Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch

***** 1,2,3,4 - 5! Five Stars

I purchased a pair of these tires to use on my MTB for a smoother ride on the city streets than the Kenda K53's I was using.The K53's were nice tires and offer very little rolling resistance compared with full-on knobbies (and are smoother going straight) but still have good knobs on the sides. But when you are turning they have that knobby growl, so I figured that I'd try the 838's as they had seemed to be highly regarded by some.The tires are pretty smooth-riding and feel very sticky in the corners unlike the knobby K53's which tended to squirm at higher speed corners with large lean angles. The 838's seem to stick like glue to the tarmac (but not so much on dirt trails -naturally). I put the whole wheel off the bike on the slippery ceramic tile of my condo and could put all my weight against it at angles much greater than 45-degrees and the tire refused to slip or squirm which is a lot more than I can say for the K53's. I was pushing against it like a football tackle sled with all my might and they wouldn't budge. The K53's will slip out when I try this. I haven't tried using the 838's in the wet yet so I don't know how the traction will stand up in the rain. They look like they will do OK with that motorcycle-style tread pattern.Another good thing about this tire is that I can fill them up to 60-65psi which is about 50% more pressure than you can safely fill the K53. This allows lesser rolling resistance, better road feel, and much more front brakes can be used as front tire impending lockup has much more of a controlled feel than with lower-pressure tires. I can do controllable stoppies with these tires lifting the back wheel right up with my cantelever brakes out front.One thing about these tires is that while they say they are a 1.9 wide they are a bit wider than that in reality. I've got 26x1.75 rims and if I measure the sidewalls they are exactly 1.9" but the actual tread area is well over 2" and pushing 2.25"I suppose if you had really narrow rims the tire would squish out and be taller but as it is the 838's have a larger circumference than the K53's had and are HUGE. I'm glad I have a lot of clearance on my old Ross MTB with planet bike MTB fenders because these tires are so large that right now the rubber mold nubs are actually rubbing on the fender. It's a good thing they are small and will wear away soon.These things are WIDE. I've seen little asian-market 50cc motorcycles that didn't have such wide tires as my bike has now. I think I like it because there is tons of traction available and they ooze confidence when the bike is pitched over in a corner to near crank-scraping lean angles -this bike rides MUCH more aggressively on the tarmac now than it did with the K53's which always seemed to me like the bike was trying to squirm out from under me to the outside of the corner. Going from the K53 to the K838 is like going from Bias to Radial tires on a motorcycle. They are THAT much more grippy and because of the higher rated pressures you don't lose anything with rolling resistance (especially in the corners). And they are smooth as glass going straight or turning.It's like magic.I wouldn't put them on a rim narrower than 1.5 though or wider than 2 (max). I'd imagine they would be pinched and pointy on a narrow rim and pulled flat like a low-rider on a 2" -it's just the kind of tire they are with the built-out tread onto the sidewall like a motorcycle tire.Cons:You might not have the clearance for these tires even though you can run 2.25's on the K53 or other knobbies.The picture shown is a gumwall tire but what I got were blackwall tires. Not a big deal to me but others might be disappointed. Be aware of that.

Updating this review in January 2025. Finally replacing a pair of these after 14 years of steady use. Tread is still OK but the rubber is cracking down to the casing in the grooves. Can't complain after so many years, so much use and so much weather.These tires have a directional tread; better to channel water away from the center of the tire. See the attached photo for the sidewall marking. BTW-this is opposite from the advice of the Amazon AIChecked the Kenda website and looks like these are no longer made by the company...but are still available online from other sources. Just bought a replacement pair from "Bike Liquidators" for less than $40 for the pair. Figured I'd do it now while still available....probably no hope they will still be around when this pair wears out :-(Bike still going strong, Bafang kit still going strong, me a little slower, but new tires are great :-)Original Review - June 2024:Put a pair of these on a 1999 Cannondale F1000 with a Bafang mid-drive 750W electric motor kit. I use this bike for commuting and errands. Replaced a pair of Maxxis Holy Rollers and the Kendas are much better for pavement, gravel and smooth dirt; improving both speed and distance. Handling is great and quieter than knobbies too.I use Sunlite puncture resistant tubes, adding weight, but hey, it's got a motor. Extended hard shoulders on these tires also increase weight a little but give a wider profile on soft ground and protect the sidewalls from damage. So far, so good, knock on wood.Installed the tires many years ago and they are still rolling just fine; wear is minimal but starting to show age. Probably need to think about getting another pair sometime and will definitely replace them with another pair just like the current pair.Highly recommend.