Bontrager XR4 Tyres 2010
Reviews / Tyres
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Size: 2.35
Actual Tread Width: 2.410 Inches
Actual Carcass Width: 2.357 Inches
Weight: 726 Grams
Measurements taken at 30psi
At a Glance
The XR range is a new one from Bontrager, featuring the XR0, 1 and 2. The XR4 is aimed at rough rocky terrain and is available in two sizes, 2.20 and 2.35. There are a variety of options, wire bead, aramid and a top spec 120TPI Team issue, which is what we have here. As usual the tyres are tubeless ready meaning you can run them with or without tubes. The tread pattern features aggressive knobs for cornering with slightly lower profile diagonally spread knobs in the centre. The centre lugs are ramped to offer less rolling resistance and all the knobs have triangular snipes cut into them. Perhaps the most impressive thing with this tyre is the weight. 726 grams for a high volume big hitting tyre like this, that can be run tubeless is very impressive indeed. This will certainly attract riders looking for a big tyre but not wanting one that weighs in at over a kilo.
On the Trail
We weren’t expecting too much in the way of standout performance with these tyres. Perhaps as they shipped as stock on the Scratch we were testing, or maybe because we hadn’t heard much about them. Either way, we were blown away when we hit the trail! Their first real outing was a snowy weekend in Afan with wet, rocky, rooty trails with a good helping of snow here and there. By god they were good, we just couldn’t get them to break loose no matter how hard we pushed them. Inspiring confidence and riding faster and faster it started getting a bit silly considering the conditions! In the dry they are equally impressive offering acres of grip and feel in the corners and lots of straight-line speed with the ramped centre knobs reducing resistance. The high volume allows them to roll well over bumps and we haven’t managed to damage them at all despite throwing a fair bit of harsh terrain at them. In really thick muddy conditions they are OK, but they are more suited to three season riding.
Overall
The XR4 is an excellent tyre, one that has surpassed all expectations and so far never let us down. We’ll be using these a lot this summer on our bigger rides.
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This review was in Issue 5 of IMB.
For more information visit BontragerRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou Chater is the Publishing Editor of IMB Magazine; he’s a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but his passion for bikes knows no bounds. His first mountain bike was a Trek 820, which he bought in 1990. It didn’t take him long to earn himself a trip to the hospital on it, and he’s never looked back since. These days he’s keeping it rubber side down, riding locally and overseas as much as possible.
