--- product_id: 251605 title: "Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch" brand: "kenda" price: "VT25634" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 category: "Kenda" url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/251605-kenda-k838-slick-wire-bead-bicycle-tire-blackwall-26-inch store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Slick tread for ultra-low rolling resistance Wire bead construction boosts durability 26-inch diameter for versatile MTB & hybrid use Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch **Brand:** kenda **Price:** VT25634 **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > πŸš΄β€β™‚οΈ Glide Faster, Ride Stronger β€” Own the Road & Trail! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch by kenda - **How much does it cost?** VT25634 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/251605-kenda-k838-slick-wire-bead-bicycle-tire-blackwall-26-inch) ## Best For - kenda enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted kenda brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Race-Ready 26-Inch Size:** Perfectly sized for mountain and hybrid bikes, balancing speed and control. - β€’ **Hydro-Channeling Grooves:** Directional grooves expertly channel water away, keeping traction sharp in wet conditions. - β€’ **Slick Tread, Maximum Speed:** Patterned after motorcycle tires to minimize drag and accelerate your ride. - β€’ **Durability Meets Performance:** Wire bead design ensures long-lasting strength without added weight. - β€’ **Lightweight Blackwall Profile:** Sleek blackwall sides reduce weight for faster climbs and effortless handling. ## Overview The Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire is a 26x1.95-inch clincher designed for mountain and hybrid bikes. Featuring a slick tread inspired by motorcycle tires, it offers low rolling resistance for faster rides. Its durable wire bead construction enhances longevity, while directional grooves improve wet-weather traction. The lightweight blackwall design balances performance with style, making it an ideal upgrade for riders seeking speed and reliability. ## Description desertcart.com Patterned after motorcycle tires, the Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle tires offer increased speed and reduced rolling resistance for MTB and hybrid bikes--without sacrificing traction. Unlike a typical MTB knobby tire, the K838 Slick provides a smooth and consistent rolling surface that allows the tire to gain and maintain speed on paved and hard packed surfaces. Meanwhile the tire's wider, 1.95-inch profile and directional grooves provide the traction demanded by all terrain riding. The grooves also effectively channel water to the outer edge of the tire so that you can maintain a grip on wet roads, through puddles, and on wet trails. The blackwall sides reduce the overall weight profile of the tire and the wire bead pattern increases the tire's strength and durability. While not meant for serious off road riding, the Kenda K838 is a good choice for riders who want a smooth and fast experience on the road, but who also want to keep their MTB or hybrid trail ready.Specifications:Wheel Size: 26 by 1.95 inches Weight: 737 grams Maximum recommended PSI: 65 pounds Minimum recommended PSI: 40 pounds Product Description Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch comes highly respected Π°nԁ Ρ–Ρ• always a regular сhοісС amongst many people. ThΡ–Ρ• product contains blackwall, wire bead Π°nԁ СхсСƖƖСnt tire. Review: Sweet tire - I purchased a pair of these tires to use on my MTB for a smoother ride on the city streets than the Kenda K53's I was using. The K53's were nice tires and offer very little rolling resistance compared with full-on knobbies (and are smoother going straight) but still have good knobs on the sides. But when you are turning they have that knobby growl, so I figured that I'd try the 838's as they had seemed to be highly regarded by some. The tires are pretty smooth-riding and feel very sticky in the corners unlike the knobby K53's which tended to squirm at higher speed corners with large lean angles. The 838's seem to stick like glue to the tarmac (but not so much on dirt trails -naturally). I put the whole wheel off the bike on the slippery ceramic tile of my condo and could put all my weight against it at angles much greater than 45-degrees and the tire refused to slip or squirm which is a lot more than I can say for the K53's. I was pushing against it like a football tackle sled with all my might and they wouldn't budge. The K53's will slip out when I try this. I haven't tried using the 838's in the wet yet so I don't know how the traction will stand up in the rain. They look like they will do OK with that motorcycle-style tread pattern. Another good thing about this tire is that I can fill them up to 60-65psi which is about 50% more pressure than you can safely fill the K53. This allows lesser rolling resistance, better road feel, and much more front brakes can be used as front tire impending lockup has much more of a controlled feel than with lower-pressure tires. I can do controllable stoppies with these tires lifting the back wheel right up with my cantelever brakes out front. One thing about these tires is that while they say they are a 1.9 wide they are a bit wider than that in reality. I've got 26x1.75 rims and if I measure the sidewalls they are exactly 1.9" but the actual tread area is well over 2" and pushing 2.25" I suppose if you had really narrow rims the tire would squish out and be taller but as it is the 838's have a larger circumference than the K53's had and are HUGE. I'm glad I have a lot of clearance on my old Ross MTB with planet bike MTB fenders because these tires are so large that right now the rubber mold nubs are actually rubbing on the fender. It's a good thing they are small and will wear away soon. These things are WIDE. I've seen little asian-market 50cc motorcycles that didn't have such wide tires as my bike has now. I think I like it because there is tons of traction available and they ooze confidence when the bike is pitched over in a corner to near crank-scraping lean angles -this bike rides MUCH more aggressively on the tarmac now than it did with the K53's which always seemed to me like the bike was trying to squirm out from under me to the outside of the corner. Going from the K53 to the K838 is like going from Bias to Radial tires on a motorcycle. They are THAT much more grippy and because of the higher rated pressures you don't lose anything with rolling resistance (especially in the corners). And they are smooth as glass going straight or turning. It's like magic. I wouldn't put them on a rim narrower than 1.5 though or wider than 2 (max). I'd imagine they would be pinched and pointy on a narrow rim and pulled flat like a low-rider on a 2" -it's just the kind of tire they are with the built-out tread onto the sidewall like a motorcycle tire. Cons: You might not have the clearance for these tires even though you can run 2.25's on the K53 or other knobbies. The picture shown is a gumwall tire but what I got were blackwall tires. Not a big deal to me but others might be disappointed. Be aware of that. Review: A great tire and a tremendous bargain - I've got about 250 miles on these tires so far, and I've been extremely pleased with them. The original tires on my Jamis Explorer were hybrids, but since I really only ride on paved trails, when it came time to replace them, I decided to get a road tire, although staying with the original 1.95 size for comfort, and the possibility of riding on grass or packed earth at times. A skinnier tire would no doubt be faster, but these are quiet, smooth riding, and they handle wet pavement extremely well. The cross section is reminiscent of a bell curve, and that recurve on the edges of the tread sheds water cleanly, at about a 30 degree angle, so puddles splash you much less than most tires. They seem very durable, even though they are extremely thin, and after the 250 miles I've put on them, about 80 percent of the little molding 'hairs' are still on the tires. I should note that my bike is a steel framed model, I weigh about 250, and I carry panniers with about 5 lbs of gear and lunch in them, so I am loading these tires pretty highly. I maintain air pressure right at 65, which still rides very smoothly, although for one ride in Tampa I cut it down to 50 in the front and 55 rear due to a lot of cobblestone streets, which made the ride very smooth over the rough bumps. In combination with the heavy duty Slime-filled innertubes I'm running, I think I've got a pretty nearly indestructible set of tires at a great price, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a good, durable, general purpose street tire, which can handle the occasional, gentle off road excursion (the one surface I have found they DO NOT like is wet, packed dirt... there isn't enough tread depth to get a grip, so you slip!). Plus, the tread looks just like one of the patterns Kenda uses on their motorcycle tires, which certainly gives my bike a bit of a unique look (for those gearheads who care about these things...) ## Features - Slick MTB/Hybrid road and trail tire; 26 by 1.95 inches - Patterned after motorcycle tires for low rolling resistance and traction - Wire beads increase durability - Directional grooves channel water to the outer tire edge - Blackwall sides for a lighter weight profile ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B002DX1DWG | | Best Sellers Rank | #239,819 in Sports & Outdoors ( See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors ) #1,522 in Bike Tires | | Bike Type | Mountain Bike | | Brand | Kenda | | Brand Name | Kenda | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,078 Reviews | | Global Trade Identification Number | 00047853646498 | | Item Diameter | 26 Inches | | Item Weight | 737 Grams | | Item Width | 1.95 Inches | | Manufacturer | Kenda | | Manufacturer Part Number | 35-16-132 | | Material Type | Rubber | | Model Number | 04704N09 | | Number of Items | 1 | | Size | 26x1.95-Inch | | Tire Type | Clincher | | Tread Type | bead,slick | | UPC | 047853646498 793625917746 | | Unit Count | 1 Count | | Warranty Type | Limited | ## Product Details - **Item Diameter:** 26 Inches - **Brand:** Kenda - **Tire Type:** Clincher - **Item Width:** 1.95 Inches - **Bike Type:** Mountain Bike - **Warranty Type:** Limited - **Material:** Rubber - **Tread Type:** bead,slick - **UPC:** 047853646498 793625917746 - **Global Trade Identification Number:** 00047853646498 ## Images ![Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41a7MizzJfL.jpg) ![Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41qa8z4NyeL.jpg) ![Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41rQr6mn8ML.jpg) ![Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517Jud3oV8L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sweet tire *by R***E on August 18, 2010* I purchased a pair of these tires to use on my MTB for a smoother ride on the city streets than the Kenda K53's I was using. The K53's were nice tires and offer very little rolling resistance compared with full-on knobbies (and are smoother going straight) but still have good knobs on the sides. But when you are turning they have that knobby growl, so I figured that I'd try the 838's as they had seemed to be highly regarded by some. The tires are pretty smooth-riding and feel very sticky in the corners unlike the knobby K53's which tended to squirm at higher speed corners with large lean angles. The 838's seem to stick like glue to the tarmac (but not so much on dirt trails -naturally). I put the whole wheel off the bike on the slippery ceramic tile of my condo and could put all my weight against it at angles much greater than 45-degrees and the tire refused to slip or squirm which is a lot more than I can say for the K53's. I was pushing against it like a football tackle sled with all my might and they wouldn't budge. The K53's will slip out when I try this. I haven't tried using the 838's in the wet yet so I don't know how the traction will stand up in the rain. They look like they will do OK with that motorcycle-style tread pattern. Another good thing about this tire is that I can fill them up to 60-65psi which is about 50% more pressure than you can safely fill the K53. This allows lesser rolling resistance, better road feel, and much more front brakes can be used as front tire impending lockup has much more of a controlled feel than with lower-pressure tires. I can do controllable stoppies with these tires lifting the back wheel right up with my cantelever brakes out front. One thing about these tires is that while they say they are a 1.9 wide they are a bit wider than that in reality. I've got 26x1.75 rims and if I measure the sidewalls they are exactly 1.9" but the actual tread area is well over 2" and pushing 2.25" I suppose if you had really narrow rims the tire would squish out and be taller but as it is the 838's have a larger circumference than the K53's had and are HUGE. I'm glad I have a lot of clearance on my old Ross MTB with planet bike MTB fenders because these tires are so large that right now the rubber mold nubs are actually rubbing on the fender. It's a good thing they are small and will wear away soon. These things are WIDE. I've seen little asian-market 50cc motorcycles that didn't have such wide tires as my bike has now. I think I like it because there is tons of traction available and they ooze confidence when the bike is pitched over in a corner to near crank-scraping lean angles -this bike rides MUCH more aggressively on the tarmac now than it did with the K53's which always seemed to me like the bike was trying to squirm out from under me to the outside of the corner. Going from the K53 to the K838 is like going from Bias to Radial tires on a motorcycle. They are THAT much more grippy and because of the higher rated pressures you don't lose anything with rolling resistance (especially in the corners). And they are smooth as glass going straight or turning. It's like magic. I wouldn't put them on a rim narrower than 1.5 though or wider than 2 (max). I'd imagine they would be pinched and pointy on a narrow rim and pulled flat like a low-rider on a 2" -it's just the kind of tire they are with the built-out tread onto the sidewall like a motorcycle tire. Cons: You might not have the clearance for these tires even though you can run 2.25's on the K53 or other knobbies. The picture shown is a gumwall tire but what I got were blackwall tires. Not a big deal to me but others might be disappointed. Be aware of that. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great tire and a tremendous bargain *by M***T on July 11, 2013* I've got about 250 miles on these tires so far, and I've been extremely pleased with them. The original tires on my Jamis Explorer were hybrids, but since I really only ride on paved trails, when it came time to replace them, I decided to get a road tire, although staying with the original 1.95 size for comfort, and the possibility of riding on grass or packed earth at times. A skinnier tire would no doubt be faster, but these are quiet, smooth riding, and they handle wet pavement extremely well. The cross section is reminiscent of a bell curve, and that recurve on the edges of the tread sheds water cleanly, at about a 30 degree angle, so puddles splash you much less than most tires. They seem very durable, even though they are extremely thin, and after the 250 miles I've put on them, about 80 percent of the little molding 'hairs' are still on the tires. I should note that my bike is a steel framed model, I weigh about 250, and I carry panniers with about 5 lbs of gear and lunch in them, so I am loading these tires pretty highly. I maintain air pressure right at 65, which still rides very smoothly, although for one ride in Tampa I cut it down to 50 in the front and 55 rear due to a lot of cobblestone streets, which made the ride very smooth over the rough bumps. In combination with the heavy duty Slime-filled innertubes I'm running, I think I've got a pretty nearly indestructible set of tires at a great price, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a good, durable, general purpose street tire, which can handle the occasional, gentle off road excursion (the one surface I have found they DO NOT like is wet, packed dirt... there isn't enough tread depth to get a grip, so you slip!). Plus, the tread looks just like one of the patterns Kenda uses on their motorcycle tires, which certainly gives my bike a bit of a unique look (for those gearheads who care about these things...) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kenda K838 is an excellent bicycle tire *by S***C on May 5, 2013* Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Blackwall 26 Inch X 1.95 Inch mountain bike tires are excellent. They roll well with little resistance. This is particularly noticeable on flat terrain. When brand new, they ride broadly with a flat interface with road macadam and concrete road surface, and because of an initial flat interface, taking sharp curves with more than a 10 degree lean will be slightly uneven. However, the tires will break in and allow for better bicycle cornering and turning over time. These Kenda tires will allow safer riding and greater bicycle reliability and durability. The sidewalls are sturdy on these Kenda tires, and bicycle speed will increase with less pedal effort. It is not necessary on most bicycles to fill these tires with more than about 25psi to 30psi, regardless of capacity indicated on sidewalls. Over-filling inside tire tubes can result in tube splits, especially on rough road surfaces, regardless of whether the outside Kenda tire shell can handle high air pressure. It is also best to fill all tires on any bicycle, motorcycle, or vehicle on dry, good weather days in order to enable faster rolling speeds with less effort and in order to ensure that humidity does not compromise and oxidize internal natural and synthetic rubber. Sometimes, after cooling condensation from higher to lower temperatures, small puddles of water can result from over-humidified air condensing to water droplets in tires and in tire tubes. Some folks fill tires with nitrogen [N2], which has a lower atomic number and atomic weight, which allows for less circumferential overall tire mass enabling better inertial speed, faster acceleration and safer braking deceleration. This is more applicable to bicycle racing, motorcycle and vehicle racing, and long-distance truck transportation, though. These Kenda tires are well worth the money. ## Frequently Bought Together - Kenda K838 Slick Wire Bead Bicycle Tire, Blackwall, 26-Inch x 1.95-Inch - New 2 Pack Kenda 26x1.90/1.95/2.10/2.125 Schrader Valve MTB Bike Inner Tubes - Bulk - Okared 2 Pack Bicycle Rim Strip Rim Tape (26" x 20mm) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/251605-kenda-k838-slick-wire-bead-bicycle-tire-blackwall-26-inch](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/251605-kenda-k838-slick-wire-bead-bicycle-tire-blackwall-26-inch) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*