I picked up a set of the new Panaracer Rampage All-mountain tires last Thursday. According to the packaging, they are 700-grams apiece, 60-grams heavier than the Michelin Mountain A/T 26 x 2.2 tires that were on the Ellsworth before. The tread pattern is evenly open like the Michelins, but the paired center knobs are buttressed on one side. Panaracer recommends mounting the front with the buttresses on the leading edge and the trailing edge (rotationally, that is) to brace the knobs for braking and traction respectively. The side knobs are aggressive and braced, and like the Michelins, they are spaced apart to allow for mud clearing or to allow them to punch through loose material. There are almost twice as many side knobs as the Michelins, but there is still adequate spacing. Many current tire designs have an almost continuous band of side knobs, which would be good for cornering on hardpack, but a recipe for mudpack or sideslip of loose off-cambers.
Once mounted, I could see that they were not much larger than the 2.2 Michelins. Measuring the roll-out for the computer calibration, I discovered that they have the exact same circumference! The reason I got them was to get something slightly larger – more freeride and less XC. At least I don’t have to reset the computer… The side knobs do in fact stick out further than the Michelins though.
I took them for a test ride on Friday. The immediate thing I noticed was the low rolling resistance. At the same pressure used on the Michelins, they rolled significantly easier on the road. The on-road dry grip was excellent. Both of these are probably effects of the lower, stiffer center knobs. Off road grip was generally very good. I did notice however that on the reverse Chicken Trail climb, the traction on the loose, leaf-littered, saddle-nose, granny ring climb, there was a traction deficit versus the Michelins. Again, this can be attributed to the shorter center knobs. This was just a neighborhood test ride, so stay tuned for updates after more intense off road rides.
On the test ride, I noticed that the front tread was crooked. I just figured that the new tire wasn’t seated evenly, so when I got back home, I put it on the pump to pop it onto the rim properly. Instead of evening out, it began to come off the rim! After deflating it fully, I discovered that the area that wasn’t seating properly in fact had a bead defect! Wow! A defect on a “made in Japan” premium tire? How did this make it past Q/C? There is one more in the shop, so I can turn in the defective one and get a replacement.
Recommended. Will be good for longer rides where rolling resistance will become a factor. I think these will be great for the next Whistler MTB expedition. Size is small for the labeled size.
3.5 out of 4 techno monkeys (would have gotten a perfect score had it not been for the defect)
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