In light of the larger diameter of 29er wheels, making a smart tire choice for race day can make all the difference. For dry, fast conditions you'd be hard pressed to find one better than the Schwalbe Furious Fred TL Ready 29. It's built for speed -- a minimalistic tread down the center makes for a wicked-fast rolling experience, while low but sharp diamond shaped knobs provide enough traction to guide you through the corners.

The Furious Fred uses Schwalbe's PaceStar Triple Compound technology, their fastest compounding blend. Their engineers recognize that it's not possible for one compound to do it all, so they've combined three to optimize the tire's performance. The tread is built with a firm rubber base layer to give the tire structure and maintain the fast-rolling characteristics. Overlying that, in the center, is a medium rubber that affords driving traction without making the tire slow. Finally, the shoulders use a medium soft compound so that the shoulder knobs can bite into the trail when you lean into corners.

The tire is designed to be tubeless ready (TL), which means you can say goodbye to pinch flats. A tubeless system allows you to run less air pressure, again enhancing the grip of the tire's tread. Better traction, less vibration, and no flats lead to a great ride. It's necessary to use a liquid sealant within the tire to seal the bead and to protect against thorn or debris punctures.

The Schwalbe Furious Fred TL Ready 29 is available as a 29 x 2.0 only. Please Note: Schwalbe states very clearly that this tire is a race tire -- designed to be extremely light. Therefore it's more susceptible to puncture than their other offerings. Save it for race days.

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