| |
Submitted by
Ed Lamperd
a Cross Country Rider
from Perth, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kattamorda | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyond Bikes | | Strengths: | Went on easy to tubeless rims | | Weaknesses: | Not as good as the non-tubless Fire Pro's. wear is faster than both versons of Fire's. Ride is not as supple as the non-tubless. 40 psi and above to stop burping. | | Similar Products Used: | Nevagals, Maxxis, Huchi Barracuda's, Scopions & Pythons | | Bike Setup: | Spec Epic with Mavic Cross max wheels | | Bottom Line: | I purchased them on the strength of the normal Panaracer Fire's which i thought were best for the sort of riding I do, however burping and sidewall tears made me purchase the tubeless version. The tubless version must be kept above 40psi to stop burping. The rubber seems a harder compound, however has the added benefit of faster wear(?)
The tyre is just not supple and can not soak up any of the smaller hits. It also seems to have missed out on grip. The tyre seems narrow compared to the same sized non tubeless verson? Again adding to the above problems. Will not purchase again. It may suit riders in hard pack areas on groomed trails, but not the loose gravel that is in my area | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
marshall l
a
from SLC, UT
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA | | Strengths: | Good grip, corners well | | Weaknesses: | Tread wear | | Similar Products Used: | Pythons, Advantage, Kenda Nevagal | | Bike Setup: | Giant VT | | Bottom Line: | I run Nevagal 2.3 on the front and Panaracer XC UST 2.1 on the rear. Traction has been good. expecially on dry loose rock. I have been able to clean some climbs that I couldn't before.
Tire is a bit narrow, especially compared to the Nevegal. corners well. Tread has worn quicker than I would have liked. I bought two of these and have replaced one after about 3 months of riding. Had some difficulty getting the tire to run tubeless on my x3.1 rims, but they've been fine on Crosslands. I run with Stans, but have had so many problems with tubeless in the past that I always carry a tube, just in case.
I think these tires are good value for the money. I'd buy them again if you can get a deal on them. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad
a Racer
from Park City, UT
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great all around tire. | | Weaknesses: | Wears a little faster than the non UST version | | Similar Products Used: | Fire XC Pro non UST. Panaracer Trailblaster | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Element TSC. Built up frame with various components | | Bottom Line: | I have always been a fan of the Fire XC Pro. It is a great all around tire. Excellent on the braking, cornering and climbing. Yes, it is a little knobby to be running on hard pack, but you have to determine what is most important to you when riding all conditions. I have had no problems with the UST version with ripping sidewalls or air leaking. I always use Stans and have had no problems.
The sidewalls even stood up to a hard rock hit and the rim bent instead of the tire ripping.
I would highly recommend these tires. They are probably on the heavier side, but you also run less risk of ripping a sidewall, etc. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big A
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Collins Colorado USA
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Grip and side knobs. | | Weaknesses: | Sidewall tears | | Similar Products Used: | Maxxis Highrollers, IRC Mythos, Tons of non UST tires. | | Bike Setup: | Yeti ASR, Mavic X3.1 with Chris King hubs, Hope mini disks. | | Bottom Line: | Great tire. Sticks to most everything. Biggest draw back is the sidewalls. I do run stans and had flats from punctures. I also had sidewall tears that no amount of stans or slime would fix. They wear really well and give good performance until they are about bald. I finally had to replace them when the insides had more patches then rubber. I will not run them again just because of the punctures and sidewall tears. I will they were tougher because I really like the tires. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyond Bikes | | Strengths: | Pretty fast roller . . . doesn't seem as fast as my Weirwolf combo but it may be due to my flabby a$$ after hibernating all winter. Good traction on rocks in the dry. Adds a nice feeling of plushness to the ride despite the small air volume. | | Weaknesses: | Puny tire width - 2.1" just barely. Hardly any tire volume - especially compared to the allegdly same sized 2.1" clincher version - so it flatspotted my Mavic 819 rim hucking 4-1/2'. Wet traction sucks rocks. Hence the lower tire pressure and the resultant flatspotting. :< | | Similar Products Used: | Weirwolf UST, FireXC Pro clincher tire, Maxxis High Roller, Weirwolf clincher, Kenda Kinetics, IRC Cujo DH, Maxxis Minion DH | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler, 5.75" rear travel, 5th coil, Fox Vanilla 125R, Mavic 819 wheels on XT hubs | | Bottom Line: | Good traction in the dry on rocks and good rolling resistance. Tracks well enough in the dry. Squirelly handling through rock gardens because of puny tire volume. Not a good tire choice if you huck on the trail. Wet traction sucks. Not much of an improvement - if not a step backward - compared to my Weirwolf UST.
So far, all UST tires I've tried have sucked pretty badly. I don't know for sure why tire manufacturers won't release 2.3" - 2.5" tires (tire weight maybe given current materials technology and construction methods?) but I have a feeling a lot of my complaints are due to tire volume and size. I've had it with the current crop of UST tires. I'm going to use regular tires on my tubeless rims and fill them with Stan's to help keep them sealed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Terrill
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Very good grip, predictable slidding, climbs well | | Weaknesses: | easy to puncher, hard to patch punchers, high rolling resistance. | | Similar Products Used: | serac, scorpions, mythos | | Bike Setup: | NRS 1, Carbon, XT | | Bottom Line: | I like this tyre alot, But I'm racing again now & I find it is just to slow to race on, I would ride it all the time otherwise. It is the kind of tyre you can slide through corners on & you don't need to stop peddalling, because it is so predictable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wim bosmans
a Cross Country Rider
from zoutleeuw
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Aywaille | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$38.00 | | Purchased At: | Huypens | | Strengths: | Grip in all conditions. | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't hold air!! What is the use of great grip, when it just doesn't hold its air? Had to use eclips sealant to get it work. And after only 3 months a very big "bubble" appeared on the font tire, just like a balloon. Very humpy ride! | | Similar Products Used: | Swalbe Jim UST | | Bike Setup: | Mountain Cycle ZEN, Vth element shock, Manitou Black Super air, Mavic Crossland UST | | Bottom Line: | It's a piece of crap. Poor quality tire. Do NOT buy!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frank Brigandi
a Cross Country Rider
from Havertown, Pa
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Purchased At: | biketopia 610-789-4500 | | Strengths: | I had heard some good things about this tire and decided to install them on my new '04 Jamis Dakar XLT 3.0. After installing them I did a quick urban assault ride, up and down a few flights of stairs, things like that. They are silly fast a good racing tire, much faster feeling than the Hutchinson pythons I had on the bike already. When i the woods, they seemed O.K. not nearly as good as the IRC Claw Comp in my opinion, which IMO is the best tire ever made for east coast riding. Fire XC seemed good on climbs unless you have to really torque the bike, it breaks traction easily and I didn't enjoy the wandering feeling it gave me when descending damp, slighty terrifying terrain, I have enough stress in my life and don't need any more grey hairs added to my head because of some MTB tires. On average they were O.K. not great.
| | Weaknesses: | Knobbs fold or flex too much, not enough bite. They slide off of burms, which personally, I don't enjoy doing. It's not as amazing as the IRC Claw Comp. | | Similar Products Used: | IRC Claw comp ( though not UST ) Hutch Python, too many other tires to list. | | Bike Setup: | '04 Jamis Dakar XLT 3.0 stock except for a shorter stem and DH bars for comfort and control in twisty single track. | | Bottom Line: | I probablly wouldn't reccomend them to a customer simply because I didn't feel confident on them I was sliding all over the place which I think makes for a bad day eventually. If some one wanted a racing tire and didn't care about slipping and sliding a little, then I'd say try them. Pytthons provide a better footprint which helps stabilize you and your bike. I don't get the whole move to skinny tires on Mountain bikes, everyone I ride with who uses skinny tires spends most of the day talking to their bike and trying to convince it to "stick". I thought I was weird because I like to talk to my dog once in a whie, but phew!
I'm running a full susension bike which enhances alot of things ( positively) in regard to trail rding/racing, but these tires made me want to go trash picking for my old Fisher Procaliber hardtail and slap on some Fisher fat trax, they felt more secure. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, CT USA
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | Durable, wear slowly
Grip, plenty of traction when not overinflated (35psi is good)
Hold air very well | | Weaknesses: | Must use Stan's, added weight , oh well
Special trick to patch correctly, read on | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson Mosquito- Good but wear very quickly | | Bike Setup: | 04 Aniv Stumpy FSR | | Bottom Line: | Very good XC tire. They wear well, took over a year to wear out a pair, I rotated them a little bit past mid-season becasue the rear wears faster than the front of course.
I have flatted these several times (low pressure and rock gardens) but the Stan's sealant has kept them from completely deflating.
The inner casing must be scrubbed clean of the oily release residue from the manufacturing process before patching. I use denatured alcohol and a green plastic scotch-brite pad, then clean with regular rubbing alcohol and make sure it's very dry. Roughen the area where it neeeds the patch, then patch it like you would a tube. Works every time, even right next to the kevlar bead!! I had 5 patches in the rear and 3 in the front when I fanally wore them out enough to get a new pair.
I won't switch tires unless something as good and cheap comes along. Buy them in pairs when they change model year, the price drops by half. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rj
a Cross Country Rider
from las cruces, nm, usa
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | die Autobahn | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Strengths: | grip, light (relative to some other ust tires) | | Weaknesses: | punctures easily | | Similar Products Used: | everything | | Bike Setup: | 2 wheels, frame, gears, handle bars... | | Bottom Line: | Everyone complains about these tires. I grew up with panaracer back in the day with the smoke and the dart, and I saw these tires for $25.
I used 2 cups of stans for desert riding with cactus, rocks, drops, sharp stones, goatheads.. and never looked back. These are a classic reliable tire and when they puncture, stans comes to the rescue in a few seconds. Good grip, fast, and sticky on the climbs. Not bad. They do puncture a bit easier than IRCs and some others but the grip is better and stan fixes this puncture weakness. I would like to see a 2.2 or 2.3 version for better float through sand and loose stuff.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Kent WA
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any Washington state trail! | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$34.00 | | Strengths: | Their very fast and move through almost anything in front of them. A very well built UST tire. Also mounting these tires are so easy. I love tubeless tires. | | Weaknesses: | None so far! | | Similar Products Used: | Conti, IRC, Michelin and Tioga. | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Cannondale Jekyll 1000. | | Bottom Line: | The best all around tire I have ever used. One thing I did love about these tires they hold air well without Stans. Going to break them in and then add Stan's later. The tires buzz through sand, rocks and mud without any issues. I have the PSI set at 35 lbs. Thats a pretty good weight for those tires and have made me a better rider. They grab the trail like no other tire I've ever used. They shed mud really well. Get these tires and be happy on the trails! Best tire out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Don
a Cross Country Rider
from Clarksville, IN
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Rolls FAST for a full knobby, sheds sticky mud reasonably well, good traction on loose rocks, best rear tire I have ever used on wet roots, and tough. High volume. | | Weaknesses: | Jack of all trades, master at none | | Similar Products Used: | Conti Vert (sticks better in the front, but doesn't shed mud as well) and Explorer (rolls slightly faster and has slightly less traction in the rear, but not enough in the front for my tastes), Python (ultimate hardpack front and rear tire) and Mosquito (useless), Mitchelin XLS (slow and fragile) | | Bike Setup: | Blur with XTR, 5th Element and F100X, Conti Vert in the front, XC Pro in the rear; Access XLC with Atom 80 and XT, XC Pro in the front, Explorer in the rear | | Bottom Line: | The best all around tire I have ever used. Works well in all conditions although the aforementioned tires have particular advantages over the XC Pros in certain areas, these tires would be my tires of choice for traveling to any part of the country. I will probaly put the XC Pro on the front of my Blur and a Explorer on the rear because I will get better clearence with its lesser volume . | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Itasca
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Village | | Strengths: | GRIP! Awesome in the turns.. also great for sheding mud! I took a chance buying these tires but they are great... no complaints | | Weaknesses: | N/A | | Similar Products Used: | IRC backcountry. no other tubeless tried | | Bike Setup: | Sugar 2+ disc. Crossmax | | Bottom Line: | This is a great tire. tubeless is always a great option. but they do make a regular version of it as well so if you don't have UST rims try out the tubed version.. they are great tires. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Tracy, CA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Skaggs in S.F | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$29.00 | | Purchased At: | P rice Point | | Strengths: | GRIP! corner grip while turning is great! | | Weaknesses: | None
Might grip too much to have 2 of these tires on the bike so I only use in front. | | Similar Products Used: | Pythons
SERAC | | Bike Setup: | NRS1 Y03
Panaracer on Front 33psi
Serac on the rear 35 psi | | Bottom Line: | Great tire. I switched to this tire after my front end kept washing out when doing fast down hill turns and the last straw was when I fell off a cliff and injured my knee. After that I decided to get the best traction tire i could find and this was it! It rolls reasonably fast, though not as fast as the python. The tire gives you confidence in turns! You go faster down hill and do not have to slow down as much for the turn. I have yet to have a flat, but I use stans sealant so I never even worry about flats - ever!
It sheds mud too. I run the front at 33psi for my 178lb body. In the back I use the Serac because I think it rolls a bit faster and has good tracktion for climbing, though the tracking is nothing compared to the panaracer.
P.S - Serac does not do well in mud because the mud sticks to the sidewall so serac is only good for dry conditions.
Put stans in the tire and stop worrying about flats.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ping
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Great Grip, especially cornering and off camber trails.
Consistent in the wet and try and reasonably fast rolling considering the grip. A Great all conditions XC tyre.
Cheap (at least here in HK, 25% cheaper than Michelins) | | Weaknesses: | Fragile (pinch flats and tears) - Keep the pressure up (40psi or above)
Difficult to repair (special tubeless repair kits and stans once you've damaged them) | | Similar Products Used: | UST - Michelin XLS, Hot S, Maxxis High Rollers, | | Bike Setup: | Giant AC1 | | Bottom Line: | Superb all round tread, but a little fragile.
This is a follow up review after 4 months of use.
Check out Eric's review below.. they don't patch well when punctured with a normal patch. You need to use the Panaracer Tubeless Puncture Kit (Thread through patches) if you've punctured the tread area. If you've pinch flatted, you can still patch up the bead area with convential patches, but you will need to use Stan's to prevent to slow air leakage.
In rocky terrain, I would suggest to keep the pressure at 40psi+ to avoid pinchflatting, and you should have few problems.
I've probably punctured the F+R 3 times each in 4months of riding, but still use them since they are so damn good! I do ride very rocky and rough terrain, so you might not have the same problems on flatter trails...
4 chilli's in the follow up review ... to offset the 5 in the last one. Reasonably light at 750grms but I'd be happy for them to up the weight with some additional protection in the tread area .. then they'd get 5.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CJ
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County, CA
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | I Live In MTB Mecha! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Excellent traction on climbs, corners, and decents. Shed mud really easily, seat easily upon mounting, and they don't lose air pressure very easily (although this may have as much to do with the rim as the tire.) | | Weaknesses: | I've abused the crap out of two different sets of these and haven't found a single one!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Continental Explorers (horrible at shedding mud!) | | Bike Setup: | Tricked out to the max -- nothing stock except the frame. | | Bottom Line: | OK, so I'm reading some of the reviews written below and I find people who gripe about these things having flat problems, or being a bit weighty, or other such nonsense. All I can say to these people is: GET A FRIGGIN' CLUE!! If you're having problems with these tires your either A) a moron and didn't mount them properly, or B) the proud owner of a rare Panaracer defective product (not likely.)
I'm on my second set of these things with probably 1500 miles over terrain ranging from steep climbs, to technical decents with rocks jutting out everywhere, to sand, to some seriously muddy courses. I also ran these in the 24 Hours of Adrenaline at Hurkey Creek back in September and- without exaggeration- there were so many goathead induced flats that both the sponsoring shop (Inland Empire Cycles) and Kenda ran out of tubes by around midnight (which means there were a lot of unhappy people on the course in the middle of the night!) I Slimed my tires and, throughout all of this I didn't get a single flat, not one, nada, nothing at all.
Believe me, I had plenty of Goatheads in there but I popped them out, the Slime sealed the wound, and the tires kept on truckin (I also hear that Stan's sealant is awesome as well.)
The moral of this story is that these tires are incredible. If you're complaining about flats and you're not running Slime or Stan's (assuming you're not a World Cup weight weenie) then you're just being a dumba**. If you're complaining about weight, then ditch the tubeless tires because- duh!- they weigh more than regular tires.
Five flaming terds for value because they're priced very well relatively speaking and five toasted poos for overall because these things are FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ping
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Bicycle world HK | | Strengths: | Superb all conditions tread - wet and dry
True 2.1 - High Volume Cushy ride.
Cornering and off camber singletrack... | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin XLS, Pythons, High Rollers, Conti Explorers all UST | | Bike Setup: | Giant AC1 | | Bottom Line: | These are the best all round UST tyres I have used (2.1's) They are stable and predictable in all terrain (dry and wet). In rocks, loose, hardpack and are even OK for mud.... They hold air very well and don't require to be inflated quite so regularly.
The side knobs are excellent for cornering and for off camber technical singletrack, they roll well and provide good traction when climbing or braking...
Too early to tell on durability...
I wish I'd discovered them earlier! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | why would I tell you? | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Strengths: | Everything | | Weaknesses: | haven't found any yet | | Similar Products Used: | Hutchinson Pythons | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS1 | | Bottom Line: | This was my first full suspension bike and it took a while until I realised why I was so nervous around corners - the Pythons were awful (came with bike), they don't grip up hill, they don't grip round corners, they don't grip in the wet! as soon as I put the Panaracers on my problems disappeared. They are particularly great up hills and hold everything but the most slippery rocks. Had them 6 months in very rocky train twice a week and no punctures yet. They do sometimes loose a bit of air while standing so you need to check the pressure before each ride. No problems fitting them dry either - you just need to make sure that the bead is COMPLETELY in the deep channel before pulling the last edge over the rim. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wayne
a Cross Country Rider
from pa
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | - | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | Cornering traction, holds air pressure | | Weaknesses: | With in 100 milles both tires have unrepairable punctures. The weight, you can feel the extra weight on the climbs. | | Similar Products Used: | - | | Bike Setup: | Seven Verve-CrossmaxXL,GripShift with XTR derailleur,SID team | | Bottom Line: | The tires puncture to easy, could of just been bad luck. I am now stuck running them with tubes and they are way to heavy for that. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Duane
a Cross Country Rider
from Shippensburg, PA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | speedgoat.com | | Strengths: | traction, rolling resistance, traction, durability, traction. did i mention traction? | | Weaknesses: | NONE, NADA, ZIP, well they don't clear the mud so well. | | Similar Products Used: | Trailblasters, pythons, michelins(front s, xl s rear) | | Bike Setup: | K2 Zed Team, Mavic CrossMax, Manitou Black, Sram drivetrain, blah, blah, blah | | Bottom Line: | Holy crap. I love these tires. I liked the Trailblasters for their fast rolling but these roll almost as fast and dig into any kind of terrain. These tires also seem to withstand the rigors of riding is Michaux State Forest(Rock garden hell) I have riden these on roots, rocks, and steep uphills. These tires just dig in on(loose and rocky) uphills like nothing I have ever seen. Totally blows away any other tire I have used. To top it off, they roll like mad. Doesn't clear mud that well, but that's not what it's made for. Get these and be happy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Baton Rouge, LA., USA
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Hooper & Ruston | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$29.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Hook well, corner like rails, & easy on w/ tire levers and no soapy H2O. | | Weaknesses: | Ripped a side knob off of the rear tire on a root while climbing. I could see the casing underneath the rubber. Only happened once and the tires lasted 8 more months. | | Bike Setup: | Y2K Intense Tracer | | Bottom Line: | I have used the tube & tubeless versions and they're great tires in all conditions but mud. Get some and be happy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Racer
from Roswell, GA.
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tsali, NC. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Coach gave to me | | Strengths: | Insane cornering traction, sheds mud reasonably well for a full knobby, reasonably fast-rolling, tubeless version much higher volume than the regular red non-tubeless version | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Michelin Comp S UST Tubeless, Michelin Hot S Non-Tubeless | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Trek Elite 9.8 OCLV, SID Team, XTR, Bontrager Race Lite Tubless Wheels | | Bottom Line: | I got these tires quickly before my race last weekend because I was still running my stock Botragers which are atrocious in mud. I desperatly needed better tires. I talked to my Team Manager and he talked to my coach and he gave me a pair of these the day before the race. I didn't have time to test them before the race, so I was skeptical, being a loyal Michelin user. So I went to the race and experienced some of the worst mud I've ever seen. If you have never seen Georgia mud, it is red, and thick, like just-laid concrete. It is basically 100% clay. Once you hit the trail, your tires become complete slicks. Even water doesn't wash it off, so creek crossings don't help. Anyway, these tires cleared themselves better than anything I have ever used. But what really impressed me was the cornering traction. These so-called "Buring Edge" knobs are incredibly grippy. I laid the bike down on some loose corners and NEVER slipped! I have read other reviews that say they punctured them; people were puncturing right and left during the race, but I didn't. These tires held out great. Well, I landed my first podium finish at 3'rd place and I will continue using these tires throughout the rest of the season, and maybe next season. It is a very well designed tire. I would say that the Japanese can make just as good a tire as the French. 5 chilis. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a Weekend Warrior
from Danville
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$34.00 | | Purchased At: | universalcycles.com | | Strengths: | very easy to mount. very easy to inflate. holds pressure (using stan's sealant). all around traction and cornering. | | Weaknesses: | moderate to high rolling resistance. sprays a sh** load of debris - suggest a front fender to avoid rock blast. | | Similar Products Used: | mosquito UST. | | Bike Setup: | ellsworth truth, mavic crossmax disc. | | Bottom Line: | I've experienced good results with this tire. mounting and inflation are extremely easy for a UST tire. Much easier then with the mosquito's. I use stan's sealant (as do many). I've never had a blowout/flat yet with my UST tires. Though, i do most of my riding around diablo/danville. I haven't tried running over thorn patches in walnut creek (doubt any tire would survive that). I switched to panaracers because the mosquitos wear like butter, and in wet conditions, corner like sh**. The traction and cornering on the fire xc UST is outstanding. The only downside with these tires is that they are a little slow -- not much slower then the mosquitos. But if you're used to a fast rolling tire (like a geax arrojo), you're going to notice a huge difference. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keone Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco, Ca.
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | eldridge grade, Mt. Tam | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | price point | | Strengths: | Easy to install on rim without tool. | | Weaknesses: | Weak sidewall | | Similar Products Used: | UST hutchinson python, panaracer fire xc tubed tire, bontrager jolt | | Bike Setup: | Klien Adept Comp. All XTR components | | Bottom Line: | These tires rock. Nice to lay this baby down in the turns. Great burning edge side knobs. I did get a puncture on my very first ride. Over all these tires excell on all terrain. Does not shed mud that great but it does shine in all trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Olympia
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Capitol Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Traction | | Weaknesses: | Weight, leaks air, punctures | | Similar Products Used: | Schwalbe "Big Jim" | | Bike Setup: | NRS/Marathon fork/riser bar | | Bottom Line: | Great tire for traction: climbing, cornering or any time frictions ability to hold the trail becomes threatened. Tire leaks air quicker than the Big Jim from Schwalbe and I've had quite a few small punctures in the center of the tread. Super Glue has worked to seal larger punctures. I have not tried Stans special sauce in them yet, I suspect that would help. Not a fast rolling tire like some others but it's a knobby(sp?). 4 stars for what it is, 5 if it didn't leak so much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jubby
a
from Texas
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Bottom Line: | Amazing grip and control. Yes, the knob pattern takes away from speed, but what you lose, you can make up in spinning a little more -- and the control you gain is far worth it. I swear I have gained 5-7 degrees on turns. I just ride one of these on the front...maybe I'll go for both. The day I replaced my Mosquito, my eyes rolled back in my head the difference was so huge. Now NOTE: I have been riding in DAMP to WET conditions. I am thinking for very dry and loose in the summers, the Mosquitos may be better.
Punctures. I get em. But my tires never go flat. I've never had a puncture flat stop my ride in the last year. I never lose but 1 psi. The guy below says slime. There's something infinitely better. I'll let you kids on a neat little secret. There's a man in upstate NY who makes a conversion kit. Part of that kit is custom mixed liquid latex. You need less of it in the tire, it's thinner and does not stick to one side of the tire, and it works like a CHARM. His name is Stan, and I am surprised that all the co's now making tubeless wheels have not had him, er, "erased." Not only can you convert a regular wheelset into tubeless, you will never have flats, and it will be scary light. notubes.com His stuff is rated in the tubes section. Stan you the man. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a
from Clarksburg, WV
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | I Posted a review of this tire this past spring, complaining about the amount of flats you get with these tires. I still havent used any other UST tire but I am sure it is a problem with just about all of them. But here is why I am posting another review. For all of you who have had problems with flats on tubless tires. Go out and get some "Green Slime"! Problem solved! Use to get a flat about every ride and after using slime I finnished the season out without having to ever fix a flat again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Trelz
a Racer
from St. Louis
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Castelwood | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Center EV | | Strengths: | Good traction | | Weaknesses: | Puncture prone; High rolling resistance | | Similar Products Used: | Kenda; Hutchinson; Michelin; Continential | | Bike Setup: | NRS | | Bottom Line: | I felt like I was pulling a trailer when I rode this tire. Handled well in corners and seemed to do well on climbs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
suLLy
a Racer
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kelly Creek Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Champions Cyclery | | Strengths: |
|
$ 40.00
