As discussed over the course of last week in the Forum I bought myself a set of (here goes it’s a long name) Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 Kevlar tyres. I bought them because they had very good reviews in magazines and on MTBR.COM and a couple of my friends has also bought them and rated them highly.

My initial impression was, wow, they’re expensive, I just spent more on a pair of tyres for my bike than I used to on my car !!

Fitting was interesting as the back tyre was very tight and managed to get me swearing, especially as the inner tube decided to die just as I finished fitting it !! I’ve always used front & rear specific tyres before so using the same tyres for front and back, albeit swapping the direction, is a new one on me. Once I got them on I stepped back and admired the view, the wide red sidewall certainly sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.

My previous set of tyres were the ones that came with my bike, a set of Specialized Team Master & Control. The first thing I noticed with the Panaracers was how narrow they looked, they are the 2.1s and are replacing 1.95s but, due to the round profile I presume, they look to be almost narrower that the old tyres!!

Rolling on tarmac around my driveway on Saturday, they offer less resistance than the old boots and cornering seems more surefooted.

So to the real test…

Sunday was just that, sunny, so I donned my cycling gear and off I went…My ride was not a long one, about 10 miles, and managed to incorporate road, gravel, very sticky mud, grass, puddles and, of course, dog crap. The tyres performed faultlessly over the course of the ride, Where as I would be starting to lose traction through mud and climbing on gravel with my old set (they were badly worn) I never felt that I was losing grip or washing out on cornering. They are a tyre designed for XC use and I wouldn’t feel confident using them for downhill or jumping, partly due to their narrow appearance, and I wouldn’t expect them to perform like a downhill tyre. Bearing this in mind, I am very impressed at the grip and cornering and at the moment give them a definite thumbs up.

If I do change my mind or have anything more useful to say about them I shall add to this complete drivel…