Geax is owned by Vittoria - one of the most renowned road bike tire makers. The correct pronunciation is "Gee - axe." Since Geax's debut in the mid 1990's, the brand has produced a number of fast rolling cross-country designs, and to its credit, it was among the first brands to jump onto the UST tubeless bus. Since its inception, however, Geax has failed to put forth a competitive tire for the sport's edgier trail and all-mountain riders. The new Goma 27.5 TNT AM tire arrived for testing while Vittoria was in the middle of rebranding Geax under its own name, so at present there are Goma 27.5 TNT tires being sold with both Vittoria and Geax hot patches. Not to worry though, the Goma 27.5 tire is listed on both Vittoria's and Geax's websites and are sold through the same retail networks.
Geax bills the Goma TNT as a premier AM/trail and enduro racing tire that is designed to perform in a multitude of conditions. All wheel sizes are supported in both 2.25 and 2.4-inch widths. Gomas are also sold in a lightweight carcass, a reinforced all-mountain/tubeless TNT carcass and in applicable sizes, in a DH two-ply carcass. Our 2.25-inch TNT test tires weighed 840 grams each, with an MSRP of $63 USD.
GEAX Tires @GEAX
Geax Goma 27.5 TNT The Goma's big chance came when a test bike arrived mid-winter, inadequately shod with skinny tires in my least favorite tread pattern. Lacking an alternative, I mounted up the Gomas tubeless with Stan's sealant. The task required a small amount of wrestling, due to their tight fit on Stan's Arch EX rims, but they aired up, as promised, with a standard floor pump and without the need to remove the valve cores. "TNT" stands for "Tube, No Tube," referring that the tire can be run either with a tube, or tubeless. TNT also refers to Geax's heavily reinforced side walls and the Goma's patented UST rectangular bead profile, which helps to seat and lock the bead in matching tubeless rims. TNT tires require sealant, but not much. The front tire held air for three days without a drop. With sealant added, both tires maintained pressure within two to three pounds pressure for well over a week's time.
Reinforced casing: Geax builds the Goma tires with a 120 thread-per-inch nylon-fabric casing that has an additional layer of high-strength fabric to ward off abrasions and punctures. Extra toughness is ensured by a rugged later of rubber that coats the sides of the carcass. Protection and toughness come at a price, though, pushing the weight of the Goma TNT to 840 grams - 100 grams heavier than the non-tubeless version.
Sticky tread rubber: Geax uses its mid-compound, 50 Shore-a hardness "Sticky" rubber compound for the Goma's tread. Like most of the better-performing all-mountain/enduro tires, the Goma has a simple tread pattern, with center blocks arranged in pairs, flanked by one row of edging blocks on either side. Tread is directional and the edging blocks have a unique grooved edge to give them extra bite as the tire is leaned over in a corner, especially on hard surfaces. "Rounded" best describes the Goma's tread profile. The edging blocks stand at about the same height as the center tread.
Tall center-tread and sticky, 50 shore-a rubber made for great braking traction in a straight line.
A look down the center of the Geax Goma tire shows its grooved edging blocks and sparse tread design. The Goma sheds mud and crud in wet conditions.
All sizes: Geax sells the Goma in 26, 27.5 and 29 inch wheel sizes, in 2.25 and 2.4 inch widths, and in both the light and TNT casing styles, all of which can be
perused here. Our test tires were the 2.25-inch width, measuring 2.2 inches
(56 millimeters) at the widest point and 27.625 inches in diameter
(700 millimeters) at 30 psi, mounted to rims measuring 21 millimeters between flanges.
Riding ImpressionsTrail conditions during the review interval were varied. Most of the riding was over rocky, sandy and clay soils, with surfaces ranging from wet, with slick mud, to loose sand and gravel, and bone dry hard-pack. As mentioned. the Gomas were mounted tubeless to narrow, 21 millimeter internal-width Stan's Arch rims. Inflation pressures ranged from 32 to 25psi. The primary test bike was an Intense Spider 275 and the Goma tires were mounted front and rear. Overall, Geax's Goma TNT tires received high marks for durability, with nary a scar on the tread or casing, and with no flats or burping air during two months of testing.
Geax's new Goma rolls well on dirt, but its sticky rubber tread feels decidedly slower when grinding on paved surfaces. Acceleration is muted slightly by the heavier construction of the TNT tubeless option, but the Gomas manage to get rolling quickly enough that test riders were often unaware that we were spinning 840-gram tires. Climbing traction was good, better than expected from a tire that is so heavily crowned. I expected the tire's aggressive center tread to claw up rock faces and soft, loamy sections - which it does beautifully. But, most rear tires with conspicuously rounded profiles break traction instantly when climbing loose gravel or when a whiff of dust lubricates smooth, rock-hard soil. Not so with the Goma. I managed a few personal best technical climbs that, if you asked me earlier, had me convinced they would expose a fatal weakness of the Geax tire. Vittoria's factory is keen on conjuring up rubber compounds, so I must attribute the Goma's climbing grip to either magic or science.
Space between the Goma's center tread and its edging blocks, combined with the tire's arched profile meant that riders had to lean the bike a lot to find grip in fast corners.
Turning tests revealed why so many riders like tires with rounded treads. Goma tires feel seamless when transitioning left-right-left, making twisty trails feel more like flying than bouncing a bike through the woods. Geax's minimalist tread design leaves a wide space between the edging and its center blocks. When the pace is moderate, there is plenty of turning grip, but when pressing the bike hard into the bends, the Goma breaks traction - often abruptly - as it passes through the treadless no-man's-land and the trail surface has yet to encounter the tire's edging blocks. Over-banking the bike to force the tires onto their edging tread was the obvious cure, but we still had "moments," primarily on sweeping hard-pack turns or when descending in deep, parallel ruts. I expected the tires to be worse when turning in slick mud, but the Gomas managed a controllable drift where I had expected them to slide as if it were black ice. Without a couple of runs down the slimy roots of Morzine, I can't report on the Goma's performance in extremely wet conditions, but they found predictable grip on mud-slathered rocks.
Braking performance was better than average, with massive grip available for straight-line stopping on any dirt surface. Leaned over, the Goma's tread will not break traction abruptly, drifts predictably, and provides a useful measure of control, but there is noticeably less grip available should you need to use the brakes in an off-camber or turning situation than with the industry standard, Maxxis High Roller II. That said, I could charge down my favorite switchback descent without skidding up the corners. Test riders did our fair share of skidding and drifting, mostly on rocky descents, which should have run the tread down in a hurry, but the Geax tread showed little wear for over two of months of abuse.
Pinkbike's Take: | Those who prefer tires with a rounded tread profile will enjoy the Geax Goma 27.5 TNT tire. After putting time on the Gomas as both a front and rear tire, we would recommend it as a rear tire for hard chargers, paired with a different design up front with more defined edging blocks like Schwalbe's Magic Mary or the Maxxis HR II. That said, Gomas on both ends of the bike would be a tougher, grippier and longer lasting option for riders who swear by the likes of a Specialized Purgatory. The Goma represents the first winner that Geax has fielded in the AM trail categories and while we would stop short of proclaiming that the Goma TNT is an EWS winning tire, it certainly has proven to be durable enough to withstand a similar level of punishment. The Goma could be perfect for an AM/trail rider seeking a good performing all-condition tire that will be churning out the miles long after its popular competitors have become semi-slicks. Oh, and while the transition is taking place, it might be a good idea to ask for the Vittoria/Geax Goma tire. - RC |
See full size and additional images in the test gallery.
What's weird about Bontrager? The other two are Euro so they pronounce their A's like Aah and E's like Eh.
Geax = G(eh)(Ahh)x
Schwalbe = Shhh Vaaal Beh
bike's shoes are made by Geax.
probably Geox will produce tires as well as Geax do
:-)
I am over in the USA just now. If the light is red you can still turn rIght, 1000 channels and nothing on. World news.... what is the world. Drive on the wrong side. No gear stick and clutch. 16" of rain last weekend from a couple of showers. Would have been 3 mm back home, you can buy a car tyre in wall mart bit not an apple, they are holding a "green" conconference to decide how to be more green. Average mpg (American only gallon remember) is 25 pg. .. lol. My alhambra does 50 and takes 7 people.... but the sunshine is nice (joking Americans.....) don't get too upset. The people I have worked with and trained over here this week are really nice.
I run a non TNT Goma on the front of my Tallboy LT and a Saguaro on the rear. Best volume of any tire I have owned and they wear really well. Geax/Vittoria is the best kept secret of MTB tire manufacturers!
I got two sets of GEAX DHEA tyres and absolutely love them, can't fault them at all, especially since I only paid £18 for two tyres! £18 for a pair of triple compound DH tyres!
Overall I'm pleased and would buy again. Similar products used: Minions, High Rollers, Hans Dampf, etc.
The Goma is a bit heavy at 1000+ grams but for a 2.4 tire I feel like the performance gains are worth it. I'm not looking to win any XC races though. I weigh 190 pounds (13.5 stone for the brits/86 kg for the rest of ya's) with gear and run 23 PSI on very rocky trails with drops and off camber tech sections. I've used XR4's, Ardents, and Butchers and there is a noticeable improvement in traction. I'm thinking of picking up the 2.25 for the rear when my current XR4 wears out.
The tire has no grip on wet surface. Other than that it's a great tire for when the sun is shining and it's dry.
I wish I ran these at 18-20 PSI to properly compare to my current HRII's (which I LOVE on my fat Nextie rims). I don't think I gave the Goma's justice by running them at 30+ PSI.
Bryan
Maybe I'm your crowd but not so much in mine. Give me some moto treads.
www.pinkbike.com/news/Geax-Goma-Enduro-Tire-Sea-Otter-2013.html
I bought the 2.25 Gomas for my Norco Sight a couple months ago. I like them way better than the Kenda Honeybadgers that the bike was spec'd with.
They are a great value.
will be the tyre of my choice for that kind of conditions again this year.
www.reifenbreiten-datenbank.de