Editor’s Note: Our SoCal writer, Grannygear, has this follow up on his testing of WTB’s new Wolverine 29″er tire.
Post By Grannygear:
I had to take a break from rolling around on the Wolverines when the Specialized Epic Marathon showed up for testing. I wanted to ride it with the stock tires for a while before I made any changes. Once that was pretty much accomplished, I mounted one Wolverine on the front of the Epic with tubes installed in the Roval wheel and paired it up with a Specialized Captain Control 2.2. The other Wolverine I swapped to the front of the Lenz on the Stan’s Flows tubeless with Caffe Latex sealant and matched it with another Captain Control 2.2 tire. I decided to pull the Wolverines from rear use as it seemed a bit overkill there. Climbing and braking traction was excellent as a rear tire but the weight and so-so rolling resistance compared to the Captain Control did not make it my first choice in aft rubber. I am sure that WTB offers a tire for the rear that would be a faster compliment to the Wolverine like the Exiwolf or Nano.
Note: WTB states that the Wolverine is NOT approved for tubeless use and I did this as an experiment. Neither I nor Twentynineinches.com suggests that you attempt to run this tire in any way without tubes installed as per the manufactures’ recommendations. And, in my opinion, that non-blessing from WTB needs to change. After experiencing the superb 2-Bliss tires from Specialized, like the Captain Controls, I have a hard time with any tire that does not come out of the box OK’d for tubeless duty. Personally, I blame the lawyers for this vague area of tubeless-ness as a manufacturers blessing but I could be wrong.
Now, that said, some things had changed since the last time I rode them in that it had rained quite a bit recently. It did not leave things muddy, but it sure laid down the dust and packed down the sand. If you recall in the Out of the Box article, I had found them to be a superb performer in dry/hardpacked conditions. Now that we were in ‘hero dirt’* conditions, I expected the Wolverine to still be a great steering front tire and it was. I have many hours on this as a front tire over a wide range of surfaces and across two bikes. It has fast become my favorite front tire for all around trail riding. I really like the dead neutral steering and the confident feel it gives on turn-in and braking. It holds nicely in sand, off camber surfaces, and has plenty of traction to get out of ruts. I even got it into patches of snow and it did just fine. Mud is not a condition I have tried it in, but looking at it I would expect it to be a marginal mud tire. Those multiple small knobs look a bit dicey for slimy mud.
It mounted up easily tubeless on the Flows and has held air with no leaks at all. The size has been very true to the specs: 2.18” wide on the Rovals and 2.2” wide on the Flows when measuring the casing width.
They make a really cool sound when spun up on pavement and very hard dirt. It is a high pitched growl that is unlike any other tire I have ridden. Not that this matters, but there ya go. What does matter is the weight issue. Remember that they had been coming in a bit portly at 850 grams each and that WTB was looking into the reason why. That is still in the process of investigation as far as I know. So is it a big deal if they never get any lighter? Not too much as far as I am concerned. I like it so much as a front tire that I would run it anyway; it really is that good. So weight weenies need not apply but I would imagine that extra weight has to be in the casing of the tire, and, if so, should make for a durable tire in desert and harsh conditions, an environment where the Wolverine should be a solid performer.
The Wolverine remains on my front rims and is likely to stay there for the duration or at least until the next tire plays ‘King of the Hill’ and knocks it out of contention. One thing is for sure – From the original Nanoraptor to the Dissent and now the Wolverine, WTB continues to develop tire options for 29er riders that make it easier and easier to enjoy the ride, wherever that may take you.
Note: The reviewed products were provided to Twenty Nine Inches at no charge for review. I was not paid or bribed for this review. I will give/gave my honest opinion or thoughts through out.
*”hero dirt“: A SoCal expression to describe a trail condition where the dirt is so tacky and “perfect” that any tire you use will make you look like a hero.
so how does that epic ride GC?
@Dcaterdman: I just spoke with Grannygear today about some tire stuff. He brought up the Epic 29 and said it was “one tight ride”, or something to that effect. I take it he is still really liking it. 😉
@dcarterman
Well, I will tell ya, although it is off topic…actually it IS running a Wolverine tire right now…I have been riding the Lev for a ride or two then coming back to the Epic. You know how you can convince yourself that something is really better than it is? Sometimes you need to step away and then come back for a fresh take on it.
The Epic is ‘one tight ride’. GTed got the quote right. I am still very impressed with the bike as a whole package even though I have some personal reservations on the XX group. But separate from that, the way the Epic handles, accelerates and turns – it is a very well balanced and very fun bike to ride and has got to be in anyone’s top choices as a fast feeling trail bike and endurance rig.
The Epic is very good. With the Tall Boy, the upcoming Rockstar, and the revised Jet-9, not to leave out the GF stuff…HI Fi and Superfly 100…it is a year full of amazing choices.
Watch for my update of the Epic coming soon to twentynineinches.com.
Two questions, what is the Rockstar and do you think WTB is going to keep the production tire this heavy or will they offer 2 models, one a bit lighter?
thanks
@Jim Chapman: What Grannygear is referring to is Titus Cycles “Roackstar” FS 29″er rig that they debuted at Interbike. (You can check out photos of it on our Interbike post here: http://twentynineinches.com/2009/09/22/interbike-2009-outdoor-demo-day-2/ )
WTB states that it is “looking into” the problem with the Wolverine’s weight and it is yet to be seen if subsequent versions are closer to the claimed weight, or if WTB will just stick to the current productions weights. No word has been mentioned abou possibly producing two different versions based on weight.
Sorry for the off topic, but I am considering running 2×10 XX group on an Air 9. What are your reservations for this group?
thanks…
@bartohall: Grannygear and I feel similarly about this, so I will respond here…
The XX group, while amazing in its technology and function, is extremely expensive in a few key areas. Most of these areas have to do with “wear items”. Things an average mountain biker will find themselves replacing one to three times a year, or maybe more, depending upon conditions ridden in and how many miles are put on the bicycle in 12 months time.
In particular, the cassette costs well over $300.00 U.S. to replace. I can buy 3 X-9 cassettes for that price, easily.
Now I think I can speak for Grannygear here when I say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with an XX cassette in terms of function and performance. The cassette, (I pick on this in particular because of its uniqueness), hasn’t let either of us down, and due to its steel construction, it is assumed that the life span of the component is enhanced, but it will need to be replaced and when that time comes, there is currently no other choice but to buy this 300 plus dollar marvel of technology.
That gives us pause on recommending it to “Joe Average” trail rider. If you are a sponsored athlete, or have that kind of money, or are that committed to having the best, regardless of costs, then this does not apply to you.
For the rest of us, it may cause some “reservations”. 😉
And that’s just the cassette…………..:)
Should more choices emerge for 2011 that would alleviate this situation, then I think we could heartily recommend XX as a great mtb group.
@all…
Yes, that is a good part of the issues I have. The rest is whether of not the gearing is correct for your needs. A 26-36 is pretty low but not as low as many might wish and a 39-36 is not very low at all. That is a very individual thing and needs to be taken as such. Besides that, the XX group works very, very, very well, I like the narrow Q factor in the cranks and the cassette is crazy light when you hold it in your hands.
grannygear
I have been running Tubeless for a while and want to keep it that way. I currently bought 3 WTB tires: Wolverine 29, Prowler SL 29, and a Nano Raptor 29.
My question is, Can i install these tires tubeless on Stans ZTR 355 wheels with Stans sealant?
@ chilie
I have installed all 3 of those tires tubeless on ZTR Arches using sealant and have had no problems as of yet. How quickly they lose air seems to be related to how much sealant I decide to use. The Wolverine and Prowler have a limited amount of sealant as I felt their sidewalls were quite thick…need to pump them up every other day, though. The Nano has a healthy dose of sealant and does not seem to ever need air. I bottom out maybe 1 or 2 times a week and have yet to suffer.
Hero dirt is not just a SoCal expression… It’s used everywhere tacky conditions exist and quite often heard at the Whistler Bike Park after it rains a bit.