Tire review: Geax Saguaro White Collection


I’ve spent fall and winter these sweet whitewalls, and it’s time to tell you about them.

The tire

The Saguaro is Geax’s general medium/hard tire. It has a central ridge for fast rolling and stepped, open side knobs for consistent cornering. All of the knobs are low and well supported. This translates to a firm, connected feel with the ground.

The TNT (tube/no tube) model is UST ready. Its Aramid Racing 3D Compound has a hardness of 60A — a compromise between hard/fast and soft/slow. It’s a big 2.2 — as big as a Maxxis 2.5

The Saguaro White Collection is a TNT Saguaro with a more durable casing, added sidewall protection, and butyl inserts on the bead. It’s basically a burly Saguaro. This extra burliness weighs about 90 grams. Saguaro TNT: 700 grams. Saguaro White Collection: 790 grams.

The entire White Collection consists of the Tattoo 2.2 for street and park; the Saguaro 2.2 for medium/hard terrain and the Lobo Mas Loco 2.5 for loose/medium FR/DH.

And let’s not forget that white sidewall!

The ride

I’ve had these tires on my P.3 since October. That means lots of pavement, some pump, some jump, some DS, some urban and a bit of trail.

– I can feel the increased weight compared with the ultra-light Specialized tires I was running. But: I flatted those tires a lot, and I haven’t flatted the Saguaro yet. I’m running light tubes. Nothing fancy.

– These tires roll pretty fast. Not crazy-fast. Not slow. Pretty fast.

– I do a lot of aggressive corner-pumping on flat pavement, which folds the knobs of most tires. The Specializeds and Maxxi bend and squirm and drift until the rubber and asphalt molecules come to an agreement. The Saguaro White feels very stable. There is no squirm; the tire holds firmly then starts to drift. What this means: You can ride these tires VERY hard with high confidence. Pump Track Nation.

– Surfaces. Pavement is good. Hardpacked dirt is great. Loose over hardpack is great. Loam is great. Big rocks are good. (Cold/packed snow is pretty good. Slush is bad. Ice is terrible! Hey, we’re having a heavy winter here in Colorado.)

– The rubber seems to last forever. Three months of riding, and the knobs still look perfect. Am I getting weak?

– And let’s not forget that white sidewall!




Impressive braking traction, even on very loose dirt. Perfect technique doesn’t hurt. From Camp Darner 2007.


For dirt jumping you want speed, stability, durability and pimp daddy style. Check, check, check and check.

To sum it up

I’ve been riding these tires a few days a week for about three months, and I like ’em. They’re a good match for my P.3 — just hop on and ride. Pump, jump, commute, hill intervals, whatever. For DS racing I might rock something lighter with stickier rubber. But for everyday riding in a wide range of conditions, these tires are rocking hard.

If you want a pretty-fast, pretty-light, very durable tire for all-around hardpacked fun, the Saguaro White is a good choice.

And let’s not forget that white sidewall!

I look forward to trying the Lobo Mas Loco 2.5 for DH. Stay tuned …


12 replies
  1. Chris says:

    I’m speccing a set of wheels that are going to the North American Handmade Bike Show. I think I just found the tire that would set off my custom-anodized rims!

  2. Bob Burnes says:

    But how does the white wall clean up??? (For the OCD people in the house)Does it chip, dull, yellow after extended use or can those suckers be cleaned up?

  3. leelikesbikes says:

    Clean so far, and I’m terrible about cleaning my bikes.

    My OCD goes in a different direction … You’re reading it right now. 🙂

  4. Ray says:

    I have been riding the white Saguaro for 3 months in Oklahoma red dirt and they still look clean! I have not washed the tires once!

  5. Chris says:

    Chris, if Lee allows it, I will paste a link on this thread, though tentatively because I’m not sure if they will pass muster from all you guys and gals. Its taken a lot of advice (from the wheel builder and a Pro Norba/WC racer friend) and research and lots of anguish to even get to the final spec. And its not changing.

    I’m using a blue Industry Nine hub with a matching anodized Mavic 819. They are lightest rim I’m prepared to use (I’ll keep my current and less expensive set of wheels for park use). They are not as sexy as some of the newer Mavic Rims (like EX 721, 2nd choice). The other thing the gaggle may not approve of is that I am getting a twisted spoke design (in black) but the pros outweigh the cons and these wheels were designed to look cool. Finished wheelset should be just under 1800 grams. The I9 hubs are the new King hubs (I hope). The hub logos are white so I was looking at a way to accentuate them. Hello Geax! My friend did a set of pink King hubs for his girlfriend with matching rims and black spokes and they look sweet which is why I doing mine that way. If you are going to spend that much, might as well go the whole hog. I have to sell a whole bike to justify the purchase, hence the anguish cause I love my Trance. But I love my Reign more!

  6. leelikesbikes says:

    Hey Chris, sounds like fun. Post away.

    BTW: I plan to put these tires on the new Stumpy, tubeless style, and test them for aggressive XC in the rocks.

  7. Tjaard says:

    Let us know what that’s like. They sound like just what I was looking for. I want a bike camping tire: needs to be tough and tubeless-ready, so I can run sealant and not worry about my tires. Needs to be a good size, to handle my weight + camping gear plus banging into stuff on account of not being able to pick the bike up very easy. Needs to be pretty fast rolling (it;s hard enough uphill with the extra weight) and predictable under heavy cornering.
    Check, check and check!

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