Kenda/Tinker Prototype XC Tire Review

I have been on a protoype KENDA XC tire designed in partnership with Tinker Juarez for the past three weeks (since Interbike), and have been pleasantly surpised.
I have the 1.8 casing size, but it seems to be at least as wide as most 2.0's. It is fairly knobby, but with a octagonal dot between the grippy paddles, this tire rolls faster than I would ever have expected ( I am fat and slow, so anything that feels fast probably is!). Aggressive side lugs and a feathery light construction make this tire home run for gnarly and loose races (like Fontana and Brian Head). While not as fast-rolling as a Small Block Eight, this tire has a cushier feel, thanks to taller knobs...and has TENACIOUS bite both under braking and in hard leans.
I see this tire as an IDEAL Marathon/Endurance tire due to it's all around great performance characteristics. It's not as light as the Klimax Lite (345 grams), and not as fast the Short Tracker on hard pack, but has better bite and all around trail capacity than both. look for the "DRED TRED" from KENDA and Tinker to be available by the start of the season!

Chris