Goodyear mountain bike tires? That's right, one of the world's largest automotive tires manufacturers is entering the cycling realm with a line of mountain, road, and gravel tires. It's not the first time that Goodyear has made bike tires – they actually got their start as a bicycle and carriage tire company all the way back in 1898 – but this will be their first real entrance into the higher end arena.
The initial mountain bike lineup consists of four models – the Peak, Escape, Newton, and Newton ST. The Peak and the Escape are designed for XC and trail bikes, while the Newton and Newton ST are intended for more aggressive riding. The tires are manufactured in Taiwan, but, according to Goodyear, the compounds used are proprietary, and only found in Goodyear tires.
One of the best proving grounds for a tire is the World Cup DH circuit, and
Goodyear eventually plan to have riders competing in that realm on their tires. That won't happen until they develop a few more models, though, in order to have options that cover the full range of possible track conditions. That way there shouldn't be any reason for their athletes to run a competitor's tire with the hot patch covered in black Sharpie.
PeakThe Peak uses Goodyear's fastest rolling AT compound, and is intended for XC riders with a focus on speed. It'll be available in two sizes, 29 x 2.25” and 27.5 x 2.25”. Price: $60-$70 USD.
EscapeThe Escape is intended to be an all-round trail tire, with a rounder profile and medium height siped, square knobs for grip. There will be 2.35” and 2.6” widths for 27.5 and 29-inch wheels. Price: $65 - $80 USD.
NewtonThe Newton is available with either a 1.5 ply EN casing, or a dual-ply DH casing. There are also two different compound possibilities – Dynamic R/T and Dynamic RS/T. The R/T compound is designed for all-round usage, while the RS/T compound is softer, and intended for conditions where traction is more of a priority than rolling speed. There will be 2.4” and 2.6” options for both 27.5 and 29-inch wheels. Price: $70-$90 USD.
Newton STLike the Newton, the ST version is available in either an Enduro or DH casing, and with either a Dynamic R/T compound or a Dynamic RS/T compound. The tread pattern isn't wildly different than the Newton, but the ST's side knobs don't have as much of an L shape, and the center tread gets a rectangular shaped block interspersed with the square blocks. There will be 2.4” and 2.6” options for both 27.5 and 29-inch wheels. Price: $70- $90 USD.
Initial ImpressionsI mounted up a 29 x 2.6” Newton ST and a Newton without any issues – the thicker casing gives the tire some shape even before it's inflated, which facilitates getting it set up tubeless. Neither tire is especially light; the ST weighed in at 1130 grams, and the Newton checked in at 1250 grams, although Goodyear did say that these are from the first production run, and they're expecting the next batch to come in around 100 grams lighter – we'll see how that turns out.
The handful of rides I've been on so far have all either been wet or partially wet, which are pretty typical conditions until July here in the Pacific Northwest. The tires' blocky tread pattern works well at cutting through the slop, and although the center knobs aren't quite as tall as something like a Maxxis Shorty, they still managed to dig in to provide grip in slippery conditions. The R/T compound is on the firmer side of the spectrum, but so far the amount of traction it provides has been surprisingly predictable on wet rocks and roots. Still, I'd be curious to try out the softer RS/T compound to see how much difference that makes. As it is, I could see the R/T compound being a good option for riders who frequent harder packed, rocky trails, terrain where a longer lasting rather than a super sticky compound makes more sense.
I did find that the Newton ST's profile was a little more squared off then I would have liked for a front tire. On a 30mm rim there wasn't much difference between the side knob and center tread height, and the tire had a distinct on / off feel when cornering. I personally prefer a slightly rounder tread profile up front, and a more square profile in the rear.
For that reason the Newton has been working very well as a rear tire – it's nice and wide, and that those L-shaped side knobs hold on tight in the turns. Its handling reminds me of WTB's Convict tire, although the Newton feels like it's a little faster rolling, likely due to the lower profile center tread.
When it comes to tires, the more options out there the better, and it's going to be interesting to see where Goodyear ends up fitting in amongst the established players over the course of the next few years.
I still laughed though.
It would be cool to see that logo on the trail though!
When I brought mine to have the weird tranny action checked out, they flushed & filled the tranny & coolant, had me drive it 500 miles and then tried to charge me.
Lucky me I saw the dealer records.
Other than that, they're both very similar vehicles. A lot of the foundation stuff for the 4.0 Yota & Nissan 4x4s are from the exact same manufacturers. So if you have a problem with one of those two brands, lots of people with the other have had it.
I'll still buy an Frontier over a Tacoma when the time comes... Just waiting on that 2.8t Cummins to ship with it.
Street rubber..then built a lift kit and swapped rubber(shoulda went bigger tire. next time)
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/loopiez/Safari%20van/Safari003.jpg
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/loopiez/BCV%20Off-road/aba9b5f3.jpg
Plus it fits stuff...
https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb12485974/p5pb12485974.jpg
No, the worst.
What's even more sad is that these tires resemble Schawlbes pretty closely.
Marketing is getting the necessary information to the potential consumer.. Which this article does not.
I was surprised to see significantly more information in the Vital release, which was obviously all in the press package supplied.. Just saying..
Or maybe they just cater to different audiences...
The average pinkbike reader only needs the words "new", "improved" and "technology" to decide he´s sooooo gonna buy this new thingy.
So it doesn´t seem like an improbable step for them to cut down on information to get "the message" to their readers more clearly
m.vitalmtb.com/features/Goodyear-Launches-Cross-Country-Trail-Enduro-and-Downhill-Mountain-Bike-Tires,2288
Can't believe people are still stuck on the 26" inch drama neither... funny.
"For some non-American releases, references to Taco Bell were changed to Pizza Hut. This includes dubbing, plus changing the logos during post-production."
God bless the interwebz!
Not sure this metaphor applies to mattress companies
@mikekazimer Did you have a chance to put a set a calipers on them and do they measure true to size?
And it read Gully’s a pimp
Maxxis is still releasing new 26" tires.
jalopnik.com/how-goodyear-hid-evidence-of-the-worst-tire-made-in-his-1822200424
Can I find other quality tires att Walmart?
Kent International's lines of Goodyear-branded tires and tubes are available for purchase at Walmart Stores Inc.
www.tirebusiness.com/article/20180410/NEWS/180419992/licensee-rolls-out-goodyear-brand-premium-bicycle-tire-range#utm_medium=email&utm_source=tb-daily&utm_campaign=tb-daily-20180411
Say what you like about these tyres but this comment makes no sense and i would love to hear why you prefer that...
Cooper = under-invested ideas
Goodyear - let be honest, the name gives you hope
Toyo is where the tire games needs to go - ive been running AT 2's and RT's for some time now and no other tire has lasted me 80,000 miles with no give in performance . . .
Thank you
Meanwhile... my whole world is mud right now. Stupid spring.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O9bgOeq8X8
Or do you need the bolt on, blown nitro hemi that's available separately...
I suppose a set of these should last about 2 months!
Schwalbe tried to do something different with the new Fat Alberts tread design, and that didn’t go so well.
I get it, certain tread patterns just work better, like Maxxis side knobs, but come on Good Year, the last thing we need are heavier, more expensive versions of tires we already have, and have had for over a decade now. If you can't bring a tire to market that doesn't improve either the weight, traction, or price of a Maxxis or Specialized tire, GTFO and take your blimps with you.
(they never work)
The Specialized tire's are to from MAXXIS or ?