The Little 500 has officially switched race-issue tires from Panaracer over to Kenda, and Kenda Kwick Tendril tires will be the new choice of rubber mounted onto the Little 500 race bikes.
The Kwick Tendrils for the 2024 race will have a 35mm width -- approximately three millimeters wider than the Pasela Protite tires used in recent years.
This switch in supplier, tire size, and tread will bring a few changes to racing – weight, cornering, rolling resistance, and width/height are the most of concern.
Separate from the concerns of quality and performance of the new tire, availability also poses a challenge for riders who are looking to order spares.
The Decision to Change Tire Suppliers:
The change in tires was for a simple reason – cost and accessibility.
When I spoke to Race Director, Emily Carrico, she mentioned that the cost to import tires from Panaracer was higher than other suppliers.
Accessibility -- a problem that is still affecting the bike industry years after the COVID supply chain disruption -- also impacted the switch, too.
"Us changing manufacturers was not any commentary of the quality of Panaracer or their product," she said. "It was honestly ramifications of COVID and the supply chain, and now with our new manufacturer (State), it's about what we can get through them."
State Bicycle Co. does have access to Kenda tires, which will come with the 2024 Little 500 bikes upon distribution.
It should also be noted that Panaracer was not an official tire sponsor in the previous few years. Instead, they were a “team” sponsor, meaning that they donated a certain amount of funds to the race, and were placed on one men’s and one women’s jersey, as well as on pitboards.
As in “Panaracer could be a team sponsor this year and we could run Kenda tires [there's] no conflict because they aren’t an official tire sponsor,” according to Carrico.
So, if Panaracer were to be a team sponsor for the 2024 race, Little 500 would not miss out on any funding.
The Little Differences:
For the most part, puncture protection, in the context of TPI (threads per inch), will stay the same between the transition of tire models.
The Pasela Protites have a rating of 66tpi, while the Kwick Tendrils have 60tpi – a negligible difference.
Color is another minimal change. Those sweet, sweet gumwalls will be no more; instead, the Tendrils only come in black.
However, Kenda equipped the Tendrils with a reflective strip – an added layer of safety for those students who may need to commute or ride in the dark.
The last little difference between the Paselas and Tendrils is the tread.
Opinion: In the context
of racing on the Bill Armstrong cinders, I think that the Tendril tread is a slight improvement. The slick tread in the center will roll fast on the straightaways
and the wider, more aggressive tread on the outside will allow for faster cornering.
The Biggest Distinction
The Tendrils in their 35mm size weigh 530 grams (+-25g), while the Pasela Protites in 32mm from previous years are only 350 grams according to the Panaracer website. This means that at the Tendril’s highest weight discrepancy, they are 205 grams heavier per tire compared to the Paselas – nearly a one-pound difference for the pair.
Because of the added grams, rotational weight will be heavier and accelerations for exchanges and sprints are going to feel more sluggish.
There is a benefit, however, that comes with the added width: the effective rollout of the tire will be greater by some degree.
I was hoping to get my hands on some new Tendrils in order to measure the width and height of the mounted tire, but the race directors have not yet ordered them to the Wilcox house.
I wish I could do a simple calculation to tell what the new wheel diameter and rollout would be, but tread thickness and inner rim width could totally change the answer -- we will only know with tires on-hand (and on rim).
Different Tires for
Different Events?
This creates the option to pick either the Tendril or the Pasela depending on the style of event and track conditions during Fall and Spring series races.
I suspect riders will want to choose the lighter Pasela tires for events that value quick accelerations, like the Fall street sprints and cyclocross. Depending on their rollout, the Tendrils could be good for all other events (Scratch, Miss & Out, Bloomington Classic, ITTs).
Tire Clearance
With the addition of wider tires to the race, the official bike suppliers, State Bicycle Co., will need to update the effective tire clearance that the framesets allow.
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| 2024 frame design by Jack Lloyd |
Carrico mentioned that the new frames with allowance for the 35mm tires are currently being finalized, followed then by production; the new frames are expected to arrive in late February.
Availability -- or Lack Thereof?
However, the availability of Kenda Kwick Tendril tires is actually quite sparce.
JBI, one of the main distributors that bicycle shops order parts from, does stock Kenda Tendril tires -- but not in the right sizes. 700c-sized Tendril tires are not advertised on their website, so shops that rely on JBI won’t be able to sell them to riders.
Riders may have to resort to ordering online from smaller shops if they want spares.
"I know how resourceful our Little 500 community and riders are, so I'm positive we'll figure it out," said Carrico.
The Bikesmiths website (not to be confused with the Bikesmiths bike shop in Bloomington) currently has Kenda Kwick Tendril tires on sale for $17 per unit, with a $7 shipping charge to Bloomington on a two-week estimated shipping time.
Again -- teams can still expect to receive a pair of Tendril tires along with their State Bicycle during the time of distribution during Spring semester.
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