I had a chance to test both tires back to back in a variety of conditions. Shinko on a 300xc and the Kenda on a 200exc. I like the Kenda very much and the Shinko is new to me. Got a chance to ride through snow, mud, rock, loose dirt and forest loam, swapping back and forth between bikes. Other than the softer rubber compound and higher profile, the tread patter is quite different. The Kenda is like a spaced apart trials tire and the shinko more of a spaced together knobby. Both tires are winners. The Shinko was noticeably better at steep down hill braking. Both handles the snow and mud well and were great for crawling up hills slowly with no wheel spin. There was no clear winner. Both tires performed excellently. If the Kenda was a 10/10 for me the the Shinko would be a 9.9/10. Also I feel that the shinko is probably a better choice for bikes with larger engines like the 300. More testing to do. Cam.
I've run both of those tires here in SoCal and the 505 definitely hooks up better in the sand. Otherwise, they're both good in the rocks. This is with tubliss @5psi.
On the rim, the shinko 505 looks like a soft rubber mb5 with the knobs closer together. I think it has huge potential. Cam.
maybe a little off subject. I decided to go with the 525 shinko. Here in the eastern part , don't see much sand OR Rocky ledges stuff. Felt really good in the mud, dirt , roots etc, here in the eastern woods. Next we're putting a fatty on the front.
The 505 is nice and grippy on logs. Last ride had a 12" log suspended another 12" in the middle of a rushing creek, mostly submerged and wet. I was having 2nd thoughts but the 505 powered over it like it wasnt there. I do notice the slight lack of side knob for which the 525 would be better. Cam.
