Anyone who has experienced the wallet-emptying frustration of a slashed sidewall will appreciate these new tyres from Rubena.

The Czech manufacturer is so confident of resilience the new TEXTRA versions of their Scylla and Kratos tyres that they offer a 100-day sidewall guarantee! Looking into the detail, it’s a pretty generous guarantee too. You can find the full details here, but in a nutshell, if the damage happens in Australia, under normal conditions, and the load on the tyre is under 140kg, then you’re covered.

We’ve got two TEXTRA tyres to test, both in a 29×2.25″ size. There’s the fast-rolling Scylla, which weighs in at 625g on our scales (significantly lighter than the 690g claimed weight on the packaging!) and the more aggressive looking Kratos, which is no heavyweight either at 754g. In terms of pricing, the TEXTRA versions of these tyres run at about $10 more than the regular tyre, which is a bargain really for the extra peace of mind.

While Rubena are still a lesser known player in Australia, they have a good following in the marathon and cross country racing arena; the Scylla in particular has a proven racing pedigree, with Bec Henderson, Dan MacConnell and many others racking up a load of titles on these treads.

Fitting these tyres to a set of Stan’s Crest wheels, the reinforcement of the sidewalls was clear, and it took a little more effort than usual to get the stiffer construction mounted to the rim. We’re going to run the Scylla out back, the Kratos out front. Stay tuned for a review in the coming weeks.