CST Gravateer and BFT Tyre – REVIEW
We all know how tyre choice can make or break the way the bike handles, but what do you do when you need a fresh pair? Do you stick with what you know or are you up for trying something new? With prices easily north of $100 per tyre, it’s a gamble that some of us are not comfortable experimenting with too often. Fortunately, CST Tires are making a dent in the MTB scene with their impressive CST Gravateer and BFT tyres offering high performance at a very low price point.
“Who are CST Tires?” we hear you say. CST (Cheng Shin Tire) tires have a rich history and a strong presence in the market, and have established itself as the largest manufacturer of bicycle tyres in the world employing over 20,000 people! Interestingly, they are the parent company of Maxxis. With a lot of experience in creating and selling bicycle tyres and a plethora of World Cup-winning designs to draw from at almost half the price of the Maxxis brand, CST offers a tantalizingly appealing tyre choice for mountain bikers.
KWT Imports kindly sent us a Gravateer and a BFT tyre to test. Let’s delve into what we thought of these…
The BFT, with its “Exceptional Puncture Safety” protection. Could this be your next tyre?
BFT Tyre Features
BFT, short for Big Fat Tyre, is a hard-wearing tyre designed for a variety of trails and weather conditions. Featuring a tread pattern not too dissimilar to what you might see on a Maxxis, but that’s to be expected considering the history and lineage of CST Tyres.
The BFT features CST’s EPS Technology, (Exceptional Puncture Safety). Yes, a lot of acronyms to remember. EPS is a feature that provides an additional layer of protection for the tyre. A special rubberized poly-fibre material is strategically placed between the tread and the casing to reduce penetration by sharp stones or debris and damage to the inner tube (if running tubes).
The puncture-resistant layer (EPS) is also designed to maintain the optimal balance between weight and performance. Its lightweight nature ensures that it doesn’t compromise the agility and efficiency of the tyre, keeping the overall weight down to 980 grams per tyre. It’s not the heaviest but also not the lightest out there.
The BFT uses a fairly aggressive-looking tread. The centre tread features a multi-directional pattern with forward-facing knobs to maintain rolling speed combined with horizontal knobs for an efficient climbing grip. There are two sized outer side knobs with two different directional angles and a decent amount of height for digging in when cornering.
The BFT uses 60 TPI (Threads Per Inch) which sits somewhere in the middle of cord casing offerings. Available as wire or foldable. Dual casing is only available for the foldable option. The CST website states the BFT is available in 20″, 24″, 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ sizes. Although you may have difficulties sourcing sizes below 29″ and 27.5″.
The Gravateer tyre. Influenced by the likes of Maxxis downhill tyres?
At almost half the price of the other brands, CST offers a tantalizingly appealing tyre choice for the more budget concious mountain biker.
Tyres and Soles
Gravateer Tyre Features
The Gravateer tyre, developed by CST, is their boldest all-out gravity-focused tyre. The Gravateer is equipped with centre knobs that are delicately ramped to reduce rolling resistance, while the shoulder knobs are meticulously designed to provide maximum grip during cornering manoeuvres.
The Gravateer comes in a Triple Compound package ensuring optimal performance and protection against the gnarliest of trails. It is also available as a 27.5 and 29. It’s marketed as a downhill tyre but we couldn’t see any indication of whether it should be a front or rear.
Our supplier suggested it as a front, predominantly as a 29 / 2.5 format. We also fitted a 27.5 rear version to an e-bike to test its heavy-duty and rolling capabilities on a heavier bike. With heavy duty, comes heavy weight. The Gravateer weighs in at 1500g (approx) per tyre.
It comes as a wire bead only in both 27.5 and 29 sizes with 60 TPI (same as the BFT). The 27.5 comes with a Dual Compound, whereas the 29er uses a Triple Compound. Available in a 2.4 and 2.5 width option.
Push the standards of all-mountain freeride tyres with the beefed-up BFT from CST. The BFT (Big Fat Tire) has it where it counts – meaty centre and side knobs to dig in on tight turns and tough climbs.
What CST is delivering right now is a range of tyres that offers similar characteristics to that of major brands with a much more appetizing price point, which will be making some tyre brands quite nervous.
For riders looking for a more serious level of grip and control, the Gravateer is a perfect choice within CST’s product range for more aggressive riding and racing.
On The Trails with the CST Gravateer and BFT tyres
We tested the BFT tyre in a 29 / 2.4 format with a Dual Compound Casing and the EPS and Tubeless Ready technology. We opted for rear use on a 170mm Enduro bike, but we can see they would also work well as a front tyre. In terms of setting up, it was reasonably easy to install and aired up Tubelessly on the first attempt.
We decided to add a little extra psi than usual given its seemingly thinner sidewall. The pressure was set to around 28 to 30 psi plus a tyre liner. We’ve had a run of failures recently with tyres, especially rear, so we were nervous about how it was going to fare on our local rocky gravity trails.
As far as ride characteristics- it kind of faded into the background, which is a good thing. There was good rolling speed and the cornering grip in most conditions was great. It was only on some fast flowy trails where the surface was covered in pea gravel that it seemed to slip around a little, but this could also be due to the slightly higher psi we were running.
In terms of protection against the sharp stuff, which there’s a lot of at our local trail, the casing seemed to hold up admirably. Pushing hard into and out of turns, especially on high-walled berms with big G-outs was just fine. The tyre kept its form and we didn’t experience any burping or excessive deformation. The BFT is also a good climber, only experiencing some traction loss on the off chance that it was damp.
With its Triple Compound technology, enhanced centre knobs for an incredibly smooth ride, and purpose-built shoulder knobs for unparalleled grip – the Gravateer is undoubtedly our top pick from the CST lineup.
The Gravateer is a tyre that has surprised us. It’s a tyre that we didn’t expect to pack this amount of performance at such a low price point. We opted for front use and we’d have to say, this is where it thrives, although it is also a good option for rear especially if you are an aggressive rider.
Installation was a little more challenging due to the re-inforced sidewalls making it a stiffer tyre than the BFT but after some choice swear words uttered it aired up tubeless without any issues at all and has maintained pressure well. It shares some similarities to a Minion DHF but the centre tread pattern is more tightly packed with smaller knobs and larger side knobs than that of a Minion.
The tyre has been ridden in rocky technical chunk, fast-flow trails, and everything in between without a single issue. In terms of the general shape, the Gravateer is quite a square tyre and requires a bit of body language on a 29er to get it onto those big burly side knobs, but once there it hangs on tenaciously. The tyre rolls fast due to those tightly packed centre knobs and seems to break confidently too.
In terms of the general shape, the Gravateer is quite a square tyre and requires a bit of body language on a 29er to get it onto those big burly side knobs, but once there it hangs on tenaciously.
The tread is holding up well without any of the degradation that you sometimes see on very soft compounds. As far as treadware goes, we really can’t complain.
We also threw the 27.5 version of this tyre onto our 27.5 e-bike. It’s a very good tyre for the e-bike due to it being able to take a ton of pounding from a heavier bike. All in all, it’s a great choice for front or rear, analogue or e-bike, 27.5 and 29. Is it better than a Maxxis DHF? The jury is still out, but we think for the price, it’s a serious contender. We hope that CST continues to expand its offerings and one version we would like to see is a lighter-weight middle-ground compound of the Gravateer, something similar to a double-down front tyre.
Conclusions
The CST BFT is a great all-around tyre that can handle most trail surface conditions be it downhill or climbing and doesn’t shy away from tipping into the corners. We feel it would be a good choice for someone looking for a do-it-all non-racing tyre to handle most trail conditions without breaking the bank.
The CST Grvaateer, in our opinion, comes off better than the BFT and this is purely down to its refined handling characteristics. For riders looking for a more serious level of grip and control, the Gravateer is a perfect choice within CST’s product range for more aggressive riding and racing.
Price / Where To Buy
CST Gravateer tyre: $54.95–$77.95 (depending on size/width)
CST BFT tyre: $58.95–$72.95 (depending on size/width)
Available at KWT Imports.
For further availability, just ask at your local bike shop or head to any reputable online store.
