Gear

Kenda Nevegal now available in 650B

Kenda’s Nevegal is widely held as one of the best tires going for all-mountain riding. The Nevegal is light, has a nice, high-volume casing, grips well in most conditions, and is among the fastest-rolling full knobby tires. I’ve personally put a few seasons on Nevegals, and have been quite impressed with their performance.

So what about the 650B riders out there (both of you) that have been craving some Nevegal love? Well, Kenda has heard you, and will be offering the Nevegal in the emerging 650B size, in widths of 2.1″ and 2.35″. For those of you who aren’t up to speed on exactly what 650B means, it is a new (to modern mountain bikes), third wheel size which presents an alternative to the standard 26″ (which gets a lot of love on this site) and tall-boy 29″ diameter wheels. 650B measures out to a 27.5″ diameter, and the rationale is that it rolls over obstacles better than a 26″ wheel, while not being quite as ponderous as a full-blown 29″ wheel. However, there is of course the counter-argument that 650B is heavier and weaker than 26″ wheels, while not gaining the full smooth-rolling benefit of a 29er.

Confused? So are we. Until the industry settles back down (and that will likely take a very long time) on a single wheel size, rest assured that you can wrap your wheels of any size in some quality tires, and get back on the trail.

© 2008 Two Six Nation.