It’s been a long time since Monty has been developing new tyres with Abel Mustieles and Dani Comas. During this period, there has been a lot of talk about its resemblance to the previous Eagle Claw if we cut the latter studs, but some information about its weight and the novelty of this component he made us contact Monty to thoroughly test his new tyres and finally get rid of doubts.
First Impressions
When the package arrived, the first thing that left us quite impressed was the weight of its front rubber and even its feel. It doesn’t really weigh practically anything and since it doesn’t have a ring, it can bend in any direction we want, we can even tie it into a knot.
There were several things we wanted to check and The first thing we did was compare them in terms of weight with other rubbers we owned. You might think that it would be a comparison with other brands of which you more or less know the weights, but there was something else behind our interest in doing it.
As we have pointed out, people, when this new component was being developed and was seen in Mustieles or Comas, thought that they were the same old Eagle Claws but cutting out cleats.
Technical Configuration
At first even we thought so, so having a scale and the rubber bands in our hands, We took two rear tires and compared their weights. One was the “always” Eagle Claw butt but with one feature, it was a fully slick tire, made for street riding and taking weight off.
The other was Monty’s new rear rubber. The deduction was going to be simple, if the slick weighed less or much less than the new rubber, obviously they would have only cut cleats and if this was not the case, we would be talking about a total evolution. First surprise of this test, the Monty slick weighed 800 grams while the new model weighed 760.
Confirmed, we were talking about a totally new and very light rubber, without attributing the weight loss to the removal of studs alone. As for the front. Many are the ones who use the Kenda Small Block (us included). In fact, we recently chose this model in the 1.9″ version to reduce even more weight.
Once again, Monty rubber surprises us. The weight of the Kenda is 410 grams while the Monty is only 350 grams! The weight figures are simply record-breaking. There is no rubber on the market that can currently compete in weight and in that respect Monty has taken the cake.
Functionality
Now we had to look at its functionality and duration, two things that are directly related to weight loss. In terms of grip, it has absolutely nothing to envy to any rubber on the market. The compound has varied and at no time will we feel unsafe on all types of planes and terrains. The tackle has decreased considerably, especially on the sides.
At the same time, the studs are smaller, so the durability of these rubbers is much shorter than the previous Eagle Claw, although that is something that we already imagined at first glance.
Natural terrain
In natural they behave really well and there is no penalty for changing components or flanks, the rebound is really good.
Terrain Street
On the street you don’t need much since practically anything grabs, but we must say that, contrary to what it may seem, it doesn’t puncture easily and even throwing strong things “to puncture” we haven’t managed to crush the camera. This does not mean that it does not puncture (as with any other tyre) but that it is just as difficult as with others on the market and that, of course, we should not go with more pressure than usual.
Aesthetics
In terms of aesthetics, we personally find them quite pleasant, both in the drawing of the heel, and in the logos that Monty has put on one of the sides that have been decorated with the new modern logo with which they want to start this new era. At the same time, the cleats have half-moons that, in addition to reducing weight, give a worked visual appearance.
Between the studs, there are slightly embossed Monty logos, which It gives a really good finishing feel. On the other hand, and for those who do not want to carry the brand’s logo, there is a version that does not carry it, thus offering the possibility of the brand of the tires going unnoticed.
Conclusions
On the technical side, Monty has hit the nail on the head with an evolution that has led the brand to own what are probably the best tyres in the world. Not only have they limited themselves to a simple cut-out of knobs, but they have reinvented an already good component to achieve an entirely new one, achieving a sublime front wheel and a truly spectacular rear wheel.
In terms of aesthetics, it is a necessary and successful change, highlighting the option of being able to choose them without any type of logo. If we look at the duration, they are a little more exclusive, both in terms of wear and price. In this field we enter into an aspect that causes controversy and that is that pieces like this are pure competition, hence its apt name “Pro Race”. They are rubbers made for racing and to take a lot of weight off the bike without having to err on the side of grip and therefore the durability of them is compromised more than in the past model, but that is something that, as we said, is to be expected and what people should count on in exclusive competition components.
Monty, in turn, will continue to do the normal Eagle Claws, so it can be a good combination to train with the normal ones and race with the Pro Races; We’ll leave that up to you.
Text and photos: Álvaro López
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