Kenda Flintridge Pro Tires: Getting Rolling

Kenda Flintridge Pro Tires: Getting Rolling- by Guitar Ted

The tires for gravel/adventure bikes just keep popping up, but we’re going to take a step backward in this review and cover a tire that has been around for a couple of years, at least. That tire is the Kenda Flintridge Pro, and if you long time readers seem to remember that we had a post on this tire at one time, you would be correct. We had a review started, but it never was completed, and that’s not good. So, instead of trying to revive that, I wanted to clear the slate and just reset to the beginning here on this tire for gravel travel.

The Kenda Flintridge Pro tire.

What It Is: The Flintridge was designed with the toughest gravel in mind and some of that sort of crushed rock can be found in the Flint Hills of Kansas, home to the Dirty Kanza 200. Here is what the Kenda website page for the Flintridge has to say about it:


Born in the hills of Kansas, the Flintridge takes its name from the local sharp jagged rocks. Hones to perfection with a smooth centerline tread pattern that is equally at home on pavement and hard pack. The Flintridge shifts from the fast rolling center to the grippy transition and shoulder knobs for control in loose rock and even mud. The KSCT casing does double duty , reinforcing the sidewalls of the tire with a woven shield to prevent slashes and abrasions while optimizing the casing for fast and easy tubeless conversion.

    • A gravel crushing tire to rule them all.
    • KSCT casing for tubeless conversion and sidewall reinforcement.
    • Reflective Hot Patch on the tire adds visibility in low light situations


The tread pattern is somewhat reminiscent of the Panaracer Gravel King, with its stubby little nubs which flank a more compact center line of blocks. The shoulder knobs are a bit longer and narrow but not as aggressive and blocky as we’ve seen on some other gravel oriented tires.

The Flintridge Pro is available in 700c X 35mm or 700c X 40mm sizes in two versions each for a total of four models in the range. Casing technologies include Kenda’s “SCT” for two of the options in the range, a sidewall ply which is added to aid in the tire’s ability to be set up tubeless and also has the side benefit of being a protective barrier. The other two tires in the range get the “TR” tubeless ready bead treatment only. The entire range features Kenda’s “DTC” dual rubber compound tread which is a “L3R Pro center with a “Stick-E” compound on the sides for better cornering traction. Finally, the casing features the “RHP”, or reflective hot patch, which means the logos on the tires reflect light in the dark. (They definitely do this!)

What the website doesn’t necessarily tell us, but was quite obvious out of the box, was that there is a puncture protection belt under the tread as well, because that area of the tire is as stiff as a board when you handle the tire the first time. In fact, it makes the entire tread area want to lay flat, instead of crowning up. It is very noticeable. Our samples were the 700 X 40mm with the KSCT, DTC, and RHP technologies. Claimed weights for this particular model is in the range of 515 grams plus or minus 26 grams. Our samples weighed in on the lighter end of this range at 480gm/490gm. Right in the claimed ballpark for weight.

Flintridge Pro
The puncture protection belt is so stiff in the Flintridge samples we received that the tread area wanted to stay flat, which in turn caused mounting issues.

Tubeless Performance: When mounting tubeless tires there are certain procedures and techniques used to be successful. I have been setting up tubeless tires of all sorts for a decade now, but this Flintridge caused me to question everything I knew about setting up tubeless tires. I expect some amount of wrangling and accept that as “the norm” these days. It is rare when you get a combination of rim and tire that just pumps up with a floor pump, although, I will say that has been happening with more regularity within the last five years. It would seem that tubeless tire and rim technology is finally maturing into something almost “easy” for anyone to do. That said, the Kenda Flintridge is now the hardest tire to set up tubeless that I have tried yet.

That title used to belong to the Maxxis Rambler, but when I discovered a little trick it wasn’t a big deal anymore, however, no tricks worked with the Flintridge until I hit upon the right rim combination. I tried three different rims I have here, which I test all the tires I get on, and the Flintridge stubbornly said, “No!” to being set up on them. Finally, after almost giving up on this tire, I received another set of Irwin Cycling wheels in 700c to test, (look for the intro soon), and with a bit of fussing, they set up.

My opinion is that the Flintridge’s casing shares a common trait with the Rambler’s which is a very stiff section of the casing. That in turn made setting the tire up tubeless a chore. In the case of the Flintridge, it was the puncture protection belt under the tread area which led to the side walls not wanting to budge, even when hit by the blast of an air compressor. I tried two different ones at one point during the process. So, the Flintridge is a very difficult tire to get to mount up tubeless unless you happen to hit on the right rim combination. I can say that WTB, HED, and Velocity rims I have were not good choices. Only the Irwin Cycling wheels seemed to make the process, “normal”, and it was a dramatically different experience with those wheels. The tighter the initial interface, the better for this tire.

Once set up tubeless, the tires hold air very well. So, that mounting process seems to have been the only fly in the ointment for me. After setting for a day at 40psi, the tires measured 42mm wide on the Irwin Cycling rims which are 21mm inner dimension rims. So, if you have a bike that is rated for 40mm tires, as many are, this one might max you out. Keep in mind that a wider inner rim dimension will make the tire you mount on it a bit wider.

First Impressions: The Flintridge Pro has that reflective logo which really jumps off the tire when you have light hit it in low light situations. That’s a nice touch. The tires look good on the bike and at 40psi rear, 38psi front they seemed to roll fine. These tires did not immediately impress me with speed or with high rolling resistance. Just a good, solid feeling tire so far. On my initial test ride I did notice that the tread pattern can grab onto little bits of stone and fling them here and there. I was riding on some pretty deteriorated gravel though, so I’ll have to make a call on this later when I get out on my regular test loops in the country. No real glaringly good or bad things going on here yet, so stay tuned for more as I get more miles on these and come back with a Checkpoint article. Also, our contributor, MG, will be trying out these tires soon, so look for a post from him and his take on the Flintridge Pro later this Spring.

So Far…… The Flintridge Pro is a tire made to withstand some nasty gravel and paved road gremlins, but with that protection comes a price. In this case, a very difficult mounting process, unless you happen upon a rim that mates with the Flintridge more tightly than most. Beyond that it seems that this tire is a good, solid feeling tire that does everything well, but hasn’t shown me anything exceptional……..yet. Stay tuned………

Note: Kenda Tires sent over the Flintridge Pro tires at no charge for test and review. We were not paid, nor bribed for this review and we strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

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Author: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted hails from Iowa. Home of over 70,000 miles of gravel and back roads. An inaugural member of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame and Co-creator of Trans Iowa in late 2004- Guitar Ted has been at the forefront of the growth of gravel events and riding since then. Creator of Gravel Grinder News in 2008, he produced the premier calendar of gravel and back road events. GT joined forces with Riding Gravel in late 2014.

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18 thoughts on “Kenda Flintridge Pro Tires: Getting Rolling

  1. Hmm. The Flintridge is one of the more popular tires in my circle, with a reputation for being super durable & long-wearing. I’ve never heard of or had problems inflating mine, but maybe I got lucky. American Classic and Industry Nine rims, both 24mm inner. Usually beaded up with a floor pump, sometimes with a quick blast if it was straight out if the packaging.
    The vanity sizing thing is annoying but seems to be common; mine measure 43mm for the 40 and 38mm for the 35.
    I have noticed I need to run the tires a little lower than what I’d think I should for a tire this size, probably due to that rigid puncture protection layer.

  2. Interesting. I mounted a pair of Maxxis Ramblers last summer and I was amazed at how easily they set the bead. I mean, nearly effortless. So easy in fact that, out of curiosity, I let them set overnight before adding any sealant. They hadn’t lost any pressure when I checked in the morning.

    I just picked up a pair of Flintridge Pros, we’ll see how that goes.

    1. @Mike Spencer- Yeah, we’ve heard stories like yours before about the Rambler and this Flintridge, That’s how it should be in 2018 every time for everyone. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. We’ve also gotten many comments on this tire and the Rambler (and even some from seasoned mechanics), that paint a different picture.

      There are reasons for this, but this comment box isn’t the place to get into that. Just be aware that we are listening and we don’t just post stuff with deaf ears to the experiences of others. Thanks for adding yours here.

  3. I’m looking forward to trying these out… I agree with Kevin’s comment about sizing: it’d be much nicer if tire manufacturers listed the actual size that resulted, not the size they were trying to hit initially. It seems there’s some inconsistency there that makes it hard to buy with confidence when your bike maxes out at 40-42c for clearance.

    1. Worth noting that the advertised width is simply the measurement across the casing divided by 2.5. If you want to know if an advertised width is honest, measure that. Rim widths will change a tyres inflated width.

      1. @Nick H- “Advertised Width” is just that. Real world width is what matters. Tires stretch oftentimes after mounting. Your formula doesn’t account for this. Note- We gave you an inner rim width so riders can judge for themselves what they might get for a real world width when and if they purchase Kenda Flintridge Pro tires.

  4. No problems mounting on Hed Belgium+, but they are stiff and slow. Fine for training, not for any of my races, even the sharp, nasty stuff. I’ll stick with Schwalbe G One and Compass Barlow Pass.

    Agreed that Ramblers are a total PITA to mount and their quality sucks (had to return one, the other 2 failed from casing defects <1000 miles in). Strange that for mtb I race on Ardent Race and Icons, love them and they are great in all ways.

    1. I ended up buying a set of these in 40mm on a great sale as a training tire for my other gravel bike with more clearance. My original comments were for the 35mm.

      35mm mounted on Belgium plus measure >36mm. 40mm on Belgium plus <40mm. Both at 40psi. Interesting.

      1. 96 miles/60 gravel this past Saturday on these. I like them a lot better in 40 than 35 (same rims, hubs, spoke count). 37 front/44 rear, 162lbs. Still slow-ish, but better flex and ride in 40mm.

  5. I found the Flintridge PRO tires to set up quickly and without any blow outs on my MAVIC Crossmax 29 Wheelset and have ridden roughly 2K Miles on this set. I found the tires to be relatively fast rollers and very confident in may conditions from Single Track to broken pavement and of course plenty of gravel. I swapped out my Clement MSO 40’s for the Flintridge PRO jright before DK 100 last year and have not had any issues. Just got another pair. Great tires and super reasonably priced. Set up Tubeless easily.

  6. I had a post here not sure if it got lost or what. No problems setting the Flintridge Pro’s up on the 2016 Raleigh Tamland 1 stock rims. They worked well in the Pony Express 75 miler which yes had sharp flint.

    1. @Larry Brenize- The original post got flagged because it was an exact duplicate of a post by another IP address and that post had an external URL attached to it. That post was also flagged. Those posts were not anything like your latest comment here, by the way.

      We’re pretty suspicious of posts like that, so to be on the safe side both got axed.

  7. caps not working here pretty sure the other posts were mine. i went into detail on how at the beginning of the pony express ride i picked my lines with the flintridge pro tires in the beginning. as the race/ride went on and i gained confidence in the tires i no longer picked my lines. i also said i saw lots of flats at the pony express ride but most/all were with riders that were trying to run what looked like the skinny/hybrid looking tires.

  8. ted i have been having laptop issues here at my end. the url heading on the post was probably because i sent it from work. i will try and remember that and not send any from work anymore. thanks for all your hard work on this site.

  9. I have a set of these as 35s and while I haven’t measured them – they appear to be a bit more like a 40s. Did the Vermont Overland Maple Ride this spring and they worked pretty well. Rims are 19mm internal.

  10. Ted I had no issues mounting the Flints to either Stans Grails or Easton EA70 wheelsets. I don’t remember the internal on the EA70 but the Grails I measured at 23mm. I just did Love Valley in NC in snow, mud and all around wet. the Flints performed flawlessly. Will probably use them in the DK unless something drastic happens between now and then. They have a good ride but they do seem to be kind of a dog on non-gravel roads. But very few real true gravel tires do both well.

  11. has anyone tried the Tubeless Race version? Are the casings easier to set up tubeless? Also curious about the durability of the lighter casing. Thanks for replies

  12. what is the recommended wheel width and narrowest wheel that “Kenda Flintridge Pro Tire – 700C” fit? Thanks in advance. Mike Murphy

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