old mountain goat

Specs: 26″x2.1″ Actual width 2.1″ Weight 1lb. 5oz. (603gm)

I would like to say that I could agree with MBA magazine that these are the best tires ever. Problem is I cant. Granted I don’t have 127 different tires to compare to each other, but against what I do have, the Nevegals come in last.

The best thing I can say about these tires is the are light for their size. They seem to be fairly durable. But for me, that’s where the good ends.

I did a back to back comparison of the Nevegal with the Continental Mountain King 2.4 Supersonic and it wasn’t even close. The MK 2.4 won very easily.

Now you might be thinking that this is comparing apples to oranges, and you would be right. The MK 2.4 is sold as a larger tire. It is also sold as a lightweight race tire, although the Nevegal was only an ounce heavier. The price is comparable betwen the two and the all mountain designation fits them both, and that is the main reason why I think they are in the same class, and as such, are susceptible to comparison.

I suppose it depends on which tire you have on the bike first as to how you word your criticism. I had the Nevegal’s on first, then the MK’s, then I reinstalled the Nevegal’s to confirm what I was feeling while riding.

Bottom line is, the Nevegal’s are slow and hard to pedal. And when I say slow, I mean really slow, to the tune of 2 minutes a mile (averaged over four days of riding on the same loop). And the perceived effort required to move the bike is much greater than with the Continental Mountain Kings.

You would think with all the knobs and dual tread compound and how hard this tire digs in that traction would never be an issue. For me, it was. The Nevegal’s consistenly slid out at a slower speed in corners. Front and rear. I also worked with pressures to optimize the tire for the bike and me and the dirt. No go. Still broke loose at a lower speed. Granted the Nevegal’s are slightly narrower but the amount of grip they were lacking extends well beyond the difference in tread width.

Climbing and braking traction seemed ‘ok’ but I couldn’t brake as late as with the MK’s. The rear tire slid alot more under heavy braking and I had to leave extra distance for it.

I imagine that the best way to classify the Nevegal would be a decent OE tire that you would want to replace on your new bike if you are serious about your ‘all mountain’ riding.