Singletrack

VERDICT
We tested ten set of tyres and these are our favourites (the
rest of the reviews will appear online, soon). As we suspected
before starting this test, there was no one tyre that stood head
and shoulders above the rest. There were tyres that excelled in
softer loamier conditions, tyres that flew up the climbs, and
those that were indestructible on sharp rock. However, every
tyre was compromised in some small way, and, therefore,
finding the right tyre for you is a question of striking that
balance between the riding characteristics you find important.
Likewise, the terrain you spend most of your time on has
a huge part to play – if your local trails are predominantly
steep and rocky, with less emphasis on the climbs, then you’re
naturally going to favour a tougher tyre that’s more resistant
to pinches and cuts. Conversely, if your trails are more
undulating you’ll be after something with less heft or with a
lower profile tread so you can focus on maintaining speed.
This goes some way to explain why you often find cliques of
riders in an area all rocking the same tyre – once someone
lands on a winning combination, word soon spreads and it
can be hard to branch out and try something new.
However, don’t be completely swayed by what your riding
buddies say. One huge factor that revealed itself through our
testing, was how different riders prefer different shaped tyres
– even for tackling the same terrain. Now this might sound
obvious, but bear with us… some riders responded better to
a tyre with a rounder profile – the more gradual transition
to the cornering knobs helps to build confidence and gives
a more consistent grip on a range of terrain. On the other
hand, some riders prefer a much squarer tyre with a definite
transition to the cornering edges. This type of tyre rewards a
more aggressive riding style, but it can be harder to get the
most out of them and it can be unnerving if you aren’t used
to it (and we’re not even going to start on how different rim
widths can affect tyre profiles).
There’s no getting away from it, we’ve had a lot of
punctures in this test, but, interestingly, they weren’t
restricted to the lighter tyres. A few of the flats were due to a
combination of rider error and bad luck, but some were most
definitely down to the tyres.
Whether it’s because they encouraged us to hang things
out a bit more and hit the trails that much harder, or if there
was something else at play, one thing was clear – punctures
suck, and those few hundred grams you’ve saved by fitting
featherweight rubber are worth nothing when you’re at the
side of the trail getting reacquainted with a tubeless repair kit.
We’re not suggesting that you all rush out and fit downhill
tyres, but at the same time don’t overlook those burlier tyres
in the ranges. As manufacturers find new ways to make
tyres more durable without adding excess weight, you might
be pleasantly surprised by the additional grip and control
available.
Finally, one thing we can totally recommend, and that’s
clubbing together with handful of your mates, and buying a
few different tyres between you. Hand the tyres out and ride
them for a few weeks, then pass them on to the next person
– it doesn’t take as long as you think to swap tyres out, and
by comparing notes against your fellow riders, you’ll gain so
much more knowledge, get a great insight into why some tyres
behave the way they do, and hopefully discover a tyre combo
that works for you.
THE COMPETITION
To read the full review of each and every tyre you see below, keep your
eyes peeled on singletrackworld.com over the coming weeks.
Continental
Der Kaiser Projekt
2.4 Protection Apex
£74.95
Continental UK,
conti-tyres.co.uk
Specialized
Butcher GRID
2Bliss Ready
£35
Specialized UK,
specialized.com/gb
Kenda
Honey Badger
£40.69
Moore Large & Co,
moorelarge.co.uk
Vee
Crown Gem
£41.49
Upgrade Bikes,
upgradebikes.co.uk
Schwalbe
Hans Dampf
Super Gravity
£64.99
Schwalbe UK,
schwalbe.com/gb
WTB
Vigilante TCS
Tough High Grip
£45.99
Hotlines,
hotlines-uk.com
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