Recently we’ve made some new friends at Onza, and as a result, will be riding their rubber for the foreseeable future. Here are some of Sams thoughts after giving two sets of tyres some considerable trail time.
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I’ve been running the Onza Ibex and Canis 2.25” FRC 120 on my do-it-all hardtail and Trek Remedy now for about 3 months and boom, they are awesome tyres! Big volume and great tread patterns for the riding I’ve been doing – which is pretty much everything!
Previous to the Onzas I was a serial tyre ripper, 3 in 3 weeks was the pinnacle of my recent achievements. Preferring a light tyre to keep wheel weight down means compromising on sidewall protection and if you’re unlucky you can flush £30-£50 in one bad line choice. With the Onzas super-light-for-the-size 650g weight and tough 120tpi casing they have so far proven themselves on rocky and rubber slicing terrain and meant I haven’t had to dig out my least favourite boot, the tyre boot, in a while. This light weight is perfect for racing and keeping your 6” trail bike under 30lbs.
As for the tread, the Ibex grips like a monster. It does drag a bit but point it downhill and you’re glad of the tall, open knobs and tough square edges that dig deep when needed and work best sub 30psi. The ‘racing compound’ of 55a is wearing well and has as much stick as I think is required for most conditions. It’s a really aggressive tyre, and always gives me confidence when I look down and see its angry looking cluster of squares and chevrons pointing at things ahead, as if to say ‘bring it’.
“It’s a really aggressive tyre, and always gives me confidence when I look down and see its angry looking cluster of squares and chevrons pointing at things ahead, as if to say ‘bring it’”
The Canis is a faster roller so I’ve been using it as a rear in all conditions when speed across, rather than down, is of the essence. They are perfect cushioning on long rides on the hardtail and work well with an Ibex up front when chasing these bigger wheels that I’ve seen around. The side knobs are as shallow as the top and could do with a little more to them for really aggressive cornering when it’s softer but they hold their own against other tyres of this tread type due to the high volume and rounded profile which means they’re predictable. It’s been great at 4x tracks, on the dirt jumps and mellower trail centre motorways and of course it gets sliding nicely, if you want it to, which is something I always value in a tyre for having fun on.
I’d like to see a tyre between these two that would be better than the Canis for rear duties when you want something as aggressive at the edge as the Ibex but don’t want to compromise on straight line speed. At the trail centre the Canis is brilliant but if you’re pushing it into bigger hits then it lacks the confidence of a tyre with a bit more rubber to its tread.
Both tyres work well tubeless although you’ll need a compressor to set them up. You won’t want to drop much pressure in the front with a tubeless Ibex though as you’ll be rolling the bead with how much cornering force you can put through its aggressive tread pattern! Onza have the construction and sizing of these two tyres made to measure for today’s capable trail bikes and I’m looking forward to racing enduros on a pair of Ibexes (Ibi?) soon!
Sam
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