Comments for Outdoor Gear Advisor

Comment on Trek Superfly Elite 29er by troy

troy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:43:05 +0000

SWEET!!!

Comment on Bontrager XR4 Tire Review by David Belden

David Belden — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:06:59 +0000

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

Comment on Bontrager XR4 Tire Review by Remco

Remco — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:42:57 +0000

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.

Comment on Mountain Bike Fenders by Terry

Terry — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:10:24 +0000

Thanks for the input. I’ve been looking for unbiased advice on mtb fenders and think I found it. I’ll go with your suggestions.

Comment on Discount Gear Sites by Juan Morey

Juan Morey — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:12:43 +0000

My favourite sites are: nashbar.com, niagaracycle.com and pricepoint.com

Oh and eBay.com, though that doesn’t count as a wholesale website…

Not all their prices are great all the time, but you can find some really good deals on the essential stuff!

Comment on WTB Mutano Race 2.4 Tire Review by David Belden

David Belden — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:59:25 +0000

After a few more non-race rides I decided to put Bontrager XR4 tires back on my Mojo (5.5″ travel) since they’re easier to ride and have more traction. So I put my WTB Mutano Raptors tires on my hard-tail. Great decision! They roll fast enough that I didn’t notice their size on the flats and climbs, and once I started down hill… wow. MUCH more traction then I had with the XR2 or Crossmark 2.1. Therefore the Mutano 2.4 race may be my new go-to tire on my hard-tail with the Bontrager XR4 being the go-to tire for my trail bike. -David

Comment on Bontrager XR4 Tire Review by David Belden

David Belden — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:54:57 +0000

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.

Comment on Bontrager XR4 Tire Review by David Belden

David Belden — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:40:05 +0000

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.

Comment on Bontrager XR4 Tire Review by Tom

Tom — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:46:26 +0000

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?

Comment on Bontrager XR4 Tire Review by David Belden

David Belden — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:21:06 +0000

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″).