Written on 7/12/10 by Greg Jacobs Owner and Senior Editor of Jacobs Atv Adventures & Jacobs Atv Magazine Back to Main

"Moab, UT" Pit Bull Rockers and Growlers

Both the Growlers and Rockers saw a lot of diverse terrain out in UT. Both tires tackled quite a bit of sand and they did very well. I would of liked them to sit on top of the sand a little bit more, like a sand paddle tire, but I realize one tire cannot do everything. The deep tread really dug into the sand, instead of staying on top, and slapping through it. They did fine, but they could of done better. If I rode sand full time, I would invest in a good sand paddle tire.

Mark just purchased his set of Rockers before Moab, and was anxious to test them out in Moab. Overall, Mark was very happy with the Rockers, and had no problems. He was really amazed of how well they gripped the sandstone like rocks. If anyone has ridden Moab before they know how tacky or cat tongue like the surface of the rocks are out there. Any tire with rubber does well, but when you put a tire that already has outstanding traction, it really enhances the traction in this environment. The Pit Bulls did exceptional well.

No fault of the tire I did make a rookie mistake, and tried to power through a spot when my wheel was pinched, and it came off the wheel. I will be investing in a set of beadlocks so this doesn't happen again. Other than this incindent the tires worked great.

Overall, the Pit Bulls did extremely well in Moab, and out West. My personal opinion the Pit Bulls were a little more than what I needed out in Moab. When you have smooth rocks that are like sand paper almost any tire with rubber will grip the rocks. I have ridden in terrain in which the rocks were much more jagged and rough. The rocks in Moab are like no other rocks I have ever seen or ridden before. Since there are very little trees out there the rocks are wind swept by sand 24hrs a day, which makes them smooth and textured. It does feel like a cat's tongue. The only difficult spots were in areas in which there was a lot of sand on top of the rocks, which made the traction very difficult regardless of tires.

Now, I will say I would of preferred a larger tire in this environment. I had a 25.5" or really 26" Rockers, and they did fine in most situations, but having a 27" or 28" would have been better. I normally do not like large tires for trail riding, but when I am rock crawling I ll take a larger tire any day. It just makes tackling this terrain all the easier. My next tire update will be with 27.5" Rockers, once they are released in January 2011.