Alright, so here is the first part of the review:
Because it's their first use, they did have that stickiness that picks up every little pebble and throws it all around! The first thing I noticed is that they roll fast! As fast as my Randonneur Panasonics which are slicks, this is on hardpacked dirt on the way to the trails, they feel great on hardpack, pavement and little soft patches of dirt.
On the trails:
First of all, the trails are a mix of hardpack, because of the dryness of my area, and some soft muddy patches of dirt left from rain a week ago, sooo...Overall, the tires are very grippy, I think because of the sharp lugs it has, and not as ramped as some other tires (think kenda or maxxis). And speaking of Kenda, they seem more grippy and as fast rolling as my Slant six tires, which I really like! So that said, I really like these tires as well. If you grind off the saddle in a loose over hardpack, you'll probably slip a couple of times, but I managed to control the bike while it slipped a little bit on a steep uphill. The dirt slinging went on like crazy! Seems like these have a softer compound, but they seemed to held up to braking and carving.
Corners:
I tried to push hard on some of the corners on my trails, the ones I felt familiar with, and it turns on a dime, man the shoulder knobs are great! I like the roundness of the tire, buy they seem to wash out compared to a more squared profile, but these are something else, ritchey really did their homework! I would REALLY want a 2.3 Shield tire up front for even more bite, but so far these seem to be the ticket.
Sidewalls:
Because I'm running tubes, I'm running more pressure than usual, to avoid pinch flats, as I don't carry anything with me. They seem stiff, but not in a bad way, like supportive stiff, not like the flimsy sidewalls kendas have. Even after pushing hard on a corner they don't seem to roll. This has to be proven with a tubeless setup, to check hows the burping on these. If they don't burp I will buy another pair once these wear out.
On the downhills the braking is nice. I like my brakes to be very touchy, and skidding on these was very controlable. They don't wash out while you skid...with skidding I mean, an easy, normal, skid...not a moto skid.
The front tire tracks very good, and doesn't go all over the place when things get rough!
And well, this is one ride. I need more rides on it. Set it up tubeless and run lower pressure to see if it really shines!
I would loooove to have a pair of Racing Ralphs to do a comparison, but they are very pricey so...no comparison are to be made.
So far...I like em'! They are very grippy, work like champs on the hardpack and they are light!
Heres the thread (rear tire) after the ride.
Still sharp! :thumbsup: