The "KARMA". A truly unique tire that is disliked by most around these parts. That's what i've heard over and over again.
But i have a different slant on 'em:
In '03 i bought my SantaCruz BLUR. The bike came spec'd with the "Karmas".
Now i knew that the BLUR had one achilles heel: The rear tire frame clearance was very poor. The Karma tires have a very very low knob profile and that's probably why SC chose this tire for their first production of the BLUR. Imagine a Kenda Nevegal that is very thin-walled, with the knobs ground down to shallow nubs. That's a Karma.
I had bought the bike at a time in the season when the trails were very firm and dry..sometime in October. On a packed dry trail, these tires are amazing. When leaning the bike in turns, there is NO sensation of transition to the side knobbies.. That's good.
The tires are super duper light...That's good.
They're VERY supple...Good for control.
And because the knob profile is so low, the rolling resistance is fantastically low too.
One big drawback (other than the lack of knobbies) is that they don't like low tire pressures. There's a point where if you're a pound low, they wash out and the bike feels like it's sliding from side to side. Getting the pressure right takes alot more attention than most other tires. My fastest rides have been on these Karmas.
All in all, these tires ROCK on hard packed dirt...BUT THAT IS ALL THEY ARE GOOD FOR IMO. So, why do i like them? (read on)
I like them because if i've got them on the bike, it means that the trails are nice and hard-packed. Too bad the trails round here are usually a bit loose, gravelly, spongy,..or a combo of all mixed in.
But when the conditions are just right, the KARMA has good karma.
Don't smite the Karma. I applaud the Karmas™ :P
