Is there a mountain bike tyre that you could fit that would suit most trails in South Africa? Yes, a few of them. From a Goodyear perspective though, the Escape UItimate is that tyre. We spent a few weeks test-riding a pair. Here’s what we think…
Most major tyre brands have a tyre that they call their ideal allrounder. For South Africa, where the majority of mountain bikers tackle marathons, stage races and country trails (trail parks near cities or towns) in dry conditions, the Goodyear Escape Ultimate fits that profile.
We fitted the Escape Ultimates to a 120/120mm-travel marathon bike and two different 150/160mm travel enduro bikes to get a comprehensive grip on this tyre’s capabilities. Here are the essentials:
WEIGHT: At a claimed 915 grams for the 29×2.35, it’s not super light. But then it’s not marketed to be super light.
GRIP: There’s a lot of grip on the Escape Ultimate, especially in dry conditions and loose over hardpack, which is what you will find a lot of in South Africa in the dry season.
ROLLING: The Escapes roll well, but they’re not as fast-rolling at the Peak or Peak SL .
PUNCTURE RESISTANCE: In 44 rides, we experienced two punctures, both sidewall.
DURABILITY: We rode these tyres for 12 weeks. The tread is still quite pronounced.
The Escape Ultimate is a mid-weight tyre that Goodyear classifies as a gravity-style tyre. And while it offered good grip on gravity-style trails and most dry trails for that matter, we felt it’s not quite robust enough to tackle rocky trails with aggression. The Goodyear Newton is likely a better option for gnarly surface trails.
But the Escape Ultimate really does live up to its allrounder status. We rode it on Gauteng, North West and Limpopo trails and found it to be reliable both in terms of durability and traction. For South African mountain bikers, we reckon it’s ideal for most marathons and stage races in dry conditions as well as regular trail riding on less rocky trails.
PRICE: R1 100 – Goodyear Escape Ultimate 2.35
For more information on the Goodyear Ultimate, click here.
Similar tyres from other brands: Maxxis Rekon, Specialized Purgatory, Schwalbe Magic Mary, Vittoria Mezcal, Bontrager Montrose Pro XR.
