Bontrager XR4 Team Issue 27.5x2.6 and 29x2.6 Mountain Bike Trail Tires Weighed and Specs Reviewed

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

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[@gfxman14]

I just went tubeless with the XR4 Team Issue 27.5 and I can't wait to hit the trails

[@kazymerchyk]

Thanks for teaching me some things about the tires that come on my bike, I really like Maxxis tires but these have been pretty great

[@eugenegutierrez5106]

I used xr4... i was blown away the grip, light and fast rolling tires.. I wasn't beat up climbing up hill...it has that cross counrty feel, yet grippy and braking downhill was great....

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Definitely great tires.

[@tinshield]

These are my favorite tires to use around New England. They do wear a little bit fast but they roll fast and grip is really good considering the weight. The casing is very supple and I've never cut a sidewall after many years running them. The 2.6 is quite a bit heavier, adds drag and, in my experience, doesn't add a ton of grip.

[@raheemgahelable]

Incredible tire! I rode the hell out of it , paired with XR5 upfront, to great success! Never skipped a beat! Very underrated tire! Strongly recommended.

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Yeah they are awesome and a XR5 up front is a good choice

[@gen-X-trader]

This is my favorite general-purpose tire. 29x2.4r and 29x2.6f. the tire they are most similar to is the nobby nic in addix speedgrip. If there was one fault I would give the xr4 it's that it gets really sketchy as it starts to wear and age. Something like a minion dhf / aggressor combo in maxx terra / dc is going to be a lot more forgiving as they age. The xr4 once the nobbies start to roll over with a little wear. The tire starts to get unpredictable. Still you should be able to get a full season if you ride a ton and two seasons if you ride a couple days a week in the summers out of a set. Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 to 600 miles of trail

[@eugenegutierrez5106]

These tyres are great. I ordered Xr5. Grippy, lightweight and durable. I underestimated the name before.

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Yeah, the name brand certainly doesn't drive with awesome mountain bike tires, however these are quite good

[@erikpechmann879]

great video, really informative. My fuel EX came wrapped in these and so far they have been great. It's nice to know what the XR4 stands for, and the additional details you give about the product line. Thanks for this!

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

For sure, thanks for watching!

[@mattmorrison9379]

For me, the 29 x 2.60 gave me great traction in the corners, but man, it slowed me down in the trails quite a bit. I was surprised by how much it changed the ride. Some good some bad.

[@bradleyjohnston3434]

I am on my 3rd set, best tires ever, no issues. I ride a lot of rock and loose over hard pack.

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Heck yeah enjoy the riding

[@joeywai]

I like the XR4 Team Issue as a Front tire. I paired it up with a Maxxis Minion DHR Up rear and it rides amazing

[@rickflippin1]

These came on my Kona process 153 they’re awesome for the desert in AZ

[@Pkub]

Thanks for that - I run the 29er 2.6 front and the 2.4 rear - I know a lot more about these tires now. Cheers

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Glad to help. Out of curiosity why do you run a wider tire up front in a narrower and rear?

[@Pkub]

@@Jamesthebikeguy The Trek fuel XE 7 came standard with those tires, they go a bigger front tire for a bit more grip I guess, seems to work okay but I'm no shedder of trails. I can run low tire pressure up front (18 lbs) as well which helps.

[@ziklag131]

The XR4 was a good tire for certain conditions, the rear wore faster than I would have expected. I replaced them after 600 miles due to my local riding conditions. I could never get them dialed to grip hard pack with moon dust in places. Still a great tire if it works for your riding conditions. I kept them for emergency or backup situations.

[@ns671fr]

Try maybe the xr2 or se2

[@josephmirando1263]

Looks just my maxxis minions I run on my bike. 27.5 2.8's , I really love plus size tires. Have ridden everything from rock gardens, hardpack and some downhill parks.

[@bonzobanana1]

Bontrager don't make anything its a brand rather than a manufacturer, these tyres will be bought from a manufacturer like CST or maybe Kenda. CST own Maxxis tyres but they also make for other brands like WTB. CST are good tyres though and I believe the largest bicycle tyre manufacturer in the world. I personally prefer Kenda myself overall as a manufacturer. Some of the CST branded tyres are pretty good, they don't market or promote them aggressively but can be pretty decent, they often come equipped on cheaper bikes because of their lower prices. CST inner tubes are everywhere even Continental use them for some of their inner tubes.

[@DM-rh7qb]

Great review! Im currently looking at the xr5 team issue any review on those tires?

[@stenly311]

great vid, as always, thanks

[@Nauptwellness]

It states on the trek website that the 27.5x2.6 comes in at 860. The 2.4 version comes in at 745. How did your 2.6 come in that light?

[@johngibson712]

James: Another great review. I am in the market for tires for my Chameleon build and just started my research. Shish there are a lot of MTB tire brands. What lead you to select these tires over the other brands?

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

I've ridden tons of brands of tires, and these had been redesigned and looked promising. Bontrager has been really good with tubeless setups so I've like them on the road bike, and now these as well

[@trailonfire8581]

I ride them on my trek remedy 8, and they are awesome🤟.

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Awesome 👍

[@JogBird]

i run the xr3 w bontrager kovee wheels and like you said the seal is excellent, i dont even use sealant (my puncture risk is very low)

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Pretty high quality sealing, the bead is great especially with Bontrager wheels

[@lazylearner967]

Question- Is this tire more common to use as a rear? That is how it looks to me.

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Most common use of this tire would be matching front and rear on a trail to all mountain level bike. On an aggressive all mountain or Enduro type bike. You might run the XR5 front and XR4 rear

[@lazylearner967]

@@Jamesthebikeguy Thank you! Great Channel BTW!

[@CEMonkey]

Just wanted to point out that you measured a 27.5 x 2.6, but you weighed a 27.5 x 2.4. 27.5 x 2.6 weighs around 900g (not 720g).

[@livefreeandshred9818]

I rode a set of bontrager tires on a slash and the casing felt flimsy. Maxxis exo feels like a much tougher tire, exo plus for the win

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Nice, this is why there's tons of options so everyone can find the right one for them!

[@jvcardesign]

Can these be used with Tubes? What tubes can get up to 2.6 ?

[@AlinB1108]

Does the xr4 tend to be a better front or rear? All tires lean one way or the other.

[@eugenegutierrez5106]

You can run them rear or front.

[@theeverydayapologist5687]

how do these look on the bike....meaning do they look as fat as the Kenra 2.8 on the rosoe 6? Hopefully not!!

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Well they are narrower so I would say not as fat.

[@hannes6114]

How can these be soo light!?

[@canete3815]

Can i use this for long rides?

[@xtiangayanilo7733]

Bro does it have a 2.2 wide?

[@richardk7379]

Did you say the air pressure rage they take?

[@mrldennis]

29er 2.6 is 40psi

[@kramnik666]

Tbh - These tires are only good as XC tires.. If you are something near Enduro, Downhill or just more fast phase flowy trails, then dont take these, these are XC tires and they suck on rough terrain. just came back from the mountains and they werent as good as i thouhgt. the first thing i did when i got back home was going to maxxis homepage and bought some fresh Assegai for front and a DHR II and a Disector for the back. problem sloved :D

[@orriechaffin2850]

How do these compare to minions? Or vigilantes?

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

These slots somewhere between the forecaster and the minions. Not quite as aggressive as the minions but wider and larger tread spacing than the forecaster.

[@mortadhaabdul565]

I dumped my bontrager wire bead tires at the trash and bought new better lighter stronger 3C maxxis tyres!

[@Jamesthebikeguy]

Sweet. What made you choose a different brand rather than a better quality version of the tires you had?

[@mortadhaabdul565]

@@Jamesthebikeguy my dream tire brand has always been maxxis!