RIDER T1 – 26 x 2.125″
As a long-time enthusiast who collects mountain bikes from the period during which my love for cycling eventually became my career, I routinely uncover new finds from the 80s & 90s which are well worth restoring and riding, but whose tires are beyond saving.
Light-colored sidewalls which contrast black tread rubber are back in fashion, and we're lucky enough to have access to modern production of a couple classic MTB tire designs from the 1990s, but I realized that no available tire incorporated the following design elements, which ideally suit earlier mountain bikes.
- Large, tall, simply-shaped tread elements
- The 80s called, and they're bringing big blocks back
- A slightly directional, but not position-specific, tread pattern
- Use the same tire both front & rear; a simple flip changes the grip
- A round tire profile
- Consistent cornering control over all surfaces, from soft through hard
- No graphics printed on the beige, 120TPI sidewalls
- How much more beige could they be? The answer is none - none more beige
- Folding, yet not tubeless-compatible, beads
- The only thing harder than mounting some tubeless tires to old rims is removing them