Biker2022

I ordered Kenda Komfort tires, and the vendor sent me Sunlite City Komfort tires of the same size. Do you think that they are comparable in the different aspects of a tire? In other words, do they perform similarly?

veganbikes

They are the same exact tire. The Sunlites are just JBI getting branded Kenda Comfort tires (spelled like that on purpose because over use of the letter "k" is annoying). They are pretty cheap tires nothing great, they are functional but I wouldn't worry about it if those are the tires you want. When you start looking at higher quality tires you will see a nice difference in your ride quality or puncture protection but if you just need a tire to get you out of a jam real quick or for a wally-mart special those tires are fine.

Biker2022

Okay. (I regard your response highly.) I have not had maintenance-free performance out of my present tires, but-"maintenance-free" is unrealistic, correct? (The new tires look identical to my present tires.) I know past performance is no guarantee of future performance,

Iride01 

Check with the vendor and see what they say also. They might even be willing to swap them for the Kenda labeled tires if that is in fact what the sales receipt or confirmation says. If you bought these off of Amazon or eBay, then they likely will also lean toward your side if the confirmation does say Kenda and there isn't any other proof that they gave you the same tire.

Amazon and eBay don't like sellers that leave the customers unhappy. So file a complaint with them if the seller you brought from was on their platform if you don't get the relief you want.

Kenda doesn't list the Kenda Komfort in their current 2023 catalog. So maybe the old stocks of that model are drying up. Kenda also makes tires for a lot of other brands. Since Kenda doesn't make that tire any more under that name, maybe the tire they gave you is the closest thing to it. But your vendor is the one to ask about that.

I don't have anything against Kenda's. They served me well back in my days of 27" wheeled bicycles. But a lot of others think them tires for BSO's. So you might get a lot of blowback you don't like here in the general forum.

Ironfish653

I have no problem with Kenda tires; they’re usually a good value buy, especially for recreational-use bikes.

Kenda makes a lot of tires for a lot of “3rd party” ad OE brands as well: Ive ordered non-Kenda tires and found, when I received them, Kenda model numbers molded into the sidewall.

The Haro “Group 1” is the skinwall version of the blackwall Kenda Kranium, which all share the same tread pattern as the color-tread Haro “Downtown” ( shown here in gray)
They’re all marked as K-1052s

veganbikes

Thanks! I have been doing this over a decade but there is also a ton of stuff I don't know. That is the key to being good at what you do. Instead of being I know that it is better to say I am unsure. However with Kenda and Sunlite they are exactly the same and I know that well.

There is no maintenance free tires unless you sacrifice the ride to extremes like with those solid tires that were a great innovation from solid IRON tires back in the early 1800s but it is 2023 tires have come a long way and pneumatic tires are way better. If you keep your tires properly inflated and run tires with good puncture protection and quality rubber they are very low maintenance and so long as you don't keep your tires in bad areas (like near hot water heaters or in areas with high UV rays or with a lot of chemicals and such they won't wear out quickly.

Biker2022

This past Monday evening I went ahead and replaced my old Kenda tires with the new Sunlites, and, just considering performance, I would venture to say the new tires have a considerably greater amount of traction than the old ones.

Thanks, guys, for all the comments. They really help when you're trying to make a decision.

Iride01 

That might be the difference between new and old rubber. Unless you feel confident about your perceptions of the Kenda's when new.

When I put on a new tire, which the last half dozen or so have been the same brand and model GP5000, the new tire always seems to ride better and be more grippy.

Lamont Cobb

While I'm not a tire expert, my guess is that these days, you'd have to go out of your way to find a tire that is actually bad.