After a long hiatus for winter and some chances to get this tire tested again this spring, I have finally recorded enough time on the Dissent by WTB to give you a final word on this extreme tire. Extreme? Yes, in many ways. Check out the previous Dissent posts here and here.

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As mentioned in my last update on the Dissent, I wanted to mount the tires on some narrower rims than the Gordos. I used a set of Bontrager Rhythm Elites, which are a more typical 28mm width. The width of the Dissent on these rims wasn’t all that different in an outer knob to knob measurement, going from a 62.7mm on the Gordo to a 61.3mm on the Rhythm. Where I was surprised was the way the casing narrowed up on the Bontrager rim. The old Gordo measurement was 58.3mm and the new measurement was 55.4mm! So, here was a tire that really was affected by the change in rim width. How would that translate to trail performance?

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The Dissent seemed to retain the nice, low rolling resistance, toughness, and traction capabilities that it displayed before. Where I found some difference was in loose soil and especially in sand. Some of the float was gone, but I am admittedly nitpicking about this. Even with a slight downward tick in that performance category, the Dissent was predictable, and still was floating up on the sand much better than a lot of tires I ride. The narrower rim didn’t seem to make much difference in knob support either. I would guess that the inner Peace sidewall protection helps keep that consistent to some degree. I really don’t see a big fall off in performance going to the 28mm wide rim, so I wouldn’t hesitate to use a rim that narrow if need be. That said, a wider rim enhances the performance a bit, so in extreme riding situations, a wider rim may be called for.

Conclusions: Okay, let’s get this out of the way now. The Dissent is a very heavy tire. It isn’t for everyone. having gotten that out of the way, I will say that it rides far lighter than it is. Mostly due to the Dissent’s uncanny ability to roll without the resistance you might expect a tire this heavy and knobby to have. Mad traction? It is here. Laterally and in forward motion. The Dissent’s big ol’ knobs are not just for show. They work very well. The Dissent also is incredibly tough. If you are riding tires that seem to shred into bits due to rocks or what have you, the Dissent may be an answer to your issues. If you ride chunky, rocky terrain and don’t like the “A” lines, this may very well be on the short list of tires that will get the job done for you.

Most riders won’t ever need or want a tire like the Dissent. It is overkill and I would venture to guess that a majority of riders don’t see trails that call out for this sort of heavy artillery. (Pun intended) There are those that do have the extreme terrain, and riding style to match it, and the Dissent is right up your alley. I can’t imagine a better tire from the standpoints of traction, toughness, and especially rolling resistance in this class. (Which is admittedly pretty tiny!) Nothing comes close, really, not even the other WTB heavy hitter. (More on that in a Final Review soon) It is true that there are not many choices here, but the Dissent is such a great choice, that any other tire that might be made in the future to contend with this monster will have a high bar to clear to better it.

Note: The tires in this review were provided to twenty Nine Inches at no cost. We are not being bribed or paid for this review. We always strive to give our honest opinions throughout.