In an earlier post I mentioned that I was in the market for a new mountain biking tire and was interested in the specialized chunder. Well, A&B Cycle didn't have one so I grabbed a Kenda Neveal DTC (dual tread compound) instead (they gave me a great price on it). My first impression of the tire wasn't good; it took FOREVER to get the tire seated to the rim with a tubeless setup. I ended up taking the core out of the valve stem and using lots of soap and water and a 100psi air compressor to get it to hold air.
When I got the tire on the trail my impression changed. The first ride had some fairly wet and muddy sections and the tire kept traction better than any specialized tire I've used. On my next ride where the trails were much drier the tire did very well and I felt more comfortable in the corners. I was running it on the rear and it never slipped on me.
I imagine the downside will be more rolling resistance since it has larger lugs than what I've used before, but I plan on running a lower tire pressure so that should help.
I've ordered another one from JensonUSA (mine was the last one A&B had) so I'll run it front and rear. The sidewall seems very thin and flexible which I hope doesn't lead to any tears.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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Kenda Karmas are the bomb! I've ran Nevegals and SB8s which are super-fast, but the Karmas are my fave. I've probably seen you on the trails, but don't recognize the bike :)
ReplyDeleteI really like the Nevegals but Monday night I tore the sidewall on the rear tire. There was a large rock on the trail and I swerved to miss it with the front tire but caught it with the rear. It sounded like a snake when all the Stans started spewing out. I may try to patch the tear tonight but I picked up a new tire today just in case.
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