If you have wondered about Goodyear being a bicycle tyre brand, you’re in good company. After becoming one of the world’s dominant motor tyre brands, Goodyear has been on a mission since 2018 to deliver top-quality, high-performance tyres to the bicycle market. And it’s succeeding. Here’s why it’s gaining traction in South Africa.
Paid partnership with Goodyear Tyres South Africa
Most of us are familiar with the Goodyear brand. It’s one of the top tyre manufacturers in the world, making tyres for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, race cars, and heavy off-road machinery. The American company was founded in 1898 and named after Charles Goodyear, the inventor of vulcanised rubber.
Although it started out making bicycle and horse carriage tyres, the popularisation of the motor car soon saw the company focus on motor car tyres, making the first tubeless motor vehicle tyre. After taking a break in 1976, Goodyear revived its focus on bicycle tyres in 2018 when it commenced a licensing collaboration with Rubber Kinetics, specialists in the design and manufacture of performance cycling tyres.
Goodyear now produces bicycle tyres for road racing, mountain biking, gravel and urban segments. The South African distributor is Orim Global, a relatively young Pretoria-based company that’s building a bouquet of brands that also include Magura brakes, Time road and gravel framesets, Ritchey components, Panzer tyre inserts and sealant, Blub lubricants and cleaners, Pillar spokes and more.
“Although we are fairly new to the bicycle industry as a wholesaler, we are not new to bicycles, having been committed mountain bikers, road cyclists and triathletes for more than two decades,” said Jaco Malan, founder of Orim Global.
“With Goodyear, we have a brand that’s globally recognisable. It’s taken a few years, but the brand is now becoming established in the bicycle tyre segment in many countries. In South Africa, we are still building the brand. We only supply retailers and we are gradually expanding our retailer network,” explained Malan.
“This takes time because it’s a competitive segment and there are long-term relationships in place. We do know though that exceptional service and good stockholding are essential and we definitely tick those two boxes. Of course product quality is the other important element, but as more and more South Africans ride with Goodyear tyres on their bicycles, so the brand’s credibility grows,” added Malan.
Goodyear tyres are manufactured in Taiwan with performance as a priority. This includes exploring the balance between light weight, sidewall resilience, surface grip and durability.
With offices in Gauteng and the Western Cape, Orim Global is acutely aware of the market demands in the two most important provinces from a cycling and mountain biking perspective. As a result, they are focussing on the various off-road disciplines, including the popular mountain bike marathon/stage race segment, gravel and gravity as well as the discerning road cycling market.
“With very prominent wet and dry seasons in South Africa and a range of surfaces, but particularly dry, loose and rocky, we have focussed on Goodyear tyre models that are most suitable to these conditions. We are patient and confident in our product and are looking forward to growing into a trusted, popular tyre brand in South Africa,” added Malan.
MOUNTAIN BIKE TYRES
GOODYEAR PEAK & PEAK SL
Born and bred for XCO racing enthusiasts and professionals looking for ultimate performance and speed, the low-weight Peak SL is a more speed-focused tyre than its sibling, the Peak. It features a new cross-country race inspired design with closely spaced low-profile tread to reduce rolling resistance. With a tread pattern designed to tame the challenging conditions found on modern XCO courses as well as available in a wide 2.4″ carcass for when that extra volume is required. Also ideal for gravel races on a mountain bike.
Ideal for: XCO racers, skilled marathon racers and gravel racers on mountain bikes
For technical specs, click here.
GOODYEAR ESCAPE
Excels in dry and loose, to intermediate conditions, the Escape is designed to offer balanced rolling speed, grip, and puncture resistance. For when the singletrack slopes downwards and the trails begin to show their teeth, for those trails that blur the boundary between Downcountry, Trail, and Enduro. The Escape’s tread pattern is designed to keep rolling speed high on the descent and rolling efficiency high on the climbs, while specially siped side blocks provide high levels of cornering grip for when things get rowdy.
Ideal for: Trail riders and marathon/stage racers seeking an allround tyre for all conditions
For technical specs, click here.
GOODYEAR NEWTON
NEWTON MTF
Excels in intermediate to wet conditions, a gravity focused MTB tyre that’s at its best on the front wheel, most at home on challenging terrain where high levels of control are required. From aggressive trail riding to the demands of downhill racing, the Newton MTF delivers consistent cornering bite, predictable braking control and premium performance. The tread design features ramped centre knobs to reduce rolling resistance, while tall, arch-supported side knobs provide fierce braking and cornering grip.
For technical specs, click here.
NEWTON MTR
Excels in intermediate to wet conditions, a gravity focused MTB tyre that’s at its best on the rear wheel, sprinting out the start hut of your race run, as you attack loose off-camber sections, hold the line on rocky chutes and floating across rock sections. The drive focused tread delivers speed and durability, with tracking performance that inspires confidence transitioning from straight-line to cornering.
Ideal for: Downhill, Enduro racing and aggressive trail riding in soft to wet conditions
GOODYEAR WRANGLER
WRANGLER MTF
Wrangler MTF is optimised for the front wheel, best suited for use in dry and dusty to rocky and intermediate conditions, where the speed is high and the terrain is challenging, such as aggressive trail through to enduro race stages. Available in two options, ElectricDrive and Enduro, to suit gravity focused mid-long travel MTBs and eMTBs. MX inspired tread pattern, with tightly spaced blocks and in-block sipes provide ultimate grip and steering confidence. Goodyear Grip3S compound is soft and slow rebounding, providing bite on any surface for controlled, and accurate descending.
For technical specs, click here.
WRANGLER MTR
Wrangler MTR is optimised for the rear wheel, best suited for use in dry and dusty to rocky and intermediate conditions, where speed is high and the terrain is challenging, such as aggressive trail through to enduro race stages. Available in two options, ElectricDrive and Enduro to suit gravity focused mid-long travel MTBs and eMTBs. MX inspired tread pattern, with tightly spaced blocks and in-block sipes provide the ultimate in traction and high rolling efficiency. Goodyear Grip3 compound is soft yet durable, to maximise braking and cornering grip with increased durability.
Ideal for: Downhill, Enduro racing and aggressive trail riding in dry, loose and rocky conditions. Electric-Drive model ideal for hard-riding eBikers
For technical specs, click here.
GRAVEL TYRES
COUNTY
For gravel bike riders and those who venture on the road, and just beyond. An all-terrain tyre with a split personality, the County is your trusty companion to get you anywhere you want to go, with speed and efficiency. Widely spaced side knobs offer confidence on loose terrain while the slick centre tread minimises rolling resistance.
Ideal for: Tar, smooth singletrack and gravel
For technical specs, click here.
CONNECTOR
Connecting tarmac and dirt, urban and rural. The new benchmark in large-volume gravel rubber. Cornering bite thanks to widely spaced side knobs, and straight-line speed and efficiency thanks to tightly spaced and low-profile centre tread. The Connector is for the gravel bike rider whose training loop covers singletrack and fire road, with the need for good rolling efficiency on rural backroads.
Ideal for: Gravel roads and singletrack trails
For technical specs, click here.
PEAK
The hard-hitting member of the Goodyear gravel family, with a tread pattern designed to excel in off-road terrain, with widely spaced blocks to aid grip and forward drive in wet or very loose conditions. The Ultimate, Tubeless Complete features a Multi-compound material layer which is added to the tyre casing, allowing for improved air retention while providing additional puncture and cut protection with minimal weight increase.
Ideal for: Rough gravel in wet and dry conditions and mountain bike trails
For technical specs, click here.
For more information on Goodyear bicycle tyres, click here.
