Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch

I purchased a pair of these tires to use on my MTB for a smoother ride on the city streets than the Kenda K53's I was using. The K53's were nice tires and offer very little rolling resistance compared with full-on knobbies (and are smoother going straight) but still have good knobs on the sides. But when you are turning they have that knobby growl, so I figured that I'd try the 838's as they had seemed to be highly regarded by some. The tires are pretty smooth-riding and feel very sticky in the corners unlike the knobby K53's which tended to squirm at higher speed corners with large lean angles. The 838's seem to stick like glue to the tarmac (but not so much on dirt trails -naturally). I put the whole wheel off the bike on the slippery ceramic tile of my condo and could put all my weight against it at angles much greater than 45-degrees and the tire refused to slip or squirm which is a lot more than I can say for the K53's. I was pushing against it like a football tackle sled with all my might and they wouldn't budge. The K53's will slip out when I try this. I haven't tried using the 838's in the wet yet so I don't know how the traction will stand up in the rain. They look like they will do OK with that motorcycle-style tread pattern. Another good thing about this tire is that I can fill them up to 60-65psi which is about 50% more pressure than you can safely fill the K53. This allows lesser rolling resistance, better road feel, and much more front brakes can be used as front tire impending lockup has much more of a controlled feel than with lower-pressure tires. I can do controllable stoppies with these tires lifting the back wheel right up with my cantelever brakes out front. One thing about these tires is that while they say they are a 1.9 wide they are a bit wider than that in reality. I've got 26x1.75 rims and if I measure the sidewalls they are exactly 1.9" but the actual tread area is well over 2" and pushing 2.25" I suppose if you had really narrow rims the tire would squish out and be taller but as it is the 838's have a larger circumference than the K53's had and are HUGE. I'm glad I have a lot of clearance on my old Ross MTB with planet bike MTB fenders because these tires are so large that right now the rubber mold nubs are actually rubbing on the fender. It's a good thing they are small and will wear away soon. These things are WIDE. I've seen little asian-market 50cc motorcycles that didn't have such wide tires as my bike has now. I think I like it because there is tons of traction available and they ooze confidence when the bike is pitched over in a corner to near crank-scraping lean angles -this bike rides MUCH more aggressively on the tarmac now than it did with the K53's which always seemed to me like the bike was trying to squirm out from under me to the outside of the corner. Going from the K53 to the K838 is like going from Bias to Radial tires on a motorcycle. They are THAT much more grippy and because of the higher rated pressures you don't lose anything with rolling resistance (especially in the corners). And they are smooth as glass going straight or turning. It's like magic. I wouldn't put them on a rim narrower than 1.5 though or wider than 2 (max). I'd imagine they would be pinched and pointy on a narrow rim and pulled flat like a low-rider on a 2" -it's just the kind of tire they are with the built-out tread onto the sidewall like a motorcycle tire. Cons: You might not have the clearance for these tires even though you can run 2.25's on the K53 or other knobbies. The picture shown is a gumwall tire but what I got were blackwall tires. Not a big deal to me but others might be disappointed. Be aware of that.

I've got about 250 miles on these tires so far, and I've been extremely pleased with them. The original tires on my Jamis Explorer were hybrids, but since I really only ride on paved trails, when it came time to replace them, I decided to get a road tire, although staying with the original 1.95 size for comfort, and the possibility of riding on grass or packed earth at times. A skinnier tire would no doubt be faster, but these are quiet, smooth riding, and they handle wet pavement extremely well. The cross section is reminiscent of a bell curve, and that recurve on the edges of the tread sheds water cleanly, at about a 30 degree angle, so puddles splash you much less than most tires. They seem very durable, even though they are extremely thin, and after the 250 miles I've put on them, about 80 percent of the little molding 'hairs' are still on the tires. I should note that my bike is a steel framed model, I weigh about 250, and I carry panniers with about 5 lbs of gear and lunch in them, so I am loading these tires pretty highly. I maintain air pressure right at 65, which still rides very smoothly, although for one ride in Tampa I cut it down to 50 in the front and 55 rear due to a lot of cobblestone streets, which made the ride very smooth over the rough bumps. In combination with the heavy duty Slime-filled innertubes I'm running, I think I've got a pretty nearly indestructible set of tires at a great price, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a good, durable, general purpose street tire, which can handle the occasional, gentle off road excursion (the one surface I have found they DO NOT like is wet, packed dirt... there isn't enough tread depth to get a grip, so you slip!). Plus, the tread looks just like one of the patterns Kenda uses on their motorcycle tires, which certainly gives my bike a bit of a unique look (for those gearheads who care about these things...)

Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Blackwall 26 Inch X 1.95 Inch mountain bike tires are excellent. They roll well with little resistance. This is particularly noticeable on flat terrain. When brand new, they ride broadly with a flat interface with road macadam and concrete road surface, and because of an initial flat interface, taking sharp curves with more than a 10 degree lean will be slightly uneven. However, the tires will break in and allow for better bicycle cornering and turning over time. These Kenda tires will allow safer riding and greater bicycle reliability and durability. The sidewalls are sturdy on these Kenda tires, and bicycle speed will increase with less pedal effort. It is not necessary on most bicycles to fill these tires with more than about 25psi to 30psi, regardless of capacity indicated on sidewalls. Over-filling inside tire tubes can result in tube splits, especially on rough road surfaces, regardless of whether the outside Kenda tire shell can handle high air pressure. It is also best to fill all tires on any bicycle, motorcycle, or vehicle on dry, good weather days in order to enable faster rolling speeds with less effort and in order to ensure that humidity does not compromise and oxidize internal natural and synthetic rubber. Sometimes, after cooling condensation from higher to lower temperatures, small puddles of water can result from over-humidified air condensing to water droplets in tires and in tire tubes. Some folks fill tires with nitrogen [N2], which has a lower atomic number and atomic weight, which allows for less circumferential overall tire mass enabling better inertial speed, faster acceleration and safer braking deceleration. This is more applicable to bicycle racing, motorcycle and vehicle racing, and long-distance truck transportation, though. These Kenda tires are well worth the money.

My first experience with the Kenda K838 was about 6 months ago when it replaced a Michelin City Tire which all of a sudden went into flat mode two or three times. It had a lot of miles on it so i think the tread was getting thinner. Anyway I was looking at other tire brands as possible replacements for the Michelin when I ran across a lot of positive reviews on the kenda K838. A lot of nice things being said about a tire that was going for under $15. ( The Michelin, on the other hand, was in the mid twenty price range) The reason I wasn't fond of going with Michelin again had to do with it's 87 psi which required a lot of pumping every week. I liked the fact that the Kenda tire required but 65 psi. . In comparing tire pressure of the two tires I notice the Kenda retains tire pressure much better than the Michelin. So less pumping is necessary once a week. I rely a lot on user reviews in helping me decide when I go to buy a product or service. So I ordered the Kenda from Amazon. It actually arrived before it's estimated delivery date which was nice. Mounting the tire on my mountain bike rear wheel was a fairly simple procedure requiring not a lot of effort in popping it onto the rim smartly with nary an expletive being uttered during the entire installation. The tire provides a pretty smooth ride and I do like the motorcycle design of this 26 x 1.95 tread. I do all my riding on city streets. In the last month or so the Michelin on my front wheel separated so I didn't hesitate to order another Kenda K838 as its replacement. I haven't experienced any flats in the few months I've had the Kendas on my bike. However I should mention I use Stop Flat 2 liners. I felt that the combination of an under $15 dollar tire fitted with an inexpensive but good liner is a bargain in relatively flat free cycling. To be sure the Kenda K838 is not what you'd call a light tire especially with a liner added. This is not a problem for me as the Michelins were on the heavy side as well and I consider my mountain bike my "gym on wheels" providing a nice workout particularly on hills. I do put a lot of wear on my mountain bike and its tires as I ride every day year round for about an hour and a half. The Kenda K838 seems well constructed and I like the look the tires give to my bike. IMHO a darn good tire at a very reasonalble price. Definately recommended.

I hadn't used my mountain bike for a few years (never really road it much to begin with), but decided to dig it out of the shed to use as a way to get exercise. I now ride 3 to 4 days a week, almost exclusively on roads. I love the bike, but it's a slug on pavement and I quickly decided I wanted to do longer rides in the limited amount of time I have, so I needed a faster bike. I read a number of places that replacing off road tires with slicks can greatly improve the efficiency of a mountain bike on the road, so, rather than spend the money on a proper road bike, I decided to give it a try. I chose the Kenda k838s based on the excellent reviews and relatively low cost. I've never needed to change a bicycle tire before, but with a proper set of tire levers, it was a piece of cake. I've now put about 10 miles on these and the difference is amazing! I would say, on average, I can go 2 to 3 gears higher while exerting the same effort. As I said, I started riding for exercise, and this is why I may regret buying these - they make riding too easy! Just to see how they might perform on some light off road surfaces, I road around in my yard, which is mostly mowed grass (not very challenging, I know) and I couldn't tell the difference between them and the stock, cheap knobbies that came with the bike. And speaking of the stock tires that these replaced, they had a max pressure of 65 psi, which is high for knobby tires. One of the benefits of the K838s that people mention a lot is that they can be inflated to 65 psi, while most knobbies are around 45 max. I kept the old tires around 60 psi for road use, and filled the K838s to the same. So I can say that the slick tread is really making an improvement, even when pressures are the same. Overall, a great tire. I really have no complaints at all. UPDATE: I've had the opportunity to use these on a hard packed dirt and gravel road and they've performed beautifully, even when the dirt was wet. Still impressed with these tires.

I bought two Kenda K838 tires to convert my 25 year old Trek 830 Mountain Bike to a beach path cruiser. They roll with significantly less effort and provide a smoother ride than the knobby off road tires they replaced. They are wide, but still leave a half inch clearance between the tire and rear frame on each side and over a half inch between the tire and front fork on each side. Lots of room to spare. As some reviewers have noted, the tires were packed individually, each one in it's own very large box. The boxes are so big in fact that I actually used them to put a bicycle in each one, place them in the back of my pickup truck and drive 350 miles to visit relatives in another state. The front wheels stuck out a bit, but not by much. They made good shipping containers to protect my bikes while I transported them. The Kendas also look really good on my old mountain bike rolling along beach bicycle paths. They're good looking tires and seem to be solidly constructed. The wire beads allowed me to easily slip the tires over the rims when installing them without any tools. That's going to be handy when I have to fix a flat while I'm out riding. They're a good choice for street riding and paved bike paths and look good.

I turned my wife's old Raleigh 3.0 mountain bike into an e-Bike. This upgrade was one of the best things I did. The original tires were too narrow and "knobby" This tire is wider and REALLY grips the road. I also think it looks cool with the tread design. I mostly ride street, but have gone on trails and it's fine there too. But I did notice about 2-3 mph increase on road after installing. these things are tough. I think the odds of a puncture are very low. Just in case, I used "slime" tubes, but so far they haven't picked up any nails or other debris. I think they are going to last many years, based on the lack of wear after about 300 miles. Can't say enough good things about them. One thing- I didn't realize 2 were in the package. They are compressed so much it's hard to tell when you open it. So I bought another one, and then realized my mistake. Easy return, of course. Just be aware it's going to LOOK like 1 tire when you open the box!!

Updating this review in January 2025. Finally replacing a pair of these after 14 years of steady use. Tread is still OK but the rubber is cracking down to the casing in the grooves. Can't complain after so many years, so much use and so much weather. These tires have a directional tread; better to channel water away from the center of the tire. See the attached photo for the sidewall marking. BTW-this is opposite from the advice of the Amazon AI Checked the Kenda website and looks like these are no longer made by the company...but are still available online from other sources. Just bought a replacement pair from "Bike Liquidators" for less than $40 for the pair. Figured I'd do it now while still available....probably no hope they will still be around when this pair wears out :-( Bike still going strong, Bafang kit still going strong, me a little slower, but new tires are great :-) Original Review - June 2024: Put a pair of these on a 1999 Cannondale F1000 with a Bafang mid-drive 750W electric motor kit. I use this bike for commuting and errands. Replaced a pair of Maxxis Holy Rollers and the Kendas are much better for pavement, gravel and smooth dirt; improving both speed and distance. Handling is great and quieter than knobbies too. I use Sunlite puncture resistant tubes, adding weight, but hey, it's got a motor. Extended hard shoulders on these tires also increase weight a little but give a wider profile on soft ground and protect the sidewalls from damage. So far, so good, knock on wood. Installed the tires many years ago and they are still rolling just fine; wear is minimal but starting to show age. Probably need to think about getting another pair sometime and will definitely replace them with another pair just like the current pair. Highly recommend.

Good

Very good product good quality

#20 day after damage very bad