Author Topic: Geax AKA quick review  (Read 466 times)

Svend

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Re: Geax AKA quick review
« on: June 22, 2012, 04:37:21 pm »
I confirmed Geax Fanboi now....

Gee BW, I remember that as recently as a year ago you were poo-pooing Geax tires.  ;D  Something about "no serious rider uses Geax tires", or similar comment.  Glad to hear you're a convert  ;)

I haven't used them on my 29er, but as you know, my wife's bike has had the Arrojo (predecessor to the Sagauro) since 2008, and they are just now wearing out.  Fantastic durability, no pinch flats (and that's at 30 psi on her bike), great grip on all terrain, good handling, good mud shedding, and very fast rolling.  The only drawbacks are that they are only a 2.0 and thus lower air volume so a bit less cush than optimum on an aluminum hardtail.  And they no longer make this model.  But fortunately the Sagauro seems like a worthy replacement, with the added benefit of a rounder profile and bigger size.

Thanks for the great review of the AKA.  This tire would probably do very well here in our area, as the only mud we really get into is the slick hard clay kind (there is deeper goo here, but we just avoid those trails -- helps to know your way around a park  ;)).  The Slant Six sheds wet clay like it's made of teflon, but the Arrojo does very well in that too -- doesn't shed all of it, but the knobs pierce through for decent grip, then the stuck-on stuff flings of once you hit a dry section.  Looking at the AKA pattern, the knobs would probably do the same.  Nice.  I might try this as a rear tire on my 29er once the Slant Six wear out (which should be soon), and a Saguaro on the front.  Should be a perfect combo.

Jim -- Geax is Italian.  It seems they got onto Canadian bikes earlier than US ones.  Opus (a Montreal bike maker) started putting them on as a factory spec tire way back, which is how my wife's bike ended up with them -- she has an '08 Opus XC race hardtail.  They were so good, I just didn't bother taking them off since when she rolled the bike out of the showroom. 

They seem to be very well established in Europe, too.  Great products.  If my Kendas don't hold up well (I am becoming skeptical), then I will likely be going with Geax all around.  Or Maxxis.  I like the Ignitor for our terrain.  And my father-in-law (who used to race mtn. bikes, and still rides about 10-12 hours per week out on Vancouver Island) really likes the Ikon as an all-round great XC tire -- he has a pair on his XC hardtail.  A lot of guys that he rides with also use the Ikon as their preferred XC tire.  For more rugged AM use, they like the Nevegal for its very sticky grip (poor wear though -- they don't last long out there).  He uses the Panaracer Fire XC Pro or Panaracer Cinder on his AM full-suspension bike, and swears by them.