KENDA Kwest W tire, 26 x 1.5 - Black

Tires originally ordered were defective. Reordered same and they are ok.

I replaced my knobby mountain bike tires with these Kenda Kwest tires hoping for some improvement with my very inexpensive mountain bike from a big box retailer.I noted several things.1) The bike rolls a lot easier - as expected. I took 26" x 1.95 knobby tires off, replacing them with these 26" x 1.5 tires... I used the same tube, which is not the right size, but it works.2) I need a lot less energy to get the bike moving, and it is easier to accelerate... and because the bike rolls easier (less rolling resistance), when I stop peddling, the bike will roll a lot further without additional input from me.3) The handling is night and day better. Rolling (leaning) into a turn is MUCH easier to do, at any speed. Overall handling is vastly improved.Now, the tires are for different purposes, of course. I ride on roads, sidewalks and "greenways," (fancy wider sidewalks with nature). I was watching the tread on the knobby tires vanish fast - I also got several flats. I wanted to have a smoother ride, easier ride, and tires that might last a lot longer, and getting road tires seemed to be the best way to go.I have 52 miles on them so far, and I will try to remember to update this review down the road.I love these tires so far, and I look forward to riding them for a while.

1st, great seller. The tires mounted on an old mountain bike make the wheels look small and spindly on 26" wheels. Not a great look at all with all the extra space between tire and frame. Riding on the street makes the bike a lot easier to pedal than using knobby mountain 2.2" tires, as in night and day. in comparison they are quiet and very smooth rolling. Compared to 28 700 c road tires these actually have a slightly similar feel rolling wise and give he bike a more road feel handling wise. Notice I said "slightly similar" so don't read I said these are exactly like road bike tires. I can hear the groans from here of those that are saying I'm an idiot because they feel nothing at all like road tires, blah, blah blah, and that's their opinion. They feel more compliant than road tires with a lot less vibration transmitted through the bike, mostly because the ones I bought are the 60 psi version and mountain frames transmit less vibration than carbon road bikes. Again, great seller.

Good tire; quick delivery!

These are my second set of Kenda Kwest tires. The first set sidewalls started bulging and needed replacing early in their lives. I have learned that this is something to be expected with lower priced tires. The reason I purchased another set was to temporarily convert an older mountain bike to be ridden in a triathlon. I wanted to make sure the 1.5" wide tire was closely matched to the width of the rim. The rim is 25mm wide and it looks perfect. These installed tight on graphite Rolf rims and I used talc on the tubes so they have a chance to resist folds. One thing to remember these tires are rated at 65psi max. Heavy riders may want a higher pressure tire to avoid excessive sidewall bulge and the added pedal effort this creates.Riding on these tires is markedly different than riding the mountain bike knobbies. The bike sits lower. When aggressively cornering the inside pedal will contact pavement before you would expect. This same low center of gravity induces quicker cornering as well. The tires run true and smooth and lesser pedal effort is evident.

I have a mountain bike that I bought, literally, decades ago for $20, already well-used. It was a Jersey shore bike before I bought it and was rusty due to the salt air. I used it for years as it was, only removing as much rust as possible. However, this year the tires finally gave out. I replaced them with these tiresand they work fine. They fit perfectly, were easy to replace and they seem to lessen rolling resistance. I highly recommend them. They were an excellent value.

Tire mounted very easily and runs smooth. Traction is great on dry pavement. Have not had a ride on wet pavement yet though.

The issue I have is manufactures and venders not listing the information on the side of the tire. Specifically what is the air pressure range. If you try and look through the reviews or questions, some of the information may not be correct. That is an important piece of information essentially being withheld. This is something that should not have to be asked about it should be listed, it is part of the specification of the tire. Now I have tires that are not what I wanted.