tag
WTB has come a long way with their “road plus” tires over the years since the first Horizon tire hit the market. Now, the Venture has quickly become a favorite over here and now it’s available in both 650 and 700 in the 50mm widths. Head to your local dealer to see one in person and to WTB to see more information.
Without sacrificing the feel of René Herse tires’ supple casing, the team has developed endurance casings for many of their offerings, including the popular Juniper Ridge model. This casing, along with the new Hurricane Ridge 700x42mm Endurance Plus tire – a tire used by Ted King during the Dirty Kanza, round out a very plump tire lineup for the brand, including 700C x 38 mm Steilacoom Endurance, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Standard, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Extralight, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Endurance, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Endurance Plus, 650B x 48 mm Juniper Ridge Endurance. See more at René Herse.
Our friends at Sim Works have been hard at work expanding their Yummy line of tires. Included in the mix are these 27.5 x 2.22″ SUPER Yummy gumwall tires by Panaracer. These are fat. So fat you might not be able to clear them, but if you can run a 45mm 700c tire, they should fit. Pictured is my Sklar with an ENVE Gravel fork, which is probably enough clearance for a dry climate bike, but you might run into issues with mud. There is exactly 1/4″ on either side of the tire and fork for reference on the ENVE G series rims. They measure exactly 2.22″ from knob to knob.
Expect a more in-depth look at this bike with the wheels and tires but for now, all I can say is what a massive improvement in traction off road and rolling resistance on pavement with these tires. I think I found my ideal summer tire. In stock now at Sim Works. If you have pressing questions that can’t wait for next week’s review, drop them in the comments…
Have you ever found yourself cruising Instagram late at night wondering, lusting after someone’s bike build, and wondering… “what tires?” Well, you’re not alone. We all do it.
And lucky for us, the folks behind WhatBars.com have now put together What Tires? The Bicycle Tire Database. Since launching WhatBars.com, they’ve had a lot of requests for a similar resource for tires, and couldn’t help but give the people what they wanted.
Sim Works and Crust Bikes jumped on board to help support the project, and here we are. The database is still being built out, but you’ll find tires from Sim Works, Rene Herse, and WTB up on the site. Head over to What Tires to compare and keep the rubber side up!
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Teravail’s Rutland tire is the newest of their gravel-oriented tires, available in 38mm and 42mm sizes for 700c wheels, and 47mm for the 650b wheels – which is what I had the chance to try out for this review.
The Rutland is a relatively chunky dirt road tire, with tightly-spaced knobs in the center section, and more widely spaced intermediate and side knobs. It resembles a scaled-down version of a semi-slick mountain bike tire, and has the manners you’d expect of such a tire: relatively quick on any surface, but with enough bite to give confidence when the going gets loose.
Following up with their popular Byway tires, WTB launched two new road plus options. With a 27.5 by 47mm design, the new Sendero and Venture tires are for your all-road, or ‘cross bike and while the Venture features a minimal tread design, the Sendero has aggressive knobs. See more details at WTB and holler at your local dealer for ordering.
Available in both light studded and non-studded, the Johnny 5 is the newest tire to come from Terrene. Designed to plow through fresh snow at an extremely wide 5″, the Johnny 5 is designed with optimum float and traction in mind. See more at Terrene!
WTB’s Riddler 45mm tire gets some love in the latest from the tire manufacturer.
Call it a comeback. Many tire manufacturers have embraced the demand for gumwall tires and now, you can add Teravail to that list. Their Cannonball (700x35mm,38mm,42mm,) Rampart (650bx47mm,) and Coronado (27.5×3″) tires all come in a dark tan sidewall, in Teravail’s light and supple casing. Head to your local dealer to order and over to Teravail for more information.
The Byway, Cross Boss, Nano, Resolute and Riddler tires all come in a gumwall option. These models are in stock now for ordering from your local dealer and will add a classic look to any bike. Check out more information at WTB.
For those looking for a little more rubber on their 700c / 650b cross or all-road bike, can check out WTB’s new Resolute tire. Designed for all-weather riding, the small square knobs will roll smoothly across asphalt and then offer traction on even the loosest of roads. In stock now at your local WTB dealer.
Terrene’s Chunk 3″ tire quickly became my favorite plus-sized tire model when I tested it in Utah. I loved it so much that I didn’t bother to take it off after I got back to Los Angeles. I dunno what Terrene is doing with their tires, but I like it and the McFly looks to be a worthy option to the Chunk in a 2.8″. Head over to Terrene to check out more information and your local shop for ordering.
When designing and conceiving my Firefly all road bike a few years ago, I wanted to be able to fit a 43mm tire, while maintaining a road geometry. “It’s not a cyclocross bike, rather a road bike with bigger tires and disc brakes” I’d tell people. Inadvertently, what I found was by allowing clearances for such a large 700c tire, I’d opened the door to even larger 650b tires.
I first used WTB’s “Road Plus” platform shortly after they released the 47mm Horizon tire. They sent the tires mounted to their Ci24 rims, built to White Industries hubs. While the wheels fit with enough clearances on my Firefly, I wasn’t a fan of the Horizon tires. Sure, they looked great and rode even better on sealed roads, but I found them to be less-than-ideal on the fire roads and singletrack I frequented in the mountains of Los Angeles.
Jump forward a year and WTB’s newest “road plus” tire, the Byway is now available and I’ve been riding them for a few weeks. The difference between the Horizon and the Byway is simple: there’s slight tread on the sides of the Byway, meant to give traction on loose corners. Well, does the Byway live up to the marketing jargon?
The tire label says it all: Compass design, Panaracer construction in a width we can all get behind. Check out the Compass Bicycle Blog for more information on these sick tires!
For those still wanting more rubber than the 40mm Nano and can fit a larger tire in their frame, WTB introduces the Riddler in 45mm. This multi-purpose tread is designed for everything from ‘cross racing to dirt road riding. Big tires like this can drastically change your ride quality, for the better. I’ve got a set of the Riddlers waiting to be mounted up and can’t wait to get in a few rides on them. In stock now at your local dealer and see more information at WTB!
Yes, Compass made a ‘cross tire, just in time for ‘cross season. As with all their tires, there’s a story behind the design process of the Steilacoom. You should really go check it out at the Bicycle Quarterly blog and see more information at Compass.
Oftentimes, the smaller tire manufacturers can keep up with growing trends in the industry. Which is why I’m usually more likely to have tires from these brands on my own bicycles. Introducing Terrene Tires, a rider owned and operated tire company, setting out to develop dirt tires for MTB and ‘cross bikes alike. The Wazia is a studded fatbike tire, the Chunk is a chunky trail tire and the Elwood is a dirt road tire for your drop bar bike. That’s all the information I have at the moment, look for more around Interbike and follow Terrene on Facebook. If you’d like to read the press-release, do so below.
I’ve been more than impressed with the recent 27.5+ offerings from WTB, including the Bridger which are on a Retrotec hardtail I’m reviewing currently. The Ranger is their newest offering in the plus size market, covering everything from hardpack to loam in wet to dry conditions. Head to your local dealer to check these out, and see more information at WTB.