Before Interbike I was alerted that WTB might have a little something in store for Twenty Nine Inches if we would stop by the booth at the Outdoor Demo. The WTB Dissent is the surprise, and now we will be testing the newest tread from WTB for 29 inch wheels. Just what is this tire for and why? Read on……..

With the possibility of longer travel 29″ers becoming a reality in the last couple of years, some influential folks began knocking on the door of WTB’s tire designer, Mark Slate. They were asking for a tire that would satisfy the desire to get a tough, durable, tractable, and wide 29″er tire for All Mountain and even possibly Down Hill type riding on wagon wheelers. Throughout the past couple of years prototypes were tested and refined, but it looked as though the beast of a 29″er tire wouldn’t see the light of day. So the project looked to be dead in the water for a bit.

Then Niner Bikes started working on their long travel 29″er, the W.F.O.9, and interest from them for the old prototype tire sparked some new interest in what eventually became the Kodiak tire from WTB. (Which we are hoping to also get a set of in for testing soon) But that wasn’t the end of the story.

Some folks associated with another long travel rig, the Lenz PBJ, were pushing for even more in a AM/DH 29″er tire. So the Dissent project was born and here we have the results of that. Listed as a 2.5″er, the Dissent features a wire bead, and WTB’s Super Duty casing with Inner Peace. Rubber compound is Super Track DNA 50a. Here’s a snippet from WTB’s website to explain:

SUPER DUTY CASING
This thick-ply casing resists cuts from rocks and debris while damping impacts. Our Inner Peace sidewall reinforcement further protects the tire from damage, reduces sidewall flex and dramatically reduces pinch flats.

WTB recommends the Dissent as a hard pack tire that works best in steep, rugged terrain with a scattering of loose over and gravel present. The channels in the mid casing area allow a rider to lean the tire over to get the side knobs working which are in an opposing direction pattern to help them pierce into the terrain better for optimal traction through corners.

Look for a detailed first impressions post coming up soon. We’ll have measurements and weights then along with our report from the first few rides.