New Mitas Tires for the Himalayan 450

After 2000 miles, I decided it is time to swap out the stock tires. The stock tires performed well but they are made for the street. I purchased this bike to ride more dirt/gravel/trails and those tires were just not cutting it. Unfortunately it seems that every bike I purchase, the tires are not adventure tires and need to be replaced.

I have run a few different types of tires on my bikes and honestly, I think the Mitas Enduro Trail+ (formerly called EO7+) performed the best. I like the handling on the road and was pleasantly surprised with the off road handling as well. I run about 65-75% on road and wanted a tire that sticks to the pavement but also has no issues handling the gravel and the dirt. This tire has not disappointed me in the past so I am sticking to it.

I know that we do not get great mileage on these tires (about 8000+ miles) but it is worth it. I have ridden all over the USA on these tires and was never disappointed on the handling no matter what I came across. It it very hard to find a tire that is multi-purpose but I think this tire does a great job.

I am not sure why Mitas decided to change the name. Maybe it was confusing. Looking at the old name, EO7+, what exactly does that mean. With the new name, Enduro Trail +, you have a clue that it must be some type of off road tire. It was a bit confusing at first but once I figure out that all they did was change the name, I started to look for the new tires.

Many of the places I typically buy tires from were out of stock. I did finally find a company in Colorado that had my size in stock. Like most tires, they are not real cheap. I think I got both for around $325-350 plus shipping.

Once they were installed, I took them for a test ride. Oh man how I have missed the grip of these tires when NOT on pavement. Being able to cruise along at 30-40 mph on dirt is such a confidence booster. I did hit a few areas of REALLY DEEP gravel. I had to slow down and let the tires do their thing. It is a bit unnerving riding in thick gravel as the bike tends to wander all over the place but these tires were able to get the grip they needed.

I will say that these tires are horrible in sand. I think many tires are so if you ride on more sandy roads, do not get these. In the mud they hold their own but again, I am sure there are better tires suited for thicker mud. The light mud I came across they did just fine.

On street, these stick like glue. I have never worried about cornering. They also ride nice even at higher speeds. When the tires get some mileage on them, I will admit that the rear tire tends to "square off". When cornering you may start to feel that slight ridge but it is just more unnerving....well at least to me.

I have tried many different tires and since I bought the Mitas Enduro Trail+ again, that pretty much sums up how I feel about them. Based on my driving habits and the amount of off-road vs on-road I ride, I see no reason to purchase another type of tire in the future.