The Best MTB Upgrade For $100 - Kenda Booster Tire Review

This is my Nukeproof Reactor trail bike, and I love it except for one issue....it's a bit heavy at just over 35 pounds. Cobra Kyle Merch Links: https://teespring.com/Cobra_Kyle?pid=369&cid=6512 https://teespring.com/cobra-kyle-logo-print?pid=1027&cid=104078 Links are affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission off any purchase you make. It costs you nothing extra, but helps support this channel! Kenda Booster Pro Tires: https://amzn.to/3lM1H2j Some Extra Items you may need! Maxxis Minion: https://alnk.to/8tGDVtF Maxxis Aggressor: https://alnk.to/esOpheL Most Comfortable Grips: https://alnk.to/hDi2Wvu Pedals for your new bike: https://alnk.to/31j9wou Trail Worthy Energy Chews: https://alnk.to/eZyGdWz My favorite helmet: https://amzn.to/3hSlCM6 Full Face Helmet I use: https://alnk.to/hDi2W8V Bike Pump: https://amzn.to/2CqbpWJ Shock Pump: https://amzn.to/3hHtnEi MTB Shoes: https://amzn.to/2YSYKmY A Great Multi-Tool: https://alnk.to/74mB77V Most comfortable grips: https://alnk.to/hDi2Wvu Some Sick Pedals: https://alnk.to/31j9wou My favorite helmet: https://alnk.to/cwK5wpp Bike Pump: https://amzn.to/2CqbpWJ Shock Pump: https://amzn.to/3hHtnEi MTB Shoes: https://alnk.to/aWvgH6K Sunglasses: https://srko.co/cobrakyle Links are affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission off any purchase you make. It costs you nothing extra, but helps support this channel! As I've taken this bike to more places with bigger elevations, that weight makes itself more apparent. So rather than just riding more and getting stronger, I've decided to throw hard earned money at a problem that I could fix for free with a bit more discipline. So I started looking at lighter weight parts like carbon bars, lighter stem, a lighter cassette, cranks etc... but all those things I mentioned were either too expensive or didn't shave that much weight. Then I started looking at the biggest object on the bike....the wheels and tires. Currently I have the Hunt Enduro Wide wheels which are fantastic paired to a Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 up front and a Maxxis Aggressor 2.5 out back. Originally I was considering purchasing a 2nd wheelset from Hunt called the XC Wide, but that only saved .92 pounds and costs $400. Then I assessed my typical riding around San Antonio and took a good hard look at my tires. Maybe I don't need such an aggressive tire for where I live, and when I started to look at the weight of these tires, I knew this was a great place to cut the fat. My current tire setup weighs 4.53 pounds, so I started searching for the lightest tires I could find that still offer decent enough grip and protection, and my search led me to the Kenda Booster tires in 2.4" width. The combined weight of these tires is 3.04 pounds which is a weight savings of 1.49 pounds! That's very significant especially as it's rotational weight, and I'm hoping it makes my bike a lot more responsive off the line. This is the most weight savings I could find for an affordable amount around $100. That's right. I bought cross country tires so you don't have to! Now before putting them on, I wanted to put these two setups head to head, and see how much difference a pound and a half makes. Our testing ground is McAllister park where I've created some tests that are 100% objective, accurate and scientific. Tests that no one on the internet could possibly dispute or object to, and I will be heralded by the scientific community for my incredibly articulate experiments. For these tests, I'll be running 20psi front and rear on both tire setups, and I do have Rimpact tire inserts. I'm also starting in the same gear for each test. The first test is a rolling coast down a gravel hill with no pedalling and standing in a neutral position over the bike. This will test rolling resistance and potentially remove any human error. Second is a ride through a 1.3 mile rock garden section with the goal being to get through it as quickly as possible. Next is a climb, to a twisty section, into a short technical descent. Finally is a road sprint around my neighborhood which is half a mile. Let's go through these tests on the Maxxis tires and get the times for them. Alright, now that I've filmed all of that, it's time to put on the Kenda Booster tires, and I'm honestly really excited to try these. Look at this impressive coverage of abilities on the Kenda packaging. It' can handle all conditions except muddy. Fast, light, grippy, and strong? We shall see! I'm not going to film swapping these, but will update you if it's unusually difficult or something goes wrong.