Kenda Excavator
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Atomic adam has ran them for a couple of races, hes a editor at mtbr and on here from time to time. Search and PM him, apparently they are a good tire.
they look nice. i wanna know how they work out. new tires are always fun.
I just put on a set last Friday and rode them this past weekend. Initial impressions are good. I normally ride Maxxis Minions or High Rollers for reference.
I ride Snowshoe a lot as well and will more than likely be getting a pair to have in my tire "quiver" for races/riding. I believe there was an interview with Andrew Neethling on littermag.com a while back where he was talking about the excavator tire, but I think he was running it on the rear only and in a 2.35 size. I'll likely use it as a rear at first in a 2.5, just to get the feel for it, with the predictable nevegal 2.5 or blue groove up front.
OK I heard that a nevegal on dusty sand terrain is better than a BG up front!
Any truth to that?
Any truth to that?
what kinda dirt are you rollin' on? it would be helpful to know what these grab like on which types of terrain.
Central east coast terrain. Roots, rocks, clay to sandy dirt. The trail conditions this time of year vary from dry to sloppy depending on the weather. Not really hardpack and not really loamy, just a medium soil that you want some bite on.
Mounted 2.5 Excavators front and rear and rode them at horn's hill over the weekend. Overall they hooked up there as good as or better than a nevegal. The conditions were tacky dirt with some loose rock overtop. I think they even rolled a little faster. Overall the cornering grip was great and bite while braking was unreal. Like the tire, and will continue to run it.
Awesome, been waiting on more info. Wanna post some pics up of the 2.5s for us? I'm thinking I'll prob cut the front right off the bat, and trying to decide on a 2.3/2.5 for the rear yet...
Now if they'd just get the damn K.O.T.s rollin. They're still talking September for their release...
Now if they'd just get the damn K.O.T.s rollin. They're still talking September for their release...
I rode sticky Nevegals for the first time at Sea Otter (dusty sand terrain). They were 2.35. Then I cam back to Washington and rode them last weekend on some gnarly, wet, rooty trails. Overall, they worked better on the dusty and I was very happy with them. But, I have to say I liked them on the local stuff, as well. The next day I put on 2.5 Minnions and ran the same local trails. I almost want to go back to the Nevegals. I like the way they roll. The Minnions hooked up better, but the friction when I wanted to go faster almost wasn't worth the extra hook up.
Keep in mind that the extra hook up could be due to the tire size and the trails were very much Chunder filled DH trails. Basically, I'm very impressed with the Nevegals.
I hope this is helpful.
I've always run Nevegals up until last year when I switched to some 2.2 Michelin DH16s due to the deep loose grass over sandy peagravel(how lovely). But they're crap on hardpack and still not enough for the grassy peagravel. So some spikes are in mind for anything loose and either some more Nevs or the ExCavators for everything else. I just wish the sidelugs were a tad more exposed on the ExCavators. However...they'll be more predictable in turns as they are...
These were devoleped by Eric Carter and he post on Rm. Shoot him a pm(BC VAN)
Yeah, we've already gone over the ExCavator in a thread I'd started(Something like "Which Kenda corners better?" or something fruity like that). But E.C.'s Opinion is obviously biased! J/K!
He MOSTLY rides in SoCal, which is D R Y. I'm seeking input and feedback on them for loose and wet(TeeHee) to downright greasy mud conditions.
I've got kenda support this year and WAS holding out for the KOTs to arrive, but I'm not waiting till Sept, so I'll prob order up a set of 2.5" ExCavators and a 2.5/2.3 set of Nevegals.
He MOSTLY rides in SoCal, which is D R Y. I'm seeking input and feedback on them for loose and wet(TeeHee) to downright greasy mud conditions.
I've got kenda support this year and WAS holding out for the KOTs to arrive, but I'm not waiting till Sept, so I'll prob order up a set of 2.5" ExCavators and a 2.5/2.3 set of Nevegals.
Have some serious ride time on ExCavators now, they have pretty much become my favorite tires.
Did they pack up in the mud? It's going to be soggy at Massanutten this weekend and I am trying to figure out if I want to bring another set of tires in case they do.
No comment on the tire, but the ExCavator kenda advertisement is solid gold. Their art guy should be fired.
Explain please? Haven't seen the ad...Where'd you see it?
The ad sucks, all of Kenda ads do (and yes, I have told Jim this). But the recent ExCavator ad is terrible, which is a shame because I hear the tire is not bad from pros that have ridden it.
The Kenda 'legends' ad is right up there too.
Anyways, its rather funny...not a big deal, Kenda does well, Jim is the coolest industry guy ever and they are making good tires, just would like to see some better ads. (that was a disclaimer for those who think I am 'really' mad about the ads
)
Ah, I gotcha. Yeah, Kenda's never really been real big on flash and appeal. Perhaps still operating under that old school belief that people will know a good thing when they see it, so why hype it up?
Right now I'm using a 2.5/2.35 ExCavator setup on my AM bike. Planning on dual 2.5's for my new DH bike.
Is there a very obvious difference between the 2.5 and the 2.3? Not sizewise, but in size of the lugs/voids?
The 2.35's measure at 2.42 when broken in and the lugs are at a good size with the 2.35's.
Hey, just diggin up an old thread here...
Anyone running a fully cut Excavator? I left my 2.35 single plys alone up front, been washing the front quite a bit in silt-over-hard(and YES...I DO lack in the cornering dept though).
On my 2.5 DH versions I cut the center lugs and then every other intermediate shoulder lug. They corner better, but I've just been chaulking it up to the heavier casing, larger size and sticky compound. Thinking about doing the full "Mohawk" treatment to both versions of my front tires to provide a little more cornering edge...
Advice for or against?
Anyone running a fully cut Excavator? I left my 2.35 single plys alone up front, been washing the front quite a bit in silt-over-hard(and YES...I DO lack in the cornering dept though).
On my 2.5 DH versions I cut the center lugs and then every other intermediate shoulder lug. They corner better, but I've just been chaulking it up to the heavier casing, larger size and sticky compound. Thinking about doing the full "Mohawk" treatment to both versions of my front tires to provide a little more cornering edge...
Advice for or against?
I love my excavators.
EC did a thing in an older issue of Decline about different cuts on the excavator. I dont know if that will help you out but thought Id put it out there.
Yeah, I've seen the cuts, actually found the thread on them right after replying to this thread.
I've been running the Excavators since the month they came out, just haven't messed with cutting them too much yet. Not sure I want to mess with the singleply casings as they're flimsy enough, but the DH casings I don't mind so much, just only get one shot at it.
But I don't think I'm going to remove all the intermediate shoulder lugs, might just buy an El Moco since it's already Mohawked. I might try the angled cut on them though, should smooth out the transition to the sidelugs a bit more than removing them completely...
I've been running the Excavators since the month they came out, just haven't messed with cutting them too much yet. Not sure I want to mess with the singleply casings as they're flimsy enough, but the DH casings I don't mind so much, just only get one shot at it.
But I don't think I'm going to remove all the intermediate shoulder lugs, might just buy an El Moco since it's already Mohawked. I might try the angled cut on them though, should smooth out the transition to the sidelugs a bit more than removing them completely...
Oh, and no racing for me really, I like to haul but not between any tapes... I like it fast, fun and free...
Yep, that's the one I saw. Wish I would have seen that before I completely removed every other intermediate lug...didn't even occur to me to just remove the outside of each instead!
But I DID end up with kind of a large void between lug sections that GREATLY increased braking. Can't literally feel it on hardpack sections or anything and it hasn't seemed to roll much slower...but then again I have like 4' of hardpack within like 200 miles of me...
But I DID end up with kind of a large void between lug sections that GREATLY increased braking. Can't literally feel it on hardpack sections or anything and it hasn't seemed to roll much slower...but then again I have like 4' of hardpack within like 200 miles of me...