Fans of vintage MTBs, klunkers, and cruisers, listen up: there’s a rad new brand in town and they just released their first tire. Or, their first modern recreation of a legendary vintage tire. House of Looptail was founded in 2023 by industry veteran Wakeman Massie, who was QBP’s first product designer.
House of Looptail (named for the classic frame style) is dedicated to those who want to keep vintage bikes of the 70s-90s rolling, and keep riding them as well. To that angle, they’re planning to offer high-quality, period-correct parts to keep those vintage dreams alive.
To kick things off, House of Looptail has partnered with Panaracer to bring the Snake Belly tire back to life. The Snake Belly was originally created by the National Tire Company of Japan in 1979 (now called Panaracer) as a BMX tire, and then scaled up to a 26″ tire which may or may not have been the first tire specifically made for MTB use.
This isn’t some cheap, sort-of-reproduction of a storied tread. Instead, Panaracer is offering the exact same original tread design in a brand new mold with a modern lightweight 60tpi casing and a folding aramid bead. The modernization of the tire also includes Panaracer’s proprietary ZSG rubber compound which has been “specifically tuned for this application” – we’re assuming that means a more durable tread for skids!
Wakeman tells us that the Snake Belly project has been in the works for years, but it’s finally happening. House of Looptail has already received their first air shipment of tires, of which about half are already sold. Judging by the response on the House of Looptail Facebook group, these are likely to go fast. But if you miss the initial order window, don’t worry – more tires are on the way, with an ocean freight shipment expected sometime in December.
As these are meant for vintage MTBs, cruisers, and klunkers, the Snake Belly will be offered in 26 x 2.125″ only. Available in Tanwall or black, the tires sell for $85 each, and there is currently a four tire maximum per customer to try and let as many people as possible get a pair.
What’s Next?
In addition to the Snake Belly, House of Looptail has two additional tires in the works with the Competition Deuce motocross tire and an officially licensed Ritchey Megabite Z-Max recreation in black and red and in 2.1 and 2.35″. We might also see a few components as well.
Head over to the link below for more.
