Bontrager XR4 Tire
By David Belden
The Bontrager XR4 tire has fantastic grip even on loose dirt to the point that it is confidence inspiring. I ride the same loop consisting of 15 miles of road and 15 miles of dirt at least once a week which makes for a great testing ground for mountain bike parts, especially tires. Here’s my impression after taking the Bontrager XR4 tire out for a lap on that loop on my Ibis Mojo.
The Bontrager XR4 tire felt a little slower than other tires I’ve ridden on the pavement, probably due to the lack of center ridge down the middle. And that’s ok. At 740grams for a 26×2.35” tire these aren’t the tire I’d pick if you want a mountain bike tire that’s also fast on the road. For that I’d look at the Bontrager XR2 26×2.1”(~560g) or the Maxxis Crossmark.
Once I pointed the tires downhill I was very impressed. In corners where I’m used to other tires sliding, they held their line. I raced down one of our short, 4 minute single track descents I was able to equal my fastest time down it while feeling like I had a much larger margin for error, and much more control.
The tire’s profile is only slightly rounded with good size knobs fairly close together across the width of the tire, and therefore they have great grip at any angle. They accelerate and brake well when the bike is upright but also corner extremely well when leaned over. I’ve ridden other tires that have a bit of a “blind spot” (Specialized Escar, Maxxis HighRoller) meaning that if you only the get bike part way over in a corner you’ll slide or drift until you get the bike leaned over far enough to hit the shoulder knobs on the side of the tire. Not the case with the XR4. They had traction the whole time.
I’m racing the Ashland Super D this weekend and will definitely run these tires there. If you’re looking for a do everything tire for your 4”-6” travel all-mountain bike, I highly recommend the Bontrager XR4. If you’re looking for a light, fast rolling tire for XC racing, I’d say go with the Bontrager XR2.
Happy trails!
Cost $59
Rolling speed: Medium
Grip: High
Durability: Medium
Idea use: trail riding / all mountain riding, Super-D racing
Ideal bike: 4” – 6” travel bike
What durometer rubber are they, are they UST or Tubeless Ready, and how thin are the casings?
Hi Cody, they’re TLR – Tubeless Ready. The casing feels pretty beefy, and I suspect the rubber is pretty soft. I wore through an XR2 faster than I would have expected, so I bet the XR4 is similar. They have an aramid Bead and a 120 TPI casing for the “Team Issue”. They make a heavier tire with a 60 TPI casing too.
The tires also say 58/58 on the side of them, but I don’t know if that has to due with the durometer or the size (2.35″).
Hi David, thanks for the nice review.
I was looking on these tires (2.35 team issue) as a front tire to my Tracer, replacing a minion DHF 2.35 single-ply Kevlar.
Do they perform well as a front tire, especially under hard cornering? Will they roll slower than the minions or match them?
Hi Tom, The XR4 will be a heck of a lot lighter than the Minion DHF. 730 grams vs 1100 grams. Otherwise I bet they’ll perform pretty similarly. I’d guess that the XR4 would roll about as fast as a Minion, but I’m not sure which would have better traction under hard cornering. The Minion has lots of huge knobs, which is why it weighs so much. I haven’t ridden a Minion DHF, but it sure looks like if you’re a good rider and you really rail the bike over in corners, the Minion will be as good or better than any tire out there. The XR4 has fewer knobs than a Minion and will certainly climb better, but as a pure DH front tire, I’d bet the Minion will handle a bit better under hard cornering.
After racing the Bontrager XR4 at the Ashland Super D, then most recently riding them on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in South Lake Tahoe, I could not be happier with them! Never before have I had such good traction in all conditions. Tahoe was a combination of rocky, sandy, and silt, and my tires felt rock solid whether I was climbing or descending. I’ve probably ridden 10 or 15 different tires lately and hands down these are my favorites for my Mojo. I really did not like the older Bontrager tires – the Jones XR or whatever it was. They slid all over the place. But their new generation of tires is fantastic. Whomever they hired to design them is doing a fantastic job.
Hi David,
I used your review when deciding on a new tire for my Trek Fuel ex 8. It came standard with a set of xr2′s and altough i was happy with them on the pavement and even dirt tracks they were slipping and sliding all over the place when it was even the slightest bit moist or rooty. The new set of xr4′s is so much better, i even prefer them on the up bits when it’s covered with roots and rocks. Super tire for on the trails.
The only downside is on the pavement, i feel like i am peddling my longs out to achieve halfway decent speeds while getting to the trails.
Great review.
Glad the review was useful! The XR4′s are an amazing trail tire, but I agree, not that fast on the road. That said, I’m willing to give up road performance in favor of trail performance when it comes to the full suspension bike. Happy riding!
-David