These are my first UST tires, so take the following with a grain of salt... I was able to mount and seal them pretty easily. Didn't need to soap the beads, and a flood pump was all was needed to air them up.
These tires seem to have a very narrow sweet-spot for pressure. At the min recommended pressure (29psi), the front feels OK, but still a little stiff. One the back, that same pressure feels squirmy (I'm 220, so that's probably a factor). Bump up to 35psi and it feels harsh. By comparison, my Schwalbe Albert and Maxxis ADvantage felt much better in that same pressure range.
For such an aggressive tread, they do roll reasonably well. There's a small "dead zone" between the center and side blocks, you feel like you're slipping (a little) before those side knobs engage.
Would I buy another pair? Probably not (I'd get UST Alberts or ADvantages).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve Chaput
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder,Co,USA Date Reviewed: June 13, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Apex or Mtn. Lion Trail
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Strengths:
Agressive, wide, high volume thread. Stops and corners well. Strong, tough, high quality tire. Holds air well, sealant optional.
Weaknesses:
Firm rubber compound, would prefer something alittle more tacky.
Similar Products Used:
UST versions of Vertical Pro, Nevegal, and Ignitor
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575, Mavic 819 UST Rims
Bottom Line:
Using on front where I prefer a high volume tire with agressive tread, but don't want the weight of a DH tire. This is the best tire I've tried so far, but plan to try a Fat Albert too. Tire has a meaty thread that translates to great corning and quick stops. Corners great even on sand/gravel over hardpack and rails in better conditions. Tough tire and sidewalls; No problems with rough rocks. Tire went on fairly smoothly and holds air for a few rides with no sealant. The sidewalls are stiff and the thread is thick, so it works best with low pressures, ~26-28lbs. Sometimes at low speeds, it bounces a bit or slips of big rocks because of the higher durometer rubber. I prefer a lower durometer rubber, but on the plus side, this tire rolls well and should last all season.
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Submitted by
Juice
a Downhiller
from Seattle Date Reviewed: November 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
UST, sort of soft rubber, sturdy
Weaknesses:
Upper limit cornering at speed
Similar Products Used:
Minions, Nevegals, Blue Groove, etc
Bike Setup:
6" burly xc bike w/Pike
Bottom Line:
Only tried it in the front so far. This is a pretty good tire, and one of the better burly xc/AM UST tires. It is not as good as a 40d or 3C Minion, or a Stick-E Nevegal, but there aren't good UST options in those tires for xc. Come on Kenda and Maxxis, step up to the plate!
I've actually started to like the tire, but I have to run lower air pressure than normal. I find about 24-25 psi in the front is good, above that I was washing out on fast corners quicker than with the tires mentioned above.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
doug r
a Cross Country Rider
from Downtown Toronto, ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: October 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:
the Don trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
Reliable, maintains grip, holds shape and feel, wears to the bone evenly and takes @300k to wear out on mixed road and trail use.(forest trails) Would replace without question.
Weaknesses:
price. $60.00+ CDN each. My car tires are $15.00 more, Whats up with this tire companys? Lower the prices, NOW.
Similar Products Used:
Maxxis 'High Roller' heavy and cost too, wear fast Maxxis 'Cross Mark' What was that tire good for?
Bike Setup:
Maverick ML8
Bottom Line:
Very Good Tire and am pleased with performance and feel of Hutch tires.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Littleton, CO Date Reviewed: July 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Three Sisters
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Gift
Strengths:
Hooks up really well. Easy to install. Rolling resistance good for as many nobs as there are.
Weaknesses:
Cost. Weight.
Similar Products Used:
Maxxis Hi-Roller UST, Panaracer Fire XC Pro
Bike Setup:
Yeti ASR-SL: FOX F100 RLT fork, Fox RP3 shock, CANE CREEK S-2 headset, RACE FACE DEUS LP crankset, SRAM X-GEN Front, SRAM X.0 Rear, SRAM X.9 shifters, SRAM PG-990 cassette, SRAM PC-991 chain, SHIMANO XT hubs front and rear, MAVIC XM819 DISC UST rims, Avid Juicy Seven brakes, RACE FACE handlebar, THOMSON stem, YETI HARD CORE grips, : YETI / WTB ROCKET V TI saddle, THOMSON seatpost, Shimano 540 pedals
Bottom Line:
I got these tires as I'm always trying new ones in an effort to find the best one for me (not sure that I've found it yet). I installed them on both the front and rear. The first thing you notice is how well you hook up. Also, for as heavy as they are, the rolling resistance isn't too bad. I never had any issues washing out at all. I just replaced the rear tire after about 310 miles but the front still has lots of life left. Installation was pretty easy as well. This bike is the first one had with tubeless so I haven't tried many tires yet.
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Submitted by
Don B
a Weekend Warrior
from SLC, UT Date Reviewed: September 28, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Moore Fun (Fruita)
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$46.00
Purchased At:
aebike.com
Strengths:
Downhill Control, General Sure-Footedness, Cornering Grip
Weaknesses:
Rolls kinda Slow, but what do you expect from a soft compound knobby?
Similar Products Used:
Maxxis High Roller 2.3 UST Super Tacky, Conti Vertical Pro 2.3, WTB Weirwolf
Update to my previous post. After 3 months of abuse and a punishing trip to Fruita, this tire has remained trouble free and grippy as ever. No flats or burps, even after running lower pressure (15lbs) and *punishing* the tire on Moore Fun. I haven't noticed much wear yet (but it is on the front). I really enjoy the way this tire hooks up when leaning through turns, and on rocky technical trails - it behaves very well at low pressure and remains bulletproof. I only seem to notice the rolling resistance when going down pavement roads, but I'm sure it's slowing me down a little on the flats. This tire is for you if you want maximum descending confidence on your all-mountain rig.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Don B
a Cross Country Rider
from SLC, UT Date Reviewed: June 26, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Moore Fun (Fruita)
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$46.00
Purchased At:
aebike.com
Strengths:
Downhill Control, General Sure-Footedness, Cornering Grip
Weaknesses:
Rolls kinda Slow, but what do you expect from a soft compound knobby?
Similar Products Used:
Maxxis High Roller 2.3 UST Super Tacky, Conti Vertical Pro 2.3, WTB Weirwolf
Been looking for a good soft compound 2.3 UST tire since Maxxis discontinued the High Roller in the 42a Super Tacky Compound. I really like having a soft tire on the front for cornering, off camber grip and a generally more forgiving downhill experience. The Barracuda seemed to work great on it's first ride this weekend, it had that 'glued to the trail' feeling that I've come to appreciate about soft tires. It handled the loose and dusty stuff with predictability and confidence, and I was bold enough to clean this rocky spine that I had never done before. Probably the best thing I can say about the Barracuda MRC Med is when I was really cooking down a loose rocky wash around 20-25mph, the tire simply hooked up and tracked in manner that allowed me to relax and focus on picking my lines instead of having to worry about a squirrelly front end (like skinny and/or hard compound tires tend to cause). Make no mistake, this is a soft compound tire, so it sacrifices rolling resistance for control, and I did feel a little slow on the flats and when going down paved roads, probably a little more than I expected, but still acceptable. Haven't had a chance to really lean over and test the cornering grip yet, but the tire did well in slow and medium speed switchbacks. I can recommend this tire simply on the grounds that it's the only one I could find in a 2.3 UST soft compound tire, and it seemed to work as advertised. Have no idea if the sidewalls are going to hold up yet, that seems to be what killed all my Contis and a WTB Weirwolf I tried. This front tire is *much* better for control than the Conti Vert Pro and seems comparable so far to the High Roller Super Tacky.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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