Dunlop Tyres They're rubbery, they're round, and highly developed!

Dunlop is a name that's been huge in tyres over the years.
We've seen their logo on every race track and a trip down the M6 isn't complete without seeing the old Fort Dunlop building.
It's an iconic name with a rich history.

My favourite thing about Dunlop is ....... innovation.

The first practical pneumatic tyre was invented in 1888 by John Boyd Dunlop of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1888.
He is the true daddy of modern tyres.

And now.. my favourite Dunlop fact before we look at some of their wares.

Dunlop also developed the disc brake! Firstly for aircraft, then for cars. Working in conjuction with Jaguar, they made opposing piston hyrdraulic disk brakes.
These brakes helped the Jaguar D-Type get Le Mans race wins in 1955, 1956 and 1957.

So Dunlop tyres aren't just round rubber, they're research, development, tested and proven.

Lets see some of the range:

I'm going to unashamedly start with my favourite Dunlop tyre, it's my blog, I can do what I want!

Dunlop Trailmax Raid.
It's classed as a 50/50 tyre, meaning it's designed for 50% road use, and 50% off road use... which is the muddy rocky end of off roading. A proper aggressive off road tyre. I previously wrote a blog about them where I made the mad claim they should be called a 60/50 tyre ... the maths doesn't add up but it recognizes that a tyre this aggressive is actually very happy on the road.

These 50/50, 70/30 ratings can always be subjective, what one company call a 50/50, another company might call a 70/30 .. so take it as a guide only.

So rivals to the Raid:
Bridgestone AX41 - super aggressive but despite the price being approx £20 less per pair.. people buy the Raids, lots of people buy the Raids.
Mitas Enduro Trail XT+ - another very popular ADV tyre, known for being great off road, perhaps not as good on the road as the Raid, available in standard version and a tougher carcass Dakar version, these sell well .... too well.... which means stock can be sporadic.
Continental TKC80 Twinduro (Gen2) - The original TKC80 tyre has been around for yonks, released in 1985 they were not updated for 40 years! Not because Conti are lazy, but because they got them right! The Gen 2 version has some minor tweaks, but it's hard to improve on near-perfection. Pricewise, they are slightly cheaper than the Raids, making it a tough choice between them.

Trailmax Meridian
A 90/10 ADV tyre, so aimed at spending most of their time on the road. The Meridian as an under-the-radar tyre for us. We sell them, they go out of the door but not in large enough numbers for us to say 'wow we sell a lot of those' like we do with the Raid, but they do sell, and they do sell more than we think.

These are a highly developed tyre, which means they have a lot of marketing buzz words. I ride a Kawasaki so I'm used to this!
‘ice-ax’ tread pattern
Rayon Ply tyre casing
State of the art compounds and resin blends
Multi-Tread (MT) technology

All in all, fast warm up time, better grip across a broader range of weathers, and longer tyre life. It's a win win win!

The reason these are an under-the-radar-tyre for us, is because they face tough competition:
Conti Trail Attack 3 - sell in good numbers, a premium tyre at a premium price but well trusted and respected. Similar price to Meridian.
Bridgestone A41 - also sell well, known for excellent grip with the deserved Bridgestone reputation. Similar price to Meridian.
Pirelli Scorpion Trail 3 - are the most expensive premium option, excellent tyre, razor sharp handling, too expensive?

I've done very little MX riding, very very little. I did jump my MX bike once... 1 inch high, 8 inches distanced... IT STILL COUNTS!
What I'm saying is ... my knowledge on MX tyres is not based on experience, but I deal with them on a daily basis and I know what I like.

And I do like the Dunlop MX range:

Geomax MX34 - Soft to Medium terrain