Does anyone know if there are counterfeit WTB tires floating around out there? I bought some WTB Moto Raptor Tires from someone who seemed to be a reputable seller on e-bay. They confirmed I would be getting the "Race" version. They say "DNA Rubber Compound" on the sides, but they clearly have wire beads. :madmax:
Counterfeit WTB tires?
Yardstick
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Does anyone know if there are counterfeit WTB tires floating around out there? I bought some WTB Moto Raptor Tires from someone who seemed to be a reputable seller on e-bay. They confirmed I would be getting the "Race" version. They say "DNA Rubber Compound" on the sides, but they clearly have wire beads. :madmax:
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error
Or its possible they were printed with the wrong label.
Or its possible they were printed with the wrong label.
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The DNA Rubber compound is the compound of the threads... Not the beads...
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The DNA rubber compound should be the compound of the tire & knob rubber. The tires that have the DNA rubber compound should have kevlar beads. These say DNA rubber compound so they should have kevlar beads if that's true, but they have wire beads. That's why I suspect they're some kind of counterfeit.
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I agree. I think the most likely explanation is that they are OEM versions.reptilezs said:
I have yet to get a set of OEM tires that I liked. Though I don't have facts to back this up (which totally qualifies me to post in these forums), I've come to the conclusion that the OEM versions of name brand tires are often far inferior than the retail versions (far more than just the wire bead). It seems like a really stupid thing for the tire manufacturer to do because someone ends up buying a bike with the oem versons, hates them, and never buys that brand or model of tire again. My last new bike came with some OEM Hutchinson Bulldog Airlights that were the absolute worst tire I ever rode. If I didn't already know that Hudchinson made good tires, I would probably never buy a Hutchinson after that experience. It may be that the retail versions of the Bulldogs are a nice tire, but if they are, what the hell are the people at Hutchinson thinking to allow the same model name to go on those two pieces of crap hanging in my basement?
I had a similar experience.
I've been using WTB MutanoRaptor Race 2.4 for a couple of years. They weigh about 590grams ea.
I recently purchased a new pair from a reputable online retailer, the tires had similar labels, but they didn't look exactly alike. There was some difference in the sidewall appearance and the new ones weighed over 700 grams, a pretty big difference.
I suspected it was the reason they were on sale for cheap anyway.
I've been using WTB MutanoRaptor Race 2.4 for a couple of years. They weigh about 590grams ea.
I recently purchased a new pair from a reputable online retailer, the tires had similar labels, but they didn't look exactly alike. There was some difference in the sidewall appearance and the new ones weighed over 700 grams, a pretty big difference.
I suspected it was the reason they were on sale for cheap anyway.
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I think 700g for a 2.4 Mutano Raptor is about right. 590 seems light for the 2.4 (maybe the 2.24)tolleyman said:
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I didn't know that.shiggy said:
Anyway, I've been weighing my tires lately and according to my notes, my 2.4 Mutano Raptor (got one a few months ago) weighed 696 grams. So either I also got an OEM or knockoff, or that's just what they weigh. It seemed like a reasonable weight to me so I didn't suspect anything. I don't recall where I bought it, but I could probably find out.
Hey Shiggy, since you're the reigning expert here, is my observation about OEM versions being sometimes significantly inferior to their retail counterparts a figment of my imagination or is there actually someting to this? If true, it just seems like a really bad marketing decision.
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LOLOL - I just love when you keep using the word "counterfeit" as if some criminal mind is sitting in their basement with a full tire production facility, manufacturing counterfeit tires, slipping in wire beads instead of kevlar, selling them to you on Ebay at a [assumingly] steep discount and laughing meniacally the whole time!Yardstick said:
I bet OEM, like everyone else.
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I have what i believe is the OEM motoraptor on my ironhorse and it's a freakin tank. It weighs a freakin ton, but anyway i noticed that my moto says 2.1 on it while others i've seen around (and on the wtb website) say 2.14 on them. I kinda figured that maybe the 2.1's are the OEM and the 2.14's are the real ones. It also may be that my tire is freakin old because i think my bike's a 2003.
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No comments on the legitimacy of the tires in question...but your characterization of the knock-off artist is way off base. The source of counterfeit merchandise is sometimes the very same factory that makes the real stuff. One of the little problems of outsourcing production to loosely regulated, ethically challenged countries like...well...you know. This is a recurring problem in the electronics industry, not at all unusual.Bulldog said:
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Why is it the site is swarming with yocals lately who are so clueless about the concept of OEM parts production that every discount part of ebay shipping from Asia is labelled counterfeit !? Most of the major US mail-order stores do a thriving business taking apart bicycles and selling the OEM parts from them at a discount. Jenson USA with the Jamis's for example, and Wheelworld with Kona's and Giants.
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I have retail Maxxiss High Roller 2.35 Semi Slick tires. The Maxxis website lists them as having kevlar bead. Mine are definitively wire bead. I do not think they are "counterfit" or OEM. I just think that manufacturers have many more lines of their products (SKUs) that may not be actively marketed in all markets and all channels.
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