Not quite what you are looking for, but I bought an old Jamis cruiser (86-87 model) and it had these super cheesy seashell tread tires that I would have loved to keep had they not been dry rotted to hell. I think they were called "Sand Jam"

 

Dont Bust on Sand Jams

I used to love pointing out the cool shell tread to potential Jamis cruiser customers, along with other Chi Chi features like Alloy Rims, Stainless Steel spokes, Plush padded pedals to caress and soothe their tired sand scorched feet, and check out this super comfy "Cheeks" saddle, guaranteed not to turn your Bikini into an impromptu thong during your ride. (this was 91 and thongs were not as "main stream" as they are today).
I had a great time selling Jamis Crusiers, and most people dug the campy sales pitch, and appreciated the extra features enough to pony up the additional $$ over a plain jane Hampton Cruiser.
By the way the Sand Jam shell tread tires usually were the coupe de grace, kept back till the end to close the deal.

If you want some jamis tires in good shape, try giving www.freewheelinbikes.com a call, I bet they still some in stock.

 

For me in the late 80s it was a Ground Control S up front and a Marin Rockstar K in the rear.

The Ritchey Force tires were a decent hardpack race tire but not a good fun all arounder...

If the early 90s are considered vintage, I would have to say my favorite all arounder then was the Onza Porcupine.

Wll, I pretty much missed the 80s as far as MTB riding but I really love the second generation of the Ground Control from the early 90s. I think they're called Ground Control/Master 2, I bought a bunch of them from Nashbar when they were closing them out. Great light all around tire, for Michigan anyway. I like the traction of the Specialized Umma Gummas, esp. the Cannibal, but they didn't last long before they wore out.

 

From my days in Kentucky...

I loved the Klein DeathGrip 2.35 for the summer and Continental's 1.5 Cross Country for the winter. Not to mention the Dart/ Smoke combo for all round use.

 

Dart and Smoke

I loved the Klein DeathGrip 2.35 for the summer and Continental's 1.5 Cross Country for the winter. Not to mention the Dart/ Smoke combo for all round use.

I recently put a set of Dart/Smoke tires on a bike and rode them for the first time since the mid-90s. I liked them back then, and after one ride, I liked them again. I was surprised that they worked as well (or better in some cases) as the combos that I use today.

 

great conversation

For me in the late 80s it was a Ground Control S up front and a Marin Rockstar K in the rear.

The Ritchey Force tires were a decent hardpack race tire but not a good fun all arounder...

If the early 90s are considered vintage, I would have to say my favorite all arounder then was the Onza Porcupine.

ahhhhh just the mention of the Porc's brings a smile to my face....in the midwest, we would throw them on at first snowfall...the white ones of course !! Late 80's mountain biking was so new to me that i can't remember, or is it that i just didn't care at that point. I do remember that the tread had a V shape to it.

What were some of your first bikes ??...mine was a 10 spd Kuwahara, replaced with a 10 spd Univega Rover 10 a couple of years later.

later
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
chad@redbarnbicycles.com

 

I liked the Porcupines I had in 1989, too bad my misadjusted chainstay mounted Ubrake sliced one open.

Favourite tire of all time

1.9 panaracer smoke lite comp - would spin out but you always knew it would grab again as long as you kept pedalling.

Other tires I've liked

Ritchey Force Comps
Ritchey Mega Bites - rear only, way too round of profile for my liking as a front tire
Kona Maximum - front tire only
Ritchey Zmax 2.1 - front tire

Currently using michelins, wear a bit quick, but a good tire.

 

I recently put a set of Dart/Smoke tires on a bike and rode them for the first time since the mid-90s. I liked them back then, and after one ride, I liked them again. I was surprised that they worked as well (or better in some cases) as the combos that I use today.

Never a huge fan of Darts and Smokes too much, but yes, tires often change only for the sake of sales and marketing. An old tire is hard to hype up even though its proven and works great. Its all about sales. Out comes the new mold and the new hype!!!!!!

I was stuck on the Ground Control S as a front for so long that I knew it so well.... I never wanted to change. For some reason now I like a little more rounded profile. But it cornered like no other. Now it almost feels like it grips too well. I almost welcome a little "predictable push" now. It seems as though the tires that really bite when cornering seem to REALLY push unpredictably when they do let loose...... The more rounded tires are atleast more predictable.

The Smoke for me, when it first came out I thought maybe it could take over as my new front tire. I remember I raced DH wiht it at Mammoth one year without ever trying it beforehand. Dumb, but it actually worked well there with all the pumice. But beyond that it had an eery feel while cornering on that sharp edge. then a year later, I think they came out with the dart. I didnt like that first Dart (is that what it was called?) but the second generation iwth the smaller knobs did a pretty good job up front....

The porcupine had a great cushy feel to it. Did anybody else notice that. Beyond tire pressure. The casing or something was gushyish. It grips so well front or back.

 

Ground Control

When the Ground Control tires came out, they were awesome. Once the Pro Control came out, I liked the Pro Control in the front and the Ground Control in the rear.

I also really liked the 2.5 Pro Control when it came out. The other tire that really worked well for So Cal was the Ritchey Z-Max - especially in the 2.35 size with the red tread.

 

Specialized Ground Control
Ritchey Z-Max WCS 2.35
Panaracer Smoke
Panaracer Spike (mud)
IRC Yeti/FRO

 

I still have a set of fair condition 1.9 Smoke Lite Comps folded up on my tire shelf. Also there's a set of VG condition Ritchey Megabite Kevlar 2.1s, a single Megabite Z-Max WCS red compouned 2.1 in good condition, a 2.35 Megabite Z-Max WCS red compound in good condition (and another in fair to poor condition), three NOS condition Tioga Psycho-KR 1.95s in the sticky amber tread, a good condition Specialized Ground Control/S 1.95 kevlar, and a LOT of NOS JoeMurray tires including kevlar foldable Maximum 2.2s. Sold the pictured NOS Specialized More Extreme UmmaGumma 1.95 last year. Oh and I also have a matched set of 2.1 Smoke/Dart on my restored 1991 Rocky Mountain Hammer (which is for sale in the classifieds).

 

My favorite tire has to be the Panaracer Dart 2, the one with the smaller tread blocks. The last time I saw someone else who had one, he mentioned how much he liked it as well (Nonny, for those in the midwest). If I could find them now I'd still be running one...

 

thanks for the memories!

For me in the late 80s it was a Ground Control S up front and a Marin Rockstar K in the rear.

The Ritchey Force tires were a decent hardpack race tire but not a good fun all arounder...

If the early 90s are considered vintage, I would have to say my favorite all arounder then was the Onza Porcupine.

My first upgrade in my life was when I switched out my crappy OEM tires to a Dart in the front and a Ground Controll Extreme in the back. It was in 1990 in Santa Cruz, Ca. I took my bike - and old Panasonic fully rigid steel beastly heavy bike up to Wilder Ranch. It was pure heaven . I felt like I had a brand new bike. We used to ride ALL day back then with one bottle of water and one bottle of juice stashed for "lunch" . I used to peel the stickers off the juice and stick them on my bike. I think it was odwalla or something. after a while you could hardly tell what color my bike was.
What a great time - those were some of the greatest rides ever. I'd love to go back to santa cruz and ride Wilder again.
Chris

 

Gawd, I'm feeling old.

My most favorite tire...EVER...was the old Fisher Fat Trax.

Square knobs, nice beefy carcass. I wish I still had some.

Anyone remember those??

 

In southern California it was cool (for a while) to run a separate set of wheels with full slicks for "city riding." On my garishly-painted Klein I ran Specialized Fat Boys front and rear. Front was skinny, like 1.5 or something, while the back was this huuuuge slick tire like a 1.95 or maybe even a 2.0. It sure looked cool at the time.

The Fisher Fattrax was the first BIG tire I remember using. That was one big carcass. Farmer Johns were popular. Smoke/Dart took over in the early 90s. I liked riding with a 2.1 on the front because I was too cheap to upgrade to a suspension fork.

I think the turning point aesthetically was when tires went to all black instead of black tread with (natural) rubber sidewalls.

 

IRC Yeti/FRO

YES! I LOVED this tire too. I ws in Colorado when I had it. They were perfect for those conditions. They were also my introduction to 'fat' tires. Everything I ran before that was on the skinnier side. I wish I could find another set of them....

Also:
Ritchy Z-max fr and rr
Dart 2.2
Conti Competition 1 & 2
Conti Baja~ Loved this as an all around to
Ritchey Mondo Alfa bite 2.35~still have it

 

panaracer smoke/dart combo was cool. not to mention the farmer john and the farmer john cousin. so much fun- the origional tractor tread design!

 

For me, my favorite all time pair of tires is the OnZa Aggro/Honch combination. I still run an Aggro out back but now a new favorite, the Mutano 2.4k, up front. They climb, handle and brake great, and if you get the ones that don't shed lugs like a snake in heat, they hold up well, too.

I hated Farmer Johns, and took off my Fattrax because they were heavy. I put those on a bike-welfare buddy's bike last year and he finally wore them out. I never liked Porc's either.

Before finding the Aggro, I really liked the Specialized MoreExtreme S, and still have two of them, one NOS and the other on a parts bike. Great traction and braking, yet narrow enough to roll well. I also liked the Manitou Fang for a rear tire, but that was a flash in the retail pan.

Before Manitou forks couldn't fit them, I liked the Ritchey 2.35 Z-Max, even when I did bottom it against the crown of my M1 from time to time. Jonesing for that is what sent me down Mutano avenue last year.

I like Smokes, but found the Dart to break away too quickly for my reflexes, and ditched it.

 

For me, my favorite all time pair of tires is the OnZa Aggro/Honch combination. I still run an Aggro out back but now a new favorite, the Mutano 2.4k, up front. They climb, handle and brake great, and if you get the ones that don't shed lugs like a snake in heat, they hold up well, too.

I hated Farmer Johns, and took off my Fattrax because they were heavy. I put those on a bike-welfare buddy's bike last year and he finally wore them out. I never liked Porc's either.

Before finding the Aggro, I really liked the Specialized MoreExtreme S, and still have two of them, one NOS and the other on a parts bike. Great traction and braking, yet narrow enough to roll well. I also liked the Manitou Fang for a rear tire, but that was a flash in the retail pan.

Before Manitou forks couldn't fit them, I liked the Ritchey 2.35 Z-Max, even when I did bottom it against the crown of my M1 from time to time. Jonesing for that is what sent me down Mutano avenue last year.

I like Smokes, but found the Dart to break away too quickly for my reflexes, and ditched it.

oooh, the Honch. That was a good one. I actually liked it up front. That was more mid 90s though. Cully used to run it up front. Thats where I got the idea and it worked great. Good braking and cornering.

 

oooh, the Honch. That was a good one. I actually liked it up front. That was more mid 90s though. Cully used to run it up front. Thats where I got the idea and it worked great. Good braking and cornering.

Yeah, and I meant to type that I run a Honch out back, not an Aggro. One of my riding buddies runs Honches front and back, since we recently developed a local supply of them. Until the Mutano, the Aggro was the best front I'd ever run.

This won't work, but what the hell:

If the tire is out of production, it's "old"... heh heh heh. Smokes are old, too, even if you can buy it today.

 

HUH?? Someone calling??

Remember when the Dart was first introduced it was available in SC (soft conditions) and HC (hard conditions)? I couldn't tell the difference, but I used them for a long time.

 

HUH?? Someone calling??

Remember when the Dart was first introduced it was available in SC (soft conditions) and HC (hard conditions)? I couldn't tell the difference, but I used them for a long time.

he he- sorry- I was referring to the farmer john tire, named after john tomac. it was s silly ad campaign as well with johnny t in a flannel with a sprig of wheat hanging out of his mouth.

 

What a great post!

For me in the late 80s it was a Ground Control S up front and a Marin Rockstar K in the rear.

The Ritchey Force tires were a decent hardpack race tire but not a good fun all arounder...

If the early 90s are considered vintage, I would have to say my favorite all arounder then was the Onza Porcupine.

We should have thought of this sooner!
DL, I agree with you, OnZa Proc is by far my favorite, followed by a Smoke/Dart combo and Ritchey Z-max's...
I lucked out and bought this brand new white OnZa Porc for $1 at a swap meet....I have yet to see another for sale...

My collection also consists of:
3 amber Tioga Psycho's
1 grey Tioga Psycho
2 red Ritchey Z-Max's
1 white Panaracer Dart Magic
1 skin wall Panaracer Dart
2 OnZa Porcs (one white, one black)
1 OnZa Honch skin wall
2 1st gen Specialized Ground Controls

I'm a sucker for tires I guess...

 

dont know if these are vintage enough for the subject but liked the maxis helter/skelters for how well they held up

 

Another Smoke/Dart addict here. Switched over to the Fat Trax as a front when it came out though. There was a Cycle Pro tire that had a block pattern that I thought made a good rear tire for muddy conditions but I can't remember the name of it at this point....

I always had crappy luck with Specialized tires back in the day. The sidewalls especially.

I have never owned a tire bigger than a 2.2.

This tire that has had the biggest impact on my riding though, it came along 5 yrs ago.