Shinko 255 Trail Pro Tire

What it is

• A bargain priced DOT-approved Trials Tire

Made with a super soft compound and a highly flexible radial carcass, the Shinko 255 Trail Pro is designed to provid excellent grip on rocks and other slick terrain. Intended for technical singletrack terrain, this DOT-approved tire is available in the common 18” (110/90-18, $104.95) and uniquely in the 19” (110/80-19 $116.95) size so it will fit on most full-size dirt bikes, even MX models without having to change the rim size to get a trials-type tire fitted.

How it works

• Sticks and grips when it should.
• Lasts a long time and is actually hard to wear out in trail riding conditions.
• Makes the rear of the bike very vague handling, pretty wallowly.

In a quest for better off-road traction a lot of riders have migrated over to trials-type tires as a solution. The close-square block knobbies are known for better grip in many soil conditions, especially in rocky terrain. The soft-gummy-like rubber is very sticky as well as outstanding in durability. But its performance also revolves around the rider. If the rider is a skid and spin type of operator and cannot or will not adapt and trust the traction of the tire, he or she will suffer and hate any trials tire on a dirt bike.
The Shinko is near the lightest of the trials tires at 12.2 pounds. There are some competition ones that are lighter but this is the lightest of the ones we have tested recently. It’s rubber compound is also pretty soft in comparison to any of the others that are DOT approved. But there is also a pretty self-explanatory note warning that this tire is not designed as a true on/off road tire stating, “ CAUTION: The 255 Trail Pro is a D.O.T. approved tire but is not recommended for commuter/continuous highway use. It is a tire for serious off road and trials applications and can be legally used "on highway" to connect off road trail heads. For dual sport use, we recommend the Shinko 241, 244, 700 or 705 series tires.”
Mounting was as simple as any tire and you will notice that the sidewalls are very soft and flexible. The 255 beads up on the rim with enough of a step on the rim/bead to show you the tire is seated properly. It actually was a pretty well balanced tire for an inexpensive brand, some trials tires run into the $200 retail price range.
In use the Shinko has some very strong points and one very bad character. Right from the first minutes on the tire a rider will notice the bike will wallow and have a very wobbly feeling in the rear no matter the tire pressure. Some trials tire users are very accustomed to this and are comfortable and accept it. Racer types do not like this. It is the most loose and springy tire we have ever used and can cause a very vague handling character all the time. We ran pressures in the 13-17 PSI range to combat this but it really didn’t matter that much once above 13 PSI. At lower pressures you’d better be going at a real trail riding pace where side loads are secondary to grabbing traction and then you’ll be fine. We suspect the 19" may do it less since there is less sidewall but we did not test one in that size.
Once past the wobbly feeling the tire is outstanding. It has competition-type stick in all but the slickest conditions, not only is the block shape and the conforming carcass doing work, but the rubber compound as well, more than many of the other more durability-minded tires. With this you’d suspect the life of the tire would be short but we found the exact opposite. It lasts just about as long as some of the other high-mileage trials-type tires that have much less grip. Though in the initial part of the tire’s life the wear seems to go away quick, it slowed dramatically and so much so that we never really wore one out before it’s time and ended up removing the still usable tire as the need to test another tire came up. One went back on a test bike with a good 80% of its life still in it after a solid 250-miles on it. You could spin the tire too much (then it is not the tire, but the type of tire that is wrong) and tear it excessively but when used as it is intended wear is excellent.
With the soft sidewall also comes some excellent assistance to the suspension in bump compliance but the tire does not protect the rim that much, like most competition type trials tires. Pinch flats could be an issue but we never experienced that. With such a light carcass some of the non-tube systems might have an issues (holding air or overheating mousse) as well, we only ran it with tubes. And on the durability note the knobs do not chunk or fly off, even at high-speed. We did some 70-80 MPH runs for close to 20 minutes at a time plus a stint on a dry lake at over 95 MPH and the tire stayed together. The ride was a little shaky but most soft trials tires will lose knobs off the center row. You won’t be riding on this tire at all if you get a flat, it collapses like a balloon and immediate repair is necessary.
If you can get around the handling character this tire gives you, you will be rewarded with a lot of trail traction. It has the bite to get your bike moving when a knob will just spin, provided the rider does not use too much or too aggressive power bursts. The braking control is excellent for a trails tire as long as you don’t skid, then like all trials tires it will plane and slide side-to-side. And most of all the market price of around $80 is excellent for this type of tire and the length of use you will get out of it.

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