Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Review: Kenda Nevegal DTC 2.3"

This is a tire thats got a legendary reputation in the US, or atleast had. Things has changed, and the Nevegal has gotten some potent competition, but some still swear by it. I had a chance to ride this tire for 3 months, and im not swearing by anything.
Well let me start of by saying that this tire did not perform well on my trail conditions (soft soil, loose, loose over hardpack) - and I only had a few hours of testing in rocky conditions. 
The weight is acceptable, so is the rolling resistance, but the Kenda nevegal disappoints by having a mediocre grip as well. It wasnt that this tire had a bad grip, its just that when when things got demanding, the tire went on to underperform, and the tire would in result give up where other good tires would have continued. The braking was also mediocre, but predictable. The knobs where holding up well, but I have to mention that I did end up tearing the sidewall, it didnt decapacitate the tire, but im not a fan of riding with a teared sidewall.
I would recommed this tire for normal trail riding, as long as you stay on the trails, and away from too demanding climbs. If youre riding XC, or AM then stay away, there are so much better alternatives out there. I wouldnt use this tire for winter riding, so I classify this tire as a summer tire. All in all an ok tire, that does its job right to some extend, but too many unimpressive points lands this tire with a medium rating.

Size:2.3"
Tested on: Rear
Claimed weight: 700 (+-35) gram
Actual weight: 699 gram
Score: 3/6
(click to enlarge)

Torn sidewalls:
(click to enlarge)

5 comments:

  1. Man you said it. I used to run Navigals for a while till the sidewalls would tear. They dont really grip well, at least for an aggressive trail rider. They lose there performance after a few rides. They are also horrible for climbing as you will use twice the amount of energy to climb without the benefit of traction.

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  2. Amen bro. I used my Nevegal 2.35s in muddy conditions and the sidewalls of my rear tire just ripped apart from sliding on the rocks. Im quite disappointed that Tomac would have his name associated with this tire :(

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  3. Yeah, its definitely not the best tire Kenda has done.

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  4. Which do you recommend instead for summer xc/am?

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  5. Hi there, try looking into these:

    http://all-mountain-next.blogspot.dk/2012/06/review-continental-mountain-king-ii.html

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