Specialized manufactures a complete range of mountain bike components. They were one of the first to mass - produce a mountain bike, the famous Stump Jumper. They recently hired an ex-motocross tire designer to completely redesign their mountain bike tires and new aggressive high - quality tires resulted. They manufacture tires with different casings and tread patterns for all types of riding. Visit their web page at: http://www.specialized.com or call them at (408)-779-6229 for more information.

The review is divided into two parts. First, a chart rates the tire's performance on four kinds of terrain on a scale of 1 to 10. Click on the tire's name in the chart to jump to the second part of its review, below the chart: a written description of each tire's construction and its handling characteristics on different types of terrain, and a link to a picture of each tire's tread.

				General Information				Cornering Performance				Climbing or Braking Performance
Name of tire				OverallPerformance	Weight	RollingResistance	Durability	Mud	Soft	Hard	RootsRocks	Mud	Soft	Hard	RootsRocks
Team Master-(R)				8	700	7	9	9	10	10	9	7	8	9	9

Specialized Team Master (Kevlar Bead)
Weight: 700 grams
Advertised carcass width: 2.1 (53mm). Actual carcass width: xx mm.
Casing TPI: 60
Rubber Density: Medium
Click here to see a picture of the Team Master's tread.


Rear Use: The Team Master is the best rear tire for downhill racing tested but its climbing and mud - shedding performance and its weight and rolling speed hinder its use as a XC tire. It has the widest tread pattern of any tire reviewed. This makes it climb more poorly in soft conditions than the top XC tires because it doesn't sink in to find traction and its knobs are too short to penetrate and grip. The wide tread grips well on hard surfaces but its width also makes it roll slower than the best XC tires. The Team Master's wide tread clogs with mud quicker than the best mud tires. It brakes firmly in all conditions without skittering or sliding, even while leaning. It's semi-square profile leans smoothly into corners and it's tall stiff side knobs hold well in all conditions. It corners more firmly than a softer knobbed tire but doesn't release into a slide as predictably. Its casing feels stiff and harsh in corners or over rough terrain. For XC riding this is a disadvantage, but downhill racing at high speeds requires this stability. The rubber and casing resist chips and cuts but road riding wears the knobs slightly because the tread pattern doesn't roll smoothly. The Team Master's wide aggressive tread, limited climbing performance, excellent cornering traction and durability make it more suited to downhilling than XC riding or racing.