On my Chisel I fitted a Barzo up front and a Mezcal on back, both 2.35. Extremely impressed by them. I can see why so very many bikepack racers use them. The key thing is that unlike most MTB tyres, I don't mind doing long road /tarmac trail sections between the lumpy bits on them and yet they still manage to cope remarkably well with soggy UK trails, despite supposedly being 'Summer' tyres. I added a 40km road/fine gravel detour on Chisel one day. I wouldn't normally do that with MTB tyres.
There are some bargains to be had at moment@@j4457. Seen the £2k one for less than £1k. Ask at Specialized shops in person or on phone and you may get some better deals than you see advertised online. Many pricey bikes were half price in concept shop a couple of months back.
I ran these a few years back and loved them. I'm now running a fastrack on the back and a ground control on the front of my epic evo. Bloody good tyres (great bike too)! Great review again Guy.
The T5 T7 sworks are definitely more durable than the last iteration sworks gripton that were 100g lighter and super fast but very fragile! and have all been plugged at some point. I've switched back to aspen 2.25 exo tr and they feel a little faster even tho their 640g. Great review as ever Guy👍
@@GuyKesTV Renegade might have the edge on grip at the right pressure, if its slightly wet the aspen sheds it quicker. The centre tread does feel quicker on the aspen tho on hard pack, road and sandy tracks. Interestingly tho you never see sworks tyres on the xco Spesh factory racing bikes, alway grid casing 🤷🏻♂
Hi. Bought a pair of those wheels and seem great on initial use Have Tried to find out if you can run an insert in roval carbon control wheels. Noticed you mention running an insert in yours. Seems a bit of a grey area for these wheels when you look into it. Not found a definitive answer yet. Was hoping to put a vittoria xc light insert in rear wheel when bikepacking Any pointers Those spesh xc tyres are a bargain as low as £30 in some places for fast trak ones @GuyKesTV
I've had a Renegade Control T5 and a Fast Trak Gripton hanging in the garage for a while now. Your explanation of the Control casing makes sense but I'm not sure what to make of Gripton, if it has anything to do w casing at all. I'm thinking about running one of these on my new Ibis DV9 but not sure which. Really looking forward to your thoughts on the Fast Trak.
Hi Guy, I recently bought an Specialized Epic with Roval Control wheels. It comes with a combo of Fast Trak and Renegade tyres that seems quite good. But in my previous bike I equipped a combo of Racing Ray and Racing Ralph with excellent performance. I doubt what combo is better. Which combo are the best for you and why? I’m an XC rider and I ride in the south of Europe during all the year.
Hi Isaac, I'm a big fan of the Fast Trak - especially in value terms - but the Renegade always feels slower than it should. Schwalbe definitely have a more floated and smooth feel though and Ray and Ralph are an awesome combination. I think swapping the rear to a Ralph but leaving the FT on the front would be the best value way to increase performance.
Found myself riding more gravel and tarmac than "XC" - so about to swap the stock Fast Track 2.35 T5's to Renegade 2.2 T5's and I'm going tubeless. By my calculations each wheel will be 150g lighter (sealant included).
Running Ground Control T7 front and Fast Trak T5 rear on my Stumpjumper :)
Amazing tyres and together 80$.
On my Chisel I fitted a Barzo up front and a Mezcal on back, both 2.35. Extremely impressed by them. I can see why so very many bikepack racers use them.
The key thing is that unlike most MTB tyres, I don't mind doing long road /tarmac trail sections between the lumpy bits on them and yet they still manage to cope remarkably well with soggy UK trails, despite supposedly being 'Summer' tyres. I added a 40km road/fine gravel detour on Chisel one day. I wouldn't normally do that with MTB tyres.
There are some bargains to be had at moment@@j4457. Seen the £2k one for less than £1k. Ask at Specialized shops in person or on phone and you may get some better deals than you see advertised online. Many pricey bikes were half price in concept shop a couple of months back.
I ran these a few years back and loved them. I'm now running a fastrack on the back and a ground control on the front of my epic evo. Bloody good tyres (great bike too)! Great review again Guy.
Running the same tyres on the same bike and I’d definitely recommend them too!
The T5 T7 sworks are definitely more durable than the last iteration sworks gripton that were 100g lighter and super fast but very fragile! and have all been plugged at some point. I've switched back to aspen 2.25 exo tr and they feel a little faster even tho their 640g. Great review as ever Guy👍
Thanks for the confirmation Rich, Aspens are definitely quicker right? And similar grip 🤷♂️
@@GuyKesTV Renegade might have the edge on grip at the right pressure, if its slightly wet the aspen sheds it quicker. The centre tread does feel quicker on the aspen tho on hard pack, road and sandy tracks. Interestingly tho you never see sworks tyres on the xco Spesh factory racing bikes, alway grid casing 🤷🏻♂
Hi. Bought a pair of those wheels and seem great on initial use
Have Tried to find out if you can run an insert in roval carbon control wheels. Noticed you mention running an insert in yours. Seems a bit of a grey area for these wheels when you look into it. Not found a definitive answer yet. Was hoping to put a vittoria xc light insert in rear wheel when bikepacking Any pointers
Those spesh xc tyres are a bargain as low as £30 in some places for fast trak ones
@GuyKesTV
+1 The dual compound S-works are superb. Easy to install tubeless and have been literally bullet proof.
I've had a Renegade Control T5 and a Fast Trak Gripton hanging in the garage for a while now. Your explanation of the Control casing makes sense but I'm not sure what to make of Gripton, if it has anything to do w casing at all.
I'm thinking about running one of these on my new Ibis DV9 but not sure which.
Really looking forward to your thoughts on the Fast Trak.
Gripton is just the name for the older rubber compound. It’s actually pretty similar to T5 so it will work fine up front in dry conditions
Hi Guy, I recently bought an Specialized Epic with Roval Control wheels. It comes with a combo of Fast Trak and Renegade tyres that seems quite good. But in my previous bike I equipped a combo of Racing Ray and Racing Ralph with excellent performance. I doubt what combo is better. Which combo are the best for you and why? I’m an XC rider and I ride in the south of Europe during all the year.
Hi Isaac, I'm a big fan of the Fast Trak - especially in value terms - but the Renegade always feels slower than it should. Schwalbe definitely have a more floated and smooth feel though and Ray and Ralph are an awesome combination. I think swapping the rear to a Ralph but leaving the FT on the front would be the best value way to increase performance.
@ thanks for your response.
Found myself riding more gravel and tarmac than "XC" - so about to swap the stock Fast Track 2.35 T5's to Renegade 2.2 T5's and I'm going tubeless. By my calculations each wheel will be 150g lighter (sealant included).
what about the base model of the fast traxx? How are they in the mud ? Are they better than fast traxx?
NO, I'd go with Fast Trak over these in mud for sure
@GuyKesTV so you're saying that the renegades are for dry condition only like in the summer 🌞
I just switched from the xr3 to the renegade on the rear of my trek fuel and it was so much faster and better in every way!
Which carbon fork are you using?
It’s officially a Planet X fork but it’s just a generic one from China. Pretty smooth but also twisty when steering.