New WTB Tires

Make no mistake, I love WTB tires. I have a few sets in action as we speak. For 2007, the kids in Marin have come up with some new models. Word has it that a few sets are on the way towards City Bikes and the Mountain Bike Team for the 2007 season.

All these suckers look pretty fast, with one exception. Up first(right), we have the Prowler MX. Nice and open in the middle with some tight side knobs. Look at all those damn mold injection points. This must have been expensive to make... It looks like a good DH race tire. It might not be super-fast rolling, but it's pretty aggressive. Probably Mark Weir's choice for, guess what, four-cross, DH or slalom racing. Look for that sucker in the mosterous 2.5" size. The LIGHT one is 860 grams. No UST though.

On the left we have the Prowler XT. Similar shape on the knobs, but different organization. Another DH-ish tire at 2.3". Dry and loose seem to be a good place for this tire.

Bottom left is our super-fast 2.1" Vulpine race tire. Whoa. Fast, fun, watch out for the wet stuff! You might as well run a road tire. This is going to be a rad tire for sprint xc-style races (Wed at Wakefield, Greenbriar, etc). Look for a sub 550g weight and real 2.1 size.

Finally, the new Stout 2.3" tires. At 820 grams, it ain't light, but it'll be a great 'shed tire. Good side knobs and sparse in the middle. It should be great in almost all conditions.

Dissent is our last new tire, bottom right. 935g for the light one and 2.5" size. It's the Timberwolf replacement and looks like a serious contender for DH racing. Angled lugs, stout reinforcement, big daddy tire.

What I can't tell from these images is the actual height of the knobs or the reinforcement of the side lugs. I can't wait to see some of these and check 'em out. It's safe to assume that Mark Weir has been running these tires most of the year.

The only tire that WTB has had in the UST area was the 2.1 Weirwolf. Now don't get me wrong, people LOVE that tire and a lot of people are riding it but we all know (including WTB) that tubeless offerings need to be added to the lineup. Sure, not everyone is into it, but a lot of the people who are into it are WAY into it. It's like the 29'er thing. At least WTB was the leader there. And by the way, they have those new 29'er 2.55 lt (low tread) weirwolfs available and in your local bike shop. If you like rigid forks and rocky rides, this is the tire for you! Fast rolling, comfy, low-pressure round tires. I have one or two on the single, the Yeti and the carbon stumpy. I guess I like it!

WTB does a ton of good work for advocacy, both on-road and off. They've been an industry-leader for decades now and they always put their money where their mouth is, helping to start and fund the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, among other off-road endeavors. NorCal is a better place because of their work. We'll see some of their staff in DC for the National Bike Summit held by the League.

Pray for warm temps. 4 weeks until March...