Nokian NBX Tires
By James Sharp

Tires are interesting things… they can truly make or break a ride, but no two people can agree on the same tire. For example, a year ago I ran semi-slicks during a race that had some muddier sections. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but it was the right choice. Because of the lack of real knobs the tires didn’t clog up like most of the other racers’ tires. Now there is no way that I would take the semi-slicks on a shuttle run, they are the wrong tire for fast, big hit downhilling. Clearly something more beefy is required there. Making a specialized tire, like the semi-slick race tire or the big cushy downhill tire, is easy; making one that works in almost any terrain or weather is a bit harder.

Nokian is known for BIG downhill tires. They have recently introduced a more all-terrain tire family, the NBX. The standard NBX comes in 2.1 and 2.3 sizes (590g and 650g, respectively), with a lightweight version in a 2.0 size (470g). There are two downhill sizes as well, the dh2.3 and dh2.5 (1000g and 1300g, respectively). Wait! There’s more. There are UST versions of the 2.0, 2.1 and 2.3 tires (670g, 800g and 990g, respectively). That is one all-inclusive family of tires! We tested the standard 2.1 and 2.3 tires.

At 590 and 650 grams these are not heavy tires by any stretch. That is a weight savings you can feel. They feel light, but not fast rolling. The NBXs are full knob tires that make that full knob sound on pavement. These aren’t race tires. What they are, are full-day-in-the-saddle-riding-over-every-type-of-terrain-imaginable tires. They hook up well in the mud and, thanks to the carbon silica tread compound, they shed the mud that collects well. They work well as both a front or rear tire, but I found that my favorite way to run them was a 2.1 in the rear and a 2.3 up front. This meant that I had to run a little more air pressure in the back to avoid pinch flatting, but it was a faster rolling combination that left enough room between my frame and the tire for mud. With the 2.3 up front cornering traction was predictable on fast fire-roads and muddy single track, as well as everything in between.

Are these the perfect tire? Close, but not quite. In an effort to reduce the rolling weight, Nokian made the sidewalls a little too forgiving. I pinch flatted twice on my inaugural ride with the NBXs. I do tend to run my air pressure a little lower than most, but this didn’t cause any problems with other tires that I have run. If you run more than, say, 35psi in your tires this isn’t a problem. I solved the problem by making them tubeless using Stan’s Sealant. This was a great tire for that application since it is lightweight, but a little prone to pinch flatting. One more caveat, these seem a little narrower than other tires with the same-labeled width.

Summary: If you are looking for a tire that can handle anything thrown at it without so much as a hiccup, look no farther. If you are prone to pinch flatting, I’d recommend the tubeless version of these, or a thick downhill tube. Once I realized that I needed more air pressure, the NBXs have been problem free, the type of tire that doesn’t call attention to itself. And, as Martha Stewart says, "it’s a good thing".

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com specializing in mountain biking.

For more information, contact:
Nokian
P.O.Box 20
FIN-37101 Nokia
Phone: +358-3-340 7111
E-mail: bike@nokiantyres.com
www.nokiantyres.fi/bike/