By Nick Legan

You might know Goodyear from its motor vehicle tires, or from its ubiquitous blimps that menace the skies above football stadiums. Based in Akron, Ohio, Goodyear started in 1898 with an eclectic mix of products including bicycle and carriage tires, rubber horseshoe pads, and poker chips. Goodyear also has extensive aviation history, producing airplane and aerospace tires. Now Goodyear is finally returning to its roots with a full line of cycling tires.

Instead of dipping a toe in the bicycle tire waters, Goodyear has instead jumped into the deep end with a complete line of touring, city, road, gravel, and mountain bike options. As you read this, select retailers will have the new tires on shelves with distribution via Hawley in the United States and Lambert in Canada.

With city and touring tires that are set up to challenge Schwalbe’s Marathon series, the Goodyear’s Transit series looks impressive at first blush. We have a set in for testing and will report back after some time aboard them.

Here’s an overview of the entire range.

Transit Series

Designed for urban riding and touring, the Transit series is designed with an emphasis on durability and puncture protection. There are two tire models in the series, the Transit Speed and the Transit Tour, and both are offered in three different constructions. All of them feature reflective sidewalls. See below for additional details.

Transit Speed - Made with a fast-rolling tread for urban bike paths.

Sizes: 700c x 35mm, 40mm, 50mm

Casings:

- Tubeless Complete Casing– folding tubeless bead, bead-to-bead protective breaker, multicompound tread with Silica4 compound for wet weather traction

- Secure Casing– wire bead, 5mm breaker under tread, and sidewall protection

- S3 Casing– wire bead, 3mm breaker under tread

Pricing: $40 S3, $50 Secure, $60 Tubeless Complete

Transit Tour – Based on Goodyear Assurance automobile tires. Features a tread pattern with deeper siping and increased traction

Sizes: 700c x 35mm, 40mm, 50mm and 27.5 x 2.0in.

Casings:

- Tubeless Complete Casing– folding tubeless bead, bead-to-bead protective breaker, multicompound tread with Silica4 compound for wet weather traction

- Secure Casing– wire bead, 5mm breaker under tread, and sidewall protection

- S3 Casing– wire bead, 3mm breaker under tread

Pricing: $40 S3 casing, $50 Secure casing, $60 Tubeless Complete casing

Road

The Eagle All-Season is the only tire in the Goodyear road tire line. It features Goodyear’s DYNAMIC: Silica4 compound, a smooth center section, and side siping for good all-weather performance. Only offered in Goodyear’s Tubeless Complete casing, the Eagle receives R:Armor protection as well. Sizes offered are 700c x 25mm, 28mm, 30mm, and 32mm. For light touring or weekend rides, the Eagle All-Season could be a good option. All sizes retail for $70.

All Terrain

Somewhat inexplicably, Goodyear is calling its gravel line “All Terrain.” Most would hear that and think mountain bike, but not so with Goodyear. On offer are two models, the County and the Connector.

County – With a smooth center section and progressive side knobs, the County is the go-fast gravel tire from Goodyear. It is available in both a Premium and an Ultimate casing, with the latter a lighter, suppler, more puncture resistant option. It is offered with a Tubeless Complete casing featuring Full Protection R:Armor in a 700c x 35mm width. Retail is $60 for the Premium construction and $70 for the Ultimate.

Connector – The Connector is Goodyear’s larger volume tire at 700c x 40mm. It has a series of small, tightly packed knobs in its center and more widely spaced knobs for cornering traction. As expected, it is offered in a Tubeless Complete casing with full, bead-to-bead protection. As with the County, the Connector comes in a $60 Premium and a $70 Ultimate casing.

Mountain

With four tires, two constructions, and three casing options, Goodyear’s mountain line is its most difficult to navigate. Along the way though it appears to provide a broad range of options for the diverse needs of mountain bikers. The range receives model-specific compounding and uses Goodyear’s Tubeless Complete throughout. Likewise, the entire line is eBike rated.

Peak – A purebred cross-country tire, the Peak uses Goodyear’s Tubeless Complete casing and Dynamic: A/T compound and a lightweight, single-ply casing. The Peak is offered in the more expensive Ultimate construction as well as the more affordable Premium construction. The extra cost delivers a lighter, suppler tire.

Sizes: 27.5 x 2.2in. and 29 x 2.2in.

Casings: Single ply

Constructions: Premium and Ultimate

Pricing: $60 Premium, $70 Ultimate

Escape – The Escape is Goodyear’s trail tire. It is designed for a wide range of trail conditions and features widely spaced, square knobs for good all-around traction. The Escape uses DYNAMIC: R/T compounding and comes in 2.35in. and 2.6in. widths. While the 2.35in. sizes use a standard, single-ply construction, a heavier EN casing with 1.5 plies is used on the wider 2.6in. versions.

Sizes: 27.5 x 2.35in., 2.6in. and 29 x 2.35in., 2.6in.

Casings: Size-specific single ply (2.35in.) and EN 1.5 ply (2.6in.)

Constructions: Premium and Ultimate

Pricing: 2.35in. - $65 Premium, $75 Ultimate

   2.6in.  - $70 EN Premium, $80 EN Ultimate

Newton

The Newton is one half of Goodyear’s gravity mountain bike tire line. It can be used front or rear, or as a rear paired with the Newton ST up front. It comes in 2.4in. and 2.6in. widths and Goodyear’s 1.5-ply EN casing and a burlier 2-ply DH casing. The DH casing is only offered in the Ultimate construction to maximize traction.

Sizes: 27.5 x 2.4in., 2.6in. and 29 x 2.4in., 2.6in.

Casings: EN 1.5 ply, DH 2-ply
Constructions: Premium and Ultimate

Pricing: EN Premium $70, EN Ultimate $80, DH Ultimate $90

Newton ST

The Newton ST rounds out the gravity line with its front-specific tread pattern. The ST is offered in the same sizes as the Newton and features the same construction and casing options. Goodyear recommends the EN casing when trail feel is a priority and the DH casing for aggressive riding and increased durability.

Sizes: 27.5 x 2.4in., 2.6in. and 29 x 2.4in., 2.6in.

Casings: EN 1.5 ply, DH 2-ply
Constructions: Premium and Ultimate

Pricing: EN Premium $70, EN Ultimate $80, DH Ultimate $90

Nick Legan is the Technical Editor of Adventure Cyclist.