Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm a big fan of semi-slicks; done right, they can handle all but the worst gnarl, and they roll faster and with less noise too.
Having run through my supply of Kenda Kwicks, and with Kenda not making the Kwick any longer, I gave the Kross a try.
The key to a semi-slick is how the slick section is constructed. The idea is that the "slick" part - and only the "slick" part - contacts hard pavement, and then as the surface gets softer, progressively more of the tire is engaged.
The Kwick did this very well, featuring a variety of low-profile knobs and bars across the "slick" portion that contributed very little in the way of rolling resistance or vibration, but helped handle the transition from hard pack to all-out soft (where the big side lugs engage)
The Kross instead concentrates on road performance. The "road rib" has serrated edges that presumably dig in on intermediate surfaces, but the main part of the contact patch is entirely smooth.
This, in practice, makes for a nice and fast road-going tire, and it does passably well in very soft stuff. But on intermediate surfaces, like most singletrack, this tire is a slithery mess. It locks up under braking, it spins loose on climbs, and it times, it requires Shakira levels of body English to keep the bike under you.
As a road tire, it is very good - I did 160 km on it one weekend with a smooth and secure ride. As a road with a little trail - just fine. But as a singletrack tire... it's just OK. Unlike a full slick, you can get away with some trail use, but be prepared to slither a bit.
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