Geax Saguaro MTB Tire (29"):
Roots, rocks, mud, sand and anything else mother nature can throw at you, we put the Saguaro through. Manufactured by Geax this Italian made tire is brought to us by our friends at Vittoria and BikeMine.
Our test tires came for a 29er, which just happens to be perfect to mount up on my Fisher with the new Race X Lite wheels. Our 29er version weighed in at a beautiful 610 grams, which is as light as 29er tires are coming now days.
Mounting of this tire was a snap. We tried it out on two different wheels (both Bontragers) and the fit was great, not super tight, and not falling of the rim either. The Saguaro provides a very sizable air volume with the 2.20 x 29" tire providing a very supple ride on a Rigid (or front suspension) bike with the help of their the underliying casing, which I felt gave the tire a more stable feel when ran at lower pressures. The Minimum PSI rating is 37psi which we will stritctly adhere to. With the 29” tires, and the little larger air volume, for Cross Country racing it leaves you wondering if you need a full suspension ride for normal cross-country racing in this area (unless you are doing 12 or 24 hour solo events).
I have always run 1.9 to 2.10 tires on my cross country (all 26” wheeled) bikes and was a little unsure of the 2.20 width when I first aired it up. I have read other places that these tires run a little narrow, but ours seemed to be a little more true to size (we are going to buy calipers real soon here ... sorry) seemed more along the lines of 2.20" wide. I was afraid it would feel slow, mushy or would cause the sidewalls to flex too much in the corners. Once mounted onto the bike and taken out for a test ride I soon began to change my mind. Our first ride out was at Mohican on their new trails, 25 miles of single track, and never hitting the same trail twice. The soft supple rubber compound (Aramid Racing 3D Compound) hooked up exceptionally well on the hard packed ground and rolled through the rock sections giving me a little extra confidence. The front tire seemed to go right where I pointed. Trust me if someone is going to crash, it will be me! Now keep in mind, Geax is owned by Vittoria and they have quite the reputation for making “sticky” tires and when riding through roots, rocks, and anything else this is definitely a reassuring feeling. When not in the technical mumbo jumbo, the Saguaro feels fast. Even on 29er thanks to the “rails design” interlocking tread pattern which gives a semi-continuous interlocking tread right down the center of the tire to make it a fast ride.
 Well sweet ole Mother Nature isn’t always sunshine and dry weather, as we have been experiencing around here lately. So what better way to find out how a tire is going to perform, than to ride it in the mud. Off to the local lake trails of West Brach State Park to give the tires a test on some “wet stuff”. Conditions were definitely perfect for mud and slick spots, and with the falling of the leaves it added a little extra fun. We lowered the tire tire pressure a tad, but not a whole lot versus the dry conditions. Over rocks and roots the tire hung very well and tracked over everything we pointed at it, considering everything was wet, we were happy, very happy. Wooden bridges, well those are a different story... but let’s face the facts, don’t turn on WET WOOD. Just incase you want to know the end result, bridge “1” … Geax and product tester “0”.
Deep mud is deep mud and tires are going to clog, slip a little and not track as you always want them to. What I was impressed with was the ability stay somewhat clean. The mid sized knobs definitely did a good job. Maybe not as well as a tire designed for mud, but Geax does make the Barro for the wet and loose conditions. In the end though, I would feel comfortable showing up to a race or ride with the Saguaro in “not so perfect conditions”
Geax claims the Saguaro falls in line between the Mezcal (dry, compact) and the Barro Mountain (wet, loose). If I only had one set of tires I would feel very comfortable with these for rocky, dry, wet, riding to the local pub or even muddy conditions. As far as sand goes... not a lot around here so I can’t throw in my two cents.
The Saguaro is avaible in 26", 29" and in UST versions as well as a wire bead version. Look for the me to be racing and riding on the Saguaros next season, that is how impressed I was with them. More information can be found at Geax.com or by visiting the US distributor BikeMine.
A few specs courtesy of the folks at Geax.com.
- Arrojo's natural evolution: same polyvalency and low rolling resistance. A tyre that nicely falls in between the Mezcal (dry, compact) and the Barro Mountain (wet, loose).
- Low rolling resistance thanks to the central uninterrupted knobs that enhance speed on compact ground;
- Aggressive and predictable tyre when cornering even on loose surfaces thanks to the Rails Design profile optimized for dry and compact conditions;
- 2.20 just "blinking" at enduro/all mountain applications is better suited for marathon courses or 29er rigid bikes.
- Sizable air volume and Tuned Spring Rate Casing (phase 3.1) gives for a comfortable and, at the same time, aggressive tyre for different applications;
- Predictable and fast.
- Sticky as taffy on a hot summer day (ok not that sticky, but close).
- 610 grams for the 29.0 x 2.20 tire
Manufacturer: Geax Tires
US Distributor: BikeMine
Price: $25 to $55 (varies with bead type and UST compatibility)
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