[Closed] Kenda Nevegals any good ?

I really rated them until last weekend, but to be honest it was generally riding that they're not suited too (shuttling Inners Caddon Bank & Matador), had 4 pinch flats then. Although I think with a 2.35 instead of a 2.1 on the rear I may have been abit better off.

But for general trail riding up until that weekend they've been superb, hadn't had one puncture until then. Generally loads of grip in the wet and dry & clear quite well in uber gloop. This was on my 6" FSer but the 456 mainly.

Mine aren't the Lite ones though.

I've heard (from a couple of downhilly types) that they're not very controllable once you've lost traction in the same way as others such as High Rollers/Minions are. So far I've had no problems with my 2.1 up front but don't exactly push my tyres to "the extreme" 😆

reading a bit more they are for light xc applications .sounds a bit fragile to me ?

i found them good for rear traction but not directional enough for the front.

too draggy though - so not a good rear tyre either.

swapped the front for a blue groove didn't like that (too slidy int' mud)

then the bead came away from the tyre.

having said that they seem to be oem on a lot of bikes in the LBS today...

I love mine, as close as I've found to a "do it all" tyre. Gonna be getting some from On One as spares.

APF

Never had so many pinch flats - sidewalls shredded way before the tread went. Never again, shame as the overall ride was great

IMHO not a good good tyre but not a bad tyre either they just work in most conditions( well er most of the time 😳 )

They came on my TranceX - StickE on front and DTC on back. I immediately got loads of flats of both kinds so went ghetto tubeless which solved all the problems. The rear ripped at CYB after 18 months. Front tread getting shallow but still OK.

But the side knobs are not that stiff and I think if you corner really aggressively they let go. Most of the time I'm quite docile, but I had a memorable outage while bombing down from Dowsborough into a left corner near the treeline when this happened. Somehow I stayed upright. Other than that I have no complaints.

I like them, lightweight grippy, but as others have said, they are fragile, sidewalls especially.

If its 15quid its an OEM version - they are a cheaper rubber compound and nowhere near representative of the full blown version.

but as others have said, they are fragile, sidewalls especially.

Ah yes, forgot to mention I ripped the sidewalls on the rear in 2 places at the weekend.

been using the tubeless versions for over a year, think they're dual compound 50/60. Great tyre, no problems.

Have 2.1 DTC Nev/ StickE BlueGroove on the SS & same but 2.35 on the FS. They do have light side-walls, but not an issue for me as I run them with sensible pressures. Certainly not a fast rolling tyre though. I made the mistake of trying a StickE on the rear. Jeez that was hard work.
I find them a good all-rounder but keen to try some SmallBlock 8's.

The information on-one have up there is a bit iffy if you compare it to say, the kenda website

The 550g weight is supposed to be for the 1.95" (as big or bigger than other companies 2.1"s) DTC-Lite versions, not the 2.1" (very nearly as big as a Maxxis 2.35") versions, which are more like 610g

I had thought the DTC-lite was only the 1.95" versions, and the DTC was only on 2.1" and 2.35" versions. It looks as if they could have lifted the blurb from the 1.95" ones, but I don't know

It does say they are dual compound (So not the single hard compound OE wire tyre some bikes come with), which is supposed to be 50a on the sides, 60a down the middle, so more a middley compound than a fast rolling 70a as used by many others in fast rolling tyres, for eg maxxis, specialized

I've a set of 2.1" DTC (50/60a) folding nevegals. I think they're a reasonable all rounder, though a bit on the slow side, due to the 60a compound down the middle and although not massively deep tread and with some ramps, are still a chunky tyre after all. They're no XC semi-slick

If you want lots of uphill pedalling traction you'll have to turn the rear one round, although it will manage okay the normal way round pedalling on the ramps. Its not all ramps, only the centre so isn't as bad as for eg a high roller for spinning out
Not being a hugely deep treaded tyre, they can't dig in as deep into slop as well as other tyres (even a 2.35" High Roller will be better because it has deeper tread), but will usually still get by okay and isn't terrible for blocking up
Otherwise I find them to grip really well pretty much everywhere. I really liked how well they did in the lakes last time I went with them, they seem absolutly fine in the peak and they seem to let you lean them over loads when cornering a little too fast on smoother trail centre type stuff (though don't seem to give the same sort of reassurance a 2.35" high roller 'seems' to give when leant over)

They're are big enough, but not massive, which is my biggest issue with them. I'd like them to a touch bigger, but not quite as big as the 2.35" size

The sidewalls are a little thin, but pumping your tyres up a bit more to stop pinchflats and/or sticking a slightly thicker tube in should help out
I haven't managed to get any sidewall splits yet though, despite lots of lakes and peaks riding, I assume* it could be down to not running them at low pressures rather than not taking them to potentially tyre trashing terrain.

*I'm just waiting for them to split going off what people say, they don't yet appear damaged though

I found them to be quite good and Ghetto'd them fairly easily but a weak side wall saw them getting sliced open and my leg getting covered in sealant ruining the last bits of Innerleithen. 🙁

Some folk call them "Kenda Surprise" as their handling is supposed to be hit or miss but I always got on well with them to be fair.

Mine were the dual compound whatsits.

My front has spent as much time going sideways as it had forwards, I'll not be replacing it like for like but on the rear it's been fine

Tom wrote,

I've heard (from a couple of downhilly types) that they're not very controllable once you've lost traction in the same way as others such as High Rollers/Minions are. I don't mind that myself, I like the extra grip but if you like a tyre that slides around and is easy to control when it does it, they're not that. You go through corners faster but you look less cool.

Yeah, it's a balance, they grip for much longer than a highroller but they break loose in a less controllable way, which can be a wee bit alarming if you're not used to that.

I really like mine though, stick-e 2.1 on the front and DTC 2.1 on the rear. Tried a Blue Groove, found it gripped better in a straight line but tramlined at any opportunity, didn't get on with it at all. They're my standard choice for everything really, snowy rides, fort william dh course, they just get on with it. No issues with fragility or pinches- I run them tubeless (not the UST ones) and only ever had a couple of minor sidewall punctures.

They're not fast but they're just good solid allround tyres for people who don't like asking "What tyre for...".

Don't get the OEM spec ones, they're not nice. I think a lot of the bad reviews Nevegals get are from people using the OEM version, just like with Contis, it's not obvious how different they are til you ride them both.

Oh and there's something up with the On One listing, according to Kenda there's no aftermarket Nevegal Lite in any size other than the 1.95 (as far as I can tell that's all the Lite means, they're not much lighter than a 2.1) so either they're some OEM spec thing or they're not Nevegal Lites.

Or they've copied/pasted the 1.95" DTC-Lite spiel and are selling the 2.1" DTC's?

They are definitely OEM or dodgy imports.
I work for the importer and if they were the genuine aftermarket, decent compound ones they won't be making any money selling them for 15quid.

I have a set of 2.35s, I found them to be very confidence inspiring on the descents, especially when used ghetto tubeless.

They're quite draggy though, but then you don't use a 2.35" tyre for long fire road climbs.

FYI I bought one, and I have previously bought them from Wiggle so I can compare them... I have it on the desk in front of me:

It looks the same as a 2.1" DTC folding Nevegal, and weighs about the same (according to my innacurate kitchen scales). It says 'Dual Tread Compound' on the side, and indicates that it's a 50/60 compound mix. It didn't come with any of the packaging that the previous Nevegals I bought came in, and it seems to have quite a lot of flash from the moulding process, but I am reaosnably convinced it's a genuine 2.1" DTC folding Nevegal, and as such a bargain.

It will be a while until it goes on my bike though...

As for the whole 'Lite' thing, I don't think these are a 'Lite' variant, and I don't think that combination exists. It's probably just a bit of cack-handed copying and pasting on behalf of On-One, i've seen similar mistakes in the past.

And Nevegals IME are a classic jack of all trades, they don't excel at any one thing but are great for the vast majority of riding. I use them for all year except summer.

MIne arrived today, one appears to have grown in transport, it's 29" diameter not 26" 😉

They are definitely OEM or dodgy imports.
I work for the importer and if they were the genuine aftermarket, decent compound ones they won't be making any money selling them for 15quid.

Nothing wrong with OEM ones though.

Got two pairs that came on bikes - DTC and Stick E - and both are very good.

[i]and weighs about the same (according to my innacurate kitchen scales). [/i]

What did it weigh please?

Well... on my kitchen scales the smallest interval is 25g, and the needle was under 625g, so I would say ~620g. Not sure if it's worth believing though. That probably means 620g+/-12.5g at the very least.

My 26x2.1 DTC on-one Nevegal weighs in at 600gms

Anyone know how to tell the OEM and aftermarket versions apart? Are there any differences in the graphics or the product code on the tyre? I've just received an order from CRC with a couple of tyres in it. The Small Block 8 came complete with full aftermarket packaging, but the Nevegal DTC 2.1 came with no packaging and just a rubber band round it. The code on the tyre is K1010-006. Having paid for the aftermarket version I'd like to be sure that's what I'm getting, especially if there really is a difference in performance. I know I could check with CRC, but I thought it would be quicker to see if anyone on here can help.

Ive got stickeze 2.5 and been ridin inners glentress and fort bill,great tyre in the dry dont know about wet.Totally ruined front wheel on big spill at fort bill but tyre held up ok.Will use again on front but maybe downsize on the back to Minnion 2.30 which I was using before.

2.1 DTC SWS - sidewall shield version here, standard tyre run tubeless. No sealant leaks or sidewall cuts riding in the same places that have cut other tyres. Happy!