I rode this one last year in Sept. Did not know where i was going but rode with some Moots guys from Missouri. AWSOME!! Do it again any chance I get. As for tires, I ran slime tubes in mine and at the end of the ride, tires had lots of green spots on the outside (cactus I suspect) but no flats. Ran them for a week in Moab and 3 weeks back home like that and no problems. Highly recommended.