With Sea Otter taking place at the Laguna Seca Raceway, it didn’t seem too odd to see huge Dunlop Tires banners around the expo area. It came as a bit of a surprise, however, to learn that Dunlop had a booth in the expo and was launching its new Geomax range of mountain bike tires. While these are the first bike tires that we’ve ever seen from the brand, I quickly learned that John Dunlop created the first “practical pneumatic tire” for his son’s tricycle in the late 1800s, which led to him founding the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company shortly after.
So, technically, Dunlop is returning to the cycling market with its new Geomax MB (mountain bike) tire range. In doing so, the brand aims to apply its decades of experience developing tires for the highest levels of motocross and supercross racing to the mountain bike market. Thus, the designs of the new Geomax MB tires borrow heavily from the brand’s MX tire design principles and rubber compounds.
At present, Dunlop has its Geomax MB tires split into two lines, both with front- and rear-specific tread designs, and offered in Downhill or Enduro casings. The Geomax MB34 line is built for maximum traction and control for aggressive riders and terrain, while the Geomax MB53 is more focused on rolling speed and efficiency. Dunlop’s tire naming may be a touch confusing, but the tires look solid.
Dunlop Geomax MB34
According to Dunlop, the Geomax MB34 “dominates soft, technical terrain with unmatched traction, control, and confidence.” These tires were designed specifically for aggressive riding and maximum traction in loose conditions and technical terrain. That’s visually obvious with the taller tread lugs, sharper edges, and generally aggressive appearance. These tires look grippy. As with Dunlop’s motocross tires (and lots of other mountain bike tires), the front and rear have significantly different tread patterns designed to handle their differing demands.
Both the front and rear MB34 tires will be available in the more robust Downhill casing with a dual-ply 60 tpi construction and a “DH Advanced Apex design” to provide sidewall support, lateral stiffness, and flat protection. The MB34 tires are also available in the more supple Enduro casing with a single-ply 60 tpi construction and an “EN Advanced Apex design” that claims to reduce rotational weight while remaining supportive and durable.
Geomax MB34F
The “F” stands for front, and the MB34F has been specifically designed for use as a front tire. According to Dunlop, “the MB34F is designed to deliver consistent, ultra-predictable handling with precise turn-in and strong mid-corner stability. Drawing from Geomax MX front tire design principles, the goal was confidence through accuracy and feel at the limit.” The MB34F comes in 29″ only with 2.4″ and 2.6″ width options.
The center tread consists of an alternating pattern of tall “soft-touch hex blocks” and larger hexagonal split blocks. According to Dunlop, the sipe, or recess, in the soft-touch hex blocks allows them to better absorb impact and damp the ride feel. At the same time, the ramped center channel in the split blocks allows them to “effectively pierce through the dirt’s surface” yet keeps the knobs together to reduce knob flex and enhance braking stability.
The intermediate zone is home to an alternating pattern of transition knobs. Half of these feature Dunlop’s PCBT (Progressive Cornering Block Technology), which refers to the small raised sections that “provide additional biting edges without sacrificing stability.” A stout row of rectangular shoulder knobs ties it all together. According to Dunlop, they’ve given the MB34F a slightly rounder side-to-side profile, which they claim provides a lighter steering feel and a larger contact patch at lean.
Geomax MB34R
Not surprisingly, the “R” stands for rear, and the MB34R is designed specifically for use as a rear tire. Dunlop says this tire “applies similar traction-first thinking from Dunlop’s motocross program, built to generate powerful forward drive and lateral bite while maximizing braking control and rear-end stability. Every knob shape, edge, and spacing decision was made to optimize ground penetration and terrain conformity.“
Looking at the MB34R’s tread, it’s quite obvious that braking traction was a big priority. The wide, rectangular paddles in the center tread are quite tall with broad faces to dig into loose soils, whether you’re on the brakes or on the gas. The intermediate zone features transition knobs with Dunlop’s PCBT to provide lateral grip and control when cornering. Likewise, the large shoulder knobs also feature the PCBT tech with extra biting edges.
Compared to the MB34F, the MB34R’s profile isn’t quite as round. The slightly flatter profile in the middle is claimed to result “in a broad accelerating and decelerating surface area.” When cornering, this emphasizes the transition and shoulder knobs, which are numerous. The MB34R comes in both 27.5″ and 29″ diameters and in 2.4″ and 2.6″ widths.
Geomax MB34 Sizes, Weights, and Pricing
MB34 Downhill Casing $110
- Geomax MB34F (Front) Downhill Casing/Ultra-soft Compound
- 29″ x 2.4″: Claimed weight: Not specified
- 29″ x 2.6″: Claimed weight: 1425g
- Geomax MB34R (Rear) Downhill Casing/Ultra-soft Compound
- 27.5″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1354g
- 27.5″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: 1442g
- 29″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1475g
- 29″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: Not specified
MB34 Enduro Casing: $100
- Geomax MB34F (Front) Enduro Casing/Ultra-soft Compound
- 29″ x 2.4″: Claimed weight: Not specified
- 29″ x 2.6″: Claimed weight: 1319g
- Geomax MB34R (Rear) Enduro Casing/Soft Compound
- 27.5″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1253g
- 27.5″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: 1272g
- 29″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1347g
- 29″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: Not specified
Dunlop Geomax MB53
While the MB34 tires were designed for maximum control, Dunlop says the MB53 tires “were engineered with rolling speed as the primary objective. The MB53 platform was built to feel fast, fluid, and controlled at high pace.” Compared to the MB34, these tires have different tread patterns, slightly shorter knobs, and ramped leading edges. Dunlop goes on to say that they “were intentionally designed to deliver a slightly looser, more progressive ‘drift’ character while maintaining forward momentum.”
The MB53 tires feature front- and rear-specific tread designs. They come in both the burlier dual-ply Downhill casing and the more supple and slightly lighter single-ply Enduro casing.
Geomax MB53F
According to Dunlop, the MB53F “features strategically distributed open spacing to support weight on hardpack while still allowing enough edge engagement to bite into intermediate terrain. The pattern promotes smooth steering input and predictable feedback at higher speeds.” The knobs are medium height with generously ramped leading edges on the alternating 1-2-2 wide-2-1 center tread pattern. The pattern leaves a fair bit of space between knobs, yet they look evenly dispersed in the intermediate zone and along the shoulder.
All of the knobs on the MB53F feature Dunlop’s PCBT tech for extra biting edges. They also state that the center knobs have Foundation Bracing, meaning they are “tied at the base to reduce knob flex and squirm under hard braking.” As with the MB34F, Dunlop has given the MB53F a rounder profile, which they claim “provides a light steering feel and larger contact patch at lean.” The MB53F comes in 29″ only, and in 2.4″ and 2.6″ widths.
Geomax MB53R
At the rear of the bike, Dunlop says the new MB53R “utilizes offset knob distribution to maintain roll efficiency at every lean angle. Transition knobs are tuned for smooth engagement, delivering controlled slides and progressive traction as the rider loads the rear tire under braking or acceleration.” This tire has a fairly substantial row of wide, but slightly offset, rectangular knobs down the middle. These have ramped leading edges and squared-off braking edges.
The intermediate zone is packed with transition knobs with Dunlop’s PCBT tech for extra biting edges, as is the row of substantial shoulder knobs. Similar to the MB34R, the tire profile has been flattened slightly in the middle to increase surface area and enhance braking and acceleration performance. The MB53R comes in both 27.5″ and 29″ diameters, and in 2.4″ and 2.6″ widths. With an emphasis on rolling speed, the MB53 tires come in Soft and Soft-Medium compounds — no Ultra-soft.
Geomax MB53 Sizes, Weights, and Pricing
MB53 Downhill Casing $110
- Geomax MB53F (Front) Downhill Casing/Soft Compound
- 29″ x 2.4″: Claimed weight: Not specified
- 29″ x 2.6″: Claimed weight: 1469g
- Geomax MB53R (Rear) Downhill Casing/Soft-Medium Compound
- 27.5″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1363g
- 27.5″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: 1381g
- 29″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1443g
- 29″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: Not specified
MB53 Enduro Casing: $100
- Geomax MB53F (Front) Enduro Casing/Soft Compound
- 29″ x 2.4″: Claimed weight: Not specified
- 29″ x 2.6″: Claimed weight: 1293g
- Geomax MB53R (Rear) Enduro Casing/Soft-Medium Compound
- 27.5″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1239g
- 27.5″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: 1309g
- 29″ x 2.4″ Claimed weight: 1343g
- 29″ x 2.6″ Claimed weight: Not specified
Dunlop Geomax MB Tires: Availability
The folks at Dunlop told us that the tires are currently in production and expected to be available in June. So, if you’re interested in trying out some new rubber, you’ll have to wait a couple more months. We’re definitely intrigued, and we’re hoping to get our hands on some for testing as soon as they’re available. In the meantime, you can check them out on Dunlop’s new bike website.
bikedunlop.com
