Teravail Honcho Durable review

Teravail’s Honcho is at the more aggressive and deeper-treaded end of the US brand's range, mostly made up of a variety of cross-country and trail bike tyres.

Available in two casings, there’s a ‘light and supple’ carcass and the more ‘durable’ one here.

Described as "perfect for rocky and rooty trails", the Honcho comes with either black or tan sidewalls in two widths (2.4 or 2.6in) and both 29in and 27.5in sizes.

Teravail Honcho Durable specifications and details

This Durable model packs an extra layer of woven polymer composite between the tread and lining for extra sidewall protection running down to the bead, plus a puncture-protection layer under the crown.

Having the extra nylon breaker under the crown brings the Honcho’s weight up to 1,045g.

The tyre inflated easily into a fairly rounded shape and the tread is pretty uniform from side to side, so the shoulder blocks don’t sit much taller than the central lugs.

The crown uses chevron-shaped blocks with an alternate 3:2 pattern and is quite closely packed to reduce rolling friction.

Each alternate row of knobs is hollowed out for extra suction (a bit like a mud tyre) rather than siped.

Stubby staggered edge blocks alternate between rectangular and L-shaped and have buttressing on the outside for extra stability.

They aren’t angled up and out as much as some aggressive trail tyres (or Teravail’s Kessel), so the central strip remains proud for faster rolling.

The Grip compound is a dual-rubber blend with softer rubber for better traction, but a quick squidge reveals this is definitely not as soft and sticky as some rivals.

Teravail Honcho Durable performance

The Honcho rattles along with real zing and pace on firmer trails.

There’s a lively and slightly more bouncy and less damped feel than some rival tyres, but it never appears overly nervous or pingy on sharp rock and root edges to the extent it deflects the wheel too much.

The overall effect is one of continuous grip, compared to more squared-off tyres where you really feel the transition to grip and a sudden digging-in at high lean angles.

However, because the Honcho rides on the crown and pivots from side to side really easily, it’s a cinch to get the back end to move about if you really flick the bike around, which is a fun feeling without it ever drastically firing off.

Schwalbe's Nobby Nic is a close rival and the pair are hard to separate in terms of rolling speed and comfort.

The Schwalbe tyre is more versatile though, with pointier shoulders that cut into in loose loam or wet soggy dirt better, and braking traction and bite is also more assured in the wet.

Teravail Honcho Durable bottom line

It's fast-rolling and tough, but in mixed conditions, such as those on offer in the UK, the Honcho isn’t a match for some rivals in terms of grip and confidence, especially when things get damp.