Scott USA, which has adopted a ‘frill-free’ block tread for this all-mountain-specific Stroke 2 26x2.3in tyre.
It resembles the tyres used by the first mountain bikers hooning down the slopes of Mt Tamalpais in Marin County back in the late '70s. They were very basic: big and with a simple block tread. But they did make the bikes stable, and they allowed the riders to pull some great cornering moves on the sweeping loose dirt bends.
Of course, modern mountain bikers demand much more performance from their rubber than the Klunkers did, so the casing here is a modern 120tpi affair. The Kevlar beads and supple sidewalls help to make it very light for its width at 656g, yet tough enough to be run soft through the rocks without causing you to flinch at every patch of rock in the trail.
Scott uses a dual-compound rubber to enhance grip and wear, and incorporate small dimple in the top of each block to increase the number of working edges in contact with the ground. That should help to increase grip and tyre feedback, one area where block tread patterns have traditionally suffered.
The result is a tyre which looks confidant and capable – and it rides as well as it looks. In fact, it rides better than it looks. Despite that open block tread, the Stroke 2 flicks along smooth trails and roads like a whippy 1.9in cross-country racer tyre.
This get-up-and-go feel from the big carcass makes it a great all-round off-road tyre that will turn its hand to virtually any terrain and dirt condition. It’s easily able to compete on a par with the best from Kenda, Maxxis and Michelin.