip if the trail showed any signs of being "greasy". Traveling at over walking speed in wet earth or mud conditions are dangerous in these tires. Even my bald Minataur 380s offered better traction. Kenda should market this tire as a tire for people who wish to turn their mountain bike into an urban street rod. I routinely pass road bikes on the paved bike paths and sreets using this tire. Anyone who travels "off road" will be disapointed with the poor traction of the Kozmik Lite. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
e-jack lamano
a Cross Country Rider
from the Valley of the Sun
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | The rocky one behind the mountain on the horizon in the east. | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | One of the online parts dealers. | | Strengths: | Easy to take off during flat repairs.
Low rolling resistance.
Worked well on steep rocky singletrack, flat doubletrack, shallow sand, gravel, and pavement.
Center of tread held up fine. | | Weaknesses: | The corner knobs broke off on day one. They should've just left them off when they made them.
The whole casing was too thin. | | Similar Products Used: | A thicker WTB semi-slick with the knobs still intact. It's been much more durable. | | Bike Setup: | 6500 with several upgrades. Check my review on it. | | Bottom Line: |
It handled well on many different kinds of terrain, but other semi-slicks can do that too.
It's the last one I'm going to get. The rubber seems too thin. Thorns puncture it too easily and I don't wan't to find out what broken glass will do to it.
It'll need replacement any day now. My other tire, a different brand, isn't nearly as worn as the Kenda.
This is probably a racing tire and it hasn't been the best thing to use on my daily rides.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ross
a Cross Country Rider
from Fresno, CA
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | SJR trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson | | Strengths: | light weight, low rolling resistance | | Weaknesses: | poor durability | | Similar Products Used: | Conti Double Fighters | | Bike Setup: | VooDoo Bizango, XT build Kit, Manitou SX-R, Ritchey Wheels | | Bottom Line: | I put these on for the Series Finals as Castaic, which has alot of fire road and hard packed double track. Tested them the day before on my pre-ride. Seemed like a good place to use a minimalist tire. Traction was not a problem, they had low rolling resistance, and the super low weight was nice.
Problem is that the rear tire warped half way around the course. Thought I had bent the crap out of my wheel, but it was just the tire. That night I tried re-installing the tire, stretching it, etc. put it was garbage. Put the Conti's back on for the race. Front tire was/is fine. I gave it to my teamate who weighs about 140. He likes it.
So $50 down the tube. I won't ding it too bad because the concept is good and at least the tread seems usable. However, it is clear to me that a tire this light just won't work for me. Maybe I'm too heavy at 175 lbs for the casing on this tire. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Altamonte Springs, FL
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Phattire.com | | Strengths: | light
full size(1.95)
cheap | | Weaknesses: | wears a little fast
| | Similar Products Used: | conti XC | | Bike Setup: | Fisher frame, SX Ti, GT/X517 wheelset | | Bottom Line: | I have only tried this tire on the front, but I imagine it would perform as well as any other semi-slick. Dont take this tire on the pavement much, the side knobs will tear off on corners. On the dirt the wearing is OK. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
biknben
a Racer
from Robbinsville, NJ
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | porcupine rim | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$34.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Extreme Light weight!!! Low rolling resistance. | | Weaknesses: | Could be wider but then it would be heavier wouldn't it. | | Similar Products Used: | Conti's, Specialized, Hutchinson | | Bike Setup: | GT I-Drive, Full XTR, Z-2 X-fly fork, Kozmik lite on rear, Hutch Air Light on Front. | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up review. My overall view has not changed. This tire rocks on the rear wheel. I am still surprised how well it grips, even in poor conditions. My first tire has had enough. After about 100 miles of racing and occasional training it is dead. About one quarter of the knobs have serious damage or are missing. I have another one that's ready to go.
I've used it in about 2/3 of the races I did this year. The times I didn't use it was because of mud conditons or real technical terrain. I ended up using it in one race that was wet and really rooty and was shocked how well it gripped. In my most recent race my teammates warned me not to use it because the course was getting beat up (slippery) from all the traffic. I used it anyway and had no problems.
Since I prefer this tire for most conditions, this is where I WOULDN'T recommend using it:
-Deep Sand...It dives because it is so narrow.
-Technical descents...Without knobs you might as well not bother braking. In a race that's not a bad thing unless there's a turn at the bottom. Hehe
-Mud...Obvious reasons. Damp or wet conditions are okay though.
-Rock gardens...This tire slides off rocks rather than floating over them becuase it is so narrow.
I realize that most placs have at least a little of all these things. I would just reduce my speed through these areas. The tire will allow you to make up time everywhere else. But if your going to be going through these conditions all day...I would recommend a beefier tire.
This is the perfect rear tire for x-county racing and hard core training.
BTW: When my Kozmik is not on the rear it is replaced with a Conti Explorer Pro.
I think the Hutchinson Python Air Light is the perfect front tire. It is VERY wide with low rollong resistance but excellent grip. I've used it all year on the front (racing and training) and it has been awesome and shows hardly any wear. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mad Dog
a Racer
from US
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bikes | | Strengths: | light
fastest tire ever ridden
push an extra gear or two up hills
great for xc races | | Weaknesses: | durability | | Similar Products Used: | many | | Bottom Line: | Well this tire has redeemed itself from an earlier model that I tested which was completely a piece of junk. Kenda has improved this tire from one that I received when they first came out. This tire is holding up much better than an earlier version in which the knobs tore off after one race. This time around I experienced zero knobs tearing off and have confidence this tire may make it through several more races fine. I recommend using this as a rear only tire. You can really feel the difference in a xc race versus a heavier tire. I always finish much better when using a light tire such as Kenda's Kozmik Lite. I am interested to see the total mileage that I will get out of this tire. So far I have only tested 3 of these tires. The first two only lasted 20 miles. My third one which was purchased to see if Kenda had corrected the previous durability problem and so far it looks like they probably have. I will be running this tire probably the rest of the season on the rear end and will update this review in a few months. My advice is to give this product a shot if you are a racer who is looking for that extra edge on a xc course that does not require a tire with more grip. This tire is great at climbing and cornering for having such a small amount of tread. The tire compound grips better than any other tire that I have tested so I am a believer of this product thus far. I was not convinced earlier that the tire was worth the $35, but this time around it is because I maybe able to complete the rest of the xc season without having to trash it. Only time will tell if the problem has fully been corrected. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dean
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | shop | | Strengths: | Has anyone noticed that sub 400 grams is light? Rolling resistance? I thought I was riding my road bike! | |
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