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Product:                     ITP Holeshot ATR (All Terrain Radial)

Test Duration:         10/7/2005 to 10/7/2005

Tested By:               Jody Robinson

Machine:                   2004 Twin Peaks 700

Review Date:           10/7/2005

Over the last 5 or 600 miles, I have developed a strong love / hate relationship with the ITP Holeshot ATR's .  I love the grip, hate the flats.  It is a trade off.  A wise man once told me, “You want to ride the train; you got to buy a ticket.” The ATR train goes fast and corners like its on rails, but the train ride comes at a price.  They leak and the sidewalls cut easily.  They leak around the bead at 12 radial lines where the molds part during manufacturing.  I had to use a dremel tool to remove these carefully.  Then I had to apply Silicone RTV all the way around the beads on both sides to all 4 tires of mine.  That has cures the slow leak problem on all but 1.  It still leaks down in a few days.  I pinch a sidewall almost on every other ride on rock littered trails.  One of my rear tires has 5 plugs in it, 4 are in the sidewall, one is in the very outside lug.  To be fair, I probably go faster than I should, and push the tire hard, but I think that a tire should be able to take a little abuse.  OK, maybe I think they should take a lot. 

Some have said that they wobble very bad at speed and can’t go over 45 without requiring 6 to 8 ounces of balancing weights.  Mine wobble a little, but feel stable to me on pavement at 67 MPH.  I don’t ride a lot of pavement, I would say less than 5% of the time.  But in 600 miles, my rear tires are showing lots of wear.  The fronts are still very good.  I do power slide and spin a lot.  I have also been known to ride a wheelie or two.

I think that the Carlisle Badlands XTR’s may be a worthy adversary.  I have not tried these yet, but other people like them and say they do better in the mud.

Even with all the complaints, I would still probably buy these tires again.  They grip like Velcro and they offer a plush ride, without being mushy.  If you want an excellent go-fast trail tire and don’t ride in the thick mud too much, you must consider the ITP Holeshot ATR's .  They do great in “Pinnacle Creek Mud” which is named for our favorite place to ride in West Virginia.  Most of the trails around there consist of thin watery, mud holes with a hard packed bottom. 

Ratings are on a scale from 1 to 10    

Build Quality:                  5 – wobble at speed, leaks around beads’ parting lines

Durability:                     4 – thin sidewall cuts easily, wears out in 500 miles of hard riding.

Functionality:              9 - best grip out there for everything but deep, sticky mud.

Recommendation:     8 – the grip is awesome, recommended on this alone.  If you ride hard, be prepared to baby-sit these tires, constantly plugging and adding air.