KENDA PINNER PRO TRAIL CASING TIRE REVIEW
LIGHT, FAST AND PREDICTABLE
Words & Photos by Cole Gregg
Kenda was founded in 1962 under the name “Kenda Rubber”, their early days were spent making tires for motorcycles, lawn mowers and trailers. In 1991 the US base arm opened in Columbus Ohio helping expand the brand across North America. We now have 12 different MTB tire options to choose from across a variety of disciplines. Their $79.95 Pinner Pro ATC and SCT is what we will be focusing on for this review!
ABOUT THE KENDA PINNER PRO
The Pinner line of tires have been developed for use under a variety of bikes, thanks to their different casing options underneath the same versatile tread. The long rectangular 2×2 center tread pattern with minimal gaps allows the tire to offer a large contact patch on the ground. The side knobs are all the same shape, with a slightly staggered inboard offset to aid in cornering predictability. All side knobs feature center siping, while the center knobs alternate with every other set being siped.
When it comes to casings, there are 3 different options for the Pinner: AGC, ATC and SCT. The AGC casing is Kenda’s DH “Advanced Gravity Casing”, and uses their tackiest rubber compound. This tire is offered in both 27.5” and 29” variations, with a 2.4” width and a TPI of 60. The ATC Casing “Advanced Trail Casing” is 300 grams lighter than the AGC in a 29” option. While there is less puncture resistance in the ATC, it makes up for it in weight and rolling speed. This casing sees a step up to 120tpi. And is also offered in the same size configurations. Losing an additional 48 grams is the SCT, the lightest casing offered in the Pinner Pro. This casing is focused solely on trail and XC riding, whereas the ATC casing is more of an all mountain variant. Both the ATC and SCT are also offered in a 2.6” width.
These tires are aimed at drier conditions riding, from rocky terrain to loose soil over a hardpack base. The Dual Layer compound sees the center knobs with a harder fast rolling durometer and the side knobs with a softer compound aiding in corner grip. All casings receive a Kevlar folding bead and are of course tubeless ready. They also may just have the coolest looking sidewalls with a nifty graphic etched into the mold – style points for sure.
THE DIRT
INSTALL | Getting these tires on my 30mm wide wheels was a breeze. The SCT needed next to no effort pushing the final bit of the bead over the rim and the ATC only needed a ¼ can of elbow grease to slip over. No tire levers were needed to get these guys on. With that said, you would expect seating them to be a bit more of a challenge, but I was able to use my regular old floor pump to handle the task.
SETUP | I began by running my usual 26 psi rear in the Pinner Pro SCT and 23psi front in the Pinner Pro ATC. For reference I am around 172lbs with all my gear. After my first ride I had experienced quite a bit of front tire roll, so opted to increase the pressures 2 psi on each end, making a a notable difference. When compared to say the Maxxis EXO and EXO+ casing the Pinners land on the squirmier side, but do not lack any traction when pushing hard. The SCT in particular is a fair bit lighter on the scales.
CLIMBING PERFORMANCE | One of the biggest things I look for in a tire is the initial bite, and the Pinner Pro does this very well. When you first lay that power down, you don’t get that kind of initial slip or loss of traction, which is especially nice here on the kitty litter dirt at Beacon Hil. I use every ounce of energy I can just to stay balanced when I’m losing traction, and that’s not a problem I had with these. I have said it before that I’m not a great climber, but I do have my moments of greatness, and I had more moments of greatness on these than I think any other tire this year. That initial bite, thanks to the longer knob profile, really provided a lot of tire contact on rocks and loose terrain, but I never found that it gave too much resistance when pedaling.
Rolling speed was really good, even at lower tire pressures that I briefly experimented with. When it comes to laying the power down going uphill, I am very impressed. When it comes to longer sustained fire road climbs, flat traverses, things like that, the rolling speed on these tires is awesome. That traction you get on that initial bite when going up steep stuff doesn’t impact how much roll speed you have when the trail is not as steep. As far as a climbing tire goes this definitely ranks up there among the best aggressive trail mountain bike tires in my opinion. With that said all my riding was done in dry conditions. I do expect some drawbacks on steeper pushes that require more dig out of the knobs, but this tire is also not meant for those types of conditions.
DESCENDING PERFORMANCE | When it comes to getting the Kenda Pinner Pro ACT and SCT tires pointed downhill, the climbing traction confidence directly applies to going downhill, especially under braking. I was amazed at my first ride on how much braking traction these tires had. We have a pretty steep chute into a hard left hander that is very loose over hard, and I immediately noticed that I hit the brakes way too early. It was definitely a little bit of a learning curve on these tires compared to the Maxxis Assegai and Minion DHRII combo I normally run. The braking traction is stellar.
After you have mustered up enough nerve to let off the brakes, when you pitch these tires into the corner, that non-staggered 2×2 lug profile gives a really nice transition over to the side knobs. There’s no hard on off feeling, especially with a 2.6” wide tire up front, which typically would not be my preference. I think for the riders who really enjoy a 2.6” tire, the Pinner may just be your favorite. There’s so much tire contact on the dirt when it comes to loose over hard, rock and rooty terrain. But then when you look at softer terrain and sloppier conditions, those lugs aren’t going to dig in and penetrate into the soil as well as some taller lug tires. I was able to ride a freshly cut trail and found there to be some vagueness when it came to finding the bite, especially when encountering off camber sections.
When it comes to hard pack terrain, kitty litter and even roots there is plenty of traction on hand. The only thing I really think that holds you back with these tires is your skill and your bravery going into corners. Speaking of corners and sidewall support, I did find that these tires were a bit softer on the sidewalls, compared to other offerings in the trail category. That is why I rode about 2 psi more than normal. Kenda did mention to us that these are trail tires and to ride accordingly. I was making sure to think about these tires as if they were under a trail bike – within their intended use case – but getting carried away and riding more challenging terrain is almost inevitable. When riding them within their intended use case, there were not a ton of drawbacks for me other than just learning a new tread pattern and compound. The Kenda Pinner Pro is a tire I could easily live with every day here in the Inland NW.
The Wolf’s Last Word
The Kenda Pinner Pro ACT and SCT excelled in many different types of dirt, especially loose over hard on the blown out late summer trails. The casings we had on test would make a great addition to light to medium duty trail bike for a rider looking to maximize miles and save on some weight without sacrificing traction. 
Price: $79.95
Website: Kendatire.com
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