Kenda Happy Medium Tyres - Any good?

alesupper
alesupper Posts: 286
edited September 2014 in Cyclocross
Anyone used these? I imagine that they roll well on the road but wondered if they are any good off road particularly if it is wet/muddy? So I guess the question is are they really a happy medium?

I would be using these for mainly for training rather than racing.

Cheers.

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Leave them in the garage if it's wet & muddy..
  • I have ordered some Kenda small block 8s instead. Tons of good reviews on Wiggle.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    SB8s will clog in the mud and end up handling like slicks very quickly. Cheapest/best mud tyre (for the price) is probably the Schwalbe CX Pro, IMO..
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    As above, the SB8 are great tyres in the dry. In the wet they are a bit of a joke.
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • What would you recommend as a good all round CX tyre? If there is such a thing.
  • luv2ride
    luv2ride Posts: 2,367
    I had been very pleased with a pair of Specialized Tracer Pro Cx tyres, up until I went through a field at the end of a bridleway yesterday. They clogged with soft mud pretty quickly, in a similar way to the SB8's do although perhaps not quite as bad. Excellent on road and track, and light mud though. I guess all tyres would be a compromise when attempting to ride on all types of terrain
    Titus Silk Road Ti rigid 29er - Scott Solace 10 disc - Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 disc - Scott CR1 SL - Pinnacle Arkose X 650b - Pinnacle Arkose singlespeed - Specialized Singlecross...& an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 4 string...
  • Luv2ride wrote:
    I guess all tyres would be a compromise when attempting to ride on all types of terrain

    I agree, so I am also going to buy another set of tyres for the wet and muddy days. Cheers.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    alesupper wrote:
    What would you recommend as a good all round CX tyre? If there is such a thing.

    As mentioned, Schwalbe CX Pro or Smart Sam is pretty good all-round, as is the Conti CX King..
  • Michelin Muds aren't bad, also good are the Spesh tracers,They're not made for sticky or deep mud though. If you only want one set of tyres then you CAN still ride a mud tyre in the dry- it just rolls a bit slower and wears out a bit faster. I've run a Limus for a few months in the summer and they're fine- but if you're racing you really want the right tyre for the day- and if you're running clinchers you can change-em pretty easily when you get there- tubs and tubeless you really need a spare set of wheels....
  • You could consider Schwable CX Comp, cheap enough at 9.99 each, they run smooth enough on the road, have some centre tread, and chunky bits on the side. I am ruining a pair, however I have suffered several punctures, 1 a large thorn, the rest I have discovered are from bouncing up curbs... strange as they seem fine on loose rocks/ gravel etc.

    The Challenge Grifo Pro give a good mix, with a nobby centre tread, a bit more drag on the road and the can squirm a bit, I prefer them to the CX comp, but I was doing too much road work and worn them down too quickly.

    My "CX" bike is a commuter, come explorer, come messing about in the local field, woods etc, so always looking for a mixed tyre, but it impossible to get a perfēct mix.