Turnbull Canyon is where Tinker Juarez does a lot of his training. It has steep climbs and fast switchbacks, so Kenda’s new namesake tire is designed to handle it all. It’s part of Tinker’s signature series and will be available in 26″ and 29er sizes in 2.0 widths. Should be out by Jan 1. Weights TBD.
The new Honey Badger couldn’t give a you-know-what about trail conditions, it’ll take anything on. It’s meant to be run tubeless with sealant, so even cobra and mongoose bites won’t faze it. Sizes are 29×2.0/2.2 and both 26″ and 650B in a 2.2 width. The fatter 29er will be out Jan 1, others by early spring.
Their popular Karma & Slant Six tread patterns get 650B sizes in 2.0 and 2.1 widths respectively. Available January 1. Pics of those plus news about Road Tubeless models after the break…
Karma (left) and Slant Six will get 650B sizes.
The Honey Badger don’t care, it’ll face the wrong way for my pic. Widely spaced knobs should clear quickly, but bigger, closer side knobs should provide good cornering traction. Note the DC (dual compound) and HB (honey badger) letters on the center of the casing. Just so you don’t forget.
In other news, Road Tubeless tires are coming. Kenda’s rep says they’re testing well up to about a thousand miles, but they test their regular road tires to 2,000 miles and want the RT to hit that same milestone. The challenge (at least partially) is that any small cracks in the sidewall can become a leak, and since RT is designed to run without sealant, that’s a fail point. In reality, if you run sealant, you’d likely be fine, but Kenda wants theirs to run 2,000 miles without sealant. Why not just do a SCT version and recommend sealant? The SCT sidewall is a bit thicker and less pliable, so pure roadies may not like the feel, particularly if they’re coming from tubulars.
