Issue #038 RSS

Issue #038, Review -

Continental is the second German manufacturer in the test field alongside Schwalbe, but bicycle tires only make up a small part of huge automotive group’s business. Nevertheless, Continental have a long tradition of making bicycle tires. Models like the Kaiser and rubber such as the BlackChili Compound have garnered almost legendary status amongst riders. All BlackChili Compound tires are hand made in Germany. Unfortunately, we couldn’t test the heavy-duty Downhill Apex casing thoroughly enough due to the lack of availability of most of the models in the range.

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Issue #038, Review -

John Tomac developed the legendary Nevegal tire with Kenda in the early 2000s, when it was hailed as “The” downhill tire and put Kenda on the radar of a lot of riders. After a few years’ hiatus, the American brand is back on the Downhill World Cup circuit, as well as catering for the Trail and Enduro segment.

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Issue #038, Review -

Wilderness Trail Bikes hail from the birthplace of mountain bikes: California. WTB’s mission has always been to produce reliable and high-quality mountain bike components. Recently, they have done a lot of work on updating their tire range, cranking out several new designs in a very short space of time and optimising and improving some of their existing favourites.

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Issue #038, Review -

Taiwanese tire giant MAXXIS have become an integral part of the bicycle world. MAXXIS are one of the most widely specced tire brands in the high-end mountain bike sector. Contrary to popular belief, there is actually no technical difference between tires with a white or yellow MAXXIS logo. The former is only available to OEM customers such as bike brands, while the latter is what you can buy yourself from the shops. For years, MAXXIS have consistently been delivering high-performance products, making a name for themselves as the go-to brand for a lot of riders. But the rest of the industry hasn’t been sleeping and MAXXIS face some steep competition.

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Issue #038, Review -

French megabrand Michelin is the second biggest tire manufacturer in the world, although bicycle tires make up only a small part of the business. However, their bicycle tires no doubt profit from the rubber know-how they’ve gained in the automobile sector: several EWS teams are having a lot of success on Michelin tires and the brand is making a comeback in the downhill scene as well, though we’ve only seen prototype models so far.

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