Geax Saguaro 29 X 2.20 Tires: Final Review

Editors Note: The Geax Saguaro tires were tested by me and then turned over to Rob, aka “Captain Bob”, for further testing earlier in the year. Here’s his final review after riding them religiously for approximately four months now.

Twenty Nine Inches recently handed me these fancy new treads. Thankfully GT is just too busy riding that super fancy tubeless stuff that he loaned them to me. That was a while ago. I have had them so long that you’d think they would be worn out after my 650 miles or so that I have on them. Worn out? Wrong! I go into that in a minute. Now for the specs.

Geax Saguaro
29 x 2.20
directional
folding bead
650 grams
directional
Please chime in if I missed something.
$34.99 ea.

Okay, now for my review. I have not been very happy since Geax stopped producing the Sedona’s. I was a huge fan of the 2.25’s. The smaller widths were nice too but the tread spacing got closer & closer with each smaller width. The 2.25’s shed mud great. I would say that my first thoughts on the Saguaro were the same as the Sedona’s. Smooth, fast, ride like they were lighter than they were, excellent grip. They didn’t feel quite as supple though. Most of my first rides were on smooth gravel and pavement. No surprises, they felt fast and smooth. I found my way over to the Scout Camp and instantly realized that I was running way too much tire pressure. The terrain was a mix of singletrack and fire roads. Some off camber trails. For the most part the camp has about everything you need to put a tire to the test. Roots, rocks, dirt and gravel. I lowered the pressure to around 28 psi rear and 25 psi front. That was much better but not quite right. Now I like to run 23 psi rear and 25 psi front. There must be something about the strength of the sidewalls because they do not fold over when cornering. I am a rather big fella too. Right now I weigh 210 lbs. I am running an Alex TD 17 Anti-Snakebite rim if you are curious. Another note, I have not flatted yet with these low pressures and I have hit the rim many many times. Tonights ride was 19 psi rear and 17 psi front. The tires did not roll of the rim and I didn’t flat. The terrain was loose gravel and deep grassy double track. They did seem to get a little too slow and soggy feeling for me though but it was a good test. Other tires I have ridden must have a thinner sidewall because they would have not been rideable at 20 psi.

I think the tires are everything I was hoping they would be. They do everything perfectly on dry hard packed terrain. When things get a little wet/muddy the tire works well. When it gets really muddy they do not work well. They pack up with mud and do not shed it. I have read other reviews where folks thought the tires were horrible in loose steep climbs. I can see how that could happen since the rubber appears to be rather hard and the knobs are close together. I never experienced this though but I think it is because I am on the heavy side and running low pressures. There is only one thing I do not like about them and that is loose gravel road cornering. They do not inspire confidence at all. I think it’s because the tread is close together and the harder rubber compound that causes the loss of control. There is good in this kind of control loss though, it’s predictable. I never dumped it because you can feel it coming in time to correct your steering.

The compound has me wondering, “Why?” Why would the tires you see in this picture (taken 8-8-07) still look almost new? I don’t get it either. I don’t want them to change a thing though. How often do you get a tire that grips this well, rolls this well and lasts this long? Not often. I do wish they would make a 29er Sedona (2.25 tread spacing) though with the Saguaro beefier sidewall. Right now, this Saguaro is my favorite 29er tire for the type of riding I do.

Captain Bob

Thanks Captain! Geax Saguaro tires are available now from many local bike shops and online retailers. Special thanks go out to Brent from Twin Six for providing us these tires to review