CST Rock Hawk 29x2.4 – Tire for aggressive riding

The first of the four CST tires that I mounted on my bike for a test back in early spring is the Rock Hawk. I don’t know how much its name relates to the intended use by the manufacturer, but this model has a relatively aggressive tread pattern that seems suitable for a wide range of conditions.

To start, let me quickly recall its main characteristics:
Size: 29x2.4 / 61-622
Weight: 966 grams
Price: 59.90 BGN
The casing has a weave density of 60 tpi and features puncture protection called EPS. The bead is foldable, and the tread is dual-compound. The tire is suitable for tubeless use.

Unfortunately, the only information available from the manufacturer is in this telegraphic style. I couldn’t find any details about the durometer (hardness of the rubber compound), the EPS protection, etc. On the tire sidewalls, there is a Nylon inscription, which should mean that this polymer material is used in some way in the rubber compound and/or casing – probably to provide more strength and durability. When pressing the knobs, you can feel that the side knobs are made of a slightly softer material compared to the central ones, but overall the rubber compounds used by CST feel harder to the touch than those of Maxxis (I mention this brand as an example because it is well known among users, and on top of that, the actual owner/manufacturer of their tires is CST). If I may venture a guess, based on the dual-compound tread of my previous Maxxis tires, where the central knobs have a durometer of 60a and the side knobs 50a, then for CST the durometer values are probably 60a or 62a for the side knobs and 70a for the central ones. Again, this is just my assumption! As for the EPS protection, it is probably an additional layer of some puncture and tear-resistant material, similar to Maxxis’s EXO construction.

You can read the full text and Lyubomir Botusharov’s impressions from the Rock Hawk tests in the article published on mtb-bg.com.

Text and photos: Lyubomir Botusharov