Customer Reviews

Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My mountain bike needed new tires, the old ones were dry and cracked, and one had blown out through the sidewall. I decided that since I seldom ride in mud or on very loose surfaces, a smoother tread would allow me to ride along with lower effort and/or greater speed. Smooth tires on urban bicycles are nothing new, the Tioga City Slicker has been around for years, and probably serves as an inspiration for many other similar tires. I ordered the Kenda K838 based on the favorable reviews, and am very pleased. I ordered four tires, to upgrade two bicycles. They came in a box which was probably twice as large as it needed to be. As everyone else has mentioned, they are blackwall, not gumwalls as illustrated. Mounting the tires was no problem at all. I used a plastic tire lever to remove the old tires from the rims, and just popped the Kenda's on with my fingers, no tools needed. I inflated them and went for a ride. Note that while the tires can hold 60 psi, because of the larger volume of air contained, they work well at lower pressures, 35 to 40 psi for me, and provide a superior ride.

The tread design and profile are based on combined features from successful motorcycle tires. The tread pattern is very similar to that seen on the Bridgestone Spitfire, with directional grooves to channel water to the outside edge of the tread surface. This gives low rolling resistance and complete silence....no humming or howling knobs on pavement. Constant pedaling is not necessary, as the low rolling resistance means one can pedal a bit, then coast or glide a long distance.
They don't accelerate quite as easily as some narrower, lighter tires, say 700 x 28, but they do very well for a tire nearly 2 inches wide, and offer vastly better load capability, rim protection, flat resistance and a superior ride over irregularities. Bumps feel considerably "dampened", and the tires "float" undeflected over gravel patches instead of knifing in or skating around as a narrow tire might.

Their triangular profile is based on designs used on Dunlop TT100 motorcycle tires and others. This means that when viewed from the front, the tire doesn't look "circular" round, but has a "rounded triangle" shape. When riding straight, the narrow "point" of the triangle contacts the road, giving a lower resistance. As the bike banks over for turns, the broad "flank" of the triangle gradually spreads across the road, giving a broader contact area and better grip.

Owners of mountain bikes which are used more often on pavement and hard-packed dirt or gravel will probably enjoy these. They seem to be very well made and a good choice for their intended purpose.

First of all, this is a really good tire, you won't be disappointed. Note that it is black wall, not skin wall as shown in the picture, so the tire is all black - which I like better anyway. I use the bike for commuting, but where I live the roads aren't all that great so the size and capability of this tire works very well. The only issue I had was getting the tires on my wheel, they're extremely snug, so make sure you let ALL the air out of your tubes and be careful not to pinch the tube while getting the tire on. Also, I hope in the future the shipping company is more environmentally (and cost effectively) concious because I purchased two tires on the same day, they came in two huge, and separate boxes. I could have fit a filing cabinet in each on of the boxes - I thought that it was a waste of shipping material.

.......when compared to my original knobby MTB tires. They corner nicely and seem very smooth. A good economical choice for converting a Mountain Bike to asphalt surfaces and increase rolling efficiency.

I recently acquired a clean Bridgestone MB-5 that was in great shape, but looked like it had original rubber on it. Not wanting to put $40-$50 worth of rubber on a $60 bike, I splurged $25 for a pair of the Kenda K838s to turn this fender equipped bike into a commuter. After days of cold rain, today was perfect weather. I am happy to say that these tires are quiet riding, smooth running, and feel great on asphalt. They definitely feel like they roll more freely, even though the width is only a smidge less and the air pressure is a wee bit more than standard MTB knobbies.

I bought these to use on an indoor trainer. They are much quieter than my mountain bike tires obviously but also quieter than other road tires I had to the point I can watch TV and ride. It is an acceptable alternative to buying specialist trainer tires and I wont rip up my good rubber.

I could not of spent my hard-earned cash any better. Switching from some terribly knobby mtb tires to these K838s transformed my bike into a concrete chomping machine. Insane comfort, insane grip. Took hardly any effort to install. Amazing tires from Kenda!!

Well after having these tires on for a month, I am very pleased. They are WAY smoother than the knobby tires that originally came on my bike and are incredibly much much faster. I instantly noticed a speed difference and these things are like riding on smooth glass. Keep the tire pressure high and you wont be disappointed. A great commuter tire for the money, no complaints what so ever. I'd give them a 5-star rating if I had owned them longer. So far so good!

I have had the Kenda K838 Slick wire bead tires on my Marin Palisades trail mountain bike for a little over two weeks now. I have to say I love them. I switched to these tires because I commute to school and work on my bike and was primarily riding on sidewalks and roads which my old knobby tires were slowing me down on. These tires are straight black and are up to mountain bike tire standards. They have a little lip that flares outward on both ends of the tire for grip and to help protect the rim. These tires are non directional and can be used as front or rear tires.

PROS:
-Smoother Ride
-Quieter Ride
-More responsive then my old knobby tires
-Grips corners like glue
-MAX 65psi
-less rolling friction
-Motorcycle tread pattern Pushes water outwards
-Still good in the rain
-Good price
-Can reach higher speeds and still have control

CONS:
-Less grip in loose surfaces (Mud, Gravel) obviously

I bought these a few years ago as the cheapest way to get a little speed for my first triathlon, and have kept them on my now single-speed commuter bike. These are the only suspension on my solid MTB frame, and do a nice job. I don't know how many miles I've got on them (no computer, still) but they've lasted very nicely. They're pretty smooth, but I'll be going even slicker for my next pair. I've had no flats until just recently when I got two close together, so I think they're starting to go.

There are definitely faster MTB slicks you can buy (Conti Sport Contact looks like a good upgrade), but for half the price give these a shot if you're thinking you want to try slicks. It beats buying a whle new bike - a weaker hybrid or a fragile road bike - for your commute if you've already got a MTB.

I purchased a pair of these tires to use on my MTB for a smoother ride on the city streets than the Kenda K53's I was using.

The K53's were nice tires and offer very little rolling resistance compared with full-on knobbies (and are smoother going straight) but still have good knobs on the sides. But when you are turning they have that knobby growl, so I figured that I'd try the 838's as they had seemed to be highly regarded by some.

The tires are pretty smooth-riding and feel very sticky in the corners unlike the knobby K53's which tended to squirm at higher speed corners with large lean angles. The 838's seem to stick like glue to the tarmac (but not so much on dirt trails -naturally). I put the whole wheel off the bike on the slippery ceramic tile of my condo and could put all my weight against it at angles much greater than 45-degrees and the tire refused to slip or squirm which is a lot more than I can say for the K53's. I was pushing against it like a football tackle sled with all my might and they wouldn't budge. The K53's will slip out when I try this. I haven't tried using the 838's in the wet yet so I don't know how the traction will stand up in the rain. They look like they will do OK with that motorcycle-style tread pattern.

Another good thing about this tire is that I can fill them up to 60-65psi which is about 50% more pressure than you can safely fill the K53. This allows lesser rolling resistance, better road feel, and much more front brakes can be used as front tire impending lockup has much more of a controlled feel than with lower-pressure tires. I can do controllable stoppies with these tires lifting the back wheel right up with my cantelever brakes out front.

One thing about these tires is that while they say they are a 1.9 wide they are a bit wider than that in reality. I've got 26x1.75 rims and if I measure the sidewalls they are exactly 1.9" but the actual tread area is well over 2" and pushing 2.25"

I suppose if you had really narrow rims the tire would squish out and be taller but as it is the 838's have a larger circumference than the K53's had and are HUGE. I'm glad I have a lot of clearance on my old Ross MTB with planet bike MTB fenders because these tires are so large that right now the rubber mold nubs are actually rubbing on the fender. It's a good thing they are small and will wear away soon.

These things are WIDE. I've seen little asian-market 50cc motorcycles that didn't have such wide tires as my bike has now. I think I like it because there is tons of traction available and they ooze confidence when the bike is pitched over in a corner to near crank-scraping lean angles -this bike rides MUCH more aggressively on the tarmac now than it did with the K53's which always seemed to me like the bike was trying to squirm out from under me to the outside of the corner. Going from the K53 to the K838 is like going from Bias to Radial tires on a motorcycle. They are THAT much more grippy and because of the higher rated pressures you don't lose anything with rolling resistance (especially in the corners). And they are smooth as glass going straight or turning.

It's like magic.

I wouldn't put them on a rim narrower than 1.5 though or wider than 2 (max). I'd imagine they would be pinched and pointy on a narrow rim and pulled flat like a low-rider on a 2" -it's just the kind of tire they are with the built-out tread onto the sidewall like a motorcycle tire.

Cons:

You might not have the clearance for these tires even though you can run 2.25's on the K53 or other knobbies.

The picture shown is a gumwall tire but what I got were blackwall tires. Not a big deal to me but others might be disappointed. Be aware of that.