gothicdreams's Full Review: Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar
Intro
I bought two of the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar since my last set of tires dry rotted from being outside in the elements for about two years but if kept inside the life expectancy of the tire for my use should have lasted up to five years. And the Dupont Kevlar has definitely saved my tires and tubes from being ruined several times so far from glass and nails. Time to Mount
The total time to install the tires is forty-five minutes (three/fourths of an hour). The reason why it took so long is that on the first one I had difficulty mounting from the way I normally mount it and took me about thirty minutes. The second tire took me only 15 minutes using a different method. Recommended Mounting Procedure and Getting Started
Since the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar is folded flat and folded over in the box to begin with and is zip tied so it requires heavy duty scissors to be cut (or a knife if you prefer as long as you use caution if you insist but I do recommend using a knife as it may be dangerous to do so since you might get cut or cut the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar).
The best way to mount the tire is to have the tube in it as normal deflate the tube halfway (give or take / deflate to your liking but i do not recommend deflating to where it has virtually no air since with these Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar have the tendency to pinch the tube). Once the tube is properly deflated insert into Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar and then line up the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar and tube with the rim. Then start working on mounting the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar on one side only until you got it worked all the way around but be sure to holding the tire and rim together so that the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar does not work its way off the rim. Now work the other side in of the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar using your thumbs (or a specialized tool if you have one that is not sharp and as a reminder do not use a screw driver unless you know what you are doing and even then I do not recommend doing such). Durability
As far as durability is concerned Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar should last up to two years with riding nearly a mile five days a week if they do not dry rot first. I have had these brand of tires before and they are more for the casual rider than someone who is a serious or hardcore bicycler. Traction
Traction is pretty steady all around on dry pavement, but wet pavement it can get somewhat dangerous (if you are new to bike riding) at times especially if you hit wet sand as you can skid relatively easily when turning especially; however, if you just dodge the wet sand on wet pavement you will do just fine. As far as off roading is concerned the handling of going thru loose sand or dirt is a little better than ok. Final Thoughts
These tires are ok for the casual rider and I cant say I would recommend these tires for someone who is just learning to ride a bicycle due to its danger with wet sand on wet pavement and I imagine dry sand on dry pavement handles a little better (but not by much) because until the Bell Mountain 26" Bike Tire with Dupont Kevlar are broken in the surface of the tire is relatively slick and does not stop in the same distance (about five feet longer stopping distance) when compared to a broken in tire. The main thing I would have to say is to exercise caution by watching the conditions of the road until the tires have lost the slick surface from some wear and tear.
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This Bell(r) 26-in Mountain Bike Tire(tm) is crafted with a rugged carbon steel bead and a DuPont(r) KEVLAR(r) layer that provides extra protection ag...More at Buy.com
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