WTB Weirwolf 2.55 LT Review

[The Monkey]

Right before our weather headed "north" I got a chance to check out the new big tire from WTB.

12751

Despite the fact that tire purists will nay say the 2.55 monicker, this is a big tire, one of the biggest we 29er riders have available to us.
There is plenty of volume, lots of cush. Tire pressure can be really low. I'm 225lbs, and ran 24psi comfortably.

If you are of the rigid single speeding variety, this tire has lots to offer.

There is a caveat however...

LT stands for Low Tread.
I have found that in our VT (Vermont, not Variable Traction :p ) conditions, when wet, you may as well be riding slicks.
BUT, in the dry, even modestly moist, the grip is excellent.
The low tread allows for quick mud shedding, which is a bonus, but if you ride in a lot of mud, this is not your tire. On my last ride, we had some big wet spots, where I was spinning with no forward progress.
I think that in the wet, the tread depth is what brings the tire down. On our local trails, which vary from bare rock, exposed roots, clay, silty to girthy mud, the only time when the grip was not there, was when the ground was goopy.
However, if I knew that there would be a couple of wet spots on a ride, but everything else would be dry, I would still rock this tire.
Why?
Because in every other situation, this tire rolls FAST. Faster than an Ignitor, faster than a Nanoraptor even. And I would trade grip if I knew it would come back as soon as the tire threw it's mud.
Even when traction breaks, it does so predictably. It's something I attribute to the volume of the tire, along with the tread height.
I like this tire a lot. I wish it wasn't snowing right now. I wish I could have more quality time with it. I was a BIG fan of the Exiwolf, and this tire is an upgrade in my book.
More volume, better tread, and rolls faster and offers more grip than any current knobby tire in dry conditons.
If it's dry, expect to see these tires on my bike.

[squirrl_poker]

Oh man I recently bought some Exiwolfs so I guess it will be a while before I can justify new tires but I'd love to put those things on my 38mm wide kris holm rims!

The thing I love about the Exi's is their predictable cornering traction. I think this is because the tread is similar all the way through and the tire quite round. Do those intimidating Weirwolf cornering knobs really deliver this same feel?

[shiggy]

...The thing I love about the Exi's is their predictable cornering traction... Predictably low IME. I will take almost any other tire on the front.

[squirrl_poker]

Predictably low IME. I will take almost any other tire on the front.

Most of the trails I ride consist of hardpack and rocks. The soil isn't soft enough to allow deep treads to dig in. I was riding with a Kenda Claw front tire and whenever I cornered hard I could feel the edge bending and breaking away. This was even an issue in compacted sand. I ride with a rigid fork now and with the Exi's I can weight the handlebars in a turn, throwing a lot of weight on the front tire and the small but pointy tread works almost like studs or cleats.

[The Monkey]

Klaws are all and skinny, and are quite tippy in hard cornering.
The Exi sounds like it is a good tire where you are riding.
The WW LT IMHuO is a way better tire than the Exi, for rolling and grip. However, put wet in there, and both tires stink.
I ran an Exi up front, and an Ignitor in the back for a few weeks last summer. The Exi would drift often on anything remotely damp. Quite scary at times, but it always hooked back up.
The WW grips better, but doesnt roll as fast.

[tryandgetme]

yep, still waiting for something with big square knobs for the wet mud snow and sand. snow especially. the exiwolfs are fine on hardpacked snow, but absolutely useless in the tinyest bit of carsnot.

[fxdwhl]

I've got Exi's front and back. Works fine for the back. Haven't really had any issues. Front is ok. Washout is somewhat predictable in mud so if you know it's coming you can get ready. Definately want something with bigger side knobs, same volumn though.

I'm waiting for Panaracer to come out with a smoke and dart for a 29er. Bigger volumn than a 2.1 though. Wheel specific tread patterns make a lot of sense.

[squirrl_poker]

According to bike29.com the Weirwolf LT's are actually 95 grams lighter per tire than the Exiwolfs. Is this just from the shallow center knobs or is the casing lighter? I won't want a thinner casing.

[nogearshere]

i just stuffed a set of weirs in the front and back. while not a consideration during the design, they fit quite nicely with ample room for mud.

they are large and took me a long time to blow up...there is a lot of air in them tyres.

conditions were hovering around zero c - so a good mix of frozen sandpaper and slick climbs. the initial response is very favorable, i didn't feel the love in the corners (i love the way exi's corner) but i am going to write that off to our inexperience together...they will stay on for the winter...when and if it ever comes.

[real_ss_budgie]

oi! whats with the dodgy electrical tape holding the brake cable mate???

carlo's diSSney tips #1: the majority of brake cables do not fit snuggly into the cable bosses...place a loop or two of tape on the cable then place into bosses..extra fattness extra chumpy.

ignitors!

[RickB]

For those of you riding Exi's (on the rear), are you reversing the rotating direction or not?

[nogearshere]

For those of you riding Exi's (on the rear), are you reversing the rotating direction or not?
i havent found any need to.

there are those that may disagree, but i choose to follow the research and testing done on tires before i bought them - i guess i am running on faith when i assume that if they worked better the other way they'd have directed me to use them the other way.

just my though, not sarcasm, promise.

[myron]

what PSI say you?

[nogearshere]

what PSI say you?

i like 30. maybe 25.
sometimes in between.

truth is i only check pressure when i am pumping...then i wait till they are too soft and pump again. i have been known to overpump so's i save a day or two more before i have to pump again.

life is simple.

[The Monkey]

I had another ride on these in Eastern PA on Xmas Eve.
Although it had rained a bunch the previous day, the trails at Jim Thorpe were pretty darn dry. Coupled with temps in the high 40s, we had a blast.
There was only one section that was glorpy, which the tires did OK with. PA girthy iron ridden glorp is probably a little tackier than VT runny loamy glorp. It hooked up, and I out pedalled 26er on slick uphill grunt.

The tire excelled in the rock gardens, I was runing about 28psi f/r on a rigid single speed (opinion of this bike to be posted on this forum very soon). Traction was all there.
I still really like this tire a lot.

[North]

I started winter biking with the WTB Exi's and I must say they work great for me. I went out after a fresh snow, dropped the pressure and they handled great. Its dry here and the temp rarely goes above 0F these days. All my rides have been at -15 or less.
WTB Exi's (http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=335082198&size=m)
Winter Bike (http://www.flickr.com/photos/physicsman/328912882/)

Interesting note on the rims. These 28 spoke rims were specially made for Gary Fisher. He has one set and through rim shortage fiasco with the ppl I had build the bike I got the other set. They are drilled off center in the back so the dish is the same for all the spokes.