Mountain Bike Tires
Bontrager XR3 Team Issue 29 x 2.20 $80
Put the XR3 Team Issue tire on for long, fast rides, possibility for an XC marathon. It’s grip is excellent. A 120 t.p.i. casting helps to keep the weight down at 635 g. It also features nylon inserts at the sidewalls for puncture protection and durability. The tread has a variable depth so you’ll have grip on various terrain. ( trekbikes.com)
Specialized Purgatory 29 x 2.30 $75
The Purgatory is built on the Grid casing for allaround trail riding. The sipes in the centre knobs help with braking control, while the large side knobs add bite in the turns. The Gripton compound helps with, well, grip. The 29 x 2.30 tire weighs in at around 890 g. ( specialized.com/ca)
Schwalbe Racing Ray 29 x 2.25 Classic Skin $130
The Racing Ray with beige sidewalls is a new cross country front tire. The Addix Speedgrip compound makes the tread speedy on the trails. The centre and shoulder knobs are well-spaced to improve handling, especially in the corners. Pair the Racing Ray with a Racing Ralph on the back. Ralph uses the Addix Speed compound, which is an all-business XC material. It also comes with beige sidewalls. Looking good helps with performance, right? ( schwalbetires.com)
Maxxis Dissector 27.5 x 2.40 $102
Downhill racer Troy Brosnan helped Maxxis design the Dissector, which you can run as a rear tire, at the front or even as a pair. The company’s Maxxterra compound has a hard base layer, a medium top layer and soft shoulder layers for the most grip in the corners. (If you need more grip, get the Dissector model that uses the Maxxgrip mix of rubber.) At the sidewalls, a material called Exo keeps cuts and punctures at bay. ( maxxis.com)
Pirelli Scorpion MTB S 29 x 2.40 $106
Pirelli has a Scorpion for every surface. The Scorpion mtb S is for soft terrain. Its widely spaced knobs will bite into a wet surface and leave any muck behind. The 2.40"-wide model has a 60 t.p.i. casing with an extra 120 t.p.i. at the sides for reinforcement. The whole tire is made of a single compound, Pirelli’s Smartgrip. While some tire makers use multiple compounds in a tread to get the right mix of traction and durability, Pirelli argues that one compound ensures consistent behaviour from the Scorpion as it wears. ( velo.pirelli.com)—matthewpioro