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Home | Product Reviews | 29er Tire | WTB ExiWolf 29er Race | ||||
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Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Ridge, TN
Date Reviewed: 5/5/2008 6:13:14 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $40 |
| Purchased At: | Local Shop |
| Strengths: | Cushion, strength, dry traction, lightweight |
| Weaknesses: | Poor in deep mud |
| Similar Products Tried: | Exi Wolf, Rampage |
| Bike Setup: | Redline Monocog 29er, Bianchi Rita 29er (current) |
| Bottom Line: | I have ridden this tire in the regular and race configuration. This is not a do everything tire as it doesn't have the lugs for deep mud and crud. However, if you ride a mix of terrain and want a fast and durable tire, the ExiWolf is a winner. I read one poster's comments about there being better tires out there now. Well I've tried those "newer and better tires" and let me tell ya', newer does not equal better! I'm 200#, was riding some Panaracer Rampage on my Monocog and felt like they were a good tire for a rigid bike, then I switched them to my Rita and they sucked! Went back to the ExiWolf on the Rita and it was love!! I think folks look at tires as being good or bad based on conditions, but there's more to it than conditions alone. You also need to look at rider style, terrain, and bike configuration. The ExiWolf is the right tire for someone who is riding a hardtail, wants a firm rider (laterally), without losing the cush of a 29er. If I rode an area that gets muddy in the rainy season, I might switch out to a more lugged tire, but once things dried out I'd be back on the ExiWolf, it's a superior ride for roots, rocks, and firm conditions. |
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Submitted by
Z
a Racer
from Wild West
Date Reviewed: 4/4/2008 10:08:18 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | the long singletrack one |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | thE bay |
| Strengths: | Very good volume for a SS rigid setup. Great traction in most situations. Very durable casing. Works awesome with Stans tubeless setup in the thorny cacti environment I ride in...no flats! knock on my woody |
| Weaknesses: | Heavy but it's a trade-off, lower profile side lugs but I have not experienced too much reduced cornering |
| Similar Products Tried: | IRC Notos-weak-donkey side walls...I've blown out 2 in less than a season...Bontrager Jones...not as beefy casing=more flats |
| Bike Setup: | Single speed rigid purple Rig29er warrior...providing both pleasure and pain :) Dos niner 1x9 |
| Bottom Line: | Weight weenies suck it! If you drink beer and ride a rigid single speed purple warrior do you really need to care about another pound of weight. I don't...heck, most of us probably carry extra weight in our gut we don't think to complain about. The volume is awesome and the tire is super durable. I ride in a very rocky, thorny, cactus plaqued area and have never had a flat running stans... awesome tubeless compatibility by the way. For reference I'm 6'3" 200lbs and race the single speed class getting outstanding results with this tire...I've had flats with every other tire I've used...not this one KOW |
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Submitted by
Fleas
from Cleveland, OH
Date Reviewed: 11/7/2007 10:05:04 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | dirt |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $15 |
| Purchased At: | dark alley |
| Strengths: | Good cush. GREAT braking. |
| Weaknesses: | Limited lateral traction. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Similar only in that they are 29er tires - Maxxis Ignitor |
| Bike Setup: | Full rigid, tubes, disc brakes, gears (many of them) |
| Bottom Line: | I have only used this tire on the front for more cushion with the rigid fork. I rode the same 10-mile loop - once with the Ignitor, once with the Exi. These tires were FANTASTIC under straight-line braking. They are not exceedingly heavy for their size. As compared to the Ignitor it replaced, it has better braking, but less cornering. When it does start to let go, it is very predictable. I had plenty of time to correct my line, but I could not ride the same line as with the Ignitor. The characteristics in mud are also very predictable. The additional volume made the tree roots feel quite small, which is why I bought them (and that I got them for cheap). I don't shy away from anything that's lower than my front axle and these tires made me feel like I could just plow over stuff. It's great for cush., great for braking, good for cornering. |
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Submitted by
Bruce Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Des Moines
Date Reviewed: 3/7/2007 5:10:35 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | Scheels |
| Strengths: | Large volume provided nice cush. Great tire for rigid bikes to add cush and for tooling around in dry conditions. |
| Weaknesses: | Breaks loose when pushed. Not recommended for any kind of wet or mud. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Nanoraptors, Nevegals, XR's |
| Bike Setup: | I've used them on my KM and Sugar |
| Bottom Line: | I have never really found that I liked these tires as a choice. I actually purchased them on a trip to the Black Hills so I could have some more cush and run a lower psi to go over a lot of rocks. They were lethargic in the pine needles and trails, but that was okay because I was out for some casual rides. Still a nice choice for adding cush and running lower psi's on rigid bikes. I can't use it on the rear of my Karate Monkey due to clearance issues with the front derailleur. Sorry to say, they pretty much spend most of their time hanging on my garage wall these days since I also have Nevegals, Nano's, XR's, Karma's, Notos, Crows, Small Block 8's, Klaws, etc... . I would recommend them for those running rigid and looking for some extra cush. Not a racing tire. |
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Submitted by
Anthony
from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Date Reviewed: 1/29/2007 11:23:17 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Similar Products Tried: | Panaracer Rampage, Maxxis Ignitor |
| Bike Setup: | Rigid Karate Monkey, Velocity Dyad/LX wheels |
| Bottom Line: | I originally bought my 29er with Ignitors. When I swapped out the rear tire for an Exiwolf, I immediately noticed a huge difference. More grip, less squirm and overall much better feeling, especially since I am 250+ and put a ton of weight on the back. Works great in the snow. No complaints, I would give it 5/5 except that the Panaracer Rampage is just too awesome. |
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Submitted by
Stefan Griebel
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO, 80303
Date Reviewed: 12/21/2006 11:59:36 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | The Colorado Trail |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $33 |
| Purchased At: | Full Cycle, online also |
| Strengths: | High volume, fast rolling, tough casing. Can run ~20-23 psi and never pinch flat. |
| Weaknesses: | Heavier than most. Not a race tire, IMO. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Bontrager Jones XR, Conti Vapor Pro, Kenda Klaw XT, Nanoraptors, Moto raptors |
| Bike Setup: | Mooto-X YBB with a Maverick SC-32 |
| Bottom Line: | This is my favorite tire for rough and rocky conditions. I rode the entire Colorado Trail with Exiwolves front and back without getting a single flat. You can pump 'em up to 50 psi for a faster feel, or leave 'em at 25psi for a cushy ride. At low psi, these tires climb up dry rocks and roots like they're made of sticky rubber! They also seem to wear quite well, and I've gotten probably 1000 miles out of a pair. The only negatives I can think of are the extra weight (well worth it for a tire this tough), and the tendency to wash out on high speed, sandy corners. |
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Submitted by
Slim Pickens
from Washington DC
Date Reviewed: 12/21/2006 11:21:51 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Strengths: | cushy, tough, fast rolling, cheap, good grip on rock/wood/dirt, lots of volume for frames w/o much tire clearance |
| Weaknesses: | heavy, packs mud, mediocre traction in loose conditions |
| Similar Products Tried: | nanoraptor, motoraptor, nevegal, acx, klaw |
| Bottom Line: | This tire is voluminous but it fits in a fairly narrow frame. The short knobs concentrated on the crown mean the widest point of the tire is further from the bottom bracket than most, and it fits easily where a nevegal won't. |
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Submitted by
GlowBoy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR
Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 4:54:23 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Lost in oregon |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $35 |
| Purchased At: | WebCyclery |
| Strengths: | Big volume -- until the recent advent of the Rampage, Resolution, Nevegal and WeirWolf this was THE biggest 29" tire. Fairly low rolling resistance. Um, that's about it. |
| Weaknesses: | If things get wet this tire will slip and it will pack up. Both will happen in a hurry. Sketchy side knobs. Heavy. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Bontrager XR, Bontrager ACX, Kenda Karma 1.9, Kenda Klaw, Kenda Khan, Maxxis Ignitor, Panaracer Rampage, Schwalbe Black Jack 1.9, WTB ExiWolf, WTB Nanoraptor, and too many smaller 700c tires to count. |
| Bike Setup: | - Surly Karate Monkey, currently 3sp hub commuter. - Vulture custom 29" SS EBB hardtail. - Lenz Sport Leviathan 29"x3" full suspension. |
| Bottom Line: | This tire became VERY popular when it came out a couple years ago because it was bigger than anything else available in the 29" world. Other than the volume and cush, the only real performance advantages are low rolling resistance and decent straight line performance in dry conditions. Just don't try to corner too hard in that dry stuff or you're going down, thanks to the lack of decent side knobs. Now that we have the Rampage, my Exi is headed for the classifieds. Buy it if: well, don't buy it, period. Regardless of your intended use, there are now better choices available. The WeirWolf LT reportedly has comparable dry grip with bigger volume and lower rolling resistance. The Rampage grips at least as well overall with FAR better cornering and comparable rolling. The Nevegal reportedly grips better in all conditions and only rolls a bit slower. All three of these tires are as big or bigger than the Exi. |
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