WebreaderShopNewsletterTop dealers & workshops

12 tyres in the testWhich is the best?

Dimitri Lehner

 · 14.05.2017

12 tyres in the test: Which is the best?Photo: David Schultheiß
12 tyres in the test: Which is the best?
Tyres are the most important link between the rider and the ground. The choice is huge, the prices are high. Which tyre offers the most grip for the money?
Test 2017: 9 enduro and 3 all-round MTB tyresPhoto: David Schultheiß Test 2017: 9 enduro and 3 all-round MTB tyres

It fights on the front line, digs in the dirt, bites on granite: the tyre is the spearhead in the mountain biker's battle with physics. Therefore, no tuning measure is more effective than the right tyre choice. In the worst case scenario, the tyres roll slowly and suck the power out of your thighs, smear in bends or give up on angry downhills - with a puncture! Enduro tyres have it particularly tough, they are the Navy Seals of tyres, because they have to be able to do everything. No area of application is as broad as that of enduro tyres. The best tyre is the one that achieves the smartest compromise, because the demands are often contradictory: a model with a lot of grip cannot simultaneously roll the lightest and a light tyre cannot offer the best puncture protection.
This dilemma means that, unlike in the past, different models are increasingly being used for the front wheel (steering) and rear wheel (drive).

At the front, the tyre should generate a lot of grip and traction and it should dampen well. The bike is propelled by the rear wheel, so it helps if this tyre is harder and rolls better. Nevertheless, you need good puncture protection here, because the main load and therefore the hardest impacts come at the rear. We tested nine enduro tyres in the lab and in practice. Most of them are particularly suitable as front tyres. We also tested three all-rounder tyres. Although they are not as puncture-proof as enduro tyres, they roll better, are lighter and accelerate the enduro bike more powerfully on tame home laps over forest ground.


We tested these tyres:


ENDURO:

  • Bontrager SE5 27.5x2.3
  • Continental Baron Project 27.5x2.4
  • E13 TRS Race 27.5x2.35
  • Kenda Honey Badger 27.5x2.4
  • Maxxis Shorty 27.5x2.3
  • Michelin Wild Grip'r 27.5x2.35
  • Onza Citius 27.5x2.4
  • WTB Vigilante High Grip Tough 27.5x2.3


ALLROUND:

How do you like this article?
  • Schwalbe Magic Mary 27.5x2.35
  • Schwalbe Hans Dampf 27.5x2.35
  • Onza Ibex 27.5x2.25
  • Vittoria Morsa 27.5x2.3
Test 2017: 8 enduro and 4 all-round MTB tyresPhoto: Daniel Simon Test 2017: 8 enduro and 4 all-round MTB tyres Test 2017: 8 enduro and 4 all-round MTB tyresPhoto: Daniel Simon Test 2017: 8 enduro and 4 all-round MTB tyres Test 2017: 8 enduro and 4 all-round MTB tyresPhoto: Daniel Simon Test 2017: 8 enduro and 4 all-round MTB tyres

You can read this article or the entire FREERIDE 4/2016 issue in the FREERIDE app (iTunes and Google Play) or reorder the issue in the DK shop:

You can find this article in FREERIDE 4/2016 - you can order the magazine here > FREERIDE IOS App (iPad) FREERIDE Android AppPhoto: Ale Di Lullo You can find this article in FREERIDE 4/2016 - you can order the magazine here > FREERIDE IOS App (iPad) FREERIDE Android App
Dimitri Lehner

Dimitri Lehner is a qualified sports scientist. He studied at the German Sport University Cologne. He is fascinated by almost every discipline of fun sports - besides biking, his favourites are windsurfing, skiing and skydiving. His latest passion: the gravel bike. He recently rode it from Munich to the Baltic Sea - and found it marvellous. And exhausting. Wonderfully exhausting!

Home
FREERIDE

Most read in category Components