It must be because of the way we mountain bike. We toil over the Alps, eat up endless kilometres on gravelly marathon routes and enjoy torturing ourselves in the fight against the clock. We demand maximum performance from ourselves and our bodies. But that's not all. The demands on the material are at least as great. Lighter with carbon, more efficient with intelligent suspension and faster with larger wheels. Performance optimisation at all angles and on every little screw of the bike. At least here in Germany and especially when it comes to tyres. The German tyre industry has literally declared war on the conflicting goals of fast rolling on the one hand and superior grip on the other. Rubber giants such as Continental and Schwalbe use the latest polymers from the automotive industry and go to great lengths to make tyres even more efficient. And outside Germany?
If you head across the pond, the rolling resistance of a tyre suddenly seems just as important as cat's eyes in an MTB wheel. Grip is everything on US trails. How the tyre rolls and whether you need five minutes more or less for the same lap doesn't really seem to matter to anyone there. There is no other explanation for the sometimes extremely high rolling resistance of some of the cross-country tyres in this test and the philosophy behind them. Even fine profiles with just a hint of studs, such as the Ritchey Shield WCS or the Geax Saguaro full white, stick even on slippery rocks, but at 35 watts they roll like children's modelling clay. This is a fact that makes marathon riders in this country raise their resting heart rate twenty beats at the starting line.
You have to spend between 42 and an incredible 90 euros for a branded tyre. To check whether this investment is really justified, we also tested a DIY tyre for eleven euros against the latest treads from the brand manufacturers.
You can find the results of these mountain bike tyres in the test
- 29er:
Maxxis MaxxLite 29 2.0
Michelin Wild Race'R Ultimate Advanced 2.0
Onza Lynx 2.25
Ritchey Shield WCS 2.1
Schwalbe Rocket Ron Evo 2.25 (BIKE Tip Race)
Specialised Purgatory S-Works 2.3
Vredestein Spotted Cat 2.0
WTB Nano 29 TCS 2.1
- Enduro:
Maxxis High Roller II 2.4 3C
Michelin Wild Grip'R 2.35
WTB Moto 2.3
- Cross Country:
Geax Saguaro2.0
Michelin Wild Race'R Ultimate 2.25
Schwalbe Rocket Ron Evo 2.25 (BIKE Tip Race)
- All Mountain:
Specialised Purgatory S-Works 2.3
Vredestein Black Panther Extreme 2.2
You can find the results of the BIKE tyre test in the free PDF download below - as well as tips for converting to tubeless tyres.
