Iv'e ridden a couple hundred miles on the 35 (which measured closer to 40 on American Classic Hurricanes) and I really liked it. On dirt I was running around 38-40psi (tubeless) and the ride was pretty plush. One thing that surprised me though was the rolling resistance compared to my usual Clement MSO 40s (set up tubeless). On paper you would think the Kenda would roll better (on the road) but in reality I feel the Clement rolls faster. Note: I was riding a very early sample of the Kenda so I'm wondering if it was the correct compound for the center of the tire. Hopefully someone can chime in here that has ridden the latest version. All around nice tire though and it set up tubeless really easy.
I just setup a pair of theses on a iron cross wheelset. Measured 42mm. Setup went super easy with a hand pump. Tires felt stiff but durable. Headed out to ride tmrw. I'll report back on performance then.
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\nCheers,
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\nJB
After 80 plus miles of use this weekend, I thought I would share a short-term review on the Kenda Flintridge Pro 40s 120 tpi..... These are matched onto a Ti Warbird.
Initial impression, the tires felt very sticky and stiff. Sidewall thickness was similar to a Maxxiss LUST style mtb tire. The knobs looked small but the pattern looked good. The weight felt somewhere between a CX tire and a Schwalbe Marthon plus... definitely a bit heavier than a WTB Nano.
Setup, tubeless no Stans Iron Cross Rims with Orange Seal (2'ish oz), they installed and inflated easily. I didn't need to use tire levers or a compressor. Overnight air loss was minimal. They measured 42+mm and looked quite bulbous. This may cause some clearance issues on the older warbird and pehaps the 35s will be a better match.... Especially if these tires stretch after some time.
Pavement Ride Quality.... At 35psi these tires rolled well on pavement and didn't feel too soft. I think the stiff sidewalls helped here. They were also very quiet with little to no hum. I did notice that they felt a bit sluggish for execrations on pavement.
Off Road Ride Quality.... These shine off road. Although I was a bit skeptical of the small knobs, I found these to handle gravel, mud, and trail conditions very well. In addition, they were very sticky on rocky climbs and I didn't spin out on the steeps, even while standing. One ride consisted of several miles of singletrack, lots of unimproved double track, and some classic maintained gravel. These felt very comfortable and confident on all terrain and there was very little (if any) drift. Most of the trails and double tracks were very rocky. Mud was limited but I did hit a few mud pits and most all were ok for the tires. I did have the front wash out in some very deep mud but I think all but the fattest mtb tires would have had the same problem.
Durability.... hard to say with only 100 miles of use but that said, the use was pretty aggressive. I let the tires run on some rocky sections and rode through many rock gardens that could slice a xc mtb tire. These tires look brand new, except for one small a section of the sidewall that shows some light scratches.
Overall, I felt these tires performed very well. They were very similar in ride quality and performance (on/off road) to the WTB Nano. They did have more volume than the Nano so perhaps they have more cushion.
Concerns.... my only concerns for these tires so far is the issue I'll have on my warbird with clearance. They measured 42+. Perhaps the 35c is also fatter and has similar ride/performance. If so, that might be the perfect match.
I'll be putting many more miles on these and will report back as needed. I hope this is helpful for some of you.... If you have any questions, just holler. See ya out there!
I installed some Flintridge PRo 35's on my WIllard for some upcoming off road rides this weekend. Tubeless with orange seal, aired up with a small compressor. Hand pump nada. They are on my stock Rims Internal Width 21mm. They measure out at 1.5in or 38mm on the rim @50psi A couple miles around the neighborhood and they are burly but not slow. Any speed loss is offset by the cushy ride. Should be a good all arounder with some extra grip.
Quick ride report Kenda Flintridge Pro 120TPI Conditions: Sunny dry 80' 25 miles 15 gravel 10 paved flat. 40 psi frt 50 rear Started with a short off road trail. Too many roots good grip no slip. Crossed a tall grassy field short climb very nicely done. Hit the gravel 15 miles mostly hard some loose. The Flintridge shines here. No tiptoeing thru the gravel with these.
Transitioned to paved not quiet but not noisy. Acceptable speed on paved. >16 mph cruise extra effort needed. Homestretch 5 miles smooth small hard packed gravel good times Fast! Surely a gravel tire here they perform great, not squirmy, forgiving when hitting unexpected chuck holes and they track straight. Fast enough on paved since I am not in a hurry. Tires run clean no embedded stones noticed. About as good of a balance as you can get for a tubeless mixed terrain tire. I like them better than Clements mso&ush tubed. 38 seems to be a good size for my style of riding. Fun factor 10 out of Ten!
EDIT TO ADD 5/9/16 After only a couple rides the rear tire is measuring 40 mm and the front 39 these tires DON'T run true to size.. That's a substantial difference from the stated 700x35 size. Keep that in mind if considering these for a bike with limited clearance. I will report if they increase any further.
Thanks for a great review. I put these on my 2015 Vaya and love them. I'm more of a "look around and watch the world" type of rider and here in SW Wisconsin and Iowa these tires seem to be a good blend of what I need..mostly confidence for going down gravel roads quickly. Didn't do tubeless but that's a great idea. Again, thanks.
RoverAl wrote:Quick ride report Kenda Flintridge Pro 120TPI Conditions: Sunny dry 80' 25 miles 15 gravel 10 paved flat. 40 psi frt 50 rear Started with a short off road trail. Too many roots good grip no slip. Crossed a tall grassy field short climb very nicely done. Hit the gravel 15 miles mostly hard some loose. The Flintridge shines here. No tiptoeing thru the gravel with these.
Transitioned to paved not quiet but not noisy. Acceptable speed on paved. >16 mph cruise extra effort needed. Homestretch 5 miles smooth small hard packed gravel good times Fast! Surely a gravel tire here they perform great, not squirmy, forgiving when hitting unexpected chuck holes and they track straight. Fast enough on paved since I am not in a hurry. Tires run clean no embedded stones noticed. About as good of a balance as you can get for a tubeless mixed terrain tire. I like them better than Clements mso&ush tubed. 38 seems to be a good size for my style of riding. Fun factor 10 out of Ten!
EDIT TO ADD 5/9/16 After only a couple rides the rear tire is measuring 40 mm and the front 39 these tires DON'T run true to size.. That's a substantial difference from the stated 700x35 size. Keep that in mind if considering these for a bike with limited clearance. I will report if they increase any further.
What set bag is that? And, does it hit your legs while riding?
Jbiehn wrote:I just setup a pair of theses on a iron cross wheelset. Measured 42mm. Setup went super easy with a hand pump. Tires felt stiff but durable. Headed out to ride tmrw. I'll report back on performance then. Cheers, JB
Hey JB,
I came across this thread searching for this exact setup. My question is did you mount 35 or 40 on the Iron Cross wheelset? I have a clearance issue so I want to make sure the 35 would fit as Clement MXP 40's didn't.
I just had a set of these tires set up on my bike for the upcoming Pony Express 120. Will be getting out on them in the next couple of weeks and putting them through the paces. They do look nice on the bike. I Bought the 40 mm from Jenson USA. I see my Raleigh Tamland 1 still has plenty of clearance on the bike with these on which is nice.
Thanks everybody for all your help in getting me ready for my first gravel race. I enjoy the Pony Express ride a lot this weekend. The Flintridge Pros far exceeded my expectations. I saw lots of people with flats on this ride, most were with hybrid tires. One guy was walking his bike at the 32 mile mark and had 4 flats already and was done in the ride. Due to the fact that it's no sag he had to walk out 4 mile to the rest stop. This course really had some sharp stones/flint in it. At times I picked my lines but as the ride went on and I saw how well the tires were doing I really didn't pay attention to picking the lines or worrying about finding the perfect line. My Raleigh Tamland also was a great bike far more than I thought it would do. I was off the bike for over 2-3 months because of collarbone pain and had one short training ride the Monday before the ride. The Tamland seemed to soak up all the bumps. Since I feel in love with gravel grinding during this ride I might get a lighter wheel set to help me on the hill climbs more. lol The only dicey part on the course was around the 62 mile mark. They brought it up in the riders meeting but I didn't hear that. Most walked their bikes down that nasty section. I came across it so fast locked up both brakes and slid down it the 50-75 ft. I might not have been that long but it seemed much more. It happened too fast for it to be white knuckled.
