Submitted by
KinglyRider
a Cross Country Rider
from Chichester Date Reviewed: August 11, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Wiggle
Strengths:
Ludicrous grip, durability, relatively good rolling resistance.
Weaknesses:
Can be pretty expensive, but you get what you pay for.
Similar Products Used:
WTB: Dissent, Timberwolf, Wolverine
Bottom Line:
I've been using this up front on my hardtail for general trail/downhill thrashing as well as fast cross country riding.
I can't really fault it, I've yet to wash it out (that's not to say I haven't come off though!) even on lose silty soil and or gravel tracks. I like to ride fast and tend to chuck my bike around and they come back for more everytime.
Perfect front tyre for general trail use if you ask me. I wouldn't recommend them on the back if you do varied riding, tarmac shreds the knobs because of drive torque and the rolling efficiency isn't the height of cross country performance, however coupled with something like a WTB wolverine you'll fly; I've been riding that combo for 6 months and it's bloody brilliant! Highly Recommended.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
psylence
a Cross Country Rider
from Brooklyn, NY, USA Date Reviewed: July 14, 2009
Favorite Trail:
6 mile run resorvoir
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Great in loose conditions.
Weaknesses:
HUGE, have like 1 1/2CM clearance (Mud may be an issue)
They are super heavy and steering became twitchy
Similar Products Used:
Spec ed Captains/Geax saguaro
Bike Setup:
Spec Ed StumpJumper 29er FSR
Bottom Line:
This tire is great in loose gravel, light mud.
They are pretty bad in hard packed conditions. You can feel the rubber straining when you take moderate turns.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
capthook61
a Racer
from Las Vegas, NV Date Reviewed: May 18, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Cottonwood Valley
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
This tire flat hooks up in the desert terrain around Las Vegas. Running them front and rear and they grab the corners, will bring you to a stop like now, and keep going in the loose climbs. A great everyday get out there and ride tire.
Weaknesses:
Heavy, not bad heavy, but not a racing weight I would want to run
Similar Products Used:
Schwalbe Racing Ralph, Weirwolf 2.5, Exiwolf, many others
Bike Setup:
Turner Sulton, and top shelf components
Bottom Line:
If you want a big, fat, gnarly knobbed tire that will hook up in the loose rocky desert and will have you railing the corners for your weekend or everyday rides this is your tire. I run this on my everyday go bang the trail bike, but just too heavy to race with.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ashevillemike
a Racer
from NC Date Reviewed: February 23, 2009
Favorite Trail:
anything in Pisgah
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
This tire corners better than any, yes, any other tire I've used. It has not failed me yet.
Weaknesses:
It's a bit heavy and may not last as long as other tires, but if you ride hard it pays to have a tire that you won't let you down.
This is the best front tire I've ever used. It will be replaced with another stout when it wears out. I have not tried it on the rear so I cannot say how it will do there. It is a bit heavy but is totally worth the extra weight. It's a beefy high volume tire (I generally run about 30# of air in it). It shines in the woods, whether dealing with roots, rocks, mud, sand, whatever-this tire can take it. It doesn't roll well on pavement-because it's a trail tire. The knobs have worn fast initially, but once they got to a certain point they've not worn nearly as fast. I probably have around 600 miles on it and it isn't finished yet.
I feel like this tire is getting a bad rap, but it does exactly what it's supposed to, and it does that well!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dr.Zoidberg
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: August 10, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with bike setup
Strengths:
Excellent traction in wet and muddy conditions. Just came back from a 6 hour trail tour, 7/8 of it spent in rain and riding on trails that were bogs and streams due to the amount of rain. Also, wet small-medium rocks downhill and uphill. Tires were very stable - in fact stalled out going through 30-50 ft mud sections a 1/3 of the tire deep and tires kept the bike from tipping, giving me a perch to power through. Same effect on uphill wet rocks even - abosolutly amazing grip. Didn't experience any mud tacking onto the tread - maybe because the rain and riding into streams washed them off?
Weaknesses:
Not ideal for xc racing track - ineffecient; but its not a racing tire so no points lost here. Probably weight as well. Tough time fitting my bike rack rail.
Bike Setup:
'07 RM Slayer SXC 50
Bottom Line:
Can't get over the traction/grip this tire gave me through mud, bog and even uphill wet rocks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bdoc132
a Cross Country Rider
from Flagstaff, AZ Date Reviewed: June 19, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Elden stuff
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
AZ Bikes
Strengths:
very sticky and wide, was good for the dusty conditions of AZ in the beginning of its life. I didnt feel like the tire was very heavy for a 2.3
Weaknesses:
The knobs were too weak and would wear off very quickly, only got about 200 miles out of the tire on rocky terrain. Slick rock shreaded this tire apart
Jamis Dakar XLT, fox RP3 AVA, minute 3, xt drivetrain, hayes HX9, mallets
Bottom Line:
if you are a millionaire and can replace your tires every month this is a good tire. If not go with somethign with a less agressive tread pattern for longer life
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Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa Date Reviewed: March 24, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Good traction in various conditions, good climber. It is a WTB product.
Weaknesses:
This tire deteriorated faster than any tire that I have tried
Similar Products Used:
Fire XC, Maxxis ADvantage, Mutanoraptors and other WTB tires
Bike Setup:
Stumpy FSR Fox front and rear, Thompson stem and seatpost, Avid brakes
Bottom Line:
I love WTB however this tire did not last. The side nobs began to shred away from the tire.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chad
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas Date Reviewed: March 6, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Mountain High Cyclery
Strengths:
Tread pattern is excellent on loose, rocky terrain.
Weaknesses:
It's a tad heavy
Similar Products Used:
Big Betty, Weirwolf, Nevegal, Blue Groove
Bike Setup:
6x6
Bottom Line:
I wanted a tire that could handle the loose terrain of the Las Vegas area better than the Weirwolf I had on the front. Reading the info on this tire made it sound like the one for me. To tell the truth, it is perfect for loose terrain! It has made a big difference on my local trails and how fast I can ride them since I have confidence that the front won't wash out and slip through loose corners. It's a heavy tire and I do notice that when climbing, but it's tolerable as the round profile does roll pretty good.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dustin
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Cruces Date Reviewed: January 11, 2008
Favorite Trail:
lucero wash or dona ana's
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Performance bicycle
Strengths:
good tread pattern, great on downhill was great at first. I really got some good use out of it but...
Weaknesses:
to big for my bike i.e. frame rub. seemed big for a 2.3, knobs are starting so rip and show there wear. I have used them some on asphalt though which you should not do but I did because I like to ride to the trail head to get a better work out. Have used with stans tubeless setup and had great results at first but now the tire is covered with dozens of nail size holes I do not want to repair because the tread is almost spent.
Similar Products Used:
smoke/dart combo/ velocorapters/ panaracer fire. IRC trailbear the list can really go on for a long time
Bike Setup:
specialized epic that I rolled the stout on(does not fit frame rub was experienced. and many many more bikes to many to list
Bottom Line:
this is a great downhill tire with an aggressive tread pattern and is great all around. I wish it would have been longer lasting but I shouldn't have rode to the trail so much shame on me. I do think is was over priced but I loved the way it looked so I went for it I will not try again due to the frame rub and the fact that I like to get the 50o dollar tires that are on sale for 20-25 and this one isn't usually on sale. Try it if you have a DH bike but be wary of trying to convert it to stans or other tubless sealents because it doesnt like to seal with the rubber.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chris boggs
a Cross Country Rider
from Marin Co. , CA Date Reviewed: December 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Tahoe
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
Mill Valley Cycleworks
Strengths:
Great Traction in dry, rocky, CA terrain.
Weaknesses:
Muds up quick, and knobs wear quick on shale, rocky, Tahoe terrain
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer, WTB Mutano, all the other popular stuff.
Bike Setup:
Maverick Matc, DUC 32 fork.
Bottom Line:
The tire is a great all around tire, and rides smooth, and corners quick for a 2.3. The knobs are spaced far apart and that caused quick wear in very rocky shale conditions in Tahoe, which would wear out any tire I guess. The only other issue was that it cakes up mud quickly because of the spaced knobs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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