Editors Note: Yeah, yeah…..another year end review! Tis the season! So, here are my favorite things that have passed through the Twenty Nine Inches review process during the past year. I want to point out a few parameters that I used for what I chose here.
1. The product had to be in the review process during the time period of December 2006 through to the end of November 2007. Reviews that are currently in process I did not include and will be eligible for my 2008 Top Ten list.
2. They had to be products or bicycles that I personally used during this period. Nothing any of the other Twenty Nine Inches staff reviewed on their own could be considered for my list. This list doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone but me, Guitar Ted.
That said, let’s get on with this……
Number Four: WTB Weir Wolf LT 29″er Tire. The voluptuous WTB Weir Wolf had been rumored for months and finally bowed at Interbike ’06. Twenty Nine Inches got a pair to test late in ’06 which Tim Grahl used for a bit, then they made their way out here to the Mid-West where I rode them a plenty.
Why it made the list: WTB was the first company to get a tire out for 29″ers with a truly humongous casing. The Weir Wolf LT has ruled as the largest 29″er tire anyone could get until recently when the Schwalbe Racing Ralph just barely edged it out of first place. Still, the WW LT is a fine roller with a great ability to be run at low pressures and give us rigid fork runnin’ fools something to cushion the blows with. I had excellent results with it as a snow/ice tire and in summer hardpack it was about the best tire I could hope for. Mud runners and sticky soil sloggers need not apply. It has a long lasting tread and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy. All things that helped get the WW LT on the list at #4.
My Two Cents: While my first impression upon seeing the WW LT at Interbike back in ’06 was, shall I say, less than enthusiastic, I have come around to really appreciate this tire for what it can do. Sure, there are folks that go all weak in the knees for knobbier offerings, but for a wide range of conditions and lower rolling resistance the Weir Wolf LT can’t be beat. I bumped this tire up the list after a ride on some rocky, rooty trail on a friends bike that had the Weir Wolf LT’s front and rear on it. I made it through the loop on those tires and afterwards my friend tells me, “Those tires are at 20 psi front and rear.” Now this was on a rigid hardtail and I would not have believed that I could have slammed those rocks and roots like I did if I had known that ahead of time. Well, I did and you can color me impressed.
Number Three is just around the corner! Stay tuned!
After riding on and Hating exiwolfs for multiple reasons, I was hesitant about the WW but I knew I wanted a Wide tire for all the hauling that I do with my bike, so I bought it, put it on with a Karma 2.2 and after a few rides on and off road, dry and wet sand and slush, it is Def. a worthy, worth while all-around tire.
I ride one in the front on a fully rigid, and in the desert as well. It’s a keeper, but I really feel the additional rolling weight of this bad boy. This is about as heavy and big as I want to go with a 29 inch tire.
Moondoggy-
how wide of a rim are you running?
its not that heavy, and I find it has a lot less rolling resistance than the Exi, comparing both on a SpeedDisc.
Stans ZTR 355, it’s light. For it’s size it rolls well, I’m just thinking there’s a point of diminishing returns with using big meats to counter the rigid ride. At some point (for me at least), it may make better sense to tough it out on a smaller tire or throw a squishy fork on the bike.
I’ve been running a Specialized Resolution on the back, I’m gonna try it up front as a comparison of cush vs. rolling resistance/weight trade offs. Granted, my fitness sucks at present but the increased bulk of the Weir wolf was noticeable over the previous tire- in spite of my own increased bulk…
I dislike the Exi for several reasons, but it seems to roll better than the Weirwolf IMO. I look forward to more tires being released. Have you ridden the Geax Saguaro by chance? I was a Geax fan back in 26′er days, but I haven’t ridden anything since the Sedona.
I myself have not ridden (any) Geax, but I have considered it for my urban tire, actually might be my next, espcially if the Weir Wolf doesn’t work out over the long term. I don’t think I would ever try the Saguaro off road, I have found that Soft, Big nobs work best in the desert.
Was wondering about your rim b/c I have heard the Weir Wolf works best on 28(+)mm rims.
Yesterday I went out for the first time off road with the WW, after experiencing the Exi, I was sceptical about buying the WW, but I told myself to give it 1 shot, and with the WW rear and a Karma 2.2 front Very pleasantly surprised.
After lowering the pressure from urban to off road, I took it through sand dirt and even a creek. You are right Moondoggy there is more drag than I expected, I can’t wait to try it in the super dry summer conditions.
It’s a conundrum, the performance and cush is nice, but the increased girth is a definite drawback. I can feel it when pulling up the front end, and of course pedaling. Maybe the trick is to think of the weirwolf as ankle weights for your bike…
I should be receiving a new frame (hopefully) shortly, it will be built up with Specialized Resolutions front and rear. I’ll post back on how the Reso rides as a front tire in the desert. I like as a back tire, but I’m going to reverse it to see what that does for traction and controlled braking. It breaks loose a little bit now.
Is anyone running these things with tubes? I know it adds more weight, but I wanted to get everyone’s/anyone’s impressions on how these things work with tubes (by the way, what brand do you recommend).
RacerX29-
I run mine tubed, with a bontrager tube. The only thing I can say is that there is a larger amount of rolling resistance with low pressure, than other tires, but I don’t know if that is the tire design or the tube, since I have not run it tubeless.
Thanks, I was curious if there were any issues w/ tubes b/c the volume of the tires is so much larger than regular tires. I just got a pair that I’m anxious to mount up and try.
I run the Bontrager tubes as well. I tried tubeless back in the 26′er days, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.