Tire choice is almost entirely determined by one’s terrain and riding style. For years, mine lead me to run a meatier, more aggressive tread up front, which I could reliably lean on in varying conditions. And on the rear, I’d run something that’s faster rolling. Today’s mid-travel bikes with big wheels and slack geometry carry momentum incredibly well over rough terrain, and in turn, my tire preference has shifted, putting a premium on balanced, front-to-back traction, braking performance and overall control. I’m not so worried about ekeing out a pinch more straight-line speed through a lower-rolling-resistance at the rear tread.
A few years ago, Kenda introduced the Hellcat, which brought the brand back into the conversation about tread patterns with durable casings intended for downhill, enduro and just plain aggressive riding. The Hellcat has a smallish and more pointed tread block (for a gravity-oriented tire), yet these sharper edges are intended to work well for penetrating softer trails and overall looser terrain. Missing from the Kenda line was a modern, aggressive tread pattern specifically designed for hard-packed and loose-over-hard-packed terrain. Shortly after Kenda began development of a tire in this category, they also signed a certain World Cup Downhill champion, Aaron Gwin. Not surprisingly, the Southern-California-based rider had some thoughts on what an aggressive tire intended for loose-over-hard-packed terrain might entail.
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