Tech

Goodyear Bicycle Tyres available in South Africa

The Goodyear name first appeared on a tyre — a bicycle tyre, to be precise — in 1898. Since then, Goodyear and the legendary Winged Foot™ logo have been synonymous with victory, dominating the winner’s circle across the entire spectrum of motorsports. Goodyear tyres have shouldered heavy-duty work on everything from airplanes to Zambonis. They’ve […]

Tech

Review: Specialized Fast Trak GRID 2Bliss Ready

As the name suggests, Fast Traks are fast-rolling cross country tyres from Specialized. They have recently undergone a tread redesign which has seen the addition of more consistent shoulder blocks, to maintain cornering traction and eliminate “dead spots” in the grip, as well as tweaks to the block spacing to improve mud shedding. Having spent […]

Tech

Review: Bontrager XR Team Issue Tyres

Bontrager’s range of tubeless ready mountain bike tyres spans from the ultra-fast rolling, cross country race oriented XR1 to the more aggressive, trail focussed XR4. I put the all-rounder XR3 and XR2 Team Issue tyres to the test. XR3 Team Issue TLR Specifications Size: 29″ x 2.3TPI: 120Durometer: 62a/60aBead: AramidColour: BlackWeight: 705gPrice R799 XR2 Team […]

Tech

Is two-six the new Enduro? Meet the mid plus-sized tyre

Consider yourself a fit and committed gravity rider? There is a new tyre size you can not afford to ignore. This Easter long weekend, friends and family inevitably enquired about how your ‘mountain biking’ is going. And bless them, they attempted to appear genuinely interested, by asking the one question all non-riders believe mountain bikers […]

Tech

First Look Friday: fi’zi:k Gobi M5 saddle and M5 BOA shoes, and Vittoria Mezcal G+ tyres

First Look Friday is an introduction to the products that we are currently testing for review. This week we’re previewing the Gobi M5 saddle and M5 BOA shoes from fi’zi:k and Vittoria’s Mezcal G+ tyres. fi’zi:k Gobi M5 VS Manganese Gobi M5 VS Manganese: Versus MTB saddles combines the best of fi’zi:k’s proven saddle designs […]

Tech

Review: Schwalbe Hans Dampf

Schwalbe launched the Hans Dampf, which roughly translates to “handyman” or a “Jack of all trades”, in 2011 to much fanfare and anticipation. It was said to deliver all mountain (enduro was not invented yet) grip at trail weight and speed. Schwalbe had also promised to have solved their quick-wearing reputation. It took me a […]

Tech

Review: Onza Ibex tires

Onza has been around for longer than most will know, having started life in the late 80’s producing tires, headsets, bar ends and other bits. For whatever reason (it was before my time) they disappeared from the scene until the mid 2000’s when a Swiss-based company decided to revive the name. Headed up by mountain […]

Tech

Schwalbe Pro One tubeless road tyre

Not long ago we were rather skeptical of Tubeless on the road. On the trail, the benefits of tubeless are obvious – but what advantages does Tubeless bring to the road? A few years back we started to meticulously explore the topic, especially tubeless for road racing. We quickly learned that in order to make […]

Tech

First batch of Schwalbe Procore shipping, shortages expected

With the Procore double chamber system mountain bike tires can reach completely new levels of grip, control and puncture protection. In the inner chamber there is high pressure, and with 0.8 bar in the outer chamber the tire almost “sticks” to the ground. Both chambers are filled with air through only one valve. Off road, […]

Tech

Review: Vee Crown F tyres

The Vee Tire Co. Crown series features three new enduro/all-mountain tyres, designed with the help of former BMX and downhill world champion Mike King. Vee Tire Co. have been manufacturing well-respected OEM and value tyres for years. They recently began to take their offerings upmarket, first with fat bike tyres and now the Crown series. […]

Events

Mitas joins Absa Cape Epic as official tyre partner

The Czech-based tyre manufacturer will host “tyre zones” on the route and in the race village when the world’s premier mountain bike stage race takes place in the Western Cape from 15 to 22 March. Mitas has grown out of the renowned Rubena brand of bicycle tyres, also Czech-based. CGS, the parent company of both […]

Events

Continental launches Cape Pioneer Trek tyre

Continental, the German tyre manufacturer, has launched a Cape Pioneer Trek edition tyre in recognition of the international mountain bike stage race’s fifth anniversary edition this year. The Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek has some of the most challenging terrain for riders and equipment, a key motivation for Continental to launch a Cape Pioneer Trek edition […]