A classic XC tyre still going strong

Advantages: Good durability, great for all day rides
Disadvantages: None

...Although to many tyre choice on a bike tends to come down to what the local bike shop have that's cheap, there's a few things beyond that which mountain bikers look at when buying tyres. The first main thing tends to be the use that the tyre's going to get. Shove a slick tyre with no tread on a bike that's going to get used in the mud, and you're going nowhere. Put a mud tyre on and go and ride on a hard surface and you'll be puffing and panting like Ivor the Engine with the flu. The Fire XC Pros fit in somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. As the XC in the name implies, this is a cross country tyre. Cross country riders expect some grip in the mud, but not at the expense of putting so much grip on the tyre that it's hard going all the time. Panaracer seem to have managed that quite well with the Fire XC Pro, although...

Pritch 10.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Mountain Bike Fire XC Pro

All in one survival kit and inner tube

Advantages: Virtually indestructable
Disadvantages: Price, slightly heavier than average

...As anybody who's ever managed to get a puncture along the length of the seam on their inner tubes will tell you, riding with just a puncture repair kit is not a good idea. Realistically, you need to take a spare tube for the punctures that just cannot be patched owing to size/ham fistedness on your part. Also, if you're going to be whipping the tube out and putting it back in again, you may as well just get rid of the middle bit where you mess around with patches anyway. With this in mind, I always carry a spare tube. The Panaracer tube is a fairly hefty beast. Your average butyl rubber tube is fairly flimsy, but this one could probably be used as a lasso for capturing deer or other wild animals that happen to be around if you get stranded! Quite frankly, I've never seen such a thick wall on a tube. Weight junkies will turn...

Pritch 22.12.2001 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Inner Tube

A tyre fo all seasons

Advantages: Grip well in all conditions, durable, roll well
Disadvantages: None I can think of

...I live and ride in South Wales. The man made trais around Afan Argoed and Glyncorrwg, plus all the natural stuff in between, is where you'll most likely find me on my bike. It's wet down here in Wales, but thankfully, there's not much clay, so that really sticky mud you get in some parts of the country isn't too much of a problem down here. I'd experimented with many different types of tyre, before stumbling across these. I'd been riding Tioga 1.9's and going to the Panaracer 2.1's was a breath of fresh air. The increased grip, especially on the front, was amazing, and the rear tyre gripped like a mountain goat. Just make sure you put them on the right way around (follow the arrows on the side wall). As a tyre that can be used all year round, these are hard to beat. They grip well on the rocky bits, dig in on muddy climbs, and cope...

Greasylake 06.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Fire XC Pro Folding Tyre

Good at what it does but highly impractical

Advantages: Amazing grip in the wet
Disadvantages: Rubbish on hard or dry surfaces, Quite damaging to trail surfaces

...For those of you that hadn't noticed, it rains in the UK. The knock on effect for mountain bikers is that it gets rather muddy and, quite frankly, the tyres you've been running for the last five years which have nearly gone bald just won't cut it in really muddy conditions. This is where mud tyres come in, one of the classic mud tyres being the Panaracer Spike. If you get to see one of these beasts in the flesh, it will become instantly apparent why they chose to call it the Spike. The cross section of the tyre consists of four large rubber spikes about 8mm in length repeated around the circumference of the tyre. The resulting tread pattern looks terrifying and puts tractors to shame. Equally terrifying is the stern warning on the tyre "Not for road use!", but more about that later. The Spike that I fitted to my bike had...

Pritch 04.08.2002 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Spike F&R

The perfect tyre for 11 out of 12 British months.

Advantages: Grip, durability and looks
Disadvantages: Costly

...The Panaracer Fire XC Pro has proven itself to be one of the wisest, if costly, upgrades to my Cannondale Jekyll. In our murky winter (and summer) months you need a tyre that will cope in the claggy conditions, providing grip and shedding mud quickly and efficiently, but not so aggressive in tread pattern that it hinders progress on fire-roads and tarmac ? The Panarcaer achieves this and is one of the most striking designs available, with its white writing emblazoned on the sidewall. It has performed admirably in the mulched leaves of the Dorking Redlands Trails; it kept my fatigued body moving on the punishing mud, roots, rock gardens, hairpins and drop-offs of the Afan Skyline Trail and has dug me out of the sticky Cotswold clay. A true all-round performer that is perfectly suited to our changeable climate. There are a great...

spikedpeak 23.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Mountain Bike Fire XC Pro

My favourite all-round tyre

Advantages: Comfortable, confidence building tyre, best in medium to soft terrain,
Disadvantages: Roling resistance penalty on hardpack and gravel

......

fred_redwood 28.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Cinder Folding Tyre

Brilliant Mud Tyre!

Advantages: Outstanding performance in mud
Disadvantages: performance on other surfaces is middle to poor

......

fred_redwood 28.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Panaracer Fire Mud Pro 26 X 1.8 Folding Red

It's Systematic! It's Pneumatic! It's Intense!

Advantages: Versatile, durable, multi-condition tyre
Disadvantages: Tad heavy, dull looks

...directions. If you venture on road with this tyre it is quite fast rolling, but the knobs can generate some road buzz. This year I did the first 50 miles of the South Downs on this tyre and it performed extremely well. It was 100% reliable. It rolled well, it gripped well on the chalky sections, and it was even reasonable on the long fast chalky descents. But this is it's ideal terrain - fast rolling and not too technical. Wear wise it seems pretty good - my tyres normally get wrecked by flint before the tread wears out. It doesn't seem to pick up many punctures either but that might be pure luck rather than anything to do with the tyre. If you're into looks the Intense tyre is a bit dull compared to the sportier summer tyre offerings from Panaracer and Continental. Overall It's not the lightest nor the fastest rolling but is a pretty...

fred_redwood 07.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Intense System 2 XC C3

Claud Butler Spectre MTB

Advantages: Frame, construction, value, you name it - it's got it..
Disadvantages: probably seems an oldie and unfashionable in these days of FS bikes.

...with Panaracer Hi-Road 'S' slicks (preference rather than a necessity), the bike did suprise most enthusiasts i know, by being turned from a lighweight budget ally-framed fun bike, into a serious contender for a strong, light, tough courier bike. And it isn't a bad racing contender either :) I ditched the OEM brake shoes almost immediately, since I had grown accustomed to using Fibrax SureStopper items (my vote for joint toughest-wearing/max power hard compound items). Since the brake system used LX fittings, a mere £15 bought the same items in LX fit and completely revitalised a moderate brake setup to something that definately couldn't be matched for £150 all-told, let alone the cost of the shoes alone. Hard-wearing and brake-power is kind of hard to quantify exactly, but needless to say, after around 2.5 years, it's on it's first pair...

RoadWarrior 16.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Cycling - General