Tires

Those who have read some of my reviews probably know that I am quite picky on everything, but tires are the part that keep me the busiest. I had originally purchased the new revisited 2018 E Thirteen TRS+ tires from JensonUSA, but after seeing pictures and reading reviews, the new squarer shape turned me off a bit. Before even mounting them on, I heard that they still had some of the “Classic” version in stock at E Thirteen. Shortly after, I saw that Jenson had them in stock for a closeout price, so I took advantage of their returns policy, returned my 2018 and bought 2 pairs of the older...

Vigilante light/high grip review. This is an updated longer term review. My initial impressions of the tire hold true, but scroll to the bottom if you want my thoughts on why I do not recommend this tire anymore. The Vigilante comes in a few options but I went for the 2.5 light/high grip witch is there softer grippy tire. Generally grip is good right? The tires stretched quite easily on to my 29mm inner rims which is always a little scary because tires that go on too easily tend to not set the beads so easily. For me getting this tire aired and set was a snap, and I didn’t need the air...

Tioga is what one may refer to as a legacy brand – a company with roots deeply intertwined in the heart of mountain biking – and the old school racer’s choice for giant saddles is making a resurgence in the tire game. We reviewed the Glide G3 and G3TT previously and were fans of the cornering abilities at play. Tioga replied in kind as if to say, “Hold my beer.” The Edge 22 has a familiar knob design but they’ve been arranged in a distinctly new way, creating a large center channel and greatly reducing any gap between the inner and edge knobs. Strong claims were made by Tioga and when the tire...

With warmer temperature hitting the northern hemisphere and the snowpacks beginning to sluff off, here at Vital we started dusting off our big hitting bikes for a great season of shredding. Before all that and while the snow was still falling, Vee Tires filled us in with their latest project, the Vee Snap WCE tire. This new DH tire is the product of extensive R&D in conjunction with the Propain Six Pack World Cup DH team, and it brings to the table another option for riders looking for a grippy, durable and strong tire for going down rowdy terrain at stupid speeds. With several months of...

These tires suck when it comes to loose over hard and rocks. I've been riding them for the past four months and I've washed out the front end four times. I also got a pinch flat on my very first ride. I don't know if it's the tread pattern or the tire compound but these tires seem to slip when it comes to loose over hardpack trails which is 99% of the trails in Colorado. They rail berms quite well but when it comes to the terrain you see on actual trails these tires do not inspire confidence at all, not one bit. Maybe they're different in loamy or wet soil but rocky and loose do not buy these...

We wrapped our 29-inch rims with some relatively new WTB rubber for this test. Up front we ran the WTB TCS Vigilante 2.5 Light / High Grip, and out back we slapped on the TCS Trail Boss 2.4 Tough / Fast Rolling tire. The Pivot Firebird 29 was our chassis of choice for this review, and the tires were subjected to over 400 aggressive miles in all weather conditions with terrain ranging from lift laps to long trail days. Find out how the tires held up to our long-term abuse. Strengths Both the tires really bite in at aggressive lean angles They handle a pretty wide variety of trail types and...

Tioga is a brand with a rich heritage in our sport. Most recognizable is their support of one of biking’s greatest — John Tomac. Innumerable riders strapped the original Factory DH tires to their 26-inch rims and dropped into the race course, determined to imitate Tomac’s success. When the time came for Vital to test the new Glide G3 from Tioga, these were the emotions conjured up, and a smirk of nostalgia spread across our mug. Like so many elements of yesteryear, would the reality add up to the memory? It was time to put the Glide G3 to the test. Strengths Cornering traction and consistency...

Primarily made for use on the rear wheel, semi-slick tires have long been a favorite among mountain bikers in certain types of terrain. People often enjoy them for how quickly they roll, which is attributed to the countless miniaturized knobs running tight together down the center tread. For many brands, pairing these small knobs with aggressive corner knobs often yields good things, and e*thirteen has followed suit with their new S/S tire. It's the long-awaited successor to what is now the TRS "All-Terrain" – a tire we've really enjoyed here at Vital in both its original and more recent forms...