🚀 go-pugleaf

In article 95241@netnews.upenn.edu, fhuang@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (RECKLESS ABANDON) writes:
>
>     Which tire, the Panaracer Smoke (reigning champ) or the Specialized
>More Extreme (up-and-coming challenger), in the net's opinion is a better
>rear tread?
>
>
>-bogueman

May want to qualify this. They're several Smoke's, and while riders I know find
that the 2.1 is excellent, others I've talked to claim the 1.9 Lite sucks. However,
which ever Smoke you choose (1.9, 2.1, or 2.2), they all have approximately the same
tread pattern.

The More Extreme, on the other hand, comes in 3 entirely different tread patterns.
The most  well known is the standard 1.95 wire bead version that's shown in the 
Specialized ads. However, Specialized also has a 1.95 Kevlar in soft Gray Compound
that has an entirely different tread pattern (smaller, narrower 'shovels', more
bidirectional and intermediate knobs). The 2.5 More Extreme looks closer to the
Gray 1.95 than the standard 1.95, but is still significantly different (It's shown 
in the new features section of this month's MTB Action).

So, assuming you choose the medium, 2.1 size Smoke Comp with a Kevlar bead (why wire?)
and skinwall (there was a side puncture thread a while ago, but I've never had 
problems with skinwalls) vs. the well known 1.95 wire bead More Extreme featured
in the Specialized Ads, I'd take the Smoke hands down. The main reason: weight.
I know Smoke's are reknowned heavy tires, but the 2.1 Comp is a respectable 620g
whereas the 'little' 1.95 tips the balance at a porky 690g (that's what specialized
claims, MTB Action and A bike store dude I talked to have both independently weighed
the More Extreme at a boat anchor like 790g). And you're not getting that more for
the weight, the 2.1 is still much wider, with aggressive square side knobs and 
*truly* bidirectional "bowties" that grip better than just about anything else
on the market.

Michael Wong
msw10@ras.amdahl.com