Onza

Who or what is Onza?

Onza is a Swiss brand for bicycle tyres, inner tubes and sealant, run by Apex Sports LLC in Münchenstein near Basel. The name goes back to a company of the late 1980s and early 1990s that became known for bar ends, seat posts, cranks and above all tyres such as the Porcupine, and then disappeared from the market. Michel Manz took the brand over in 2006 and rebuilt it; today it is sold in around 30 countries.

What does the Onza brand stand for?

Onza runs under the claim Swiss Performance: a small company that, in its own words, deliberately thinks against market trends and would rather build a few products you can understand than an unmanageable range. The Swiss trail network is both test ground and namesake – the treads are named after valleys, towns and animals of Switzerland.

What do GRC, TRC, XCC and GEC mean?

These are Onza's four casings, and there are deliberately no more than that. Every tyre of the brand is tubeless ready.

• GRC (Gravity Casing): comfort and a high degree of puncture protection, for enduro and downhill – and as a rear tyre on eMTBs.
• TRC (Trail Casing): the compromise between low weight and puncture protection, from trail to all mountain.
• XCC (Cross Country Casing): built for speed and low weight, for cross country and marathon.
• GEC (Gravel Endurance Casing): the only casing of the gravel tyres.

What is the difference between Soft and Medium Compound?

Onza's mountain bike tyres use a dual compound of two rubber mixtures. Soft combines 50a in the centre with sticky 45a on the side knobs – the choice for grip on roots and rock. Medium puts 60a in the centre and keeps the 45a outside: less rolling resistance and wear at the same cornering grip. The white Porcupine and the Grava are the exceptions and run 60a throughout.

What does Onza mainly make?

• MTB tyres: Porcupine, Ibex, Aquila and Canis in 27.5" and 29".
• Gravel tyres: the Allegra range and the Grava.
• Inner tubes: SA2 and SA3 with Presta valve.
• Tubeless sealant and mud guards.

Where are Onza products made?

The tubes are produced in the Czech Republic, sealant and mud guards in the United Kingdom – both within Europe. The tyres themselves are built in Thailand and Taiwan.

Who are Onza products for?

For mountain bikers from cross country to downhill who want to pick a tyre without studying a data sheet first. Tubes and sealant fit any bike in the matching size.

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