dR Dishes On The “Powerband”

It may not be as glamorous as a polished or chromed something or other, but staying “rubber side down” would be nothing without the rubber. Tioga has been helping riders keep the rubber side down for the past 30 years or so (and that’s just in BMX). The mad scientists are getting mad props from the pros on the latest and greatest from the Tioga trenches.

BMXNEWS just got word of the “Powerband—” a tire specifically designed to be run up front, to give you traction on the surfaces you’ll find at your local track, or next week’s national. Here’s what the release said:

Tioga’s relentless determination to develop the fastest race tires available results in the PowerBand – a front specific tire designed to fully capitalize on the well groomed surfaces of today’s race tracks.

The PowerBand shares many of the same design elements with the famed PowerBlock but with extra emphasis on reducing drag and minimizing rotational weight which are more critical to a front tire. The fast rolling aspect of the PowerBand is obvious. Harder to see is the improved stability made possible by a combination of the tire’s profile and the width of its center tread band. Such unique design principles let Tioga engineers adopt a smaller width casing for substantial weight savings, while at the same time enhancing all the important functionalities of a front tire. The result is a 1.85” PowerBand with performance gains shattering that of wider, heavier tires.

A true difference maker that during testing, Tioga rider Donny Robinson proclaimed the PowerBand “The best front tire I’ve ever ridden” while John ‘The Jackal’ Purse stated “The tire is awesome. It felt very secure in turns and I increased speed in 50 yard sprints.” Similar glowing feedbacks from select members of Redline Factory, GHP Factory, SE Racing and Morphine Industries reinforces that for racing on hardpacked, well maintained tracks, the PowerBand is the ultimate choice up front, and when paired with the PowerBlock, this “Power Series” is the fastest tire combo ever released by Tioga.

The PowerBand will be available in February 2010 in one size with either standard or S-Spec trim, as below.

PowerBand 20×1.85”
60 TPI Casing
UTC Rubber Compound
Steel Bead
345g; 12.17oz.

PowerBand 20×1.85” S-Spec
120 TPI Cylex Casing
UTC Rubber Compound
Folding Bead
270g; 9.52 oz.

Check out the Powerband and all the other Tioga products at www.tiogausa.com/bmx