Review - Geax Saguaro TNT 2.2"x29 Tires

[Carbon_Dude]

These tires are very different from the Schwalbe or Continental tires I normally run.  First off, they are a bit heavier at about 800g per tire.  For comparison, I've used Racing Ralphs that are ~550g per tire, nearly 2/3 the weight.  However, the RR are super thin and will puncture easliy.  I had lots of problems with the RR losing air, even with Stan's Sealant.

The Geax Saguaro TNT tires are meaty, which makes them heavier but more puncture resistant.  In a tire, I look for a balance between low weight and reliability or puncture resistance and good wear performance.  It's hard to get a good balance, in the past I've been really happy with Continental X-King 2.4" Folding tires.  With the Continental, you need to be careful as they have a wire bead version that is not as nice as the folding tire and it's not clear on most websites which version of the X-king tire you will get.

The Geax Saguaro TNT tires are very high quality, they mounted tubeless on my XMIplay Carbon rims very easily.  I used one layer of Stan's Rim Tape, mounted the tire, added some Orange Sealant, and inflated them with no cursing .  Very happy when you don't need to fight with tires.  In comparison, the Schwalbe RR required much more effort with getting them to seal as there were several sidewall pin holes, and I needed to shake and shake the wheel (as per Stan's Instructions) to get the sealant to cover the side walls.  Some people report that they have the sealant weep through the sidewalls on the RR although I never had that problem.

Trail conditions for these tires would be on the hardpack side, I have not ridden them in muddy conditions so I don't know how well they shed mud.  Looking at the tread pattern I'd say they would do okay but they would not do as well as say a Kenda Nevagal.

When riding, these tires provide a very soft almost plush ride, even when aired up to as much as 38psi.  They have a rating of 120tpi (threads per inch) which makes the tire very pliable.  On my first ride I could feel lots of movement in the tire, so if you are the type that likes a really hard tire, this is not the tire for you.  I mounted these on my full suspension IP-036, but I would think they would work better on a hardtail, providing that nice bit of compliance to the back wheel.

Overall I'm pleased with these tires, after 30+ miles they still have the nubs on them so hopefully the compound has good wear characteristics.  So there you have it, they are a bit on the heavier side but have lots of other good qualities.

[Rigid_Bloke]

Tires are just one of those things.. There are sooo many, and we all have different bikes and trail conditions, it's difficult to choose which ones are best for you without first spending $500 on rubber. It doesn't take long, these days. Although, I do admit to being somewhat of a tire whore... I've never tried the Geax Suguaro TNT tires but after your write-up.. they're on my "to try list"

Thanks for the write up.

Edit: Oh wait... 1000 grams per tire.. on a full carbon sweet ass rig such as yours? Might I suggest that you went from 550 gram tires to 1000 grams tires, and skipped the sweet spot of 700-800 grams? I'm sure you have your reasons, because the bike is too well thought out otherwise.. Just interested in what those reasons are, if you don't mind?

[Carbon_Dude]

You would be right about the weight, I re-checked my spreadsheet and the tires together weigh 1590g so 795g each.  I will go edit my original post.  So, if I had put on Racing Ralph Tires, I would have a FS 29er that's less than 23 lbs but would be more prone to flats.

[Sitar_Ned]

Okay.. I was actually thinking the same. They sounded good from your review, but 1k grams seemed a bit too high when the Maxxis Ikon 2.35s are under 700 grams without the EXO protection.

I'm actually going through a bit of a tire obsession lately. Not sure why, just fascinated with all the different models and their characteristics. I'll definitely look into these now, as I have yet to order the Ikons (will do in next couple of days) and am open to other options. But for some reason, I just have it in my head that I need a tire bigger than 2.2x. My thinking is that with a hardtail, the extra air should surely be a welcome addition, especially when the tires are getting to decent weights at larger sizes. Like the 2.35 Ikon being under 700 grams. Although, I certainly do not want tire walls that even remotely resemble the Racing Ralphs if they are as you describe.

Besides the 2.35 Ikons, I'm also interested in the Specialized Purgatory up front with a Specialized Ground Control rear... That's if I wanted to add some weight and some grip at the loss of rolling resistance. I've read lots of good things about that Specialized combo. Most likely, I'll go with the Ikons, and if I find I'm wanting for a meatier front (or front and rear?) tire then I'll get a Purgatory... Or the Ardent 2.4... or the Ardent Race.. or... 

[Carbon_Dude]

I have 2.4" Racing Ralph & 2.4" Conti X-King tires on my IP-056 and even though the Geax Saguaro says it's a 2.2" tire, the measurements I get on my bikes are:

IP-036, 30mm wide carbon rims
Geax Saguaro measured width = 2.3" Fr/Rr

IP-056, 25mm wide AL DT Swiss Rims
Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4", measured width = 2.2" Fr
Continental X-king 2.4", measured width - 2.25" Rr

So, you be the judge as to actual tire width.  Obviously it also depends on your rim width.  So even thought the Geax is spec'd as a 2.2, it comes in the widest of the three tires I have right now, although on the wider rims.

[Sitar_Ned]

What the hell. That makes it all the more difficult.. I believe i'm most likely way over thinking this. I genuinely may go with the Saguaros after reading up on them a bit more, as they'd save me about $30-$40 over the Ikons.

The listed weight on Jenson is 690 grams: http://www.jensonusa.com/!UlvlcPIYd0lSfOZm6!kW2A!/Geax-Saguaro-TNT-29-Tire?utm_source=FRGL&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CO6s14OR9L0CFc1j7Aodz3YAAA

May not be accurate but thought it was worth pointing out. These tires are becoming more attractive by the minute.

[Izzy]

If you don't mind, all specs aside, out of the three tires you have listed the (Saguaro, X-king, Racing Ralph) which ones are your favs? You know.. when you're not really thinking about all the stuff we spend far too much time analyzing    Which ones do you simply prefer when out on the trail?

Thanks for the insightful write-up.

[Sitar_Ned]

Think I'm going with the Saguaros.. Look plenty big enough here:



Plus, I'm digging the grey side walls.

[Carbon_Dude]

If you don't mind, all specs aside, out of the three tires you have listed the (Saguaro, X-king, Racing Ralph) which ones are your favs? You know.. when you're not really thinking about all the stuff we spend far too much time analyzing    Which ones do you simply prefer when out on the trail?

Thanks for the insightful write-up.

Hi Izzy, I think they are all good tires and all have their strong and weak points, here is a pros and cons list of what I think:

Schwalbe Racing Ralph
Pro: Very light weight
Pro: Seems to grip well
Pro: Tread blocks are sized nicely for dry and wet terrain and go out to the edge of the tire profile.
Con: Expensive, up to $80 per tire
Con: Thin sidewalls, requires lots of work to get the sealant to close the pin holes and hold air
Con: Tread compound wears quickly

Continental X-King
Pro: Fairly light weight
Pro: Reasonable cost, ~$40 for the folding bead version
Pro: Good tread design
Pro: Tread compound seems to have longer wear
Pro/Con: Firmer side wall than the Geax, can have some pin hole leaks that need to be sealed with tire sealant.
Con: I've ordered these two times and received the heavier, wire bead version and had to return them.
Con: The top of the line version with the Black Chili Compound is more expensive, ~$60+

Geax Sagauro TNT
Pro:  Reasonable price, $40, from Artscyclery.com, free shipping.
Pro:  High quality tire, very nice construction.
Pro:  Setup tubeless the tire aired up very easily, no leaks, no loss of air over a few weeks.
Pro:  Widest tire I have on 30mm wide rims.
Pro:  Tread pattern seems to be good for the hard pack clay that I mostly ride.
Pro:  Tread compound seems like it will have long wear but I've only put 30 miles on these tires.
Pro:  Looks great, but that's just my opinion
Pro/Con:  120tpi construction seems to make a really nice, plush riding tire but for some they might not like the additional squish of the tire, but I would think the supple feel would be good for a hardtail.
Con: Tread pattern is tighter which may not shed mud as well.

One more thing, when measured, the overall diameter of the GEAX tire as mounted on my carbon wheels is about 29.5" (not 29"), seems the sidewall is about 1/4" taller making the overall diameter a 1/2" taller.  However, with the supple construction, the tire flexes more making the runout the same.  Meaning, when I measure the length of one revolution (applying a some pressure to the bars to compress the tire slightly) I get 2374 mm, the same as my other bike.  I do this to calibrate my bike computer and found that the length of one rev is the same for both my bikes.

[Carbon_Dude]

Think I'm going with the Saguaros.. Look plenty big enough here:



Plus, I'm digging the grey side walls.

I think you will be happy with them, particularly since you will be using them on a hardtail.  One of these days, I will swap my wheels and see how I like the carbon rims with the softer tires on my IP-057, and the looks of the white DT Swiss wheels on the IP-036.

[Sitar_Ned]

Geax Sagauro TNT
Pro:  Reasonable price, $40, from Artscyclery.com, free shipping.

$34 when you use the coupon code "save15"... Sold! On their way. Total was $67.98 for the pair shipped. A couple of dollars less than one of the Ikon 2.35s I was planning on getting.

Thx CD.

[Sitar_Ned]

Well shoot..

Looks like these tires are known for being rather impossible to get on a Stan's rim which my Sun Ringle Charger Experts have.

http://twentynineinches.com/2011/05/15/the-state-of-tubless-ness-tubeless-re-try-part-ii/

Should have read a bit more, I suppose. Now looks like i'll have to do the whole return thing through the mail which I hate messing with. Oh well.

[Carbon_Dude]

My recommendation would be to do the following:

1)  Make sure you apply soapy water to the tire and rim to help reduce friction and help the tire slip on easier.
2)  Make sure the bead is in the center of the rim as you work it around, this will be the smallest part of the rim.
3)  Use a couple plastic tire levers to gently coax the tire on the rim.

Using the above steps I've never had an issue with installing tires on rims.  However, several years back I had a heck of a time installing some Hutchinson Python UST 26" tires on some Mavic CrossMax 26" rims, fought with those a bit but I had little experience at the time and didn't use any soapy water.

[Sitar_Ned]

Hmm.. guess I'll give it a shot then. After a bit more reading it seems there are some success stories, so perhaps it's a matter of technique.

[Sitar_Ned]

My recommendation would be to do the following:

1)  Make sure you apply soapy water to the tire and rim to help reduce friction and help the tire slip on easier.
2)  Make sure the bead is in the center of the rim as you work it around, this will be the smallest part of the rim.
3)  Use a couple plastic tire levers to gently coax the tire on the rim.

Using the above steps I've never had an issue with installing tires on rims.  However, several years back I had a heck of a time installing some Hutchinson Python UST 26" tires on some Mavic CrossMax 26" rims, fought with those a bit but I had little experience at the time and didn't use any soapy water.

Here we go.. Wish me luck!