The Onza Svelt 29er XC race tire was teased at Taipei, we spotted them racing at Sea Otter and got a little more detail. Designed as a fast rolling but robust XC race tire, they come in a healthy 2.25″ width for 29ers only. A 27.5″ may follow, but considering the intentions, 29er was the place to start.
Center knobs are low and well ramped for minimal rolling resistance, but with flatter trailing edges for better braking. It gets their dual compound rubber, and the dust shows exactly where it transitions. The softer, grabbier rubber on the side knobs held on to Sea Otter’s notorious dust much better, shown here as the lighter color.
Retail is $59 to $69, depending on model, and they should hit U.S. distribution in July through Bike Fettish. It’ll come in this sweet gumwall version, too:
The difference between their C3 and C3 120 is the casing, with the base model getting a 60tpi casing and the top version getting lighter, more supple 120tpi version.
