New England Niner Tire Review

Going to make the AOF Blog go in another direction....the review of 29" mountain bike tires as to how they perform in the north east part of the United States. Compared to what works out West or even the central and southern part of the US of A, it doesn't necessarily mean good traction, control, braking, etc. for us in New England. The terrain and trails are just different.

I'm getting sort of obsessed with 29" mountain bike tires and how they affect the trail ride in different conditions and such. I'm going to start gathering and collecting data from the 5 or 6 different models of tires that I already have some time on, and one new tire that I am excited about. Well I always get excited about new tires, and then I get some time on them, and I either like them or I don't.



Here is a pic of my favorite tire, the Panaracer Rampage, a true 2.35" high volume 29 inch tire. It is the best all around tire for the crazy New England weather and trail conditions.


I like to ride a rigid single speed, and I think this is the best way to test tires as their performance can't hide behind suspension or gears. Does it provide enough cushion? Does it hook up in various trail conditions? Leaves? Pine Needles? Mud? Ice? Snow? Hail? Rock? Loose Sand? Hard pack? Under power does it retain traction while climbing? Those are the types of things that really make a tire shine or get taken off the bike.

Here is a pic of the test platform. It is a Dean Colonel 29er titanium frame with a Salsa Cro Moto Grande steel fork. I am a big fan of the Salsa Delgado 29er Disc rims, nice and wide, fairly light, and very strong.