Yep, it looks like the Ground Control moniker is making a comeback at Specialized. After I missed seeing a narrower 1.8 prototype of the Renegade 29er tire at Sea Otter, I followed up with our man Nic Sims to see what else may have slipped past my lens. While he didn’t mention it on the phone, a box just showed up at Bikerumor HQ with these prototype Specialized Ground Control 29er tires in a racy 1.9 width.
UPDATE: They’ll also come in a 2.1 and 2.1, both 26″ and 29er versions and, says Specialized, are the first tires ever to be designed using FEA.
They’ll be mounted up soon, but check out the weights, some info and other photos after the break…
Judging from the tread depth and shaping, the new Ground Control looks like it’ll fall in line somewhere around the Fast Trak LK (Low Knob) and regular Fast Track models in terms of performance, but with a more universal (ie. less front/rear specific) tread pattern. We’ve got a few calls in to Specialized for more info and will update when we get it. FEA design and model tech info added in this post.
Weights of the two samples we received were 545g and 541g. It’s nice to see such little variation between tires. Markings on the side say 2Bliss, so we’ll be testing them tubeless with sealant.
A quick search around the Interweb suggests the Ground Control tire last saw the light of day around 2006-2007…we’ll confirm and update. Update: True.
