In the wild, wolverines are known to attack anything, often preying on much larger animals. On the trail, Wolverine riders can confidently attack anywhere from dicey descents to steep climbs. This fast-rolling tire combines a moderately spaced tread pattern that pierce moist soil, plentiful working edges that cling to hardpack and lean-friendly outside knobs. Like its namesake, the Wolverine looks small but packs a fierce bite.
Submitted by
shenny88
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2012
Strengths: lightweight, excellent size for trail/xc, minimal rolling resistance, good grip for it's speed and intended purpose, zero durability issues
Weaknesses: If you want maximum grip and are not concerned with speed, this is not your tire.
Bottom Line:
It is a good compromise between a grippy and fast tire. Not the best grip, not the fastest rolling, but somewhere in between. The 2.2 is a really good sized/shaped 2.2" tire.
Similar Products Used: Velociraptors, Bont. XR3s, Nevegals, Bont. XDXs, Weirwolfs
Bike Setup: Trance X
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Submitted by
imasavagemonkey
a Weekend Warrior
from Marin, CA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2011
Strengths: Grip and rolling resistance in most conditions.
Weaknesses: Wet rocks and roots.
Bottom Line:
About a week ago, I rode up most of the 1st and 3rd divide at Downieville. I had a 2.35 DTC Kenda Bloove Grove in the front and the Wolverine in the back. I was actually really impressed with how secure the tire felt, even through the rocky stuff. I even rode through some light snow without a problem. I usually ride Downieville with 2.5 Dissents.. but I'm glad I didn't switch out my tires since we had to climb this time since it was too icy at the top for a shuttle run. I probably won't even switch to my Dissents next year because I rolled soo much better with the Wolverines and still had enough grip to have fun.
I also just rode Tamarancho while it was raining the other day. The tired cleared the mud very well and had pretty good traction.. except on the wet roots and rocks. I still felt like the tire behaved well enough not to warrant a change for winter riding. My Blue Groove up front kept my front end from sliding around too much so I still felt safe.
I would recommend this tire! I was using a 2.35 Kenda SB8 as a rear tire for a while, but it always felt a little sketchy. The Wolverine not only feels like it has more grip, but also rolls a lot better!!
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevegal, Kenda Bloove Groove, Maxxis High Roller, Kenda SB8.
Bike Setup: Cannondale Prophet 2
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Submitted by
MHanslip
a Racer
from Canberra, Aiustralia
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2011
Strengths: Grip, predictability, fast rolling
Weaknesses: Soft lugs tear up when you are having fun
Bottom Line:
I love these tyres. I run a pair of 29" ones on my race hardtail too. On the 26" dually, the rear tyre gets a lot of abuse. The side lugs are torn (looks like I hit them with a power sander) and the center lugs are quite worn but for some reason it still provides nice predictable traction and sliding. I can climb most trails - even the loose ones - as long as I pedal smoothly.
So wear is moderately high but the tyre keeps working well through its tread life. I can't say that about many other tyres.
This is a fun back tyre.
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel EX with Mutano Raptor up front and Wolverine out back
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Submitted by
yourdaguy
a Cross Country Rider
from southern Indiana
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2011
Strengths: Traction in many conditions
Weaknesses: Not as cushy as an exiwolf
Bottom Line:
I have this on the front of my more Mud oriented bike and it rocks. I have not used it on the rear, but it looks like it would be a good rear for some setups. It has good rolling resistance, great side grip, fairly good mud shedding, and just generally rocks on the front.
Submitted by
Tropheus
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2011
Strengths: Excellent cornering, plenty of grip
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
This was my 1st ride on these tyres as I only picked them up yesterday. Rode a few tracks in the Rotorua forest and conditions were wet, with slippery muddy puddles, rooty areas, and great singletrack to negotiate. Most of the base is sandy, with clay corners which the Wolverines handled great. In fact I was pushing them higher than normal round the berms to see if I could get them to break out. Pleased they didnt. Only had one off as a "normal" looking puddle turned out to be 18" deep!
I would recommend these to anyone who rides general trails, as for me they stick like the proverbial.
I have rated value as high, however, I purchased two new tyres and tubes from a guy stripping his bike, so I got a bargain.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevegal,Conti Mountain King,Kenda Karma,Maxxis Crossmark
Bike Setup: 2010 GT Sensor 29er. SLX, Avid Elixer 5's,Fox front and rear, Stylo riser bars.
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Submitted by
Captain Picky
a Cross Country Rider
from Seal Beach, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2011
Strengths: Refuses to break loose on super-steep, out-of-the-saddle, pedal-mashing climbs. Corners fairly well. Rolls fairly quickly.
Weaknesses: Super-sketchy in loose conditions, especially gravel! Could be a little more affordable, but then again, WTB usually makes pretty high-quality stuff.
Bottom Line:
Hooks up super-well on dry, dusty, gritty hardpack, which is what most of my native SoCal is all about. I've got the 2.2 UST version, and it's an excellent tire for XC or even "All-mountain" rides.
Similar Products Used: WTB Mutano 2.4 (fast but washes out easily in corners), WTB Moto 2.4 (rolls like it's made of stone)
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz "Chameleon" singlespeed, Crossmax ST wheels, Sektor RL 120 fork, SLX brakes
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Submitted by
hookooekoorider
a Cross Country Rider
from East Bay, CA
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2011
Strengths: High volume, low rolling resistance for a 2.2 cross country tire. Corners well.
Weaknesses: Does not hook up in wet conditions (roots, rock). Even worse in the mud...slides all over the place. But then again, it is not made for these conditions.
Bottom Line:
This is purely a dry weather tire. Fast, high volume, corners well in dry hard pack. Loses traction in wet conditions and mud. Higher volume than 2.1 Kenda Excavator when mounted on Crossmax wheels at 38 lbs. Diameter of the tire (top to bottom) mounted on wheel was a good quarter inch bigger than Kenda Excavator, which means more volume and absorption of small road chatter. A true 2.2 width. Would give it just 3 chilis as an all around tire because it performs so poorly in wet and mud. However, I'm giving it 4 chilis because it was really only made for dry conditions. 3 chilis for value because you need separate tires for wet conditions.
Favorite Trail: unnamed single track in Shell Ridge
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Purchased At: stock on bike
Similar Products Used: Kenda nevegal 2.1, Kenda excavator 2.1, Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1, Specialized Enduro Pro 2.1
Bike Setup: Giant Anthem X2
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Submitted by
epiclimber
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2010
Strengths: I use the TCS version as rear tire. Very low rollig resistance. Great on hardpack very good on loose grounds (gravel etc.). very predictable in dry conditions.
Weaknesses: Scary to climb on rocks when wet or when coverd in mud. Loses quite a bit of air when using Stan's conversion kit
Bottom Line:
One of the fastest tires i ever had. Simply supreb for XC rider in dry conditions. Not good for technical rides in wet condition but wasn't made for it.
I would defently buy it again for dry conditions.
Submitted by
iceaxe
a Cross Country Rider
from Novi, MI
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2010
Strengths: Low roll resistance, Light weight for volume, excellent grip given the low tread, predictable in a slide
Weaknesses: packs up with mud, difficult to seal with sealant (if this is important to you
Bottom Line:
For the weight and amount of tread, this tire really hooks up. I run it as a rear in reverse direction and it performs very well. Braking tends to suffer when running tires like these in reverse; not with these. As expected, rolling resistance is pretty low. Definitely not a tire for mud. Like most standard WTB tires they are difficult to convert to tubeless and even when you do, they tend to perform better with tubes. Overall great tire for the back, I haven't tried up front
Similar Products Used: Exiwolf (wolverine is better in every way)
Bike Setup: Castellano Fango Softail, dt swiss 4.2d rims
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Submitted by
Jaybles
a Cross Country Rider
from Rocktown USA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2010
Strengths: Good weight to Volume ratio. Hardpack grip. Rolls good. Predictability (i.e. no sudden loss of grip).
Weaknesses: WTBs DNA rubber is not nearly as good as other companies sticky compounds. Doesn't stick to rocks and roots like other high end tires do. Furthermore, even slightly wet rocks and roots defeat this tire. Even shallow sand... watch out.
Bottom Line:
It rides almost as good as a trail tire but rolls like and XC race tire. It doesn't do anything other than hardpack supremely well though. Rocks and roots take a bit more care than on some tires but the these tires are acceptable.
Dry hardpack = Good
Dry rocks = Fair
Sand = Bad
Wet or damp rocks = Very Bad
I think WTB needs to go back to the drawing board with their DNA rubber compound. It's not nearly sticky enough compared to some of it's competitors. Just slightly better than an OE rubber compound... but when compared to Kenda's Stick-E rubber it's garbage. Sure it will wear better, but when you buy a sticky race tire, you aren't buying it because you want it to last forever... you want velcro like grip so you can ride people off your wheel in the corners.
Bottom line... I'll use them until they start to wear out, but I wont be buying any more WTB tires after this. I'll go back to Kenda... they are just better.
Favorite Trail: The one with the big tree and the small rock
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At: Pricepoint
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevegal, Blue Groove, Dred Tread, Continental Vertical, Explorer, Fire XC, Trailbear, WTB Mutano Raptor... lots of others.
Bike Setup: Trail bike... 5" x 5".
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Submitted by
knick
a Cross Country Rider
from South East Michigan
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2010
Strengths: Really fast, hooks up really well on hardpack, good cornering ability, light weight, climbs well.
Weaknesses: None yet that I can think of but I will modify review if/when I find some (I could say mud but there not intended for that so I wont count that against them).
Bottom Line:
This tire is fast and inspires crazy amounts of confidence. It rolls fast and grips the hardpack like velcro which means you can really lean into turns without fear of your bike sliding out from under you. Did I mention these tires are fast... Im running them on both front and rear but to be honest I have to admit I may be overly impressed compared to the year I spent riding the horrible stock Jones XR tires but after almost a month with these tires I still love em. Cant say anything yet about tread life, although judging by the way they grip and the way the rubber feels a bit softer, id expect them to last a season but not much more. Bottom line if your not looking for a long life tire, but instead a supper grippy, fast rolling XC tire thats at home on harpack Midwest trails then look no further.
Similar Products Used: Bontrager Jones XR, WTB Vulpine, Kenda Nevegal
Bike Setup: Pretty much completely upgraded Gary Fisher Marlin Disc: XT Hydro brakes, Shadow XT deraileur, XT Cranks, Candy Pedals, FOX F100 RL Fork, new setpost, saddle...
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Submitted by
Marko G
a Cross Country Rider
from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2010
Strengths: Very grippy tire. Very fast rolling. Excellent cornering
Weaknesses: Sidewalls look a little weak.
Bottom Line:
Excellent tire. Upgraded from the crappy bontragers that came stock on my trek. Huge difference in cornering and riding. Tires roll fast, and hook up really well in turns. The sidewalls look a little thin, but time will tell whether or not they will hold up.
Similar Products Used: Kenda karma, small block eight, maxxis crossmark etc
Bike Setup: trek fuel ex9
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Submitted by
jepeddler
a Weekend Warrior
from Yakima, WA
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2010
Strengths: Light, FAST, side knobs really grab during off-camber/high-speed turns, good braking traction, decent volume/comfort. Excellent dry conditions tire.
Weaknesses: none so far... maybe that the price went back up? Not a mud tire?
Bottom Line:
I am already quite impressed with this tire. I immediately noticed a difference in rolling speed on the first ride. Sidewalls haven't torn on the sharp lava/basalt rocks here, yet. I've really tried to break it loose on a whippy turn and it doesn't budge. Buy three if you can find them for 30 bucks, but they are still worth the 50 bucks they normally might go for.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis, Michelin, Bontrager, Hutchinson...
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel with upgrades, Python rear tire, Wolverine up front.
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Submitted by
AK47
a Cross Country Rider
from Folsom, CA
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2010
Strengths: Grip, rolls fast, light in weight, seems to work well in a variety of conditions, robust tire, converts to tubeless without too much fuss
Weaknesses: Wears a little fast
Bottom Line:
This a great all-rounder tire (review for the non-TCS version). I have used it on bone dry summer hardpack, damp velcro trails, wet rocks and it works great. It rolls quite fast for a 2.2. The only negative is that it seems to wear faster than other tires I use (Maxxis Ignitor comes to mind). At 560g and for how good and also how versatile a tire it has been so far, this is ok with me.
It converted to tubeless fairly easily using Stan's and rim strips. After doing the conversion, the tire got even a little better. The ride quality is noticibly improved along with even better traction.
WTB lists it as a XC race tire, but it is much more than that. It's a great all conditions/light all mountain tire. I may try the new TCS version, next.
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain Altitude 70 (all stock)
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Submitted by
Shredr
a Cross Country Rider
from Chico, Ca
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2009
Strengths: Light. Rolls fast. Excellent in hardpacked & rocky terrain. On solid rock, these tires grip awesome! Low height center knobs. All knobs are spaced close together=great hard conditions traction. Excellent cross-country racing tire.
Weaknesses: Narrow. Says 2.2,really a 2.1 Wears quick. Slides a little in loose,slippery, powdery terrain. I've only tried during summer; probably not great winter/wet tires like the other reviews state, due to closely spaced, low height knobs.
Bottom Line:
If I raced cross country in hard, rocky conditions, I'd use these tires period.
Great combination of light weight, fast rolling and good hard terrain traction.
Soft/medium rubber wears quick but grips well so who cares?
My local trails are mostly volcanic rock (Chico, Ca)& these tires are simply incredible! Also, the sidewalls hold up well in these tough conditions- no problems.
You will only get one season/4-7 months out of these tires.
FINAL: If you like fast rolling, low-height, close spaced knob tires, these tires are at the top of the class.
Similar Products Used: You name it...everything. BMX & then MTB riding for 21 years.
Since I converted to Stans NoTubes, I haven't had a flat in 5 years since...Stans product is incredible! Use extra scoops.
Bike Setup: Titus Switchblade (custom powdercoat) bright red. Fox Talus RLC 5.5 Air. XTR, King, Easton, Thompson, DT Swiss, Crank Bros., SDG.
Today the free shipping ends at Nashbar: [url=http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_527553_-1_203181_10000_202470]WTB Wolverine 650b Team XC Mountain Tire - Mountain Bik Read More »
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531 grams for the 26" that I will run tubeless.
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