Thursday, November 13, 2008

Comp MMIX

It is, at times, unbelievably amusing the lengths a company will go to sell a simple product. Take Tioga's new race tire, for example. "Conceived for unparallel efficiency in transferring pedal power and other rider inputs into lateral motion." For serious? Couldn't they have just said: "Bald tires are fast"?

This has long been a problem in road biking, where carbon-copy carbon frames are often lauded for their lateral stiffness and vertical compliance. Or was it the other way around? BikesnobNYC would know better than I.

Personally, I get more suspicious about a product the more trademarked names and processes that go into it. The more complex a company makes something out to be, the more I suspect that they're just blowing smoke. Multi-Zone Tread Design? Ultimate Traction Control? PermaTread Design? Who comes up with this stuff? Unless it's intended as some sort of elaborate joke—and I don't think it is—isn't it a little too much? Can you read through that entire overblown press release without laughing? I can't.

Somehow I don't seem to recall the Comp III needing this sort of hardcore sales pitch, and it seemed to do OK. Be interesting to see whether the Power Block sticks around half as long. My guess is no.

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28 comments:

Anonymous said...

40 dollars for a tire? No thanks. Knock 20 bucks off the price and I'll consider it.

bk said...

*8ft air to case*

Anonymous said...

That's just the nature of marketing. Some people buy into it, some people don't. Usually the people who don't buy into it aren't the kind of people you would even hope to convert--a long-time bike rider, for instance. This language isn't aimed at you. If they were targeting you, they would use different language completely.

Imagine you went out looking for the best product in a category of which you had little experience. You might be cynical enough to read through the bullshit, but some of it might permeate without notice.

Anonymous said...

Brien has it right...
Wessel. Forward. Awesome.

Anonymous said...

I love you! Do you ride only BMX or do you own more bicycles? Cheers!

Anonymous said...

has tioga had any relevance since the legendary Comp III or was the resurgance of pool tires the last hurrah?

Anonymous said...

The Comp III was the number 1 selling BMX tire for almost 20 years and is by far the number 1 of all time. In fact the ever popular Mike Aitkin only stopped using the Comp III about 3-4 years ago. Their other awesome yet rarely talked about tire is the FS100 that was used by Stephen Murray, Scotty Cranmer and a dozen other top riders until Tioga fell off the map 3 years ago.

Russ said...

The funny thing is that they made "stadium" tires way back in the '80s (when there were still indoor races with wooden jumps, if I'm not mistaken) and I doubt they were made to sound like they'd do everything but cure cancer.

Anonymous said...

Lateral motion doesn't sound particularly appealing.

Anonymous said...

Also, a better press release in three words: "Lighter than KHEs."

That's what sells tyres, not Ultimate PermaZone Multi-Traction UTCs.

Anonymous said...

That's what sells tyres

You'd think.

But Intense's tires are lighter too, and less explosive, and wear more predictably, and grip better on almost every surface (even on ramps that are dusty), and cost almost nothing -- yet no one runs them.

Because no one runs them.

(Racers do, and I do, but we got no steez.)

when there were still indoor races with wooden jumps, if I'm not mistaken

Yep. I fell down at one of those. Because of my Comp IIIs.

I can still hear my forearm squealing across the painted floor. It echoed.

pdxbmx said...

The only main I ever lost was because of Comp III's. Give me a Megabite or a Goosebump.

RJ said...

God Bless the COmp III

Anonymous said...

haha - keep blaming it on the rubber, fatty

Stephen said...

Nothing like sitting in your GTI with your STA behind your head...then hearing the "ping-ping-ping" of spokes popping. Then you look in the rear view mirror and see that your Comp III has tripled in size. Then it explodes...right behind your head.

Fucksake that scared the shit out of me.

Unknown said...

by intense tires, do you mean these things: http://www.danscomp.com/442158.php

i've always wanted to try them

Anonymous said...

about two years ago someone from Tioga called me and said they we're "trying to get back into BMX" and asked if i had any suggestions. i told them to go back to making the Comp III to the original specs and with the original compound and the guy acted like he had no idea what i was talking about. i told him how obvious the changes were and how the change rumbled through the BMX world and everyone noticed to which the son of a bitch had the nerve to try to convince me that they had been the same since the day they first came out. i told him to call me back when they re-issued the Comp I & Comp II and we'd speak more then. never heard back from him again but this new piece of "technology" proves they don't need any input from riders...they've got it all figured out...again.

Anonymous said...

...and to "Stuck Pig"
if you're serious about the Intense tire thing give me a call. we got a couple samples and if you're willing to pay the shipping charges i'll give you a couple.

Unknown said...

radabonzical, email sent

Anonymous said...

Haha Stephan you just made my day.

Anonymous said...

Wow.....those things look like they'd grab the dirt about as well as a Chase G. flatland tire.

Anonymous said...

Thats just stupid who would actually pay that much for a thin bald tire? racing is just silly if you ask me. worrying about weight is no fun. neither is spending $80 on tires.

Anonymous said...

The Intense microknobby is getting a lot of play in Nor Cal for park riding--grippy and fast. Had one on the back for awhile and it held up on street fairly well. Wire bead, but lighter than some folding tires.

In terms of marketing hype, who remember the original Comp III add with the little cartoon dudes climbing all over the tire talking about the "18-sided blocks" or whatever. Seems like they were into mumbo-jumbo since day 1.

I race as well as ride street, and BITD Comp IIIs were the ONLY tire anyone rode. Then someone figured out that having all that space between knobs was pointless--tracks are as hard and smooth as cement now, it's not like the dirt is loose or muddy or loamy. Companies like Kenda, IRC, Maxxis, and Intense adapted, and Tioga slept. Donny Robinson was running a remake of the Comp S/T on the rear for years. They re-released it a year or two ago, and sold them on Dan's for like...two seconds. If they'd re-release Comp II's and Comp S/Ts they'd sell a ton.

P.S. Tioga people: my consulting fee for this post is $250 and free tires for life. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

By the way, when the fuck is someone going to release a copy of the original Snakebelly? Those tires would kill on a track or a skatepark.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5907

These are a bit special also.

Anonymous said...

http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5907

this one!

Russ said...

I had a Comp III explode on me once. It was at a cement park in the middle of summer and it went off like gunshot. I was looking around trying to figure out what poor slob was done for the day when I suddenly realized it was me.