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Is this your new wet-weather rubber? |
Words and Photos by Corey Anderson
After what seemed like a never-ending summer here in B.C., fall has finally shown its face. The days of dry trails and woodwork will be forgotten for the next six months, and the roots and rocks on the Shore will transform into their famous slippery selves.
Traction is critical around here and the Shore will respect good tires, but it will also spit you onto your ass if you step up with sub-par rubber. Kenda is offering some new tires for 2004, two of which are the "Tomac Signature Series" Nevegal and Blue Groove.
Developed and tested by the Norco Factory Team riders (), the Blue Groove and Nevegal have already been proven successful by the team racers. But do they live up to people's expectations for solid Wet Coast performance?
Pinch This…
One of the highlights of these tires (DH Cap-Ply, as tested) is the heavy side-wall with a
unique pinch-flat protection system. There is an insert right above the bead
of the tire that cannot be compressed.
The tire will collapse enough to wrap around the forest floor, but will stop short of pinching your tube between the tire and rim on all but the worst hits. This means you can run at a lower pressure, translating into better traction and fewer flat tires.
Rubber Side Down
The Blue Groove features a block-like tread patter with recessed centres on each tread, each with a small slit in it (like siped car tires) to improve performance in wet conditions. Large side lugs offer grip when laying it out in corners. |
 Kenda's 2.5" Blue Groove
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The Nevegal has a more paddle-like pattern, with a second row of tread added to prevent it from sliding out in hard cornering situations. Again, each block features a slit for wet-weather performance.
Let's Get Dirty
I put a 2.5" Blue Groove up front and a 2.5" Nevegal on the rear,
as recommended by the manufacturer, but the Nevegal can be run
on both front and rear. Mounting them was pretty simple with
the help of some solid tire levers and a little spilled coffee
(it was at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning before leaving for Whistler).
The Kenda rubber performed admirably during my first tour of the new trails
on the Garbonzo Chair at Whistler, where the tires got to do their thing on
some wet, rooty, and rocky trails.
 The 2.5" Kenda Nevegal |
The Nevegal and Blue Groove tires are great in dry conditions. They eat up the high-speed berms on A-Line, the rock lines on 5th Horseman, and all the scaries on Sex Girl (just a few of my favourite trails). When things get a little wetter, they offer very consistent grip and allow you
to feel confident in your stopping and steering abilities. Lower pressure
provides good traction on slick rock faces and roots, and the aggressive
tread pattern cuts through mud beautifully and clears easily, leaving you
ready to dig into the next corner.
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Sizing:
The Verdict
If you are looking for some confidence in the wet and an excellent all-around grip, the Kendas are definitely worth checking out. They are available in a variety of sizes and the MSRP of CDN$95 seems to be at par with the other tires of their calibre.
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