Strengths: Traction in muddy conditions, clean out well, low rolling resistance for width
Weaknesses: Heavy
Bottom Line:
Ride in the muddy rooted Pacific Northwest and the performance of these tires is superior. They hook up on mud and roots very well and clean out very quickly.
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Submitted by
Goat
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2013
Strengths: Works better on the rear. Good lean angle. Just sit & spin on rear.will climb anything you have the leg for. Good winter rear tire.
Weaknesses: Sorry people I thought this tire sucked on the front. This tire did a lot of squirming & wandering on the ups & downs. When things got tight or primitive & slow tec it just didn't hold a line well. Rode for about3 months. Removed the Bromson & replaced it with a Minion 2.3 & things got way better.
Bottom Line:
I ride the tight & primitive single tracks of Mt Diablo so I need a tire that tracks like a slot car. This tire always seemed to be in the wrong spot when setting up for the next chute.
Strengths: Very low rolling resistance.
Lightweight for AM riding: 630g and 640g for both of my 2.3's.
Easy to mount Tubeless on Stans Crest rims
No problem with sidewalls yet although mine is the Race Version not the TL-R version.
Can lean the bike low
Weaknesses: I still hope that they make these for TL-Ready at 650 grams. Those UST Bronson 2.3's are HEAVY!
Bottom Line:
I've had these for 1 month now but I had clocked in: 29 hours and 206 miles on it so I guess I can put a review on this tire now. :)
I weighed these tires and one came in at 630g while the other came in at 640g which is pretty light! Mounting these on Crest rims are super easy using a floor pump. First ride impression, holy sh!7 this tire is FAST! I came from weight weenie background so I had maxxlite, RK, RoRo, RaRa, Xmark, etc... I didn't expect these tires to be this fast and for 2.3?!! Just check this out...
I had 21 lbs XC/HT carbon bike with RK 2.2 rear and RoRo 2.2 front= 36 mins 12 seconds on a 4.8 mile climb.
On my 29 lbs AM/FS, I tried all the XC tires I got (including crossmark 2.1) and can only do 38 mins but with these Bronson 2.3's I was able to match the time to= 36 mins and 27 seconds (on a windy day)but really, I think I beat that time if only I didnt had to stop twice because I saw two of my buddies on the trail in different occation and maybe stopped for a total of 2 mins.
I was only using schwalbe tires for a while but after running this tire for a month, I had already pulled out my nobby nics, rocket rons off my other bike and bought WTB Weirwolf to try and 2.1 Bronson. If only they have this in 650b.
Similar Products Used: Nobby Nic 2.2, 2.4
Rocket Ron 2.2, 2.4
Panaracer XC and FR
Bike Setup: Trail/AM
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Submitted by
tbbikes
a Cross Country Rider
from Springfield, MO
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2012
Strengths: Fast Rolling
Good Side Grip
Sheds mud better than you'd expect it to
Weaknesses: maybe a little pricey, but you get what you pay for
Bottom Line:
Best front tire I've ever used! It tracks well, handles anything you can throw at it, even sheds mud better than alot of tires with similar tread pattern. I'm running it tubeless on Stan's flows and couldn't be more happy. The cornering grip is what really sets it apart. I run it around 30 psi and it rolls very fast but still puts alot of tread on the dirt.
Very fast tire, great for any condition I'll ever experience here in the midwest.
Similar Products Used: WTB wolverine, Continental Mountain King
Bike Setup: Felt Nine Sport
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Submitted by
MS
a Cross Country Rider
from Issaquah, WA USA
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2012
Strengths: Grips well in all conditions. Does well in the wet & muddy conditions in Washington state. They can handle slick logs & roots, loose dirt, rocks, etc. Huge improvement over my old Purgatories, and they're also not as heavy. These are great tires & they're now my tire of choice.
Weaknesses: Great overall all conditions XC and all mountain tire. They could have made them with slightly harder rubber, so they'll last a little longer. The sidewalls of the non-race version seemed very thin, (120 tpi) but they are cheaper. I bought the race version & they're holding up very well so far.
Bottom Line:
Great tires. I'm planning on buying more of these.
Similar Products Used: I've used Specialized Purgatory 2.2, The Captain Control 2.0, WTB Prowler & Velociraptors.
Bike Setup: 2010 Stumpjumper Expert, w/ Enduro 720 mm bar, 90 mm stem, Sun Ringle rims, Bronson 2.3 race in the front, Bronson 2.1 race in the rear.
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Submitted by
markvoch
a Downhiller
from Placerville, ca
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2011
Strengths: Fast rolling, cornering bite, climbing grip.
Weaknesses: The nobs get warn a little faster than normal.
Bottom Line:
Buy it. It's a great tire. I have to change tires frequently due to conditions and these hold up well in all situations. It's fast and grips well. Bottom line is the trail feels smoother and you'll be able to lean into turns more. I am 200lbs are ride the 3.5 at 35 psi
Favorite Trail: Bullards, south Yuba, Clem, downieville, coral
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At: What a bike- Myers c
Similar Products Used: Other 3.5 tires...high roller, chunder, weir wolf, cinder and so on.
Bike Setup: 2010 reign. Fox dhx air, lyric. All mountain guy.
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Submitted by
randob300
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2011
Strengths: Good rolling speed, fantastic grip on damp/wet soil and clay
Weaknesses: My rims are nearing ten years old and are much narrower than current rims, thus, these feel like they have a bit of lateral flex.
Bottom Line:
I only have three rides on these, but given the lack of reviews, I wanted to get my opinion out there. After replacing a set of wire bead Nevegals, I can't believe I didn't do so earlier. The Bronson's are faster and grip better on every surface. I was able to get up hills much faster thanks to the improved grip and the bike rolled much faster on the downhills. I felt much more confident leaning into the corners.
They didn't hook up quite as well on the very dry hardpack, but we don't get all that much dry dirt, so it's not of a concern to me. If most of your riding is dry, I don't think you'd find these to be as good and I suspect better option are out there. Any type of moisture in the soil (and especially clay) and these really stuck to the ground.
I will update after a few more weeks/months of riding, but I can already tell you these are my new all-purpose tires.
Similar Products Used: Nevegals as an overall general purpose tire
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Submitted by
mvbomber
a Weekend Warrior
from Mount Vernon, Wa
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2011
Strengths: Fast rolling, super traction, amazing cornering
Weaknesses: Looks skinny( measures full ) a little slick on wet roots & logs.
Bottom Line:
I bought this tire paired with a new Wierwolf up front as WTB recommends and all I can say is it is the best tire combo that I have riddin. Trails here are usually wet, rooty, rocky and on occasion perfect. These tires have been flawless in climbing, cornering, bombing and side hilling flat rocks. They a little slippery on the wet roots and log rides, but I am running a few extra pounds of air than I used too. I can't complian though. Mark and Jason designed some amazing tires here. If you like to haul ass and rip through corners and don't want a big fat tire you need these. Probably not the right tire for the big freerider or shuttle only rider.
Submitted by
John Arce
a Weekend Warrior
from Billings, mt
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2011
Strengths: EXCELLENT all around tire. I tried several before settling on this one. I ride trails with a little of everyting, and this handles it all well, even mild downhill. VERY impressed.
Weaknesses: Doesn't quite shed mud as well as I expected, but doesn't cake up either. A little pricey, but its a recently released tire, will proly come down when it's been out awhile.
Bottom Line:
I tried several tires in combination looking for a good all around set up. I am not a professional, but I do ride multiple times a week. The local trails here have everything from single track, rock gardens, slick rock, Drops, and other technicals stuff, all in a 2.5 mile loop. I finally settled on this tire in the front, and a Small Block 8 in the back, both in 2.3 width. I wanted to find this combination for some planned long back country rides this summer that have quite a mix of terrain. I also sometimes ride from my house to some nearby trailheads, and was sick of fighting motorcycle knobs for the pavement sections. These tires roll excellent, and sacrifice very little in the grip department. I sometimes have to pull the Small 8 along, but the performance combination overall is still very positive. I used to change tires depending on where I was going to ride, but I think I will be leaving these 2 on all summer, and see how they do, INCLUDING a riding trip to Canmore, Ab in August. I am optimistic, but taking some DH tires with me just in case.